Reddit reviews Ultra Pro 0598022 PRO-Matte (100 Count) Deck Protector Sleeves-Magic The Gathering, Black, 2x50ct, 100 Pack

Optional: (1) Look for matte sleeves (for example Ultra Pro Matte). This is not really necessary if you do step 2 and 3. But doing this step will reach non-slippery state much sooner. Matte sleeves cost a little more though.

(2) After sleeving all your cards, stack them and put something very heavy on them (like a stack of hardback books) to compress all the air out over night. This presses all the excess air out of the cards which is the main reason why stacks start tilting and sliding.

(3) Shuffle them. A lot. This last step will create subtle micro scratches that make the sleeves less slippery. You won't see the micro scratching. It basically buffs the sleeve surfaces slightly.

For sleeves, it's hard to go wrong with Dragon Shields or Pro Mattes. They tend to be the most popular, because they last for a long time, and you get enough of them that split sleeves are easily replaceable. The big difference to me is between glossy and matte sleeves. Dragon Shield has both, Pro Mattes are... well... matte. Matte sleeves tend to be a bit thinner and slicker, while glossy ones are a bit thicker and stickier. That makes matte sleeves easier to shuffle (for me,) but they slide around a little more, so your deck's easier to knock over. The glossy ones shuffle a little worse, but they rarely slip around on a table (though I find they also are more likely to pull two cards on an HQ access.) The official Netrunner sleeves look really nice, but I stopped using them because they're really hard to shuffle, they're just too sticky.

Boxes, it all kind of depends on what you like. Dragon Shield sleeves are nice because they can come in a cardboard box you can use as a deckbox. The boxes you get from tournaments are really nice, but I understand that you might not be able to grab one right out of the gate. (Though if you went to a tournament in the Bay Area, most regulars that win deck boxes would be incredibly happy to give one away... I'd be amazed if that wasn't true elsewhere.) I use Ultra Pro boxes. They're fairly cheap, but they open and close easily, and they're not the stupid velcro boxes like the official MTG ones, where the velcro always comes off immediately.

they're the standard size card, so magic the gathering sleeves will work. I can't recommend pro matte's enough.

keep an eye on www.massdrop.com for sleeves, there's occasionally a group buy if you want them even cheaper.

Dragon Shields and KMC are regarded pretty highly over in the /r/MagicTCG community. I own some KMC Hyper-Mattes and the quality is great.

Neither are the cheapest of options, mind you, but I think they're worth the investment.

On the cheaper tier, apparently UltraPro Mattes are pretty decent.

Aside from something ridiculous like laminating all of your cards, sleeves are your best option. I highly suggest matte sleeves of some kind if you're annoyed at the sleeves being slippery. Both Ultra Pro and KMC have them, and potentially another company, but those are the ones I know of.

I think I know exactly what you should get him. There is one particular Duel Deck-type product called a Clash Pack.

It comes with two decks (one blue/green, one green/red) that are designed to be played against each other.

Then when the player is ready for more advanced play, the pack includes instructions to combine cards from the two decks into a single, Blue/Green deck that is good enough to play somewhat competitively. He'd be able to bring this deck to his local card shop (if you have one nearby) and have a good time without being completely outclassed by more experienced players' decks.

If you're looking to spend more money than that, you could also get him a couple packs of protective card sleeves so his brand new deck stays in good condition, Walmart should have a variety of sleeves for sale with different designs on the back, but be careful: they sell sleeves in both 50 and 100-packs, and he'll need 60 sleeves for a deck.

Feel free to mindlessly copy them :). They're either decks I brewed, or that I got offline and adjusted to be more budget friendly. Want me to find a couple more? Also, I super highly recommend this brand of sleeves (click me) $10 with shipping, and protects your cards a lot. (If you are wanting sleeves that is)