#4 Sleeves

Magic players love sleeves.

They love sleeves because sleeves protect their cards from the wear and tear of everyday play.

Sleeves are little pieces of cutup plastic that a card slips into. Once inside, the card knows very little fear to the outside world. This is cute because the card is just a piece of paper, and there is actually a lot to fear from the outside world.

At one time in Magic's early history, players didn't use sleeves.

That is why today, some of the oldest and most expensive cards look like they've been chewed on or possibly used to pick locks.

Sleeves are more than just protection though. Magic players use their sleeves to make statements. This makes sense, since sleeves from clothing also can make statements, ranging from "I am mourning the loss of a family member" to "I need to cover up this tattoo when I teach 2nd grade" to "my rank is higher than yours."



Magic players will spend hours thinking about the perfect sleeves that go with a deck. This is because when a game of Magic starts, the only thing that the other player can see are the sleeves. When a Magic player draws his first 7 cards and holds them up, the backs of the cards (the sleeves) are a great way to say something.

If the sleeves are red, it could be saying "I'm a red mage, I'm going to tap Mountains and burn your face. Cheers mate."

If the sleeves have a scantily clad anime chick with a huge rack, it could be saying "I like scantily clad anime chicks with huge racks, I hope you do too. So don't Duress me or I'll be holding up 6 of these ladies instead of 7, and we sorta both lose."

If the sleeves have Pikachu on them, it could be saying "I think I grabbed the wrong deck."

Because sleeves pull double duty, by potentially making bold statements and getting the best of a card's lifespan, Magic players heart their sleeves.