Card Game Accessories: Everybody Needs Them
The beautiful thing about accessories is that players of all levels can appreciate a quality accessory. There are some officially licensed accessory sets that make for fine gifts; especially newer players most certainly appreciate these. There have been accessory sets containing sleeves, a card binder, a playmat, and a deck box featuring a wide variety of iconic monsters, such as
However, the officially licensed are far from the only examples on the market. There are dozens of different manufacturers for sleeves, deck boxes, playmats, and card binders. The following are simply some great products in each category. There are many other options, but each of these have my personal seal of approval.
For sleeves, I absolutely adore the Dragon Shield Matte Sky Blue Sleeves. The Dragon Shield brand is well known for making sleeves that are durable and thick—your sleeves will get dirty before tearing or breaking. There are a whole bunch of different colors available, but the most important thing to keep in mind when buying sleeves is that you pick "Japanese size" card sleeves, as opposed to "classic size" sleeves, which are a whole lot bigger.
For a very long time, the Gamegenic Watchtower 100+ has been my deck box of choice. This product is an example of excellent craftsmanship built with the end user in mind. My favorite aspect of this deck box is that the lid detaches completely thanks to strong magnets, and can be clipped onto the back. The Watchtower also comes with a separate compartment that can hold dice or counters, very useful for both tournament and casual play. For me personally, the Watchtower very narrowly beats my old deck box, the Ultimate Guard Flip'n'Tray, which I have had for years. It still looks and works just fine after many events worth of abuse!
When it comes to buying a playmat for someone, there are hundreds of different designs to pick from. It's a great opportunity to pick something the person will appreciate, such as an inside joke between yourself and the receiver. Playmats are available in a wide array of price categories, so there's something to be found for every budget.
Out of all four of these categories, I'd say a card binder is the most ideal gift item. Sleeves are something you'll usually replace along the way, deck boxes are usually purchased with specific needs and desires in mind, and you can only really use one playmat at a time. But replacing an old binder, or just having an extra storage option is something I'd never say no to. I've been using an Ultra Pro Premium Pro Binder for as long as I can remember, and after all that time it's beginning to show slight signs of wear and tear. I really enjoy the thick faux-leather exterior and the elastic bind holding the binder shut when not in use.
Of course, besides these four categories, there are a lot of other accessory options you can explore. With in-person events starting up again some duelists could certainly use a new backpack. While there are a lot of non-TCG options on the market that work great for this exact purpose,such as camera backpacks, one item that could be recommended is the Ultimate Guard Ammonite Anti-Theft Backpack. This backpack comes with a whole bunch of neat features, but honestly, my favorite aspect of it is how comfy it is to have on my back and the giant storage space it offers.
Sealed Product for New Players and/or Fans of the Show
There are a lot of different releases aimed at a lot of different players, which is why I'm splitting these up in two categories. First, I'd like to go over a few products I'd recommend for people who don't have the intention to attend the big events, or who just enjoy casual games among friends.
If the person you're looking to buy a gift for is a big fan of the original show featuring Yugi, Kaiba, and friends, they might be delighted to receive a Speed Duel: Battle City Box. Speed Duel is a more beginner-friendly version of the game, and this box comes with a whole bunch of decks inspired by the anime series as well as extra cards so you can customize the builds. What I really like is that it comes with all the iconic cards from the show, from
Structure decks are pre-constructed decks that players can pit against each other in relatively fair fights or can be bought in triplicate as a basis for a tournament-ready deck. The latest structure deck was Cyber Strike, featuring Yu-Gi-Oh! GX's Zane Truesdale's army of cyber dragon and cyberdark monsters. Structure decks make for a neat gift to newer players who want to learn the game but would like to start their journey at their own pace, with the first few games against friends taking place in the comfort of their own home.
The Hottest Products of the Moment
The last few months of the year are usually when we get some crazy products that are popular among a lot of players!
Maximum Gold: El Dorado is probably the one I'd recommend to players who are still fresh on their Yu-Gi-Oh! journey and to veterans alike. The set comes with a few deck cores spread across the card pool, and these are all fairly beginner friendly. Inside this set, you can find cards for the Altergeist, Prank-Kids, and Eldlich decks. It also comes with a lot of cards that are popular in competitive play such as
Brothers of Legend is a very similar set, but rather than containing decks this one aims to expand decks you might already have. It also contains reprints of popular cards, some of them at a higher, more shiny rarity. One of the main points of attraction is the inclusion of the adorable Kuriboh brothers, released over fifteen years after their television debut!
Of course, you wouldn't have to buy full booster boxes of these sets. Just a few booster packs as stocking stuffers are an excellent addition to a gift you already have!
Still No Clue? The Definite Solution
While purchasing a perfectly tailored gift is the ideal scenario, sometimes that is a bit of a tall order. This is especially true if you're not a card connoisseur yourself or don't know exactly what the needs of the person you're shopping for are. Luckily, Cardmarket offers the option to purchase a coupon, the code of which you could then deliver in a creative way of your choosing.
They can use this coupon for any product available on the website, even for other card games—very practical if you're buying for someone who plays multiple games. I would probably use it to buy single cards, which is likely the most attractive option for many advanced players. Alas, it's almost impossible for an outsider to get into singles. This makes a coupon a great gift indeed!
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily Cardmarket.