There's more to storing cards than meets the eye. Even casual Magic players can have thousands of cards. Before you can store your cards, though, organize them. If you don't, finding specific cards can be a nightmare (trust me).
Organizing Cards
There are different ways to organize your collection. For single cards, you can sort by:
- color
- expansion
- card type (land, creature, etc.)
- rarity
- and more
I prefer organizing singles by expansion, but whatever you choose, be consistent. It's the only way to facilitate relatively rapid card retrieval.
You can also sort your cards by organizing them as completed decks. I keep a few dozen decks on-hand, so I can 'grab and go' without needing advance preparation. If you do this method, though, it's easy to lose track of which cards are in which deck. The solution? You can keep spreadsheets, but that's cumbersome. Instead, use online deckbuilders (like deckstats) to record your decks before you store them. I also recommend labeling your deck boxes (I use Avery 5422 labels, available at Staples) so you remember which deck is in which box. Once you have a bunch, trust me, you'll forget.
Storing Cards
Once cards are organized, you'll need to store them. The primary storage methods are binders and card boxes.
Binders:
I've used binders before because they're easy to flip through to view/locate cards. Unfortunately, they take up lots of space, you'll need a lot of them for a sizable collection, and it takes a lot of time to put cards in (or retrieve cards from) the binders. And, of course, you can't store completed decks in them.
Card boxes:
I've gravitated toward card boxes over the years. It's a much more compact storage solution, which matters (remember, collections can accumulate fast). The downside: it can take a while to find the cards you like, and there's no fast way to flip through things.
There are different types of card boxes. Those that store cards upright (like pictured below) often have at least two rows and can hold 1600 unsleeved cards. They're also large enough to hold sleeved cards and deck boxes, giving you more flexibility in how you arrange things. There are smaller (single-row) boxes available; generally these store cards sideways. This is more compact, but they can't always hold sleeved cards or deck boxes easily, and it's harder to flip through cards when searching.
Of course, Magic makes many products that come with their own boxes. Often, these hold about 400 unsleeved cards, and can be of good quality.
Speaking of sleeves . . . do you want to sleeve your cards? This means purchasing plastic protective covers for every card in your deck(s). It gets expensive fast but prolongs the life of your cards. I use sleeves sparingly, saving them only for decks I consider most valuable. I recommend Ultra Pro Eclipse-series sleeves, though many other good companies exist.
Don't let your cards own you: stay in control through systematic approaches to organizing and storing. You'll spend less time managing and more time playing.
Organizing Cards
There are different ways to organize your collection. For single cards, you can sort by:
- color
- expansion
- card type (land, creature, etc.)
- rarity
- and more
I prefer organizing singles by expansion, but whatever you choose, be consistent. It's the only way to facilitate relatively rapid card retrieval.
You can also sort your cards by organizing them as completed decks. I keep a few dozen decks on-hand, so I can 'grab and go' without needing advance preparation. If you do this method, though, it's easy to lose track of which cards are in which deck. The solution? You can keep spreadsheets, but that's cumbersome. Instead, use online deckbuilders (like deckstats) to record your decks before you store them. I also recommend labeling your deck boxes (I use Avery 5422 labels, available at Staples) so you remember which deck is in which box. Once you have a bunch, trust me, you'll forget.
 |
| this method is ill-advised . . . image from here |
Once cards are organized, you'll need to store them. The primary storage methods are binders and card boxes.
 |
| binders or boxes . . . which to choose? image from here |
I've used binders before because they're easy to flip through to view/locate cards. Unfortunately, they take up lots of space, you'll need a lot of them for a sizable collection, and it takes a lot of time to put cards in (or retrieve cards from) the binders. And, of course, you can't store completed decks in them.
 |
| binders have their benefits but take up a lot of room. . . image from here |
I've gravitated toward card boxes over the years. It's a much more compact storage solution, which matters (remember, collections can accumulate fast). The downside: it can take a while to find the cards you like, and there's no fast way to flip through things.
There are different types of card boxes. Those that store cards upright (like pictured below) often have at least two rows and can hold 1600 unsleeved cards. They're also large enough to hold sleeved cards and deck boxes, giving you more flexibility in how you arrange things. There are smaller (single-row) boxes available; generally these store cards sideways. This is more compact, but they can't always hold sleeved cards or deck boxes easily, and it's harder to flip through cards when searching.
 |
| a nicely-organized collection in boxes, sorted by expansion. image from here |
Speaking of sleeves . . . do you want to sleeve your cards? This means purchasing plastic protective covers for every card in your deck(s). It gets expensive fast but prolongs the life of your cards. I use sleeves sparingly, saving them only for decks I consider most valuable. I recommend Ultra Pro Eclipse-series sleeves, though many other good companies exist.
Don't let your cards own you: stay in control through systematic approaches to organizing and storing. You'll spend less time managing and more time playing.
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