KMC Sleeves
KMC sleeves are smooth and provide an excellent shuffling experience. As a mash shuffler, I can confirm that they feel great and make shuffling effortless. The sleeves allow for easy scrolling through your deck, making it seamless to search for specific cards. Another advantage of KMC sleeves is that they keep your cards securely in place, so you don’t have to worry about them sliding up and down.
However, KMC sleeves do have some downsides. The color selection is quite limited, with white being one of the few appealing options. Additionally, the corners bend easily, so I recommend handling them with care while mash shuffling. If you playtest frequently, you might notice that the sleeves start to break—though this could be due to my aggressive shuffling.
After about 5–6 months of use, the smoothness begins to fade, making them feel more like regular Ultra Pro sleeves. You will also start to experience sticky shuffles. I broke at least ten sleeves due to my aggressive mash shuffling.
A friend of mine, who shuffles more carefully, managed to make these sleeves last for a year by gently mashing them and ensuring the corners didn’t collide. Overall, while KMC sleeves offer an incredibly smooth shuffle and keep cards securely in place, I wouldn’t recommend them for heavy playtesting due to their durability.
Katana Sleeves
When I first started using Katana sleeves for a League Challenge, I found them to be very slippery while cutting and shuffling. However, the mash shuffle felt incredibly smooth and buttery—an experience that quickly became addictive. Scrolling through the deck to search for cards was effortless, making it easy to find specific cards quickly.
Switching from a regular sleeve to Katana sleeves feels like upgrading from a basic keyboard to a high-end mechanical gaming keyboard.
One downside is their slipperiness when fresh out of the box, though this fades with use while still maintaining a smooth and enjoyable shuffle. The sticky shuffles don’t really bother me. I’ve been using Katana sleeves on and off for about three months, including 2–3 League Challenges.
One minor issue is that cards can slide up and down within the sleeves, but they never slip out. To ensure they stay in place, I tap the base of my deck on my playmat to align the cards properly. I make sure to shuffle carefully because the corners of these sleeves can easily bend.
For durability, I sometimes aggressively mash shuffle, and so far, none of the sleeves have broken after three months of use. The sleeves still feel smooth and easy to shuffle.
A pack of Katana sleeves costs around $15. They offer better color options than KMC, though if you choose turquoise, note that the front will appear darker than the back.
To be honest, I haven’t used Katana sleeves as extensively as KMC, but I may give them another try in the future and update my opinion. Overall, Katana sleeves feel amazing to shuffle.
Endgame Sleeves
When I first started mash shuffling Endgame sleeves, they felt both smooth and rough at the same time. While they may not be as buttery or addictive as Katana sleeves, they are still effortless and enjoyable to shuffle.
If you’re transitioning from Katana to Endgame sleeves, you might initially be disappointed by the rough texture. However, as you continue using them in tournaments and casual play, the shuffle experience becomes more enjoyable. Over time, you will also experience sticky shuffles.
One significant advantage of Endgame sleeves is their excellent color selection, despite the limited variety. Colors like Arctic Blue and Sakura Pink stand out—I use Sakura Pink, and I’ve received many compliments on it during Pokémon TCG tournaments.
Based on my four months of experience, the corners of Endgame sleeves don’t bend easily as long as you shuffle carefully. Over time, the corners bent due to my aggressive mash shuffling. So far, I’ve only broken one sleeve, which happened when I accidentally caught a corner inside another sleeve. Overall, they deliver on their promise of durability.
Another advantage is that Endgame sleeves don’t have the awkward slipperiness that Katana sleeves do when new. Additionally, the front of the sleeves makes your cards look aesthetically pleasing—unlike Dragon Shield sleeves, they don’t have the extra gap at the top, making the cards appear to fit perfectly within the sleeves.
One minor drawback is that when scrolling through your deck, you will need to apply slightly more effort compared to Katana or KMC sleeves. Also, while the cards slide up and down within the sleeves, they never slip out.
Overall, I highly recommend Endgame sleeves for someone who wants durable sleeves and doesn’t mind a rougher shuffle experience.
Their durability, attractive color choices, and unique shuffle feel make them a great option for competitive play. The front of the sleeves looks perfect.
The Endgame sleeves are the ones I currently use, but honestly, I want to transition back to a smoother sleeve like Katana.