Having a formidable deck of One Piece cards is all well and good, but knowing how to protect them is the next important step. When you’re playing 3-5 games at locals or up to 10 games a day in regionals, wear and tear will ruin your cards if you’re not careful.
That’s where sleeves come in, and what better way to represent your favourite characters than with printed One Piece Sleeves. And at this point there are so many different ones available that you have a world of characters to choose from. However, today we’ll be taking a look at one of the newest releases, Luffy from the Official Sleeves Set 12!
Taking it up a gear!
Firstly, I absolutely love the colour scheme for these sleeves. The striking white, purple and blue colours really pop when these sleeves are on the table. Plus, the printing is crisp and clean, and exactly what you’d expect from an official bandai product.
The artwork on the sleeves feature Luffy in his iconic Gear 5 form, which is one of my favourite moments from the manga and anime. They’ve captured his awakening perfectly, along with the swirling eyebrows and huge grin.
With Luffy in such a good mood, these would not only pair perfectly with a Luffy deck, but also Bonny or any of the other straw hat crew members. After all, Luffy is still their leader regardless of what form he’s in!
Flawless Quality
Onto the sleeves themselves, the colors and contrast are sharp, and even though the design leans into deep, dark shadows the image doesn't look washed out or pixelated. On top of that, the backing is completely solid, meaning there’s zero risk of the actual One Piece card back showing through, and the black background helps massively with this.
The texture on these sleeves allows for a variety of different shuffling techniques, but it’s perfect if you favour the mash shuffling method like myself. They don't stick together or clump up, which makes bridge or pile shuffling between rounds quick and effortless. On top of that, the seams on the edges are tough and hold up well to frequent play. So, even after multiple locals or ten back to back games at regional tournaments, the corners resist splitting or peeling.
Another reason I love the One Piece sleeves is due to the fact that the clear side of the sleeve doesn't dull the card art. Where some sleeves have a slightly misted front to them, the front of these sleeves are crystal clear. Meaning that your favourite cards still pop through the plastic.
Protect the protector
For those that really want to protect their cards, it’s always worth looking at outer sleeves. Thankfully, these sleeves have just the right dimensions to accommodate perfect-fit inner sleeves, or to easily slide into clear outer sleeves if you want to protect the Imu artwork itself. Personally, I recommend the Dragonshield outer sleeves as they have a nice texture on the backs.
But if doubling up on the sleeves isn’t for you, not to worry! The genuine bandai sleeves are sized perfectly for One Piece cards, and the cards fit in snugly without sliding around. And if there’s any damage or splits, you have 20 spare sleeves to use for replacements. Bandai think of everything!
Final thoughts
So there we have it, a whistle stop tour through the reasons you should find official bandai sleeves with your favourite character on them, and rock them at your locals. I’ve had a variety of different Bandai sleeves over the years, and if you protect them with outer sleeves from the start of use, they’ll last forever.
And even if you can’t find one with a character you like on them, they’re always releasing new sets, so keep an eye out on the horizon! Each set usually brings around 4 different styles which are themed around the most recent set.
And if you have picked up any of the Bandai One Piece Sleeves, be sure to show them off and tag us using @zatugames on any of the popular social media platforms.
