Reddit reviews Ultra Pro Deck Protector, Standard, Red, 100 Count

Let's start with the big picture. You're going to want somewhere to keep your cards.

For the ones at home, something like this should do just fine. It keeps things mostly organized, is rather inexpensive, and will last. You can make inserts to help subdivide more if needed.

Next, you're going to want something to carry your cards in for the go. Many people just use backpacks or messenger bags, but there are [specialty bags] (http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Zippered-Gaming-Corrugated/dp/B0009F3DQ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419647218&sr=8-2&keywords=card+carrying+case) that you can purchase as well.

To keep you decks organized and protected while in the bag, [deck boxes] (http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Boxes-Magic-Pokemon-YuGiOh/dp/B00EA9REK6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419647294&sr=8-3&keywords=deck+box) are the way to go. They make things nice and modular and will protect your cards even if you just have a normal backpack.

For your trades, if you go that route, a [binder] (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Universal-Round-Ring-Economy-Vinyl-View-Binder/24966030) and some [sleeve pages] (http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Pocket-Page-Protectors/dp/B005HIOVOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419647392&sr=8-1&keywords=card+pages) should do fine.

Finally, your decks. Sleeves! Sleeves! Sleeves! and Sleeves! The cards in your decks are going to see the most use so you're going to want to protect them the best. I've found that [Dragon Shield] (http://www.dragonshield.com/) and [Ultra Pro] (http://www.ultrapro.com/division.php?d=g) sleeves are excellent for their value and use them on several of my decks. Cards in your deck are often your most powerful and you're going to want to keep them in the best shape possible.

Many people, myself included, will argue for getting a [Play Mat] (http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-84314-Grumpy-Play/dp/B00IT5GPZ2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419647676&sr=8-3&keywords=card+playmat) so that you sleeves won't get torn up as much and will last longer, but it's not absolutely essential.

Oh! I forgot dice! My group have found that dice are the easiest way to keep track of things like life totals, counters, and about everything else you need a number for. Having your own are absolutely essential, there's always someone you can borrow from, but they're a great thing to have around.

edit One thing I want to point out is that everything there can be customized to fit your particular style, so have fun! The way you carry and present your cards says as much about you as the cards themselves!

I'm looking forward to seeing some suggestions as well.

Like you, most of the cards I got were horrible. These worked well though: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005421L5W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Protector-Standard-Count/dp/B005421L5W/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1462630469&sr=8-6&keywords=Card+sleeves

To be honest not sure it could get any tighter. My only complaint is the small hologram dot sticker at the bottom which covers the burst symbol on one of the die level indicators. I ended up putting the cards in the sleeves the other way around and that seems to work well.