Realized I was shuffling my deck wrong last week at a meetup in Portland

I've been playing board games for like 5 years and always just did the standard overhand shuffle. A guy at the game cafe pointed out I was mangling the corners and making the cards wear out fast. Is there a better way to shuffle that doesn't wreck your game pieces?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura2111mo ago

Overhand is fine for most games if you're gentle. The real issue is bending the cards sideways when you pick them up. Try the mash shuffle where you split the deck and push the corners together. It looks scary at first but your cards will last way longer. I learned that trick from a Magic player who had decks from the 90s still in good shape. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

wesley_hart1mo ago

And honestly once you get the hang of the mash shuffle it feels way more natural than bending cards all weird.

wells.brooke18d ago

That mash shuffle trick from the Magic players is gold... I've got a buddy who still plays with his original Commander deck from like 2012 and he's never sleeved it, just does that corner push method every time. The cards look barely worn compared to my poker night deck where I was doing that sideways bend pick up for years. It's wild how much damage that little habit does over time, you don't even notice it until you lay two old decks side by side. The mash shuffle takes a minute to get the feel right but once you do it's like night and day for card longevity.