Help Custom Card Sleeves in Tournaments?

[gengar27]

So i have a question... hopefully this is where I put it.
We're going to the tournament in Columbus this summer, potentially working on a type of mew(ish) deck. I thought about maybe getting Ancient Mew card back sleeves for the deck but can not find them anywhere. If i were to get them custom made would they fit into the regulations for card sleeves since they have the same color on all four sides?

 

[PokeMedic]

I don't know about custom made at a tournament. You're rolling the dice with this one. Card sleeves can be used at Play! Pokémon tournaments if they meet the following requirements, and your sleeves wouldn't be official Pokemon sleeve as set forth below. Of course the head judge does has final say. If anyone here has used custom sleeves in a tournament let us know.

• All the sleeves of a deck must be the same color, condition, size, and texture.
• The fronts of the sleeves are clear, clean, and free of designs, holograms, and emblems that may obscure card information.
• The sleeves completely cover the entire card, leaving no portion sticking out of the open end.
• The sleeves are not reflective enough to be used to clearly determine the faces of cards that remain in the deck.
• A reasonable degree of glossy finish on a sleeve is acceptable. For example, if a player can identify the card type, due to the contrast in card frames between Pokémon, Energy, and Trainer cards, the sleeves are permitted for use. However, players and judges should take extra precautions to ensure that no advantage is gained by this reflection.
• Sleeves that create a mirror-like surface, where the exact card above it is clearly distinguishable, are not permitted. For example, if the player can identify the exact card using the reflection from the sleeve below it, those sleeves are not permitted.
• Each card sleeve contains only one card.
• The use of sleeves with any form of pattern or artwork on the back of the sleeve is strictly prohibited at all Premier Events, unless the sleeve is an official Pokémon sleeve, where the color along all four edges of the sleeve is identical.
• Players may use inner sleeves inside their normal sleeves if they follow all other sleeve rules and they do not create a marked card situation.

NOTE: The Head Judge has the final say regarding whether a player’s card sleeves may be used in a tournament. Inappropriate sleeve images (as determined by the Head Judge) are strictly prohibited.

 

[PMJ]

They will never be allowed at an official tournament because they aren't official sleeves and aren't plain on the back. The head judge has no reason to allow them.

 

[jessalakasam]

They will never be allowed at an official tournament because they aren't official sleeves and aren't plain on the back. The head judge has no reason to allow them.

Do you know the reason for this ruling? I can't exactly understand why this exists. It's not like its offensive or inappropriate.

 

[PMJ]

It exists because inappropriate sleeves do exist. Complex designs also make it easy to mark an edge to create a marked card situation.

 

[jessalakasam]

It exists because inappropriate sleeves do exist. Complex designs also make it easy to mark an edge to create a marked card situation.

Well yeah, but I feel like they should do it on a case-by-case basis. Since these sleeves aren't inappropriate and the edges of the sleeves are just yellow.

 

[PMJ]

There's no harm in trying, but OP should expect to be disappointed.

 

[Serperior]

I'd rather be safe than sorry and use normal sleeves with solid backs or official Pokémon TCG sleeves, but man...those Ancient Mew card backs would be sick.

Hoping for the best for ya OP

 

[Merovingian]

I can almost guarantee that a judge will not allow these sleeves on the basis that they aren't official Pokemon sleeves--they are sleeves with a custom design made by a 3rd party (despite it being a Pokemon design).

If you're going to a big event, keep it simple and go with Dragonshield mattes. Seriously, when it comes to big events (or any sanctioned event in general), do yourself a favor and go for sturdy sleeves with no design.

 

[crystal_pidgeot]

To just make this clear, there isn't anyway a Judge can legally allow them and not break the rules. With the interest of Japanese sleeves increasing over the years (and at the time, ten or so years ago) they started to allow them because they were popular. They came up with a rule for sleeves to prevent cheating. That rule was the card sleeve had to be completely opaque, so you couldn't the clear Dragon Shield sleeves just to see the card back. If you were using sleeves, then they needed to be solid. At the time, Pokemon didn't allow art on sleeves (at least in my area) and, as I said with the popularity of Ultra Pro products and Japanese sleeve, this rule was lifted but that is because there is money in it. That aside, the sleeves (if they had art) couldn't have the art extend to the boarder because they were taking thew whole marked sleeve/card thing seriously, so this removed all of Ultra Pro's Pokemon sleeves because at the time, the art extended to the card border, leaving the only option being non-art sleeves and Japanese sleeves. Of course since this is now being run by Nintendo and they have a fetish for quality control, if it comes from them or a friendly party, then they know its safe. The other part of the rule is the art has to have Pokemon on it, be it a animal character or a non-animal human character or something that is of Pokemon.

I made this for use for custom sleeves for use at card stores;



It meets all their rules except being official. You might be able to get away with it at a lower level tournament if the Head Judge allows it but the thing is its actually listed in the rulebook. Its a dumb this and I see this as the bad Professor Juniper/Sycamore rule but its there so what you're asking the Judges to do is break their the rules of a tournament so you can feel special - not trying to be rude here. The problem with this is if they allow you to do it, then they have to allow everyone to do it. If they allow you to do it and no one else at a later tournament because you did it at the last one, then that judge can risk losing their right to Judge events or risk being blacklisted. We all know how players can develop ways to cheat.

I should mention that the main issue is quality control. With art sleeves and all the colors on them, you risk the color being off, which means the sleeve is marked and whether or not its known, you're running a marked deck and this shit is taken seriously in the Masters Division and can lead to game losses or complete remove from events (depending on the level of event), which is why they prefer the sleeves be a solid color and things like the cut of the sleeve because that too can also mark a card. Companies like Ultra Pro have contracts and have to follow and have to make sure the product is the best it can be (for Ultra Pro anyway) or they risk losing it. The other thing is sleeve quantity so if one should break, you'll need to replace it.

At the end of the day, it is up to the Head Judge but if you want to use them, I suggest getting them done by professionals. Ultimate Guard can make custom sleeves as does Ultra Pro, but they often want you to buy 25k packs of 50/60 sleeves.

https://www.lightningstoreonline.com/collections/card-game-accessories
https://www.inkedgaming.com/blogs/news/36705345-custom-card-sleeves-now-available

I say best of luck and this is a topic of interest for me so what you want is quality printed and cut sleeves and hope the judge will let you use them.