The Boulder N Tray is more of a sequel to the Ultimate Guard Monolith that was discontinued. Comparing the two, the Boulder N Tray is certainly smaller. The Monolith had a much better fit on the inside.
Important test. I got a boulder n tray during the first wave. I forgot to close my backpack and it fell out on the concrete when I got out of the store. Cards went on the floor and the box is cracked from its first day.
The engineer who created the boulder left the company and started Gamegenic. His Bastion is an extension of the boulder but fixing what they deemed bad design. If they release just a regular Bastion instead of the XL I think Boulders will be a thing of the past.
@@thanhavictus All depends on on the contract between the employee and employer. But I doubt it because UG would have started that before GG got big. Plus all of GG’s products are extensions that are different than the product that were designed at UG.
i would be surprised if the bastion is as durable as the boulder though. You can put a boulder through hell and it will almost always protect it's contents, which aside from the compactness was like it's other main selling point
Ultimate Guard has a lot more of my money than Ultra Pro for one main reason: subtler branding. I really can't get over the plastic-chromey "Ultra Pro" badge on those boxes. Brings me back to the 90s, like cheap containers for colored pencils.
I'm very much the same way. Satin towers just look tacky, i don't like their design at all, and the main problem is indeed the badge Gamegenic bastions look a lot better but still, the overly transparent acrylic makes them look kind of cheap, the more opaque boulders are still the winners in the looks department imo
@@DrunkGekowell put by both of you. I actually bought a single one of the bastion xl’s because i have a deck thats fully double sleeved and barely fit in a boulder so i snagged one of those so i wasnt cramming a questionably priced deck into a tight space. With that i also agree i dont like how clear the deck boxes are. Weirdly enough. I want them to be ultimate guard see through without being clear. Just a personal choice though. The bastions are very nice as well just less preferred
One stand-out feature about the bastion over the other budget/slim boxes shown in this video that I really like is that the top piece flipped on its side is a great commander deck holder to keep the deck from falling over or losing cards from the top when drawing. The empty space in the U shaped latch makes it easy to fit your finger underneath to get your deck out of it to tutor and shuffle. It's not exactly necessary for 60- or less card formats, but many double sleeved, blinged-out commander decks are easy to partially or fully topple over, so the bastion is just a little nicer for thinking of that.
Those are the ones that I'm most likely going to get, even if these new Gamegenic Bastions look pretty tempting. I'm tired of not quite seeing what commander I have and it's frustrating.
Like I said in another comment: you don't need anything more than a clear boulder. It's stylish, minimalistic and it's always useful to be able to see which deck is which while they sit comfortably in your custom made suitcase.
Ever since I found the ultimate guard sidewinder that’s been all I use for my decks. It’s definitely a bit bulkier and doesn’t have a dice tray, but I’m not a fan of the hard plastic feel so it works great for me. The magnetic lock is really nice too, plus there’s plenty of room for extra tokens and such
Gamegenic just does not miss when it comes to boxes. Ever since I saw the prof's review on the Watchtower boxes from them I was hooked, but they're quite pricey. I wanted to like the UG Boulders, but I use DS resealable inner Sleeves with DS Sleeves and they just don't fit, and UP Towers work perfectly fine, but I felt like they could be more. Excited to start giving the bastions a spin for whatever deck I make next.
The new gamegenic Bastion are amazing, recently got a few and being able to hold a full double sleeved edh deck plus tokens in the same box and fit is on point with the gamegenic dungeon ect
Glad to see some good old accessory reviews coming back! Many of my Ultra Pro and Ultimate Guard “satin” finish products have deteriorated over the years with sticky residue -AND I keep my hands clean! Believe it or not, plastic can release chemicals that cause this over time ;) it’s well documented in various toys. So I plan to switch over the the Bastion for my decks soon.
All of my deck boxes are completely fucked from this. Would never buy any satin finish deck box again. Shame too as they're excellent when you first open them but they degrade over about 6-7 years
Thank you for featuring the Bastion, wouldn't have known it exists withoit you for a long time still! Gamegenic has really been doing a good job for some years now. And anyways, thank you so much for all these amazing informative and well presented videos, as well as the entertainment of shuffle up and play. You're awesome and really appreciated!
It's cool to see that despite the many other succesfull video formats on this channel, you still care to give up to date information on your accessory product reviews. Respect and many thanks for that! I just started playing and collecting magic cards about a year ago, and it feels nice to have reviews like that which aren't 5 to 10 years old, even though not that much might have changed.
Also wanted to say, LOVED the preview animation for the next Shuffle Up & Play! That 9th&10th era intro was my favourite and most nostalgic, impeccable taste Prof
8:25 I bought a satin tower by your recommendation, and the same exact type and color you show here. It has a smudgey rubber degradation problem now, and it also has always had a tight opening/closing just like the cubes here.
I had been thinking about picking up a Bastion or two ever since I saw Olivia and Elidh mention it. I'm glad to see you bring it to the review, and after that grade, I'm definitely going to pick a couple up.
If you wouldn't mind a suggestion from a viewer, try your shake tests specifically holding one piece of the deck box compared with holding the other piece. I've always found with boulders that I can shake them open fairly easily while holding them from the piece that has the inner part of the clasp. I bought one of these bastions and this problem is even more prominent with that box. I always and will continue to appreciate your insight on these products and its the main disciminator of what supplies I personally use.
So so so soooo SO damn happy to see card accessory reviews again!!!!! The sleeves and boxes, i picked up a Bastion a week ago as i had never seen one before, so was curious tho hesitant since you hadn't reviewed it. Glad I made a good choice after all! Also had no idea Orism had nee colours until this vid! Here's hoping there's maybe binder/portfolio news?
Funny timing, I had just bought a couple Bastions for some new decks cause I thought they looked cool. Was a bit worried about how the plastic would hold up in my bag but it's doing well so far.
Something I wanna say! The BCW Prisms recently released a 'Polished' line, which essentially gives it a full glossy finish, and I've found the one I purchased for a sibling of mine to be an absolute NIGHTMARE to open.
Yeah I've always had to shimmy my Ultra Pro Cubes apart to open them which I didn't have an issue with. It feels solid and sturdy. Though at one point we just started 3D printing our deck boxes lol. Dunno if I'd put those to the test with that wild shake test you did but it saves a lot and they're still plenty solid in general use.
It looks like most of your shaking of the Bastion had your hands on the sides of the bastion where the rivets connect the shells. That is definitely the most natural way to grab it, but would be great to see another shake test where the hold is different to really test the hold between the connections. My guess is they still hold, but just thought it would good to check further.
Don't know if you've gotten a chance to mess around with them yet, but we found out tonight that they fail the shake test when you hold them upside down. I had a very expensive deck (a few thousand) in it, but I was very lucky that nothing got damaged as they all fell out.
One interesting test I'd like to see with these is the throw-it-on-the-ground test, simulating what happens when my bag splits open and spills my decks on the concrete. How well do tower, boulder, cube, prism, bastion or whatever comes out next actually stay shut when there's impact involved? The Bastion for example looks like a winner on most fronts here, but the material seems thinner, so it might crack easier on a fall, allowing the lid to come off after all.
Man, I just wanted to thank you for your content. Im pretty new to magic and you`re one of the main reasons iIstarted. Your enthousiasme and passion for mtg is rare and inspiring. Your content makes my day. Keep it up Prof :)
Ultimate guard sidewinders have been a really nice home for my commander decks lately and look real nice all in an Omnihive (8 deck case). Subtle branding, felt material inside and great colors to choose from I’ve been really happy with the purchase and would recommend.
Another great video. When my wife and I got into Commander a few years ago, everyone recommended the Tower. We bought two different styles, but both deck boxes were difficult to open. We haven't bought another Tower since. We have bought several Alcove and competitor's Alcove-style boxes since we can fit the commander in a hard sleeve in the flap.
You get 12 slide card cases for around $10, they have a bigger area on the back so the beveled edges stack. Boulders finish seems to peel after two years, and they are snug on your deck. Gamegenic is making great product.
You can now buy the Ultimate Guard - Return to Earth, which is made of 97% recycled material, is made in Germany, and costs less than the standard one. I even prefer them over the "standard" boulder as it comes apart easier but does not open unwanted.
@@sarahbuck2506 My LGS had some so I tried it out. Putting it in so the front is facing up it is a little too high to comfortably close. A bit longer than my Ultra Pro boxes that I feel are already pushing it. Turning it sideways it fits in fine but it does take up more space than the Ultra Pro. This makes sense since they are larger and can fit more cards. I am comparing to the plastic MTG art covered Ultra Pro deckboxes that are about $5, not the boulder or any other acrylic ones. I didn't put in enough deck boxes to see how many I could fit total of the Bastion but I think it could do 4 or 5. It looks very nice but the black one is really hard to see the commander so I think I'm going to wait till my LGS has clear in stock. I hope that helps!
Boulders need more room to be considered "Double-Sleeve" compatible. You have to repeatedly compress your deck getting out as much air as possible...and even then sometimes they stop fitting... That being said I switched my entire collection of 40+ decks to clear Bastion+ XL's.
I was really into MTG until around 2019 and loved your product reviews - they were not only informative but had good entertainment value and were also oddly soothing. I’ve transitioned into modern board games now and still occasionally watch these videos. I also try to use some of my old MTG accessories whenever possible to help with board game storage and organization. I loved the Boulders when I played Magic and they are still my go-to for organizing some board games because of their compactness, it can be a challenge to fit sleeved cards/deckboxes into board game boxes so having the most compact design is the main consideration for me now.
I only use Ultra Pro Tower deck boxes. All my decks are doubled sleeved with Dragon Shield resealable inners and outer and the Tower can fit approximately 103 cards with an additional 3 perpendicular to the deck., even with a large amount of foils. Plus I love swapping the parts so the deck boxes are color coordinated to the deck colors!
This video format is amazing, pls more! There are so many card game products out there that it is impossible to keep track of what are quality products and what fit my need. Your Videos are making my life a lot easier and are also quite entertaining, thank you.
I only really use gamegenic boxes, don't mind spending a bit more when the cards in them are as costly. But with the bastion coming out i might get a few to keep costs down. I must say for my triple sleeved cedh deck with alternate commanders and "sideboard"/tokens the academic was the only way to go.
I’ve only got four commander decks (so far)- my two home-brewed decks are in clear Boulders, and my two pre-cons are in clear Bastions, and I LOVE the Bastions so much. They got my double sleeved decks, thick commander and perfect-fit single sleeves double-sides tokens with ease. I’ll definitely be checking out those sliding commander card holders!
I recently switched my thickest deck to the Boulder 133+. I'm pretty happy with the construction compared to the Boulder 100+. You should try it out if you're triple sleeving.
Ultimate Guard has just released the Boulder 133 series for Commander, at present it only comes only in the Return to Earth plastic, I've got mine coming in the mail soon, it should be perfect for commander deck + tokens.
The Gamegenic Bastion looks really great, need to try that one out. Also I would wanna ask if you would have any recommendations for outer and inner sleeves that would allow an 100 card EDH deck to fit nicely inside the Ultimate Guard Boulder? Best scenario would be if the deck still fits inside the boulder with some room for 2-4 tokens.
YESSSSS!! if you need any ideas for future deck box reviews, the Chinese market has a few clones/spinoff deck boxes which are budget and high quality. Going over some of those would be awesome
I have just started digging through my old MTG cards since my kiddo is old enough to start playing and wants to try out some commander. I just want you to know I appreciate the thoroughness of your reviews as I start picking up some storage solutions for our new decks.
I 3d print my boxes, each one costs $2 of filament and I can have them made out of any filament I want. For example my yuriko deck is translucent purple that shifts between light and dark with glitter inside the plastic. Also usually 3d printed boxes typically have slot out for commander art to be displayed
Same, they are what I have used for all but one deck, and I did get a couple of the bigger size (on accident) . All of them are very nice fits, you can store the cards front facing or side facing as you prefer. However the most recent one I purchased (purple, if it might matter) did have strangely concave sides (where the latch is diagonal), making the total latch fit imprecise and never fully closed. There were strange little shavings inside the box, suggesting this was a failure of the machine opposed to material. The fact that this failure goes across products is a bit concerning for UG quality control.
The 133+ card ones are the only Boulder deck boxes that can fit 100 Dragon Shield Matte + Dragon Shield Sealable Inner Sleeved cards. I was pretty disappointed in the 100+ Boulders that I had initially bought.
I picked up a bastion recently after double sleeving my commander deck left it too snug for my liking in a boulder. I'm glad to see you've come to the same conclusion! Still waiting for my LGS to get in some of those sliding hard sleeves cos the traditional toploaders don't quite fit.
I absolutely love these product review videos. These are what I look for when I think of the prof. also, the jacket looks fabulous! love everything about this upload. Thank you professor.
One experiment i wish the prof did with this deck boxes is casually dropping them from table height to see which burst open. I'm really interested in that gamegenic product but with that closing mechanism i believe it would open easily with a fall and make a mess of cards on the ground
Thank you professor. Most people will not buy the same deck boxes more than once if they have a negative experience. This is why consistent is so important. I wasn't even aware that it wasn't supposed to be hard to open. I thought that was just how they were made.
Glad to see this one - has been an absolute pain trying to get boulders in the colours i want here in the UK (apparantly it's an import/supplier issue) but know that GameGenic are available, so will have to give them a go for my next one
Thanks for another great video! I just picked up a couple of boxes on Card Kingdom thanks to your references. Unfortunately, they are sold out of most of the items you endorse. They only had orange! Luckily... I like orange
I think the possible issue with the Ultra Pro Cube's is they are slightly different plastics. The clear glitter ones might be slightly softer allowing more flex to them while opening. Where as the opaque ones are a more rigid plastic that does not flex as much to allow it to open off the locking tabs. That is the only thing I can think of on why they would be more difficult to open. They are probably manufactured differently and are of differing rigidity's..
From some one that buys mostly boulders, I have noticed that depending on the plastic or resin used that the 2 halves don't fit perfectly together. especially the recycled plastic boulders, I always get bowing on the top half of the boulder. I tend to avoid the recycled plastic boulders now because of that.
I’ve had zero issues with my boulder n tray but I also bought the glossy clear one without the brushed matte texture. Maybe that’s the issue? I also had issues with my satin tower’s tray popping off too easily and the dice falling everywhere. So I’ve ended up sticking to a dice pouch in my bag, and using the Gamegenic sidekicks for my better decks with sealed inners and dragon shield mattes. They make the XL ones in all the other colors now, so may as well not settle for less 🤷♂️
A deck box review. Back to the classics. Great to see the bastion lives up to the profs standards. It’s looked really good but I haven’t bought in yet. Now I might
I've been needing to get deck boxes for my precon commander decks. I need to keep them safe so I can play Daleks vs Hobbits as often as possible! Thanks for the reviews! The Gamegenic Bastion seems perfect!
I have a Gamegenic Watchtower XL and I am very satisfied with it. I normally only carry one deck for Pokémon but I do carry a boulder for my yugioh deck. All great deck boxes
I bought an ultra pro deck box like that 13 years ago, but the paint started coming off after a few months and made anything around it stained. Guess I should have waited until they used acryillic. Love your reviews. You do a thorough job in analysis. I felt good about my Game Genic purchase.
Very glad to see a new deck box review, along with the recent card sleeve review. Felt like old times. I definitely will be considering the Bastion if I'm in the market for new deck boxes. I believe the issue with the Satin Cube's difficulty with opening is with the satin finish. I found the glossy finish Cubes easier to open out of the box. One minor point to add about the Satin Tower/Cube is that they are big enough to fit a mini-snap case or slide-card case, like the Bastion. I keep my Elesh Norn judge foil in a UP mini-snap case and I really like being able to fit it in one of my Satin Towers.
WOWIE. I already loved my GameGenic case and was sad that I couldn't use my BouldernTray to fit my deck anymore. I REALLY loved the see through plastic of it in blue so I'm DEFINITELY going to have to grab one of these. Hopefully I can fit all my tokens too...
For 60 card deck formats, I have never seen a deck box better than the ultimate guard flip'n'tray. Synthetic leather on the outside for a very comfortable grip, magnetic flaps, heavy leather deck tray, leather dice tray on top, felt interior so the trays slide smoothly but not smooth enough to fall out on accident. Bought it for $25 about 8 years ago I think, and it is still amazing, it makes me think every plastic deck box is pedestrian.
I see Prof is a man of culture as well. Shame TH-cam didn't like the music, lol. I have the Bastion XL and I really like it. Much better than my Boulders, which I will replace for my Commander decks. The Bastion is simply an evolution of that design.
Prof, great video as always. Next, can you do a vid on the various ways to store and tote around deckboxes? And which are compatible with the other brands' similar products? Curious if there's cross polination, like can products designed to cary UG Boulders store UP Cubes as well. Thanks!
Engagement! But really though, I have had all the mentioned issues with Boulder and Satin Cubes. I can't wait, thanks to this video, to get my hands on some Bastions to try out instead.
Bought some sleeves and a deck box at my gamestore today and I asked them for box recommendations. They told me that "the professor recommends the bastion" pointing at it haha. I got it and I'm really happy with the recommendation haha
Dear prof, I prefer the clear ug 100+ boulders: 120 Dragon Shield single sleeved and you see what is inside. 7-8€ one. For DS seal. Inners + ds mattes full foil 100 cards + 20 tokens -> 133+ return to earth boulders for now -> even space left for some extra cards Too bad you didn't review those yet :)
Another of the Professor's videos sold out products before I got a chance to order them. 😂 Note to self: Watch these videos as soon as they come out! #TCCfinance Great video, thanks!
I'm a big fan of having each of my decks in those junk $2 Ultra Pro flimsy boxes then placing all of my decks into a Pirate Labs briefcase. The deckboxes basically act as a divider for easy deck removal while the briefcase is what really protects and transports the cards. I've been using this setup for almost 6 years now and love it.
Great video, I hadn't seen the bastion or the sliders. Always nice to see professor product reviews, it's why I started watching and keep checking back, as a Keyforge player I'm not really interested in the MtG content.
Watch The Commander School Of Rock: Fit For A King VS Movements | Shuffle Up & Play 35: th-cam.com/video/zYRJey_E0_8/w-d-xo.html
Btw, that striped suit is really sweet on you 😄
The Boulder N Tray is more of a sequel to the Ultimate Guard Monolith that was discontinued. Comparing the two, the Boulder N Tray is certainly smaller. The Monolith had a much better fit on the inside.
i liked boulder cases but bcw prism cases i think are just as good and i started buying after seeing the video and the price
Do Satin Cubes fit in a Quiver as comfortably as Boulders do?
A small bits tray that fits inside the bastion would make it great for lower count card game decks.
Great video. You should also include a "falling from a table" test, to see if the box stays shut and keeps the cards, or if it splits open...
Or if it breaks your floor!
My boulder actually fell off a short table, it was about 2-3 feet tall. The top came off and some of the cards came out.
Ive damn near thrown my satin tower off kitchen table height and its held like a charm. YMMV
@eri_noemi1462 oh that sucks, I've dropped quite a few and never had mine bust open
Important test. I got a boulder n tray during the first wave. I forgot to close my backpack and it fell out on the concrete when I got out of the store. Cards went on the floor and the box is cracked from its first day.
The engineer who created the boulder left the company and started Gamegenic. His Bastion is an extension of the boulder but fixing what they deemed bad design. If they release just a regular Bastion instead of the XL I think Boulders will be a thing of the past.
Wow cool info!
Wonder if that's subject to an IP lawsuit
@@thanhavictus All depends on on the contract between the employee and employer. But I doubt it because UG would have started that before GG got big. Plus all of GG’s products are extensions that are different than the product that were designed at UG.
Any idea what happened to this company? I can't find Bastion boxes anywhere now.
i would be surprised if the bastion is as durable as the boulder though. You can put a boulder through hell and it will almost always protect it's contents, which aside from the compactness was like it's other main selling point
It's nice to see a classic Deck Box review return to this channel! And also, the promo for the next Shuffle up and Play was very nostalgic.
Ultimate Guard has a lot more of my money than Ultra Pro for one main reason: subtler branding. I really can't get over the plastic-chromey "Ultra Pro" badge on those boxes. Brings me back to the 90s, like cheap containers for colored pencils.
I'm very much the same way. Satin towers just look tacky, i don't like their design at all, and the main problem is indeed the badge
Gamegenic bastions look a lot better but still, the overly transparent acrylic makes them look kind of cheap, the more opaque boulders are still the winners in the looks department imo
@@DrunkGekowell put by both of you. I actually bought a single one of the bastion xl’s because i have a deck thats fully double sleeved and barely fit in a boulder so i snagged one of those so i wasnt cramming a questionably priced deck into a tight space. With that i also agree i dont like how clear the deck boxes are. Weirdly enough. I want them to be ultimate guard see through without being clear. Just a personal choice though. The bastions are very nice as well just less preferred
For me ita because of the compact modular system between all of the hives with the boulders. Saves so much space for me
At least they don’t have the holographic Ultra Pro circle on the front of their sleeves anymore.
Also the chrome is a fingerprint magnet.
One stand-out feature about the bastion over the other budget/slim boxes shown in this video that I really like is that the top piece flipped on its side is a great commander deck holder to keep the deck from falling over or losing cards from the top when drawing. The empty space in the U shaped latch makes it easy to fit your finger underneath to get your deck out of it to tutor and shuffle. It's not exactly necessary for 60- or less card formats, but many double sleeved, blinged-out commander decks are easy to partially or fully topple over, so the bastion is just a little nicer for thinking of that.
The glee with which you went at the Bastions is infectious. Bravo!
I like the clear boulders. Being able to see your commander or FaB hero at the front is nice.
I have them for the same reason. Only issue I have, is that double sleeved cards are a tight fit.
@@stefanroets1770Same + you can add your tokens. I guess I have to try a bastion and then replace all of the clear boulder for clear bastion...
Those are the ones that I'm most likely going to get, even if these new Gamegenic Bastions look pretty tempting. I'm tired of not quite seeing what commander I have and it's frustrating.
@@Doofindork The bastions do have a clear version, looking at them now.
Like I said in another comment: you don't need anything more than a clear boulder. It's stylish, minimalistic and it's always useful to be able to see which deck is which while they sit comfortably in your custom made suitcase.
I love that we are getting more accessory product reviews. This is the content that made me fall in love with TCC
Facts dude. I love Prof's reviews. I always check his vids first when buying a new deck box or sleeves I don't already use.
Ever since I found the ultimate guard sidewinder that’s been all I use for my decks. It’s definitely a bit bulkier and doesn’t have a dice tray, but I’m not a fan of the hard plastic feel so it works great for me. The magnetic lock is really nice too, plus there’s plenty of room for extra tokens and such
Gamegenic just does not miss when it comes to boxes. Ever since I saw the prof's review on the Watchtower boxes from them I was hooked, but they're quite pricey. I wanted to like the UG Boulders, but I use DS resealable inner Sleeves with DS Sleeves and they just don't fit, and UP Towers work perfectly fine, but I felt like they could be more. Excited to start giving the bastions a spin for whatever deck I make next.
As an engineer who looks for good design I really appreciate these kind of reviews, as well as the specific testing you do for them.
The new gamegenic Bastion are amazing, recently got a few and being able to hold a full double sleeved edh deck plus tokens in the same box and fit is on point with the gamegenic dungeon ect
Glad to see some good old accessory reviews coming back!
Many of my Ultra Pro and Ultimate Guard “satin” finish products have deteriorated over the years with sticky residue -AND I keep my hands clean! Believe it or not, plastic can release chemicals that cause this over time ;) it’s well documented in various toys. So I plan to switch over the the Bastion for my decks soon.
Unrelated, greetings from a Daggett with two ts
This! Its like the external soft "layer" on the old boulders become deteriorated, and come off in a kind of sticky lump
All of my deck boxes are completely fucked from this. Would never buy any satin finish deck box again. Shame too as they're excellent when you first open them but they degrade over about 6-7 years
Oh My God. A Deckbox review and Card Sleeve review within a week? I'm so fucking hard right now
Dude me too
same. and I'm a girl.
The bastion has quickly become my favorite deck box. Lots of room and perfect for sitting on the shelf to display my pet decks.
Thank you for featuring the Bastion, wouldn't have known it exists withoit you for a long time still! Gamegenic has really been doing a good job for some years now. And anyways, thank you so much for all these amazing informative and well presented videos, as well as the entertainment of shuffle up and play. You're awesome and really appreciated!
love seeing these product comparison vids! they rly help me make a more informed decision
It's cool to see that despite the many other succesfull video formats on this channel, you still care to give up to date information on your accessory product reviews.
Respect and many thanks for that!
I just started playing and collecting magic cards about a year ago, and it feels nice to have reviews like that which aren't 5 to 10 years old, even though not that much might have changed.
Also wanted to say, LOVED the preview animation for the next Shuffle Up & Play! That 9th&10th era intro was my favourite and most nostalgic, impeccable taste Prof
8:25 I bought a satin tower by your recommendation, and the same exact type and color you show here. It has a smudgey rubber degradation problem now, and it also has always had a tight opening/closing just like the cubes here.
I had been thinking about picking up a Bastion or two ever since I saw Olivia and Elidh mention it. I'm glad to see you bring it to the review, and after that grade, I'm definitely going to pick a couple up.
If you wouldn't mind a suggestion from a viewer, try your shake tests specifically holding one piece of the deck box compared with holding the other piece. I've always found with boulders that I can shake them open fairly easily while holding them from the piece that has the inner part of the clasp. I bought one of these bastions and this problem is even more prominent with that box. I always and will continue to appreciate your insight on these products and its the main disciminator of what supplies I personally use.
So so so soooo SO damn happy to see card accessory reviews again!!!!! The sleeves and boxes, i picked up a Bastion a week ago as i had never seen one before, so was curious tho hesitant since you hadn't reviewed it. Glad I made a good choice after all! Also had no idea Orism had nee colours until this vid! Here's hoping there's maybe binder/portfolio news?
The worst feeling when going to box a deck is when it juuuuust fits, but in a way where it feels like it probably shouldn't. Great video as always!
Yes I'm sure the professors deck box can !!
I have the double and I don't think anything will ever beat it!
Funny timing, I had just bought a couple Bastions for some new decks cause I thought they looked cool. Was a bit worried about how the plastic would hold up in my bag but it's doing well so far.
Something I wanna say! The BCW Prisms recently released a 'Polished' line, which essentially gives it a full glossy finish, and I've found the one I purchased for a sibling of mine to be an absolute NIGHTMARE to open.
I'm glad to see more product reviews back on this channel
Glad to see the new boxes finally get thorough review. I might have to give the Bastion a try
The bastion and hard sleeve seem really promising. Love your product videos! Thanks for the hard work prof
The Boulder Tower is my favorite box. I love how it opens, and the dice try at the bottom is perfect.
Yeah I've always had to shimmy my Ultra Pro Cubes apart to open them which I didn't have an issue with. It feels solid and sturdy. Though at one point we just started 3D printing our deck boxes lol. Dunno if I'd put those to the test with that wild shake test you did but it saves a lot and they're still plenty solid in general use.
Me personally I like having a little more resistance on my Cubes. It makes my decks feel safer.
It looks like most of your shaking of the Bastion had your hands on the sides of the bastion where the rivets connect the shells. That is definitely the most natural way to grab it, but would be great to see another shake test where the hold is different to really test the hold between the connections. My guess is they still hold, but just thought it would good to check further.
Don't know if you've gotten a chance to mess around with them yet, but we found out tonight that they fail the shake test when you hold them upside down.
I had a very expensive deck (a few thousand) in it, but I was very lucky that nothing got damaged as they all fell out.
One interesting test I'd like to see with these is the throw-it-on-the-ground test, simulating what happens when my bag splits open and spills my decks on the concrete. How well do tower, boulder, cube, prism, bastion or whatever comes out next actually stay shut when there's impact involved? The Bastion for example looks like a winner on most fronts here, but the material seems thinner, so it might crack easier on a fall, allowing the lid to come off after all.
Man, I just wanted to thank you for your content. Im pretty new to magic and you`re one of the main reasons iIstarted. Your enthousiasme and passion for mtg is rare and inspiring. Your content makes my day. Keep it up Prof :)
Ultimate guard sidewinders have been a really nice home for my commander decks lately and look real nice all in an Omnihive (8 deck case). Subtle branding, felt material inside and great colors to choose from I’ve been really happy with the purchase and would recommend.
Another great video. When my wife and I got into Commander a few years ago, everyone recommended the Tower. We bought two different styles, but both deck boxes were difficult to open. We haven't bought another Tower since. We have bought several Alcove and competitor's Alcove-style boxes since we can fit the commander in a hard sleeve in the flap.
Does the Bastion fit Ultra Pro Mini Snaps as well? Or does it only fit the Gamegenic slide card case
I use the Mini Snaps for my commanders and I can confirm that they fit perfectly inside the bastion
@@vlfive I second this. I have 4 commander decks in these each with mini snaps and there's still space, but good enough tension.
You get 12 slide card cases for around $10, they have a bigger area on the back so the beveled edges stack. Boulders finish seems to peel after two years, and they are snug on your deck.
Gamegenic is making great product.
You can now buy the Ultimate Guard - Return to Earth, which is made of 97% recycled material, is made in Germany, and costs less than the standard one.
I even prefer them over the "standard" boulder as it comes apart easier but does not open unwanted.
I love these kinds of videos! I am curious if the gamegenic will fit into a Quiver. And that shuffle up and play teaser has me HYPED!
Yes and the bolt too? Would this and how many boxes?
Came to the comments looking for an answer on this too. I've been sticking with Boulders specifically because they fit so well in the Quiver
@@sarahbuck2506 My LGS had some so I tried it out. Putting it in so the front is facing up it is a little too high to comfortably close. A bit longer than my Ultra Pro boxes that I feel are already pushing it. Turning it sideways it fits in fine but it does take up more space than the Ultra Pro. This makes sense since they are larger and can fit more cards. I am comparing to the plastic MTG art covered Ultra Pro deckboxes that are about $5, not the boulder or any other acrylic ones. I didn't put in enough deck boxes to see how many I could fit total of the Bastion but I think it could do 4 or 5. It looks very nice but the black one is really hard to see the commander so I think I'm going to wait till my LGS has clear in stock. I hope that helps!
@@mistmoorex Thanks!!
Boulders need more room to be considered "Double-Sleeve" compatible. You have to repeatedly compress your deck getting out as much air as possible...and even then sometimes they stop fitting...
That being said I switched my entire collection of 40+ decks to clear Bastion+ XL's.
I am thoroughly impressed by the Bastion. Definitely gonna pick up an armful to replace my current edh deck boxes.
I was really into MTG until around 2019 and loved your product reviews - they were not only informative but had good entertainment value and were also oddly soothing.
I’ve transitioned into modern board games now and still occasionally watch these videos. I also try to use some of my old MTG accessories whenever possible to help with board game storage and organization. I loved the Boulders when I played Magic and they are still my go-to for organizing some board games because of their compactness, it can be a challenge to fit sleeved cards/deckboxes into board game boxes so having the most compact design is the main consideration for me now.
I only use Ultra Pro Tower deck boxes. All my decks are doubled sleeved with Dragon Shield resealable inners and outer and the Tower can fit approximately 103 cards with an additional 3 perpendicular to the deck., even with a large amount of foils. Plus I love swapping the parts so the deck boxes are color coordinated to the deck colors!
This video format is amazing, pls more! There are so many card game products out there that it is impossible to keep track of what are quality products and what fit my need. Your Videos are making my life a lot easier and are also quite entertaining, thank you.
I only really use gamegenic boxes, don't mind spending a bit more when the cards in them are as costly. But with the bastion coming out i might get a few to keep costs down.
I must say for my triple sleeved cedh deck with alternate commanders and "sideboard"/tokens the academic was the only way to go.
I’ve only got four commander decks (so far)- my two home-brewed decks are in clear Boulders, and my two pre-cons are in clear Bastions, and I LOVE the Bastions so much. They got my double sleeved decks, thick commander and perfect-fit single sleeves double-sides tokens with ease. I’ll definitely be checking out those sliding commander card holders!
I wish prof would do a triple sleeved deck box review. Hope to see one in the future!
Prof's Academic works wonders for triple sleeved commander decks. I just triple sleeved my mono black K'rrik deck and still have room.
I recently switched my thickest deck to the Boulder 133+. I'm pretty happy with the construction compared to the Boulder 100+. You should try it out if you're triple sleeving.
that crash test at 14:00 ❤
For sure you have earned what needs to be called 'Shakedown Heavy' Professor!
Personally I always use the BCW Deck Vault LX 100 Deck Case. Looks nice, lots of room, and has a little compartment for sides/tokens.
Ultimate Guard has just released the Boulder 133 series for Commander, at present it only comes only in the Return to Earth plastic, I've got mine coming in the mail soon, it should be perfect for commander deck + tokens.
I own two and it perfectly holds my thick as hell commander deck plus an ungodly amount of tokens 😅
The Gamegenic Bastion looks really great, need to try that one out. Also I would wanna ask if you would have any recommendations for outer and inner sleeves that would allow an 100 card EDH deck to fit nicely inside the Ultimate Guard Boulder? Best scenario would be if the deck still fits inside the boulder with some room for 2-4 tokens.
Prof shakes the hell out of the box to test it and then sets it down so gingerly. Love it
YESSSSS!! if you need any ideas for future deck box reviews, the Chinese market has a few clones/spinoff deck boxes which are budget and high quality. Going over some of those would be awesome
They have any prism knockoffs?
I have just started digging through my old MTG cards since my kiddo is old enough to start playing and wants to try out some commander. I just want you to know I appreciate the thoroughness of your reviews as I start picking up some storage solutions for our new decks.
I 3d print my boxes, each one costs $2 of filament and I can have them made out of any filament I want. For example my yuriko deck is translucent purple that shifts between light and dark with glitter inside the plastic. Also usually 3d printed boxes typically have slot out for commander art to be displayed
Great review, prof! I'm returning to MTG after a hiatus and starting to play commander. I'm getting 2 bastion deck boxes today! Thanks!
I realy like the back to earth boulders 👍🏻
Same, they are what I have used for all but one deck, and I did get a couple of the bigger size (on accident) . All of them are very nice fits, you can store the cards front facing or side facing as you prefer. However the most recent one I purchased (purple, if it might matter) did have strangely concave sides (where the latch is diagonal), making the total latch fit imprecise and never fully closed. There were strange little shavings inside the box, suggesting this was a failure of the machine opposed to material. The fact that this failure goes across products is a bit concerning for UG quality control.
The 133+ card ones are the only Boulder deck boxes that can fit 100 Dragon Shield Matte + Dragon Shield Sealable Inner Sleeved cards. I was pretty disappointed in the 100+ Boulders that I had initially bought.
I'm not a whole lot in to MTG or card games but you're entertaining in so many levels and also comprehensive and detailed. Thanks! :)
The newer UP Towers have been difficult to open as well, i got one a while ago and its real difficult prying it open :(
I picked up a bastion recently after double sleeving my commander deck left it too snug for my liking in a boulder. I'm glad to see you've come to the same conclusion! Still waiting for my LGS to get in some of those sliding hard sleeves cos the traditional toploaders don't quite fit.
Fantastic video once again!! I'll definitely have to get my hands on some of those gamegenic boxes!
I absolutely love these product review videos. These are what I look for when I think of the prof. also, the jacket looks fabulous! love everything about this upload. Thank you professor.
I'm glad you kept up the tradition of the box shake. It's always a joy to see
YES! It's the video we wanted all along! Thank you!
One experiment i wish the prof did with this deck boxes is casually dropping them from table height to see which burst open.
I'm really interested in that gamegenic product but with that closing mechanism i believe it would open easily with a fall and make a mess of cards on the ground
Thank you professor. Most people will not buy the same deck boxes more than once if they have a negative experience. This is why consistent is so important. I wasn't even aware that it wasn't supposed to be hard to open. I thought that was just how they were made.
Glad to see this one - has been an absolute pain trying to get boulders in the colours i want here in the UK (apparantly it's an import/supplier issue) but know that GameGenic are available, so will have to give them a go for my next one
Miss the reviews. Happy to see this in my feed. Takes me back to school when debating on what sleeves to use my only $20 on.
I love this series of videos prof. They're fun, informative and really well paced!
Thanks for another great video! I just picked up a couple of boxes on Card Kingdom thanks to your references. Unfortunately, they are sold out of most of the items you endorse. They only had orange! Luckily... I like orange
That's crazy the BCW Prism costs over 10 billion dollars XD 10:43
Worth every penny.
I think the possible issue with the Ultra Pro Cube's is they are slightly different plastics. The clear glitter ones might be slightly softer allowing more flex to them while opening. Where as the opaque ones are a more rigid plastic that does not flex as much to allow it to open off the locking tabs. That is the only thing I can think of on why they would be more difficult to open. They are probably manufactured differently and are of differing rigidity's..
From some one that buys mostly boulders, I have noticed that depending on the plastic or resin used that the 2 halves don't fit perfectly together. especially the recycled plastic boulders, I always get bowing on the top half of the boulder. I tend to avoid the recycled plastic boulders now because of that.
I use the boulders since once opened i use one side for my discard/graveyard and the other to keep my cards still for when i draw
I’ve had zero issues with my boulder n tray but I also bought the glossy clear one without the brushed matte texture. Maybe that’s the issue? I also had issues with my satin tower’s tray popping off too easily and the dice falling everywhere.
So I’ve ended up sticking to a dice pouch in my bag, and using the Gamegenic sidekicks for my better decks with sealed inners and dragon shield mattes. They make the XL ones in all the other colors now, so may as well not settle for less 🤷♂️
A deck box review. Back to the classics. Great to see the bastion lives up to the profs standards. It’s looked really good but I haven’t bought in yet. Now I might
I did not expect to be so entertained by a Professor shaking boxes but here we are.
Loved the demo, loved the video.
I've been needing to get deck boxes for my precon commander decks. I need to keep them safe so I can play Daleks vs Hobbits as often as possible!
Thanks for the reviews! The Gamegenic Bastion seems perfect!
I have a Gamegenic Watchtower XL and I am very satisfied with it. I normally only carry one deck for Pokémon but I do carry a boulder for my yugioh deck. All great deck boxes
I bought an ultra pro deck box like that 13 years ago, but the paint started coming off after a few months and made anything around it stained.
Guess I should have waited until they used acryillic.
Love your reviews. You do a thorough job in analysis. I felt good about my Game Genic purchase.
Very glad to see a new deck box review, along with the recent card sleeve review. Felt like old times.
I definitely will be considering the Bastion if I'm in the market for new deck boxes.
I believe the issue with the Satin Cube's difficulty with opening is with the satin finish. I found the glossy finish Cubes easier to open out of the box.
One minor point to add about the Satin Tower/Cube is that they are big enough to fit a mini-snap case or slide-card case, like the Bastion.
I keep my Elesh Norn judge foil in a UP mini-snap case and I really like being able to fit it in one of my Satin Towers.
14:30 me trying to see if I got legos for Christmas
WOWIE. I already loved my GameGenic case and was sad that I couldn't use my BouldernTray to fit my deck anymore. I REALLY loved the see through plastic of it in blue so I'm DEFINITELY going to have to grab one of these. Hopefully I can fit all my tokens too...
I did not know that there were so many different Deck boxes. I like the Ultra Pro Tower and Bastion Deck boxes. Thank you for the video Professor.
The default music playing over The Prof vibing to "Baby Got Back" is pretty funny lol
Thank you, had been waiting for this one. Love your product reviews, so helpful for me.
Gotta pick up some Bastians now. Thanks Prof!
Wow, now Gamegenic makes my favorite sleeves *and* boxes!
For 60 card deck formats, I have never seen a deck box better than the ultimate guard flip'n'tray.
Synthetic leather on the outside for a very comfortable grip, magnetic flaps, heavy leather deck tray, leather dice tray on top, felt interior so the trays slide smoothly but not smooth enough to fall out on accident.
Bought it for $25 about 8 years ago I think, and it is still amazing, it makes me think every plastic deck box is pedestrian.
I see Prof is a man of culture as well. Shame TH-cam didn't like the music, lol.
I have the Bastion XL and I really like it. Much better than my Boulders, which I will replace for my Commander decks. The Bastion is simply an evolution of that design.
Prof, great video as always. Next, can you do a vid on the various ways to store and tote around deckboxes? And which are compatible with the other brands' similar products? Curious if there's cross polination, like can products designed to cary UG Boulders store UP Cubes as well. Thanks!
This is a perfect video, because I think I have a need for all three of the top grades here, and it's great to know why each one fits my needs.
Engagement! But really though, I have had all the mentioned issues with Boulder and Satin Cubes. I can't wait, thanks to this video, to get my hands on some Bastions to try out instead.
Bought some sleeves and a deck box at my gamestore today and I asked them for box recommendations. They told me that "the professor recommends the bastion" pointing at it haha. I got it and I'm really happy with the recommendation haha
Dear prof, I prefer the clear ug 100+ boulders: 120 Dragon Shield single sleeved and you see what is inside. 7-8€ one. For DS seal. Inners + ds mattes full foil 100 cards + 20 tokens -> 133+ return to earth boulders for now -> even space left for some extra cards
Too bad you didn't review those yet :)
Another of the Professor's videos sold out products before I got a chance to order them. 😂
Note to self: Watch these videos as soon as they come out! #TCCfinance
Great video, thanks!
I'm a big fan of having each of my decks in those junk $2 Ultra Pro flimsy boxes then placing all of my decks into a Pirate Labs briefcase. The deckboxes basically act as a divider for easy deck removal while the briefcase is what really protects and transports the cards. I've been using this setup for almost 6 years now and love it.
Great video, I hadn't seen the bastion or the sliders. Always nice to see professor product reviews, it's why I started watching and keep checking back, as a Keyforge player I'm not really interested in the MtG content.