My Personal TCG Equipment Wishlist

As evidenced by the relative paucity of posts regarding it, I don't play the Pokémon TCG much even though I have basic knowledge about it and possess the physical cards and its associated equipment in some capacity. That physical equipment, however, is actually meager despite being sufficient to play. Even so, a small part of me still desires some other pieces of equipment if and when I decide to take up the physical cards again. I figure I should take a post to outline the equipment that can complement playing the physical TCG, especially in my case, and what I might desire for that.

Currently, the meager equipment I possess for the cards comprise card sleeves. For the Pokémon TCG - or any specialty card game for that matter - card sleeves are important in order to protect the cards, common or rare regardless. The cards are moved around a lot (particularly when shuffling them, an essential part of the game), and friction will get to them if they are not protected otherwise. The sleeves I have are transparent and show off the classic card back, which is the intent of getting the ones I got. If I were to desire something different for card sleeves, I might want a plain colored one or preferably something with a different Pokémon image. Still, the transparent ones I possess work for that reason, so that may be something to keep.

If I'm going to have a ton of cards and different decks, I'm going to have to need some deck boxes to hold the decks, obviously. They hold the cards for the decks and keep them separate, preventing their mixing. For cards not in a deck, the boxes will surely be helpful for exactly the same purpose. Currently, I still only have my unmodified starter deck, so its box is sufficient for that purpose. But once I start thinking about modifying that deck and/or getting another deck, then I'll have to start thinking about actual deck boxes to keep things separate and organized as I tinker with the decks and still maintain the cards I edit out of them before they can find a place somewhere else.

One last equipment that might be beneficial is a playing mat. While I've gotten by without one, now I could see how it might be useful: without one, my cards tend to slip and slide while playing, and a playing mat ought to resolve this issue. It also comes with the added bonus of providing a way to keep things a little more organized, which is a plus because I tend to be messy with things including games - one reason I like and prefer the TCGO instead of physical cards. But if and when the physical cards are the way to go, I need a way (or many ways) to keep myself in line when I play, and a playing mat ought to provide at least one of those ways while I play.

The complementary equipment that I've described here, of course, necessitates that I get back into playing the physical cards, which is not likely to happen soon enough. It remains a minor desire for that to actually happen, and if or when that does happen, the minor desires for the equipment above may deserve to be fulfilled to some extent. The fact remains that a specialty card game practically requires lots of things to make them work (well), and that is no less true for the Pokémon TCG than any other specialty card game; the equipment I've detailed here represents steps in that direction.

One year ago: On the Mining of Data

Two years ago: Mementos of...

Three years ago: Cosplay Events, Wherefore Art Thou?

Four years ago: Connection Issues?