Trainers know the struggle with Pokémon TCG right now. A new set drops, you wait maybe 30 minutes too long to buy it, and suddenly every scalper on eBay is selling it for double MSRP with no remorse. But this week?

Things are different. Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart have restocked some of the most in-demand Pokémon TCG sets at retail price. No fighting over the last box at Costco, no sketchy third-party Amazon sellers charging a premium, just pure, untainted Pokémon goodness straight from the source.

Best Pokémon Day Deals 2025

One of the big catches here is Pokémon TCG 151 Booster Bundle, which comes with six booster packs from the Scarlet and Violet 151 set. I’m dying to fill my binder with some of the best cards from 151, like the gorgeous Special Illustration Rare Charizard or Venusaur ex, an absolute tank and playable. It’s been one of the hardest sets to find sealed at MSRP, and I don’t expect it to stay in stock long.

Another solid investment right now is Shrouded Fable. The Elite Trainer Box and Booster bundle are in stock at the time of writing and are both set to climb in value before the year is out. It’s overlooked by the community right now, but with it being a mini set much like 151, it’s a good idea to snap Shrouded Fable packs and boxes up now whilst it’s still available.

Pokémon: TCG Scarlet and Violet – 151 Booster Bundle

Not all cards are meant to be played with. If you’re into collectibles already or just starting to collect trading cards, you may have a big enough collection that warrants some extra care or bulk storage. Some of your cards may even have significant value or will continue to grow in value, depending on what cards you collect and how you store them. As an investment, many serious collectors go to significant lengths to protect their cards such as sleeving or even double-sleeving them. However, even if your cards aren’t worth much monetarily, they are still nostalgic and special to you; whether it be Pokémon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh, sports cards, MTG cards (shoutout the new Final Fantasy collection), X-Men cards, or others. That said, you should consider the right dedicated storage option for your type of collection and your budget.

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Fortunately, just like with video game storage, there are all sorts of carefully crafted containers you can use to protect your trading cards these days. If you’re just getting into collecting now, starting to collect more, or you simply want to upgrade your storage option from the old ring binder you’ve been using since the 1990s, this (unranked) list is for you.

While some focus on security above all else, many others are stylish and portable too, making it easy and fun to tote your cards out and about. For all of you card collectors, see our picks below of the best trading card storage options for every situation, collection size and budget. Happy collecting!

1. Quiver Time Quiver Card Case

Best All-Around Pick

Quiver cases are almost universally adored in the card gaming community, and it’s easy to see why. Whatever your storage needs, it’s quite possible a single quiver case will fit the bill. It’s big enough to hold over a thousand unsleeved cards, yet it’s also sturdy and portable, coming with wrist and shoulder carrying straps, a tough shell with a water-resistant faux-leather finish and a secure zip closure. So it’s just as useful whether you’re storing cards in the home or carrying them out to play.

Perhaps the best thing about Quiver Time, though, is the stylish design and attention to detail. They come in a variety of colors to suit your preference and have all sorts of thoughtful little extras. There’s a sheath to keep the zip tabs closed, fully adjustable straps, some card sleeves and removable acrylic dividers and corner cushions to help keep your cards organized. And perhaps most thoughtful of all, 1% of the asking price goes to charity.

More TCG Accessories From Quiver Time:

2. GameGenic Dungeon 1100

Best for Bulk Collections

If you’ve got a bigger collection of cards and want a solid and well-designed stackable box to keep them in, then look no further. Each GameGenic Dungeon can hold a thousand double-sleeved cards, or a few more if you’re happy to box them up “naked”. There’s a middle divider to keep them better organized and make it easier to search through your collection when you need to.

The lid goes on via a convenient magnetic mechanism which makes it simple to pop on and off but holds strongly and securely when not in use. It also allows for complete removal, making it simple to access all your cards. There’s room above the cards to keep a game board, rules or accessories, and it’s a stylish solution with a smooth exterior and a soft microfibre lining to cushion your cards.

3. Quiver Time Bolt Card Case

Best Case for Portability

While Quivers are fantastic all-round cases, they’re a little on the bulky side if you carry your cards around a lot. If you’re just after a case to take out to clubs and tournaments then they make a smaller option, the Bolt, for that very purpose. It holds a little more than half the capacity of its bigger sibling, but that also means it has half the weight and size.

In all other respects, it offers the same high quality build and styling of the Quiver, meaning your cards are just as well-packed and protected, only on a smaller scale. And you still get a free pack of card sleeves and 1% of the price to a children’s orphan-based charity as well.

4. VaultX Exo-Tech Zip Binder

Best Binder

Boxes are not always the best option for storing your cards, not least because it’s difficult to flip through your collection and find the cards you need. Binders make a great alternative: although they hold fewer cards, they fit nicely onto shelves or cupboards and most options contain transparent pages with pockets into which to tuck your cards.

This binder from VaultX not only contains 20 such pages that hold 9 cards each, but boasts a protective padded cover and heavy-duty zip to keep your cards safe and secure. The standard version is standard black, but it comes in a variety of colors, sizes, and closures, so you can be sure to find one that fits your needs.

5. Casematix Graded Card Storage Box

Best Protection

Depending on how valuable your cards are and where you take them, you might feel the need to have a super-secure option to keep them safe. And they don’t come much safer than this Casematix case, with extra-durable hard shell exterior and customisable foam inserts that you can tear to ensure a perfect fit for your most prized cards.

The case closes with a secure mechanism that also ensures its waterproof and airtight for maximum protection. And if that’s not enough for you, it’s designed to take cards in their own protective plastic slabs and there’s also a padlock ring so you can lock things down even tighter with added layers of your own security.

6. VaultX Exo-Tech Side Loading Deck Box

Best Deck Box

Often, it’s fine to keep your cards in whatever container or case you can rustle up at home, but what you really want is a small, sturdy, premium-build box that you can use when taking a single deck of your precious cards out and about to play. Many brands have starter packs that come with suitable deck boxes for free, but they’re often flimsy cardboard affairs, so it’s better to invest in something a bit more durable.

Enter this excellent option from VaultX. It’s available in a variety of stylish single-color finished, made of water-resistant microfibre. The lid doesn’t clip or slide on and off, as is common, but is held in place with strong magnets, making opening and closing super convenient. And the lid also flips round and magnetizes to the bottom of the box, tidying it out of the way and offering a stable platform to access your cards. You can also mix and match lids and boxes of different colors if so desired.

7. Fageverld Trading Card Storage Box

Best Budget Option

For all the fancy protective cases you can buy for trading cards, fundamentally all you actually need for them is a box of some kind. And a box can be as basic as a piece of packaging that came with some other order: four sides and a lid will keep your cards in order just as well as a golden chest. There’s no need to spend a fortune if you don’t want the style and features offered by premium brands.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not something to be gained by spending at least a little on a storage option. Rather than a discarded cardboard box, you could get a specialized option like this. It’s sized just right to protect trading cards, comes with some dividers to keep things organized and has a top-loading lid so it’s easy to peruse your cards. Multiples will also stack neatly on your shelves to keep your cards together.

How to Pick the Right Storage Option for You

Anyone who has been a collector over the years knows binders may be the easiest and most convenient way to store cards, but can harm the cards over time. So, if you have any high-value cards or potentially high-value cards, it’s recommended to store them in sleeves or penny sleeves and put them in top loaders or boxes versus binders.

Depending on your budget, size of your collection, and value of your cards, you can start with a convenient option like a D-Ring binder, and work your way up from there. Based on the categories listed in the product options above, we’re confident you’ll find something affordable to get you started. What you choose will be based on many factors. For example, you may collect or play with Pokémon TCG cards and you just want to turn a stack of cards into an organized storage solution like using a cute, simple Pokémon card binder.

Tip: look for ‘Acid-Free’ and ‘Soft-Backed’ in the descriptions while shopping around. Also, consider your preference on matte versus glossy pocket pages. According to a recent Reddit poll on the subject, the majority of votes landed on glossy sleeves based on pros and cons of visibility, shuffling, quality and texture.

What is the Rarest Trading Card in History?

According to Guinness World Records, the title of ‘world’s rarest trading card’ is tied between the 1996 World Champion and MTG’s Shichifukujin Dragon cards, in which only one specimen of each card exists.

More Storage Recommendations

If you’re a collector or gamer in organization mode currently (it seems like you might be!), you may want to browse our other storage and display guides. We’d recommended checking out top video game storage ideas, top board game storage options, best cases to display LEGOs, and the best display cases for action figures. Keep an eye out on IGN for even more collectible and trading card news and guides including new MTG pre-orders like the AC Cards or LOTR Cards from the nerdiest corners of IGN.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance board game and video game writer for IGN. (Board, video, all sorts of games!)

Deadlock, the MOBA-meets-hero shooter mash-up from Valve, has been in a perpetual state of quiet build-up over the last year. But that hasn’t stopped Valve from making massive, tectonic changes, like cutting down the number of lanes.

Yesterday, February 25, Valve published the Map Rework Update for Deadlock. Chief among the changes was a redesign of Deadlock’s core map around three lanes, rather than four. For those who don’t dabble in MOBAs, these “lanes” are the central focus of gameplay; minions spawn at each team’s base and surge down them, attempting to push the battle lines into each other’s territory. Players take up residence in the lanes, fighting over the killing blow on minions to accrue money and experience they can use to power up.

It’s one big game of tug-of-war, and reducing the number of figurative ropes from four to three has pretty drastic implications. It cuts down on one source of resources and reduces the number of fronts in the ongoing battle. It also means, for the 6-on-6 battles of Deadlock, that previously “solo” lanes will more often be duo lanes.

“Definitely going to be missing four lanes,” one commenter said on the Deadlock subreddit. “I always thought that was one of the more unique aspects of Deadlock. Oh well, learn and adapt I guess.”

Despite some of the worried hyperbole over map shifts, there is a degree of trust — though not absolute or unflinching — and voicing measured feedback. “It’s just a test guys chill,” said one commenter. “If it works well it stays, if it doesn’t work then it will go away like mid urn.” (A former game mechanic.)

A decent amount of this trust stems from the fact that IceFrog, the pseudonymous developer behind Dota 2, is also working on Deadlock. Dota 2 is fairly infamous for massive overhauls and game-changing updates, wiith patch notes that felt like getting whiplash from spreadsheets. Old memes stretching back to the early days of Dota 2, encouraging players to trust in IceFrog’s changes, have already been resurfaced for modern Deadlock players.

“Dota 2 has seen so many massive overhauls and changes and the game still thrives,” a commenter said. “As long as Deadlock’s core gameplay doesn’t drastically change (which definitely isn’t a guarantee since its currently in development) then people will play the game regardless.”

Map changes aside, Valve took the wrench to a lot of Deadlock with this recent update. Soul Orbs, which are released from enemies upon death and can be shot by players to either secure their rewards or partially deny them from the enemy team, also got a hefty rework. Sprinting has been tuned, flex slots and economic considerations have been made to adjust for the new three-lane set-up, and there’s the usual slew of quality-of-life and hero changes.

For some, especially the long-time Dota players, Deadlock’s update feels par for the course. (Dota 2 even got its own massive overhaul just last week.) While it will certainly shift the way players approach the game, part of the long-term appeal of a MOBA like Deadlock is the ways the game shifts over time, in response to both developer changes and community reactions. If handled well, it can result in years of vibrant competition. If not, well, hopefully there’s a rewind button somewhere. History has shown that not all major updates are made in stone, even for huge games like Overwatch.

With not even a week out yet in Deadlock, players will need to dig in and figure out just how the reduced lanes shifts the game, suss out the intended change, and find new ways to open up gameplay through it. On at least one positive note, players with solo lane anxiety can breathe a sigh of relief.

Deadlock is still flagged as being in early development, and Valve warns players it’s filled with “temporary art and experimental gameplay.” Access is currently limited to friend invite via playtesters, and there’s no release window announced.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.