MTG - A Guide To Lifepads, Dice, Vaults from Sign in Blood, Wyrmwood, Inked - Magic The Gathering

[@Silversnorlax204]

Tolarian Community College - shaking the living hell out of TCG products since 2013.

[@lusteration]

My brother started to play Pokemon TCG and he wanted a deck box. So of course I looked at your deck box reviews to see what would be best for him. He decided to watch your videos with me and we both decided that the pro-dual deck box was the best choice for him. I wake up the next morning and found out that he started to double sleeve his cards. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!

[@puttputt524]

I know you comment is old but I still think it’s funny. When I think about it... what’s the point of having a deck box if your cards aren’t well protected? But I think about it more, what’s the point of protecting cardboard? I your brother likely outgrew pokemon cards by now, but hopefully never outgrow pokemon.

[@In.New.York.I.Milly.Rock.]

@@puttputt524 considering the current state of Pokémon, it'd be much better if he outgrew everything else besides the card game

[@TheOriginalBoman]

So glad that there was a review for dicebags. While not strictly a magic accessory, I would not be disappointed to see more reviews of those, as I have been disappointed many times by the ones available at my local gamestore

[@Paticula1135]

I'll admit, I wasn't hugely interested in the previous Wyrmwood products, but these dice vaults have me drooling at their beautifully smooth wooden style. At this point I'm strongly considering investing in one, just for the sake of having something so pretty. Besides that, this review was quite interesting. Your usual meticulous and thorough approach to reviewing continues to be about as refreshing as it gets. The attention to detail in each of these where you carefully illustrate pretty much everything of importance but never get sidetracked is nothing short of fantastic. Keep up the great reviews Professor; I'm sure that as subscribers appear more companies will be keen to have their MTG products tested by your thorough and scrutinizing eyes.

[@Murgledoo]

Thank you thank you thank you! As a connoisseur of premium products like these, I'm glad you went over them. Your video channel is always so pleasant to watch, you really are part of what makes me love this game so much. Keep up the good work, we all love you!

[@ozzynomicon2817]

this is by far my favorite KZbin Magic provider.

[@patrickbaillargeon7568]

The purpleheart wood was absolutely beautiful! And thank you for looking silly to prove the durability and quality of these products in your tests :)

[@justinbowman1342]

Will I have to pay 2 life for a Sign in Blood life pad?

[@christopherroyer3046]

Yes. It is an alternate payment method. When buying just select "Alternate Payment" and click "Blood Sacrifice" and whala! There you go (just remember to give them the blood) :)

[@severenti]

It's gonna cost me an arm and a leg; I'm down to my last 3 health. Damn white weenies.

[@justinbowman1342]

severenti Last three life? What ever you do, don't make a Red Burn player mad. One mana and your dead.

[@severenti]

Justin Bowman With enough Islands, I'll make sure that I can withstand the heat ;) You're not dead until you've reached 0, as they say.

[@SirPream]

Of course, though just remember you're going to "feel the burn" should you do so. You could even say the price is "shocking" to the payer.

[@Mikae1300]

I love your reviews so incredibly much. I wish that other reviewers of things went into as much detail and video footage as you. I feel like I've actually held and experienced the items that you review. Little things like stuffing as much as you can in that dice bag and tossing it around gives me an excellent idea of what the product is like. Thank you for this, and keep it up. As a new Magic player, you have saved me both money and time. Thank you so much!

[@TheRealCalPerr]

"These are absolutely incredible. A-" I love this. That is the kind of stuff I subscribe to you for.

[@charlie10289]

Man Even though I stopped playing Magic I still play other card games. I mostly trust your reviews, and have saved me so much money from taking chances. I Really like how you test the strength and quality of the sleeves, even though I just wanna scream when I see you strength test them. Keep up the good work.

[@rivern.7551]

"It's a nice wooden case to hold dice" Oh that sounds nice! "Oh, and it's handmade" Oh well that's pretty co- *$25*

[@CodeProvider]

12 minute guide to dice and paper? hell yeah~

[@minasaglar]

Professor, I do like the disclaimer, but i hope you speed it up just a skosh for future videos. I have been watching since the very first review, and in no way have I ever questioned your judgement or honesty. Keep up the great work.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

David Hines I hear people find me very enjoyable on 1.25 speed.

[@TheTrailerMasher]

Tolarian Community College Can confirm.

[@jbutton15]

Trailers'n'Games 1.5 is a bit to fast but 1.25 works really well

[@roboblade6046]

+jbutton15 Accuracy in a post XD

[@FantusyFailure]

Please do more of these! There have been quite a few products that you have found and reviewed that I really enjoy. Though the accessories aren't for everyone I think its great.

[@Defectee]

Hi Professor, Great video! I've been using Sign In Blood life pads for about a year now and I really enjoy them. If you orientate your pen just so, you can slip it down the side of the pad and secure the pen clip to the elastic band. It makes for a compact and secure pen and pad package.

[@specularis]

Thanks again, Prof. Watching you is such a fun. Greetings from Switzerland.

[@killerb2099]

I recently came to the conclusion that keeping track of both players life totals trough pen and paper was superior to just using spin down dice. Glad to see that conclusion confirmed by a seasoned Magic veteran. :D

[@pheonix1018]

I purchased an item called a "boogie board" a couple of months ago to use as a life pad. It is a digital note pad that uses eInk technology. It's the perfect size at about half a sheet of regular copy paper. The battery lasts basically forever. I got it on Amazon for about $19. One of the best mtg purchases I've ever made. You should check it out professor!

[@inkedgaming7836]

Thanks for the shout out. They are made here in our facility in the USA!

[@MrRancid1988]

I love the look of that Zebrawood! I am definitely interested in a few things shown in this video. The hand made dice bag really caught my eye! Not to mention you can get it made custom just to your taste really makes it appealing in my opinion.

[@travistruppner]

Just a quick suggestion: if your camera has a manual focus option, switch it on and focus on the cards on the table when you're doing one of those static shots of your hands. When you were playing with the D6es your autofocus was going a little crazy. Great video; very informative!

[@suhleap]

THIS is what I'm talking about, I love this! great in depth analysis on things I often wonder about. great video!

[@DaemonicDownfall44]

To help buffer your review on the Wyrmwood Dice Vault, I use a dice vault to hold my METAL dice; I use a standard set for D&D. The lid is still very secure and attached. I feel the only way it would become loose is if I were to drop it (I'd give it about a 10% chance on a drop give or take depending on the height of the drop).

[@xSkye629x]

Most Effective (for me at any rate): Touchscreen (plus writing/drawing app and perhaps a stylus) Write: - Opponent name (if they're fine with it), Decks in play, Game#, Date, and perhaps tournament name (if anything significant) - Scores and other important notes File away when done if you wish to keep the record and store on computer or wherever Voila

[@apanapane]

I loved the part where we got a tutorial on how to use a bag! ;D As always, thanks for your dedication to the MtG community.

[@trylearntry1093]

After this video I'm going to go back through the Prof's video history and double check but, if memory serves me correctly, it would be great to see some new product reviews. Updated reviews of products that have been released since these videos came out or even other products that havent been done at all. Either way i really like these product reviews. They have always been there to help my friends and I save money and/or keep me from wasting my cash on products that, if not for these videos, would ha4been q complete waste of time and money. Thanks Prof!

[@Voyajer.]

I always preferred a boogie board tablets for writing life totals. It has essentially infinite "pages" though I don't write notes to look at later so erasing pages isn't a problem for me.

[@GeekandGlory]

Chessex dice is the only dice I will use for MTG though I do have others in my personal collection. Absolutely love Inked Gaming's custom dice bags. I haven't gotten one with custom artwork but I picked a nice art piece from their shop. I have gotten a custom XL playmate and custom playmat bag. All highly recommend.

[@johnmchenry3854]

Hey TCC, thanks again for the amazing videos! I subscribed back when you only had 1K subs and it's great to see how you've grown! Whenever you put up a video it always makes my day a little better. Here's to another great year of videos and Magic the Gathering! Cheers! :)

[@JuanCurmina]

This is one of the things I enjoy about MTG, the accessories!

[@vking7]

I'll concede I have yet to watch the video in full, but for tracking life totals in 1v1 card games, my method of choice is using a Boogie Board. They're kind of like a stylus-operated Etch-A-Sketch, but with e-ink. It doesn't have fancy delineations for between games and players, but I'd think that's something that could be done by the player themselves.

[@mting622]

Yes! Another product review and analysis series!

[@sarissanhunter7227]

ok...I really do want a set of wyrmwood dice cases and dice sets now. what you showed there really put in visions of a very lavish and ornate experience that I want.

[@CPD0123a]

"The bag can carry all of the stuff that you'll be taking to your local games store." Yeah, ok, for FNM I can barely fit the decks I bring in a backpack. LOL! Maybe if you're just wanting to play one format with one deck, though. Somethings I want to make sometime are a spin down holder and deck box that can be clipped onto a belt, for on-the-go play and those handful of times where you'll be somewhere that you might just end up in a match, (i.e. the conventions I don't go to) and taking an old book, and turning it into a deckbox. Maybe finding an old copy of Dracula that has been ruined to hold vampires, or making one into "How to start fires" from "A Series of Unfortunate Events" to hold a burn deck.

[@Raaanch]

those dice boxes are ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. Currently my D20s D6s are being stored in the "deck boxes" that come with fat packs. Maybe I should upgrade.

[@caitlins6505]

Raaanch what are dice used for in magic

[@obeycelestia]

I have that same mini-cube of cobalt and gold d6s! Bravo on your excellent taste.

[@trylearntry1093]

Throughout my history of playing MTG my friends and I have always favored the purple Crown Royal bags. They do exactly what the custom bag you have shown her minus the custom screen printing amd it is free with the crown Royal purchase.

[@MostlyNotDps]

Wait... another person who says pen+paper is better than dice? You are my hero, sir. Also, I second the 36 dice set. I've got 2 of them, and they're invaluable.

[@alexzapinski1176]

You know there is nothing left to review when you review life pads

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

People requested it! /splutters

[@johnmchenry3854]

Hey mate don't be like that! TCC reviews ALL Magic the Gathering products and life pads just happen to be Magic the Gathering products. He's not scraping the bottom of the barrel he's simply supplying what is the viewers desire.

[@alexandercastleberry480]

I will actually shell out the $11 for one of those just to avoid the spirals that flood the $1 range. Besides, I play Orzhov. Teysa approves of these ledgers.

[@puttputt524]

Alexander Castleberry I teach and am new to magic, but I got post it notes and pens coming out the wazoo. And I mean, NICE post it holders. Some mount the post it’s into a make shift writing pad with a faux leather cover. Comes with thousands of tiny post it’s that can be disposable counters.

[@immanuelcoronel8399]

'Where do you get these magnets from?' I anticipated it to fail, but I'm impressed and still came out satisfied.

[@FlashKillerX]

If youre gonna get bulk d6 dice get them from amazon. you can get 100 regular old dice in a single color for roughly $6

[@HeroesandLegendsMTG1]

I agree that a life pad is the best way to keep track of your life. I kind of wish Fat Packs would come with a life pad and then mayby a D12 instead of the 20 sided spin down counter.

[@LKMizore112]

Video was an awesome distraction on a snowed in day in Ohio, I appreciate your content, keep it up.

[@dakotahilliker3873]

I use a small plastic case that I found for my dice, it holds 6 d-20 and up to 15 of the normal or casino d-6 dice, this is how I pack it and it works well, the box its self is a simple and easy to use and carry, the box I believe was meant for fishing and was meant to hold a few lures and assortments of such and should cost no more than a dollar, and id definitely suggest this to many budget players, check out a local fishing store or even Walmart, my grade is a solid A its cheap efficient but not custom more pretty but it gets the job done

[@JojoBarrientos]

I gotta admit professor, I'm a bit on the technological side of things, I don't mind a pen and paper when its all I got but sometimes my phone is probably one of my favorite ways of keeping track of my life. I use the mtg familiar app, and not only I can see what my life is, but also track multiple enemies. Also search cards, and even check the ruling. Its nice. If you want to give a solid grading in a future episode, that would be sweet. Jojo Barrientos

[@generoush786]

LOVE the scars example! Thats where my heart is

[@LeKongify]

This is some of the stuff I wanted to be reviewed the most! Am awaiting the sequels!

[@leverposteifantomet]

I keep my dice in a cheap Ultra-pro deckbox for 60 cards. It's nice because it fits nicely with the other deckboxes I have when I travel. It houses one of those chessex D6 boxes and more D20s than I will ever need

[@Nah_Bohdi]

Purpleheart wood...wow...I remember using that in a cutting board for woodshop in '99. Be-a-utiful.

[@sarahmackenzie07]

A Crown Royal bag does the trick too!

[@bboyauron]

Great video, absolutely no problem with the evaluation samples still.

[@jakeabel2548]

Pen and paper is the best. At prereleased(FRF) someone requested that I do not keep track of life totals with pen and paper because they were doing that. This is the second game and in the first game they had 4 different times; where I had to argue about life totals and having pen and paper you can get and idea of what changed life totals.

[@Eckendenker]

If you want to carry your stuff to a prerelease and want to have everything at your hands, here is my tip: Go to a hardware store and buy a small toolbox. Costs like 10€. There are lots of compartments for dice, booklets, decks, sleeves, tokens.... It has a handle to carry it around. It can even carry a snackbar if you want.

[@thesimsdreamer]

+Eckendenker Yes, there's that, though sounds to me like that would be, um, noisy. I just wonder why Magic players can't just put all their supplies (including their deck) in a backpack (one with several pockets of different sizes)?

[@Eckendenker]

+Sims Dreamer Well let's take the case of a prerelease: You get a bunch of cards you need to sleeve and store right away, so you need an empty deckbox, sleeves and lands. You also play with a lot of new cards and dont have tokens yet, so you bring extra dice and cards and stuff. Then you have your notepad for life-counting, a pen for signing resultsheets and the lifetracking. The thing will last a couple of hours, so you also gonna bring drinks, snacks and stuff. The place is usually a bit crammed and you have to switch places a couple of times. I tries the backpack at first, but found myself rummaging through it too much and it kinda annoyed me zipping it every few minutes. With the toolbox it's way different. I still got the backpack with the snacks and drinks, but I leave it somewhere else in rounds. Everything I need for playing is perfectly stored in the toolbox. Dice - top compartment. Cards - two deckboxes in the main compartment. One for the deck, one for tokens, leftover lands and leftover cards I'm not gonna play. Also prizepacks (my store usually gives everyone 2 packs in round 3). The rest like notepads, pens and fits in the tray inside. I don't have to reach under my chair all the time and beteen rounds I'm packed in 10 seconds. It's smaller than a packpack and easier to keep checked.

[@podfather8872]

i love your videos my uncle and I watch them everyday even if its the same one a few time over and over keep on making entertainment that makes me love being a mtg player

[@ThePKMNTrainerAndrew]

I recommend Chessex Dice to Pokemon TCG players who are just starting to get into playing the game regularly. They make for great damage counters and are MUCH better than the cheap cardboard cutout counters you get from Pokemon through their theme decks. The only issue I have is with the plastic case. After a year or so of carrying the dice case in my bag to my game store, the plastic CRACKED. If you have a miniature dice bag, use that for the Chessex dice instead of the plastic casing.

[@ForeverLaxx]

Crown Royal bags work great for dice. Been using them for years with regards to D&D. The best part is you can often get these for free, and you can't beat free especially for something that will last an exceptionally long time.

[@Halsfield]

ForeverLaxx I use private stock bag from Captain Morgan Rum, basically the same thing but I like the bag better =P.

[@Adam-df6wy]

Drawback to the "strong" magnets for the dice boxes: If some fool places that box in their pocket next to their phone (or anywhere near an expensive electronic device). Not a good mix. But to anybody careful enough, or thoughtful enough, to avoid this mix, the boxes are a nice "premium" item

[@jairmeza6396]

can you do more videos of this subject? (life pads/tokens/dice) I am new to the game kinda and I'm trying to find better and more effective way of playing the game and all of your "accessory" videos really help me a lot! Keep everything up!

[@Venoseth]

Nice foil Carnifex Demon. One of my favorites from the block when I played standard.

[@SeriosSkies92]

Purpleheart wood (amethyst wood) is just...the....best...

[@acelessbros.3111]

Man professor i cant believe that there is someone out there who is willing to be so through in testing magic products thanks to you the school magic club that i curate has lots of information that we have passed on to new players. P.S. could you please review the gogo gear sleeve range because they are sold at my lgs and i tend to preferr them over ultra pro as draft sleeves

[@devonpatrickcantrell]

MTG Familiar is a fantstic app that keeps track of life change. Has a bunch of great features and an entire card library for pretty small storage. Not including the actual card image of course.

[@GreenPonderingFrog]

I use a phone app on my phone and it’s set between me and my coworker. It’s in the middle of us so we both can see it clearly. It’s also nice cus each time we count down it saves that info and we can check it to see. Like if he snuck in extra life, I can check to see when he did it. But vs random people I might end up using a d20 tbh.

[@michaelgosselin5194]

Could you possibly do an annual review of the best quality items in each category such as sleeves and deck boxes so as to prevent re-watching all relevant videos in each category. This would be very helpful to many people and I'm sure would be well received.

[@anonomis9685]

looking at the dice bag, at my college i had gotten a similar one with Axe haircare products in there that hold my yugioh dueldeck box comfortably and allows for a second ultra pro case to be laid on top and closed up

[@willofthewater]

I can attest to the usability of the chessex dice for counters. I bought them for people to roll characters in DnD for a game I was DMing but they've proved practically indispensable in magic, especially for my GFs Dromoka counter deck.

[@Carnageace]

That dice bag is awesome, I have a deck that has (and regularly does) need a massive amount of dice, by between turn 7 to 8 I have a 400/400 and a couple other creatures In the early 50s and i need alot of dice

[@STVMcarbondragon]

Hey Wyrmwood, maybe make some uh, leather flip-box deckboxes with those supermagnets? Just saying...I'd buy about 6 of 'em!

[@EldericDupuis]

We do custom work. [e-mail] to inquire.

[@Varis78]

It might be worth mentioning that the price of those packs of 6-sided dice vary depending on how "fancy" the style is. Those somewhat plain (though pretty) opaque dice are the cheapest style, and $7.00 is roughly what most good stores would charge for them, plus or minus a dollar. Same with the transparent style. Some of the fancier styles, like gemini or vortex (www.chessex.com/ if anyone wants to see what these styles look like) can cost almost double that. There are also styles, like the speckled, which fall somewhere in between those extremes in pricing. While I have no idea what exactly goes into the production of Chessex dice that makes a gemini die cost nearly twice what a plain opaque die costs, it is unfortunately something to be aware of as a consumer. That way, you don't get sticker shock when going into your LGS, or get angry with them due to incomplete expectations making you believe they're ripping you off.

[@roboblade6046]

+Varis78 My LGS sells them for $15 a pop DX

[@danmathews7265]

Love these kinds of videos, nice job!

[@819Dan]

For the Notepad, I just slide my pen along the side and use the clip to hold it on the elastic. Granted the clip has a strong grip, not just a ballpoint + cap.

[@Daniel-cv3dn]

I would LOVE to have an exact replica of your TCC bag. My favorite color is green, and I absolutely love how effecient and stylish the bag is with "TCC" in the back and your channel logo in the front. Amazing!

[@zandexdude]

I feel that you are pumping out videos a little fast. Not that I'm complaining.

[@JohnJohnson-xt7zf]

About Sign in Blood If they dropped the token area in the back and dropped the price to 5ish I could totally see myself buying it. At 11ish They really need to have replaceable papers and a slot for a pen.

[@DanielBJusto]

You sir, Rock ! Keep it coming, love your vídeos ! :)

[@jesseberry90]

Professor, Will you be making $100 budget standard decks for fate reforged? Thank you for being my favorite KZbin channel. You are improving lives.

[@liberkhaos5978]

What about spinedown non-dice life counters? A lot of those have an impressive allure and the same perk as a lifepad to keep your life total at all time even after getting knocked but you don't need to replace them. Also, while apps don't keep track of life loss/gain, the normal notepad app can do that job. I personally don't like it because there are ways to keep track of life total without emptying phone's battery but it's a good reminder to your most technologically prone students.

[@dylanvoshall2441]

Omg love this video I been wanting one like this for a whil. You should make another with different dic and different bags such as using a crown royal bag, etc. Thanks so much for this video tho

[@Scooley01]

If those lifepads are anything like Moleskine notebooks, you might be able to hook a pen under the elastic band on the side.

[@stephenross5586]

One thing I should ask you to review for a life pad is a rocketbook notebook, or more specifically the note pad for $16 Ill let you look it over

[@goodname5920]

your videos are awesome and relaxing!!!keep it up!

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Thanks!

[@goodname5920]

Tolarian Community College omg u replied!

[@CrimsonFox36]

I use a handmade Abacus as my life counter. Everybody loves it! i want to make one for you

[@evileyeball]

My wife bought me one of those Electronic paper Boogie Board things for christmas. You can lock it so it can't be eraced. I would like to try it for life tracking.

[@samuelelias9395]

the bag was the product that i liked the most And for dice a grab my dice from chinese stores a pack of 6 dice are 0,75 €, 36 = 3€ since i'm from portugal and they have a prety good fill and a very good craftmanship the only down side is that they only have 1 color availabel =)

[@l_scanu8645]

Great video as always!

[@MrAzrealDragon]

On a diffrent note I like the look of the lifepad notebook looked pretty awsome I would like to get one of them.

[@pizzaparker9464]

What kind of dice are those that you have inside the dice vault? They look so majestic!

[@Masaru_kun]

i have the same chessex dice set (even the Dusty Blue w/gold color), I play a lot of proliferate and token-heavy decks, and in terms of cost, compactness, and classiness I'd recommend them to anyone!!

[@jordanlester9295]

i dont even play magic but this guy is such a great and interesting host 😂

[@Chrissynooo]

I'd like to point out that the set of chessex dice, while great, has a very fragile case and cracks very easily if you aren't careful. But I guess that's what dice bags are for.

[@lennylenovo7592]

the foam is their like bubblewrapand u can use it if u put in the tiny baby dice

[@christopheranderson9430]

I've always found a set of d10s to be fairly effective in tracking my life total.

[@MrROTD]

I subbed even though I havent played the game in 10 years

[@afterglow-podcast]

Interesting collection of products. I can't bring myself to buy what is in effect a pad of paper to keep track of my life total, as a generic notepad does the same thing, and my phone app actually keeps track of how much damage was dealt per turn.

[@iandestroyerofworlds576]

Get one of those huge trapper keepers with lots of pockets and boom, you got everything you need to go. Probably? What does the Professor think?

[@GenkoGreen]

Another great review

[@kfresh2177]

Mr. Professor, please recommend a product like sign in blood life pad that is readily available to US customers. I really like the quality look of those pads, but seems difficult to obtain one. As always I have just recently become a huge fan of the site. Thanks for the tips and product reviews, keep it up.

[@thomasfox0]

Or, just a thought, you could buy a CCG crate from Deriums CCGs at ccgcrate.com which come with lifepads. The quality isnt terrible but it is a free pad basicly for everything you get out of the awesome crates he provides. TCC already did a review on them and LOVED them so why not give them a look

[@ahealthkit2745]

That's a pretty good point. I second this.

[@SonorianBnS]

I store all of my dice in a ziplock bac. I've become emotionally attached to it, and I store my dads dice from when he played D&D in it.