What is the best way to organize all of my cards. I am estimating that I have a few thousand cards all separated by color in 5 different boxes. I need a better way to not only keep track of them but to also organize them. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanx.
Get some three binder folders and a box of Ultra Pro 9 sleeve folder slips, then what I do is have them split into colours and split up again into Creatures, Auras, Enchantments, Sorceries and Insants. Adversely, Artifacts have their on folder, split into Creates, Equipmant Articat, works a treat!!! ðŸ˜
I think everyone has their own way that works for them. Personally, I have about 20-25k cards and I am pretty compulsive about sorting. ;D I don't use binders, but Fat Pack boxes instead, but you could use 800 count card boxes too. They hold a lot of cards for the money. Here's my set-up:
Separated by Set > Color > Rarity > Creatures or Spells > Casting Cost > Name.
You want to separate in order of importance, and to me grouping cards this way works for me, although I could flip-flop over rarity and creatures/spells. All my lands go in a separate land box. Also, any rares, and commons and uncommons worth over $1, are put in binders. My binders are organized by Color > Set. Hope this gives you some idea of how you'd like to organize.
Right on mate! Your sorting is the same as mine, I'm pedantic too ... luckily, however, I don't have tens of thousands of cards, that would drive me insane!!!
The packaging in which you keep your cards is entirely your preference, based on amount of cards you have. But I highly recommend the sorting format us Mods use; Colour> Chronological set> Rarity etc...
I've got a mate who does it in Set> Card Number and that is just bedlam to me!
Quote from: Spikepit on November 29, 2011, 06:53:11 PM
I've got a mate who does it in Set> Card Number and that is just bedlam to me!
Not if he is a collector of full sets. I do this too.
Isn't collector number organized by color? I forget how it works.
The fact that I have so many cards necessitates the organization. Besides, I sort as I accumulate. ðŸ˜,, Every time I get new cards, sort them right away. Because they're by set, I don't need to keep reorganizing. Now, when I pull out a bunch of cards for deck building, putting them back again can be a bit of a labour of love. But that's where this app comes in. 😉 Soon I'll be able to search through my entire collection for cards without opening a single box. ðŸ˜
Hey black jester I am having a bit of an issue putting cards into the my precious section of this app. When I search for a card that I have it comes up and I add it to my precious. Once I go back to the card database and type the text of the next card it doesn't do anything it just stays on the previous card. I then have to exit the database and re-enter it to search for the next card I would like to add. It makes for a very time-consuming and slightly irritating process. I would really love to be able to keep track of my cards with this app but it is kinda frustrating right now. Any tips or advice?
Yeah, that is a known issue. The way to avoid this is to always close the keyboard before you click on the card. If you do that, it should get rid of the problem. Let me know if it is still an issue.
Sounds good I'll let you know. Thanks
I forgot to mention that if you are entering large numbers of cards, use the filter instead of typing in card names. It's way faster to click on the cards then type.
I organize by set number for all rares and cards over $1 in binders. The rest go by set number in boxes. Simple and I can find anything quickly.
Quote from: MacUser001 on November 30, 2011, 12:38:24 AM
I organize by set number for all rares and cards over $1 in binders. The rest go by set number in boxes. Simple and I can find anything quickly.
By set number, do you mean collector number?
If that is the number at the bottom of the card. The way they're organized in the fat pack card manuals. Those are my lifeline in card organization lol. How I make decks.
See? Everyone has a way that works for them.
So which ever way makes more sense to you, Thatallguy, you go for it! 😃ðŸ'
Quote from: MacUser001 on November 30, 2011, 12:44:37 AM
How I make decks.
With gratuitous help from iMtG, of course!
ðŸ'ðŸ'ðŸ'
I just got one of those 5000 count boxes and hope to put all my commons and other semi worthless cards in there so I am not always thumbing through 12 copies of the same useless cards when I am in deck build mode.
Hey black jester thanks for the help with the my precious. Also I don't know why but I never once thought of using the filter!!!! Probably cause it was super late and I was tired. Anywho thanks you guys for all the ideas. Now it's time to get started organizing and separating and organizing and seperating and organizing and separating all of my cards. So if you guys don't see me on here for a while it's cause I am busy hahahahaha although I might go through withdrawl from this app.
Ok about six months ago I returned to MTG. I have collected quite a bit of cards from all different collections. I'm trying to figure out the best way to store them. What works the best to get access to them. Keep them separated by expansions? Colors? Types? Casting cost? As I am slowly adding them to imtg to make decks I'm not sure what to do besides a huge mess of cards I want to make decks with
Use those 3200-card shoeboxes. I can provide a picture if you want.
I organize by block and color, and keep a binder, and keep a backpack full of decks. I'm a stickler for organization.
@Rass: Your thread has been merged with an earlier thread on the topic. To summarize, how you organize depends on how many cards you have, how much space you have, and what is most important to you. Start from the most important aspect and work down.
For me, I have been buy FatPacks, so I use those to organize. All of my rares and cards worth over $1 are in binders, and a separate binder for high value cards. The rest I separate by Set > Color > Common/Uncommon > Creatures/Spells > Casting Cost > Name.
That's how I roll, your mileage my vary.
I bought one of those vaccum food savers from a infomercial and now I am able to condense 10,000 cards into a wallet sized bag.
Thanks for merging it I didn't page thru enough to see this thanks.
Quote from: Bluenote20 on December 19, 2011, 01:22:49 PM
I bought one of those vaccum food savers from a infomercial and now I am able to condense 10,000 cards into a wallet sized bag.
:o How small is your wallet?
Alot smaller since 2008 but I suspect it will get bigger sooner than later.
Quote from: Bluenote20 on December 19, 2011, 04:51:40 PM
Alot smaller since 2008 but I suspect it will get bigger sooner than later.
I hope that by wallet, you don't mean something you put credit cards in and stick in your pocket.
I finally got all of my cards organized. I bought some binders. I put all of my M11 and SoM block in a binder. Organized by set then color (WUBRGArtifactDualColorRareLand). Then within each color the cards are alphabetized. Any card I have multiple copies of I placed 4 in the binder and the extras are in a card box in alphabetical order in the same way that they are in the binders. Since I have just recently gotten into magic I only have 2 binders with cards in them. One binder is SoM block and M11 and the other binder contains M12 and innistrad. So my second binder will fill up as the next two sets come out.
I like the ideas for sorting thanks guys. When it comes to your cards that are worth more, but are used in a play deck, how do u care for them. Do you use proxys for them or what? ie i have a deck with 3 grave titans, of course in sleeves, but do u think thats good enough or should i remove them for play totally??
Quote from: Nypinto123 on December 19, 2011, 09:52:12 PM
I like the ideas for sorting thanks guys. When it comes to your cards that are worth more, but are used in a play deck, how do u care for them. Do you use proxys for them or what? ie i have a deck with 3 grave titans, of course in sleeves, but do u think thats good enough or should i remove them for play totally??
I sleeve all my decks, and keep them in metal deckboxes. Otherwise, that's it.
Ok I hit the wall still not sure how I want to organize it. I think I need to pay someone and just continue on in that order
But thanks for all the ideas
Quote from: Nypinto123 on December 19, 2011, 09:52:12 PM
I like the ideas for sorting thanks guys. When it comes to your cards that are worth more, but are used in a play deck, how do u care for them. Do you use proxys for them or what? ie i have a deck with 3 grave titans, of course in sleeves, but do u think thats good enough or should i remove them for play totally??
I just sleeve them.
Quote from: Rass on December 24, 2011, 12:41:01 AM
Ok I hit the wall still not sure how I want to organize it. I think I need to pay someone and just continue on in that order
But thanks for all the ideas
What do you mean by "hit the wall"?
Trying to sort them there just on my basement table in a bunch of piles and there probably gonna stay that way for awhile
What I find works best for me is to just throw all of mine into garbage bags. This drastically cuts down on time spent organizing. When it's time to build something with them I just go on eBay and buy one that somebody else already put together. This drastically cuts down on time spent building with them. I am a pretty good player so when someone buys me a few I just slap them in the mouth and toss them into my garbage bags. This drastically cuts down on time spent developing social and support networks. If this doesn't work for you then you probably aren't a serious My Little Pony collector anyways....shoot, disregard this I think I might be on the wrong forum.
Quote from: RancidAggro on December 26, 2011, 11:51:36 PM
What I find works best for me is to just throw all of mine into garbage bags. This drastically cuts down on time spent organizing. When it's time to build something with them I just go on eBay and buy one that somebody else already put together. This drastically cuts down on time spent building with them. I am a pretty good player so when someone buys me a few I just slap them in the mouth and toss them into my garbage bags. This drastically cuts down on time spent developing social and support networks. If this doesn't work for you then you probably aren't a serious My Little Pony collector anyways....shoot, disregard this I think I might be on the wrong forum.
I found this very helpful thanks :)
My Little Pony has cards? ??? Scratch that, I'm not surprised.
i sort by color then cmc then put all my rares in a seperate pile
If you really want to go insane... Alphabetize them
For my rares I do color by most expensive to least ( ones in my real life trade binder)
For commons, color then creatures and non creatures, then alphabetical according to set, if I'm really bored or I atleast group the same cards togethor
I go by color, cmc, then rarity. Once you get familiar with a set you'll remember what's what and where to look for em. Rares regardless of value go into binder (as well as dollar uncommons)
I do color for solid cards, land by Basic/non-Basic, then Golds & Split Color & Alt Color.
I sort the by color. Then buy rarity. Then alphabetize. It takes FOREVER..... but is quite rewarding once it is done because it makes it really easy to find cards.
Alphabetized - Mythics
Alphabetized - Rares.
Alphabetized - Uncommons
Alphabetized, Color - Commons
I honestly don't have many Mythics or Rares that aren't in decks.
Quote from: JaCe BeLeReN on May 14, 2012, 05:15:44 PM
I sort the by color. Then buy rarity. Then alphabetize. It takes FOREVER..... but is quite rewarding once it is done because it makes it really easy to find cards.
Same here on that one. And it totally takes for ever. Especially when you put them in binder sleeves. 9 different binders, all rarity and alphabetized. I love the binders though. I get a deck idea, then pull out a binder and flip through the pages, no card hidden! Fantastic.
...except when I get new cards... Shifting a card over one slot 1000 times is annoying, need to find a better way for new cards.
Quote from: Hays413 on May 14, 2012, 08:33:06 PM
Quote from: JaCe BeLeReN on May 14, 2012, 05:15:44 PM
I sort the by color. Then buy rarity. Then alphabetize. It takes FOREVER..... but is quite rewarding once it is done because it makes it really easy to find cards.
Same here on that one. And it totally takes for ever. Especially when you put them in binder sleeves. 9 different binders, all rarity and alphabetized. I love the binders though. I get a deck idea, then pull out a binder and flip through the pages, no card hidden! Fantastic.
...except when I get new cards... Shifting a card over one slot 1000 times is annoying, need to find a better way for new cards.
If you find a way let me know. I get having to do that. That's another reason why I prefer singles. I know I will use them.
Go on top of a 40 plus story building and toss them.
That's how I feel when it comes to sorting because I amassed too many at once
Haha yea for weeks I had stacks upon stacks of cards. Now it's much easier, got rid of so much crap. Not playing standard is awesome! Never need 4 of the same card. Except {Black Cat}. I want all of them!
Quote from: Hays413 on May 14, 2012, 08:33:06 PM
Quote from: JaCe BeLeReN on May 14, 2012, 05:15:44 PM
I sort the by color. Then buy rarity. Then alphabetize. It takes FOREVER..... but is quite rewarding once it is done because it makes it really easy to find cards.
Same here on that one. And it totally takes for ever. Especially when you put them in binder sleeves. 9 different binders, all rarity and alphabetized. I love the binders though. I get a deck idea, then pull out a binder and flip through the pages, no card hidden! Fantastic.
...except when I get new cards... Shifting a card over one slot 1000 times is annoying, need to find a better way for new cards.
I just insert a new blank page.
Quote from: Greg54js on May 14, 2012, 04:27:21 PM
If you really want to go insane... Alphabetize them
Took me 3 days to do that over last x-mas break. Color, rarity, and alphabetical. Sure easy to find stuff now. I also took anything in excess of 4 that was not worth a dollar or more and boxed them up as spares. Needless to say I had about 500 or more of each color just in excess of 4.
I keep my commons in a fat pack box organized by color. The uncommons, rares, and mythics are sorted by color in a binder. That's the way I like although it does get hard to sort through the commons but I don't have the patience to sort alphabetically.
I have about 2000 uncommons/commons but I Put them in sections in 2 binders by color creature/non then mana cost it's easy building decks.
Because I'm picky, I really don't like a bunch of pages with one or two cards in them. It annoys me
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/getting-organized/
This is a good article to read.
Note: Merged with previous topic on the subject.
Quote from: Rass on May 14, 2012, 09:23:11 PM
Go on top of a 40 plus story building and toss them.
That's how I feel when it comes to sorting because I amassed too many at once
Same here, right now I have them sorted by color. I know I should at least put spells with spells and the like. But I really don't wan to.
I think when I get time I will do color/artifact then alphabetic. In 800 card count boxes so I can move them around and label them