When you first get drawn into the world of trading card games (or TCGs, or collectable card games/CCGs, though the two terms mean pretty much the same thing!), one thing you may not account for is just how many cards you’ll end up with in your collection.
Another thing is that, even if you’re only playing one CCG (and, let’s face it, with new kids on the block such as Lorcana and Star Wars Unlimited, who hasn’t dabbled outside their ‘main’ game at this stage?), you’ll likely want to put together lots of different decks to try out against your friends, or even when competing against more serious opponents in tournaments.
Though binders can do the job for displaying and securely storing cards, particularly the more valuable cards in your collection, the best option for storage if you’re going to be handling cards, and taking them to games or events, are deck boxes.
As long term TCG enthusiasts here at Card Gamer, we’ve tested plenty of deck boxes over the years, and there’s several staples that we keep going back to. With so many deck boxes on the market, which are the best ones to go for?
A superb all-round deck box that feels great, looks modern and protects your cards incredibly well.
This deck box features thick protection and a tab on the side for writing on for organisation.
This deck box flips out into an oblivion of storage space, including a pocket for your dice/tokens.
1. Vault X Exo-Tec Game Box 100+
All TCG players have a deck that they’ll take with them everywhere; to a friend’s house, to conventions or even to weekly game nights at their local game store.
This might not always be the same deck, of course, because another thing we TCG players can’t resist is tweaking and refining our chosen selection of cards!
However, what this means is that we need a pretty rugged, long lasting deck box that’ll stand both the test of time when stored, as well as the frequent handling and transport it’ll be subject to. We also need to know that it’ll not just be something that holds up to punishment itself, but keep your cards in pristine condition too.
Oh, and how about plenty of room for tokens and other accessories that you’ll be carrying along with your cards? If you need all of the above, we think we’ve found the deck box you’re looking for!
Despite being a relatively new player on the TCG scene, Vault X have quickly made a name for themselves as an excellent source for superb, reliable accessories, and their Exo-Tec Game Box 100+ has taken the top spot for our choice of the best overall deck box.
It features Vault X’s water-resistant, Exo-Tec exterior and inside, it has a soft, microfiber lining that’ll ensure the safety of your cards. With multiple drawers, you can keep your main deck separate from your sideboard or even store accessories such as tokens or dice.
That main deck space is also compatible with all Vault X Exo-Tec sideloading deck boxes too, so you can swap decks in and out of this box with ease. Its high quality design, practical features and modular versatility make this our top choice for the best trading card deck box.
2. Quiver Citadel Premium Deck Block
Want something that’s a little more portable for your deck and a smaller number of accessories? The Quiver Citadel Premium Deck Block has it all, which makes it our top choice for players who take their cards with them everywhere they go, or just want to make sure their go-to deck is well protected when stored!
So what makes this particular deck box such a good choice? Well, just like the Vault X box, it’s clear that it’s been made by CCG/TCG fans, for CCG/TCG fans. Quiver have an excellent range of products for CCG/TCG players, and their keen eye for what players actually need in a premium product is what sets them apart.
Though a somewhat costly investment, certainly in comparison to many other deck boxes on this list, the Quiver Citadel really does have everything you could possibly require. Not only does it have a nicely padded, faux-leather exterior, but the lid itself is remarkably secure, thanks to 14 magnets placed strategically around it.
If that still doesn’t quite calm your anxiety about your cards being safely tucked inside the box, there’s also an elasticated strap to really make sure that lid is going nowhere!
When you are ready to play, the lid can be completely removed, giving you the option to draw cards from your deck directly from the soft, velvety interior of the box itself, either horizontally or vertically; the choice is yours.
As long as you aren’t rocking a fully sleeved, 100-card deck there’s also space inside the box for small accessories; with games such as the aforementioned Star Wars Unlimited and Disney Lorcana requiring tokens to play, not to mention bonus trackers and damage dice being useful even for games such as Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon, this is really useful.
If you’re worried about your tokens or dice damaging your cards, fret not; there’s a hard plastic divider also included, to ensure that doesn’t happen!
It’s also much smaller, and therefore quite a bit more portable, than some of the other deck boxes on this list; though that of course means less room for cards and accessories, it’s a perfectly designed box if you’re looking for a more compact solution.
3. Grinning Gargoyle Dragon Hide Deck Box
Made of 100% genuine dragon hide (hey, who are we to argue?), the Grinning Gargoyle deck box is another hugely useful storage solution, which provides great protection for your cards, as well as an excellent way to tidy away and carry your accessories.
One compartment is big enough to hold a deck of 100 sleeved cards, the second is able to cope with a deck of 60 cards and the third is a good space to hold tokens and dice.
A magnetic lid and soft interior are also features of this excellent trading card deck box, and once opened the rest of the deck box falls into place, making you like like a magician at your next games night.
I also like the large thumb cutouts too, it made it easier for me to pull out or scan through my collection. To make it better I would have liked to see micro fibre interior on this deck box, instead they have used some kind of matte material which is too hard and rough for my liking.
4. Card Guardian 100+ Deck Box
Another deck with a nice, soft microfiber interior, durable exterior and magnetised lid, the Card Guardian is a solid and reliable deck box that’s also pretty easy on the wallet.
The lid opens up flat, so it also gives you a soft, microfiber surface (albeit a small one!) that you can use to handle cards safely.
Though it isn’t the most fully featured of deck boxes, it’ll hold 100 sleeved cards and more if they’re unsleeved; it’s nicely made and will certainly fit the bill if you’re not looking for anything too flashy or if you have more than just cards to keep safe!
5. FXLTSBL Deck Box and Dividers
Though this isn’t a deck box from a well known or established brand, these rather generic deck boxes are actually much better quality than you may expect.
In fact, I’ve used several of these myself and they’re fantastic for their price; they’re not far off the quality of the Card Guardian box, for example, and they tend to be not just cheap, but readily available too.
A magnetised, unfolding lid, microfiber interior and a sturdy outer makes these a solid choice if you’re not fussed about branding or any more features than the bare basics.They do the job of keeping your cards safe, after all; both when stored and carried around.
With two card dividers included, you can store a few unsleeved decks that you can keep separated, or around 100 sleeved cards overall. A range of colours and even a side loading style option also means that you can choose from a decent selection of these boxes too.
6. Gamegenic 100-Card Deck Holder
As we head to the bottom of the list, it’s worth mentioning that the last few decks we feature definitely have their place, and although its not top the Gamegenic Deck Holder is a great, cheap pick up.
Any trading card collector has bulk cards of common or uncommon cards they might have either unsleeved or in penny sleeves; or even decks of lesser value or importance that they don’t mind storing in less secure or cheaper boxes. That’s where this type of softer plastic deck box comes into the equation.
I’ve got absolutely tons of these, containing all sorts of cards from lots of different games; with a strip on top to write on, you can label it for easy recognition of the contents too.
With a plastic card divider included, this also comes in a range of colours; they’re just about the cheapest deck boxes you can find, but they’ll absolutely do for the less precious, more numerous cards in your collection.
7. Ultimate Guard 100+ Deck Case
This deck box has similar features to the Gamegenic one, as well as a range of colours that you can choose from. Instead of a writing panel strip on the box lid, the Ultimate Guard Deck Box instead has a sticker so you can label it on whichever side is best for the way you store the boxes.
It even feels like a very slightly higher quality plastic than the Gamegenic box above. So why is it ranked below the Gamegenic box? Well, that’s because it’s priced at around 3-4 times the cost of the Gamegenic deck box, despite only being slightly higher in quality.
It’s a good solution for bulk cards or if you’re on a tighter budget, but if you’re looking to take care of multiple sets of cards in your collection, the Gamegenic deck box does work out to be the most cost effective.
However, if you can’t quite stretch to the cost of a Card Guardian box or higher, or you’re not that fussed about a microfiber interior or magnetised lid, this Ultimate Guard box might hit just the right spot for you in terms of its features and price point!
