Best Card Sleeves For Disney Lorcana – A Simple Guide To Sleeves, Binders, Deck Boxes + Playmats

Protecting your shiny new cards is really important – especially when you plan to keep them long term. Whether you’re collecting or playing, you’ll need some way to keep them safe from wear and tear.

Here we’ve covered every nerdy little thing you need to know about protecting your cards with the best Lorcana sleeves. Plus we’ll dive into the best Lorcana accessories for playing – sleeves, deck boxes, play mats, dice, and more!

This guide applies to basically every trading card game. Everything card sleeve here will fit and work for Pokémon, Magic, Digimon, and One Piece. In fact, any card game that uses standard size cards.

Card Sleeving – What + Why?

We recommend that anyone who collects or plays Lorcana should use card sleeves. Card sleeves are simply a thin plastic “pocket” you slide your cards into. For the most part, they’re pretty cheap and protect cards pretty well – mainly from you.

All sorts of things can ruin cards: Sweat, oil from hair and bathroom products, food crumbs, fingernails, spilled drinks – you name it. A set of cheap sleeves can protect valuable cards from most damage. They are especially good at avoiding scratches on foil cards.

Disney Lorcana Card Size

Disney Lorcana’s standard cards measure just under 2.5 by 3.25 inches or 64mm by 89mm. This is the “standard” playing card size used by Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and newer Bandai card games.

All standard-sized card sleeves will fit Disney Lorcana cards. Avoid Japanese, small, or board game size sleeves. The big cards in the Gift Set are exactly twice the size: 5 by 7.5 inches. They fit in the last pages of the official card portfolios.

Types of Card Game Sleeves

There are a few different types of sleeves and it can get a little confusing. This reference should make it nice and clear: –

• Penny Sleeves – Cheap, soft, transparent sleeves for storing cards in a binder or in boxes. A little more than a penny each. Lorcana cards fit in these with a couple of mm space on either side and 4mm at the top.
• Inner Sleeves – Smaller, soft, snug sleeves with generally less than a 1mm gap on the sides and top. Used before outer sleeves for double-sleeving.
• Outer Sleeves – Sometimes referred to as standard or play sleeves. Roughly the same size as penny sleeves but slightly thicker. Usually, they come transparent on one side and with a solid color or design that is opaque (not transparent) on the other.
• Oversize Sleeves – Rarer, but these are larger than outer sleeves. They’re meant to go over all of the other sleeves. Great for protecting your favorite art sleeves or triple-sleeving (not recommended).

What Card Sleeves Should I Get For Lorcana?

• Players – Either single-sleeve with a set of outer sleeves – or double-sleeve with inner sleeves and outer sleeves for the best protection.
• Collectors – Cheap penny sleeves and a nice card binder are all you really need. Use top-loaders if you plan on trading, selling, or storing Enchanted cards long-term.

Most people should pick up a cheap pack or two of penny sleeves, just in case you pull any really nice cards. Just know that penny sleeves won’t fit into outer sleeves, for that you need inner sleeves.

Buy Local

Feel free to read our recommendations then head on over to your friendly local game store to buy. Most have a wide range of sleeves and accessories and can help you pick out the right ones.

Supporting a local game store means you have a place to buy Lorcana, trade cards, and play in Lorcana League. Without them, there is no local community!

Best Card Sleeves For Disney Lorcana

We’ve taken lots of different points into consideration and gone for the highest quality at a reasonable price point. There are cheaper options but they don’t last as long. The upgrades can be worth it if you

Do You Need To Sleeve Lorcana Cards?

No, if you just want to play with your friends or young family – you don’t need card sleeves. Just enjoy the cards! Even for local events, you probably won’t need them. You only need card sleeves if you are playing in more competitive events or if you care about protecting cards.

Best Lorcana Accessories By Use

These are our personal favorites from years of playing and collecting card games. We’ve broken it down based on what you are here for. Don’t feel the need to splurge cash if you don’t need to.

Collectors

Most of us aim to collect Lorcana, even if we also want to play. To keep your cards in the best condition long-term it’s pretty simple and not too expensive. Most people just need the first two mentioned.

• Penny Sleeves – Cheap, regular-sized sleeves. You can use inner or outer sleeves if you’d prefer, but penny sleeves do the job absolutely fine.
• Binder – A nice binder will store your collection safely long-term. We always suggest side-loading, double-sided pages, without an O or D ring.
• Top Loaders or Semi-Rigids – Two different ways of protecting a very valuable card. Use an inner sleeve and one of these. Thicker and sturdier than sleeves, preferred for grading.
• Bulk Storage Box – A cheap card box or an Illumineer’s Trove box will do for most.
• Collectors Box – For special, rare cards something more secure is encouraged. Should fit top loaders.

Players

In every competitive TCG, players are required to use opaque (the opposite of transparent) card sleeves. They must all be the same color or design, size, and thickness. That’s all you need to play.

Lorcana players might also want other accessories for playing like a cheap deck box, a few dice, and a nice playmat.

• Inner Sleeves – Often known as “perfect fit“. These sleeves fit snugly, leaving space to fit into your…
• Outer Sleeves – There are lots of sleeve brands and designs. Generally, most find a “matte” back gives a good grip and a clear front lets you see the card rules and art easily. Should be opaque.
• Deck Boxes – Used to easily card around your deck. Chuck a few deck boxes in your bag and figure out what you want to play when you arrive. Or get a larger box that can carry a couple of decks, spare cards for testing builds, plus your dice and accessories.
• Playmat – A great way of protecting your cards from grimy tables. These are sleek for moving around cards. Choose your own favorite art, or even get mats with zones for the cards.

The boxes we recommend are all fine for double-sleeved decks. You’ll want to check any other deck box you pick up can fit 60 double-sleeved cards as they make decks a bit thicker. A little extra space in a box is fine.

The Boulders come in 60+, 80+ and 100+ versions. They’re all meant to fit that many double-sleeved cards. The 60+ might just fit a double-sleeved deck in but we think a little extra space for pulls from a booster and some tokens from the 80+ is helpful.

Cool Note: The Ultimate Guard Boulder 80+ comes in loads of colors and as a top and bottom part. That means you can get one in each ink color, and mix-and-match them for your two-ink decks!

If you like the look of the Boulder but want space to put tokens and dice, there is also the Ultimate Guard Boulder N Tray! It’s got a perfectly sized little tray underneath. Buuut, it only comes in a 100+ deck size and won’t swap tops with the 60+ ones.

Dice, Tokens + Lore Trackers

The tokens you get with the starter decks are fine for displaying damage, and you can use the official Lorcana app to keep track of your Lore. It’s also possible to get a Lore Tracker in the Lorcana League.

However, a single twenty-sided die (think Dungeons and Dragons) is great for tracking lore. A few six-sided dice are great for damage. You could also use them for showing buffs or debuffs for Lore, Strength, Willpower e.t.c

Just be careful to make it obvious what each token means. You can use different colored dice or markers from board games to help. Buy The Same Token have some really high-quality, custom-made lore trackers, damage tokens, and effect tokens for things like ink drying!

How To Double-Sleeve Lorcana Cards

1. You’ll need a pack of inner sleeves and a pack of outer sleeves
2. Holding the card upright, take a single inner sleeve with the opening on the bottom and push the card up into the opening
3. Make sure the card goes all the way to the top
4. Place the card on a flat surface and press the air out with your hands flattened
5. Take an outer sleeve with the opening at the top and hold it in one hand, with thumb and forefinger on either side
6. Pull your thumb and forefinger in a “money counting” gesture to open the outer sleeve
7. With your other hand, hold the middle of the inner-sleeved card
8. Slide one of the bottom corners of the inner-sleeved card into the outer sleeve
9. Slide the inner-sleeved card in slowly
10. You can push from the top, but that can leave the inner sleeve to slide off a little
11. Instead, push the inner-sleeved card down with just one finger on the inner sleeve at the back of the card and pull up with your thumb on the outside front of the outer sleeve
12. Get the air out of the cards again

Congratulations, you have double-sleeved a card! You are now a pro gamer. Repeat 60+ times and you’ll have yourself a competitive-legal Lorcana deck. Make sure to squidge the air out of the deck. Use a book to press the deck if you need.

Single Or Double Sleeve?

If you’re new to card games, just single sleeve for now. Use some standard sleeves (not penny sleeves) or the official sleeves if you like them. If you want to upgrade later, you just need inner sleeves.

However, we really recommend double-sleeving using an inner sleeve (perfect fit) and a standard sleeve. It protects cards really well, especially as you can leave the inner sleeve on when you inevitably swap cards in and out of your decks over time.

Note: Inner sleeves are smaller than regular penny sleeves and are needed for double sleeving. Penny sleeves just won’t fit, unless you use oversize sleeves. This setup isn’t recommended.

You don’t have to double-sleeve your cards. You can just use opaque normal-sized sleeves for your deck. Double-sleeving protects the cards better. Beware that penny sleeves don’t fit into most playing sleeves, you’ll need perfect-fit-style inner sleeves for that.

Inner sleeves should go on upside-down, then the playing sleeve the normal way so both ends are sealed. This way cards are really well protected against drinks spilling on the table or in your bag.

Triple Sleeving + Oversized Sleeves

You can even triple-sleeve with outer sleeves but it’s pretty over the top unless you play on a boat. Double-sleeving alone gets quite cumbersome when you’re swapping cards and decks during playtesting.

Some people like to use art sleeves – like the official Lorcana sleeves available – and use d sleeves to protect these. In this case, don’t use an inner sleeve. Just use the art sleeves and an oversize sleeve to double-sleeve slightly differently.

Fun note: Oversized sleeves won’t fit the oversized cards from the Gift Set. Those are double the size of normal Lorcana cards and need a way bigger sleeve and binder. See below.

Fun note 2: Dragon Shield calls their oversized sleeves Outer Sleeves. Confusing? Not at all! Dragon Shield Outer are oversize, whereas Dragon Shield Matte/Dual/Art/Classic are standard outer sleeve size.

Why Do Players Need To Use Opaque Sleeves?

Card backs can be printed slightly differently, worn in a particular way, or marked with the tiniest nick. This can allow players to know what card they will draw in many situations. Having totally non-see-through card sleeves that are all the same avoids this for the most part.

Over time sleeves do wear and get grimy, and they sometimes split. However, it’s easy to replace them if you carry spares. You can use different colors for different decks, but over the long-term people tend to stick to one color for ease.

Clear, Matte, Glossy, Side-Loading, Sealable, PVC-Free

Most inner sleeves are clear, but you can get some with a “smoke”, matte, or black back. They help when you have outer sleeves that aren’t totally opaque – this can happen with light-colored outer sleeves. They aren’t necessary but some players prefer them.

You can also get standard-sized Dragon Shield Clear Matte sleeves if you want to see the card back. They look cool and they’ve been used in official demos but they’re probably not tournament legal.

Matte sleeves have a slightly textured back, making them easier to hold. Glossy sleeves can look nicer but can stick when there is even slight moisture in the air. Most people only use matte these days.

Avoid side-loading sleeves. They are easier to get a card into but don’t keep the card sealed or steady as well as top loading sleeves. You can also put “sealable” inner sleeves from Dragon Shield. They take a little longer to go on and add thickness but are perfect if you absolutely must protect your cards from liquids.

Cards are mostly made of polypropylene or polyethylene. They are marketed as “acid-free” or “PVC-free” because old-school sleeves were sometimes made of a material that could break down over time and ruin cards. No sleeves we recommend use PVC and neither do any modern sleeves.

Are The Official Lorcana Sleeves Any Good?

Honestly, they’re not great. Most sleeves that come with Pokémon and other card game bundles aren’t. They’re absolutely fine for kids or to play with. But they won’t last as long as a good Ultimate Guard, Dragon Shield, or other brands.

The official Lorcana card sleeves come in a set of 65. That does fit your 60-card deck if you rip a few. Most other sleeves come as 100 so you can invest in a box or two for the long term.

If you want to use the official sleeves and keep them looking nice, we recommend not using inner sleeves. Instead, use oversized sleeves like the KMC Character Guard or the new Dragon Shield Clear Outer (ignore the name) which will both fit over your standard outer sleeve.

Are The Other Official Lorcana Accessories Any Good?

The deck boxes that come in the Illumineer’s Trove are just little cardboard boxes. They’re really for kids and not meant to take any wear. As a storage box, the Trove is quite beautiful and sits flat, with two rows for cards.

The official deck boxes for sale are better. They’re made of plastic, feature official art, and can hold 80 double-sleeved cards. They look similar in quality and build to the Ultra Pro Deck Box and the plastic Ultimate Guard Deck Cases you can pick up for 2-3 dollars.

The playmats seem to be really nice high-quality art prints. They don’t have stitched edges, which would make them almost perfect. They don’t have zones, but they aren’t needed at all.

The card portfolios seem more like a nice present for a kid, or a nice collector’s item for someone who just wants to pick up a few cards. They have 10 pages, each with four pockets – apart from the last few for oversized cards. Holds 64 standard cards and 8 oversized.

Don’t Go Over The Top!

Just a quick word. Most cards are fine in penny sleeves and a decent box out of the way of flood damage. You don’t need to triple-sleeve decks, have cards in a toploading binder with two sleeves, ultra-thick top loaders, or the (actually very cool and we also want one) Academic deck box.

Don’t get FOMO. Buy some cards and look after them for sure, but enjoy the game for what it is. Absolutely go ahead and enjoy your hobby. But given our current climate crisis and the mountains of single-use plastic, we strongly encourage you to buy only what you need and can reuse for the long term.

How Big Are Lorcana Oversized Cards?

The Lorcana The First Chapter Gift Set contains two foils of Hades and Mulan, as well as two oversized foils of these cards. These are similar to other card games in that they’re just big versions of the same cards.

Based on the promo images from the set and the card folio having half as many cards per page as the standard-sized slots, it looks like the oversized cards are twice the size of normal cards. So, Oversize Lorcana cards measure 5 x 7 inches.

There are in fact Ultra Pro 5 x 7 sleeves that will fit these if you want to sleeve them. They also fit in the last pages of the official Lorcana card portfolio (binder).