Before we get down to giving you tips to store your TCG or CCG cards effectively, it would help if we touched briefly on what they are. TCG and CCG are abbreviations that refer to the same- a variety of card games. TCG stands for Trading Card Game, and CCG is the acronym for Collectible Card Game.
This variety of card games mix elements of building card decks strategically along with trading card features. Remember, you have to pay for TCG cards, making it essential to store them safely to give them maximum longevity. You can easily damage your TCG card. So, you need to follow these tips to ensure your cards remain in mint condition.
7 Best TCG Cards Care Tips From the Pros
1. Make Sure to Cover Them
You must keep away your TCG cards from coming in contact with air. If you play with a card that doesn’t have a foil, remember to store it at the card pack’s bottom. Remember not to keep a card in a box or a tin container until and unless you cover it with a sleeve.
Make it a point to order additional covers from your favorite gaming store regularly. You will find plenty of generic covers in white, blue, and black colors that would suit all collectible cards. These will cost you around $6 in Australian dollars for a sixty piece pack. If you are buying Pokemon TCG cards, ensure that you order standard-sized card covers.
You can also buy covers that are themed around Pokemon specifically. You may also choose to order custom themed sleeves from many websites. If you decide to order such covers, you can be sure that they will fit, and it is an excellent way to spell out your Pokemon fandom.
2. Don’t Use Clear Covers
Steer clear of using clear covers as while they are indeed cheap; they also come with a host of difficulties. However, don’t confuse clear covers with white-colored covers. Among its disadvantages, the former is highly prone to slipping, making it hard to store them neatly in a pile.
Additionally, you are going to drop them often, which too might serve to damage the card. Note that clear covers are usually strictly prohibited for use in tournaments. If you don’t have an option, your cards will be better off if you stick to using clear covers only on reverse holo cards. You can also use them for cards you don’t have any attraction towards but want them to retain their shine.
3. Use Top Loaders If You are a Card Collector
Top loaders are a variety of rigid cover and offer maximum protection to your cards. However, these top-loaders come with the disadvantage of the inability to use these cards in a deck. These types of covers are ideally suited for TCG card collectors.
4. Use Binders to Show Off Your Collection
Suppose you want to show off your collection of TCG cards. In that case, binders are perfect for you. They will do well to replace a single cover for cards we discussed earlier. You can add to your card protection by covering it with a sleeve and then proceeding to fit it in the binder page.
A cheaper alternative is creating your binders by heading to office stationery stores and buying simple varieties of 3-ring binders. You need to purchase the pages separately, but still, it would end up being less expensive. When you do this, make sure to take a printout of your desired cover and then place it in the front by sliding it there.
5. Card Storage
After giving the right cover to your TCG card, you can store them in tins, standard boxes, or even elite trainer boxes. Remember, don’t just throw them in the container as this would make your cards susceptible to damage.
6. Don’t Use Rubber Bands
Some people tend to use rubber bands to hold together a pack of rare cards. Steer clear of this habit as it is a definite red flag. You can end up damaging your card sides and diminish the card value to a significant extent.
7. Treat Your TCG Cards With Care
The last TCG Cards care tip to share in this article is to stress how important it is not to roughly use your TCG cards. Exercise care while using them for any purpose.
It is hoped that the TCG Cards care tips we recommend you follow while using your TCG cards prove helpful to you. Of course, you can ignore the suggestions we mentioned in this article. But if you want your cards to be with you for a long, long time, then, by all means, follow these tips dedicatedly. Here’s to great gaming!
