Got piles of Magic: The Gathering (MTG) cards all over your desk about to topple over? Been there.
Worried about ruining your Commander decks by carrying them around in rubber bands? I sure am, bruh.
Tired of ruining your cards because you stored them in your socks, and then they accidentally ended up in the laundry? Man, it's like you really know me.
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, then this guide is for you.
In this guide to storage for your MTG cards, we'll look at:
<ul>
<li>Storage basics: Why should I store my cards anywhere other than a shoebox?</li>
<li>Types of storage: What size of storage do I need? What if I want to take my cards places?</li>
<li>Top card storage brands: What are some of the best brands making storage options for MTG cards?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Affiliate Disclosure</h3>
We greatly value your support at EDHREC and thank you for your continued readership. By clicking on the links provided and by purchasing products mentioned within this guide, we may receive a small affiliate commission.

<ul>
<li>Protection - A big reason we want to store our Magic cards in proper containers is to protect them from various things that can cause them harm, like:
<ul>
<li>Liquids, such as soda, rain, or delicious Mai Tais</li>
<li>Humidity</li>
<li>Sun light</li>
<li>Falls and spills</li>
<li><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treasure Nabber" href="#" target="_blank">Treasure Nabber</a>s</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Organization - Organizing your card collection makes it so much easier to find cards that you need, whether it's to put them in a deck, to trade them at your local game store (LGS), or to sell them on sites like <a href="https://www.cardsphere.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cardsphere</a>.</li>
<li>Easier to transport - Want to take your Commander deck to your LGS to play? You can't just throw it in your glove compartment (well, you can, but try not to); you need a container that'll protect that deck while you're on the move.</li>
</ul>

The best way to store your Magic deck is in a dedicated deck box. Options for these are plentiful, and easy to find at any LGS that sells cards.
Deck boxes come in all kinds of colors, patterns, materials, coatings, and shapes. These options really come down to your personal preference and how you want your deck box to look and feel.
But there's one aspect of deck boxes that isn't up to preference, and that's size. Deck boxes come in many sizes, so it's important that you're getting one that's capable of holding your deck. For Commander players, in particular, you need to make sure that the box can hold 100 sleeved cards.
What's more, if you're <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/should-you-double-sleeve-your-commander-decks?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">double-sleeving your deck</a>, you'll need to account for that in the box size as well. Some deck boxes hold 100 single-sleeved cards, but not 100 double-sleeved. Check the packaging on the box to make sure it fits your needs.
Some boxes are built for holding and transporting several decks. Just like single deck boxes, these come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials.

Maybe you're just looking for storage options for single cards, or a handful of cards from your collection. There are options for this as well.
To store individual cards with extra protection, you'll want to get some top loaders (a few manufacturers also make side loaders). These are hard plastic shells that you can slide an individual card into to keep it safe from liquids, dents, or curling (foil curling is a big problem with Magic cards printed in the last few years).
For storing a small number of cards, binders are a great option. Not only do they keep your cards safe, they're also great for easily viewing the cards, since the cards are stored in clear plastic pages that generally hold nine cards on each side. Binders can even be used to hold a large number of cards, as long as you get one that's big enough.
One potential drawback to binders is that you have to be careful when adding to or removing from the binder page, as too much pressure on one spot on a card can do damage to it. But if you take care, this should be avoidable.

If you love Drafting, and you've built your own <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/cube-could-fix-your-relationship-with-magic-the-gathering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cube to Draft with</a>, you'll need a way to store your cube cards.
Larger deck boxes are great for holding cubes. Just make sure to check the packaging on the box to see if the size meets your needs. Also remember that if your cube is sleeved, then you'll need a bigger box to accommodate.
When Cube Drafting, you may want to have shells for individual packs that you create from your cube. Some manufacturers make cube "shells" for this very purpose, which are basically just really skinny versions of deck boxes, built to hold only 15 cards - the size of a Booster pack - at a time.

Storing your Magic collection can look a lot of different ways. And no one way is the right way; it all comes down to what meets your needs without exceeding your budget.
I don't store my collection in just one way. I have a system that works for me that uses binders for holding the cards I use often, deck boxes for holding my decks, and long cardboard boxes for the bulk that gets used less frequently.
Most people tend to store really large collections in cardboard boxes built for this purpose. These boxes are usually cheap, but mostly durable. They are, however, susceptible to water damage, so make sure to keep them on a shelf off of the floor if your home is in danger of flooding.

Dragon Shield is one of the most respected sleeve makers in the business, but they also make great card storage options too, like binders, deck boxes, and cube shells.
Below are a few great storage options from Dragon Shield. You can get a 5% discount on Dragon Shield's website by using code edhrec on all of your purchases there.
<div id="attachment_170119" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dragonshield.com/en-us/card-storage/all-albums/zipster?ref=edhrecast"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170119" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-170119 size-full" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Art_Zipster_BANNER_1000x300.png" alt="Dragon Shield Art Zipster line of binders" width="1000" height="300" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Art_Zipster_BANNER_1000x300.png 1000w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Art_Zipster_BANNER_1000x300-300x90.png 300w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Art_Zipster_BANNER_1000x300-768x230.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></a>Dragon Shield Art Zipster line of binders</div>
Binders
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dragonshield.com/en-us/p/signature-series-the-ejsingandr-art-zipster-360/AT-39502?ref=edhrecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ejsingandr - Art Zipster</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dragonshield.com/en-us/p/card-codex-zipster-binder-regular/AT-38010?ref=edhrecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Card Codex Zipster Binder - Midnight Blue</a></li>
</ul>
Cube Shells
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dragonshield.com/en-us/p/cube-shell/AT-30524?ref=edhrecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cube Shell Shadow - Black</a></li>
</ul>
Deck Boxes
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dragonshield.com/en-us/p/nest-deck-box-100/AT-40202?ref=edhrecast">Nest +100 black/green</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dragonshield.com/en-us/p/double-shell-deck-box/AT-30650?ref=edhrecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Double Shell - Blood red</a></li>
</ul>
Card Storage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arcane-Tinmen-Fortress-Compatible-Gathering/dp/B0CZS4X236/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RX5YU1BLLZEJ&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d0MHeLZaptO466lNh6N9qRldF71ZquSf1NgWclc7R85RxPNyOiCuJ0qrWvNi3DqCKbYinJw-kAkS9iQAiLBnB3qgdk4oo77bIinwUQSDeNRh71uiUDpidxcAY-zVjLprepU5CR-0DRjsQXqOhCxYNa94_Lq-YytEuCXTDM4br0dxxynC8tnv7wO8gtkZLZo-M-YuvWt-2ELtvVL7kaHe-DujcISk1QNw_o-Ahr9mC0Vf6n3K9lz9mjvHAkU9OTAvxXBYnVrTQ9ywu4iy6isieaMANlo9BchdqT7n-2OOPK0.N6FcG0T7llpHIH3D4_qSjPXj4Ib_B1hY7ySzvPKfOm8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=dragon+shield+card+storage&amp;qid=1763569750&amp;sprefix=dragon+shield+card+storage%2Caps%2C127&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1200ct Fortress - Black (Amazon)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arcane-Tinmen-Fortress-Compatible-Gathering/dp/B0CZS4RQCJ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2RX5YU1BLLZEJ&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d0MHeLZaptO466lNh6N9qRldF71ZquSf1NgWclc7R85RxPNyOiCuJ0qrWvNi3DqCKbYinJw-kAkS9iQAiLBnB3qgdk4oo77bIinwUQSDeNRh71uiUDpidxcAY-zVjLprepU5CR-0DRjsQXqOhCxYNa94_Lq-YytEuCXTDM4br0dxxynC8tnv7wO8gtkZLZo-M-YuvWt-2ELtvVL7kaHe-DujcISk1QNw_o-Ahr9mC0Vf6n3K9lz9mjvHAkU9OTAvxXBYnVrTQ9ywu4iy6isieaMANlo9BchdqT7n-2OOPK0.N6FcG0T7llpHIH3D4_qSjPXj4Ib_B1hY7ySzvPKfOm8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=dragon+shield+card+storage&amp;qid=1763569750&amp;sprefix=dragon+shield+card+storage%2Caps%2C127&amp;sr=8-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1200ct Fortress - White (Amazon)</a></li>
</ul>

Another brand is Ultra Pro, a company that has been around for over 70 years. Many players will recognize Ultra Pro as a common purveyor of binders, sleeves, and deck boxes with recognizable Magic art on them.
Ultra Pro typically releases new products every set release, so you can get your favorite character or scene from the set on a number of different storage options.
<div id="attachment_170120" style="width: 689px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-PRO-PRO-Binder-Collectors-Leatherette/dp/B0CSQM2K33/ref=sr_1_38?crid=2CIQ8DYWJGDLZ&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2gAL_h2BUgBM3CYCuo-vjcuzhD1EcFw6y1JZ4pciraK2SQEzmT-kTagC6gcIM7UENWIWSZVQi5RUEjuLyEd25ep0eaR4B-vuULnl-1wyBsCobOHi57ZozfxWlHj_DUjjVxqwNZ58rmk-awceGiuo0w3JrniCOr_XG53ldrG8msc4Bzgkidm6IQpLC_2YZNwHzmFDZcDObqC5Ap5z7_xZzfDrrwzdXLjSPxOHmItXU2bGjJkgppevEunDtYEgXfx-Mgl7IoC_h_Jkpx7nODY3dXM1mqphNDlKvFHc89mp4kw.jCHOryU3lgMrQmoMhE5fJ4YJyTawWRtZbZ--y5kSCB8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=ultra+pro+binder&amp;qid=1763495598&amp;sprefix=ultra+pro+binder%2Caps%2C135&amp;sr=8-38"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170120" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-170120 size-full" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultra-Pro-Lotus-Binder.jpg" alt="Ultra Pro Lotus Binder" width="679" height="548" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultra-Pro-Lotus-Binder.jpg 679w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultra-Pro-Lotus-Binder-300x242.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /></a>Ultra Pro Lotus Binder</div>
Binders
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4i6TLHe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eclipse 9-Pocket PRO-Binder - Royal Purple</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4rctRWN">3" Blue Collectors Album</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3LMKTux">Mana 8 9-Pocket PRO-Binder Lotus</a></li>
</ul>
Deck Boxes
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4iv3W93" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Satin Cube Deck Box - Arctic White</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3XavnLl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Satin Hi-Gloss Emerald Green</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3XG2gQc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Final Fantasy Tidus Commander 100+ Deck Box</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/43Kf0Jc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mana 8 - Island 100+ Deck Box</a></li>
</ul>
Card Storage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4o9QEzY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4-Compartment Clear Card Box</a></li>
</ul>

Ultimate Guard is also one of the top brands making storage options. They're particularly known for their large carrying boxes, like the Arkhive and Omnihive, as well as their classic Boulder deck boxes. These are known for their velvety felt inside that gives each box a premium feel and may be easier on the edges of the cards you store in them.
<div id="attachment_170121" style="width: 689px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultimate-Guard-Omnihive.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170121" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-170121" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultimate-Guard-Omnihive.jpg" alt="Ultimate Guard Omnihive" width="679" height="514" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultimate-Guard-Omnihive.jpg 679w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ultimate-Guard-Omnihive-300x227.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /></a>Ultimate Guard Omnihive</div>
Binders
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/49pTkFP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zipfolio 360 - 18 Pocket Xenoskin Black</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4o9QWqy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zipfolio 360 Xenoskin Bloomburrow</a></li>
</ul>
Deck Boxes
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/44mT72F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boulder 100+ Classic - Malachite</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4prSi0R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sidewinder 100+ Xenoskin - Edge of Eternities</a></li>
</ul>
Card Storage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4pqdww8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkhive 800+ Deck Case - Grey</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4rcUB9s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Superhive 550+ - Black</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4i85qWm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkhive 400+ - Red</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/47S0Tnv">Omnihive 1000+ - Petrol</a></li>
</ul>

Gamegenic is a newer manufacturer on the scene, but they're highly regarded by many content creators in the Commander community due to their surplus of 100+ count deck storage solutions.
You can see they have a range of storage options for Cubes, and a Cards Lair for the larger slices of your collection.
<div id="attachment_170122" style="width: 689px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Gamegenic-Bastion-Deck-Box.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170122" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-170122" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Gamegenic-Bastion-Deck-Box.jpg" alt="Gamegenic Bastion Deck Box" width="679" height="421" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Gamegenic-Bastion-Deck-Box.jpg 679w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Gamegenic-Bastion-Deck-Box-300x186.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /></a>Gamegenic Bastion Deck Box</div>
Binders
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3XawQBl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Casual Album 24-Pocket - Black</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3X4FwJx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zip-Up Album 18-Pocket - Purple</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3X4Vpjd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prime Ring-Binder - Black</a></li>
</ul>
Cube Shells
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4oTnBlj" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cube Pocket 15+ Deck Box - Clear</a></li>
</ul>
Deck Boxes
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4rcaBJ0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bastion 100+ XL Deck Box - Blue</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4ifuXgq">Squire Plus 100+ XL Convertible - Black</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/47SuFbR" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sidekick XL Green 100CT - Green</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/486oxeJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stronghold 200+ XL Convertible Purple</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/49wBL70" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Academic 133+ XL Premium - Blue</a></li>
</ul>
Card Storage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4ibNUR7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Slide Card Cases 12 pack</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3X83BPz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dungeon Deck Box 1100+ Black</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4oR1z2z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cards Lair 400+ Convertible Deck Box Blue</a></li>
</ul>

Quiver Time is another newer manufacturer that has already garnered a lot of respect and support from players and creators alike. Their Bolt Card Case is incredibly popular and customizable with a few different colors. You can also hook your own strap to them (one is provided in the box) as well for that extra touch of personality.
Quivers are especially useful as soft-sided but durable storage hardware that can hold multiple decks or simply a large row of cards. You'll often see these in use at MagicCons in the Command Zone, and for good reason, they're much smaller and easier to organize than a full backpack.
<div id="attachment_170123" style="width: 689px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Quiver-Time-Bolt.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170123" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-170123" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Quiver-Time-Bolt.jpg" alt="Quiver Time Bolt" width="679" height="684" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Quiver-Time-Bolt.jpg 679w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Quiver-Time-Bolt-298x300.jpg 298w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Quiver-Time-Bolt-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /></a>Quiver Time Bolt</div>
Deck Boxes
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quiver-Time-Citadel-Storage-Organizes/dp/B09BXQKH1H?th=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Citadel Deck Block 100+ - Orange</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quiver-Time-Artemis-66x93mm-Sleeves/dp/B097KQY617?th=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5x Deck Blocks and Sleeve Bundle 100+ - Mixed colors</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quiver-Time-Nexus-Deck-Block/dp/B0DM9LHN4S?th=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Modular Nexus DeckBlock 100+ - Red</a></li>
</ul>
Card Storage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quiver-Time-Premium-Loaders-Cards/dp/B0BBSNNX9L?th=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premium 3x4 Top Loaders 10ct</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teal-Bolt-Card-Carrying-Case/dp/B08LNRPZCB?ref_=ast_sto_dp&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bolt Card Carrying Case - Teal</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quiver-Portable-Carrying-Exterior-Compatible/dp/B0796SC4V7?ref_=ast_sto_dp&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quiver Card Carrying Case - Purple</a></li>
</ul>

If you're looking to store a lot of cards on a budget, then you can't go wrong with these options from BCW. The brand is well known for having durable yet affordable storage options (and hello, ease-of-sticker-placement!).
If you're looking for a cheap and quick way to store a ton of cards for the long term, under your bed, or in a closet BCW is your brand.
<div id="attachment_170124" style="width: 738px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BCW-Card-House-Storage.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170124" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-170124" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BCW-Card-House-Storage.jpg" alt="BCW Card House Storage" width="728" height="688" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BCW-Card-House-Storage.jpg 728w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BCW-Card-House-Storage-300x284.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /></a>BCW Card House Storage</div>
Card Storage
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3LZye7r" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Card House Storage Unit 12x800ct Boxes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/4rcWYcm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monster Box - 3200</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3Kbigqi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400-ct Trading Card Storage Box</a></li>
</ul>

The EDHREC Guide to MTG Card Storage

Andy Grimm Cassidy | photo by Nick Wolf
MagicCon Atlanta 2025 promises to be another smash hit for industry professionals and Magic players alike. This year, Space Cow Media CTO and Archidekt founder <a href="https://mcatlanta.mtgfestivals.com/en-us/experience/panels-and-events/panel-information.html?gtID=909459&amp;panel-name=Solving-Spellify-The-EDHREC-Guessing-Game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andy Grimm Cassidy will be on stage alongside JMarGameDesign to talk Spellify</a>, EDHREC's card guessing game, and plans for future games coming to EDHREC.
I interviewed Andy at MagicCon Vegas 2025 to get his perspective on working alongside friends to create <a href="https://archidekt.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Archidekt</a>, a premier deckbuilder and collection tracker, as well as integrating into the <a href="https://spacecowmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Space Cow Media</a> company galaxy.
<h2>The Beginning of Something Magical</h2>
LAS VEGAS - You wouldn’t know Andy Grimm Cassidy is the founder of Archidekt, a deckbuilding platform for Magic: The Gathering, if you walked by him at a MagicCon. But you know his site, and most recently, you know Archidekt’s banners posted at the event’s artist area, promoting the most recent of a litany of new features added to the site regularly.
But Grimm Cassidy, 29, has had an influence on how the greater Magic community conducts deckbuilding; and that influence is something he and his team take very seriously.
Grimm Cassidy hails from Buffalo, New York, a city he describes with affection. “Buffalo is the City of Good Neighbors,” he said. “A lot of that comes from digging each other out from piles of snow.” He might not outwardly acknowledge it, but there’s a Rust Belt, Midwestern mentality that puts community first, and it has shaped Grimm Cassidy's approach to Archidekt from its nascency.
His first Commander was <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhys the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Rhys the Redeemed</a>, converting a nostalgic 60-card Elf deck - the first deck he piloted that actually managed to beat his older brothers in the early 2000s - into a beloved Commander deck he still has to this day.
 “We got back into it, I was like, ‘oh, Rhys is a legendary creature. I used to love this card. I'll just make this into an Elf deck,’” he said. “I just remember the first Commander game we played, we just had this board state where everyone had so much stuff, and I had 18 Elves on the board. And I was like, ‘this is the best format of Magic possible.’ Like, this is beautiful. And that's what got us hooked again.”
<h2>Building Archidekt</h2>
But Andy isn't only a Magic player. He's also a builder, in every sense of the word. Archidekt started during his college years at the University of Buffalo, following conversations between him and a group of software-engineering peers who were dissatisfied with existing deckbuilding websites. 
“We (had) just graduated, so everyone had a bunch of free time, and obviously we wanted to share the decks online and stuff. Our big option at the time was TappedOut,” he said. “Now we have a bunch of fresh software engineers with new ideas looking at this relic of a website, and the tipping point was one of my friends had found a bug. He had reached out to the TappedOut folks, and they had been (dismissive). So a bunch of us got together and were just talking about the possibility of making something better.”
That interaction inspired Grimm Cassidy and his friend Mike Drewitt to create their own alternative.
Initially, he considered Archidekt merely a personal tool. 
“In my brain, I was just building it for our friend group,” he said. “Mike said he always had the sense from the beginning it could become a business. I don't know if that's revisionist or not, but I definitely didn't suspect it would be a business until we did our official release on Reddit.”
The public launch brought both humbling critiques and a rush of enthusiasm, with commenters pointing out aspects of the platform that could be improved. But the positivity far outweighed the criticism, giving him and Drewitt the momentum needed to keep going. 
“The big things that I didn't have a lot of experience with before Archidekt were UI design and user experience,” he said. “Maybe some time we’ll dredge up the original code, to look at the original iteration of Archidekt. There are a lot of unintuitive things. We were just green software engineers that just got out of college.”
<h2>Community-Forward</h2>
While Grimm Cassidy and Drewitt learned on the fly, the site quickly gathered a dedicated user base. They found managing community feedback rewarding, yet demanding. “We very quickly added a forum and a Discord so people could provide feedback. It adds a level of work,” Grimm Cassidy said. “But that's exactly what we wanted; we wanted to have this community-driven development.”
Andy attributed Archidekt’s growing popularity to its unique appeal: a tactile, visual approach. “What was important to us was to give it the feel of laying out your cards on a playmat,” he said. 
This tactile experience has become the platform’s defining trait, deeply resonating with Commander enthusiasts who look for their deckbuilding platform to mimic the feeling of constructing a deck on a desk or kitchen table.
<h2>Finding the Space Cow Media Galaxy</h2>
A crucial turning point came with their integration with EDHREC, a symbiotic partnership beneficial for both sites that began as a data-sharing association. EDHREC founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldminer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Don Miner</a> even approached Grimm Cassidy early on in Archidekt’s life, offering to buy the burgeoning website outright. 
Fresh out of college and living with his parents, Grimm Cassidy turned down the tempting offer. “I could wait him out. I was having fun, so I could just continue on with that. And Don was obviously very understanding,” he said. “His policy is always just to help everyone in the Magic community out. It builds (the community) up, and you end up with these partners that have good will towards you.”
His patience paid off. Archidekt grew steadily, gaining popularity and financial viability. When the COVID pandemic hit, after a brief uncertainty, the site experienced significant and rapid growth as people turned to Magic, and specifically Commander, as an outlet during lockdowns and social distancing.
 Eventually, Grimm Cassidy and Miner revisited their partnership, merging Archidekt with EDHREC under the Space Cow Media banner. “The sign of a good merger is that when you look back, everyone's happy,” Grimm Cassidy said. “And everyone's happy.”
<h2>Archidekt's Future Past</h2>
Grimm Cassidy’s long-term vision for Archidekt remains community-focused. “It’s just a matter of responding to the community and constantly improving our craft,” he said. For him, the project embodies dedication and continuous evolution.
Some of the more broad-reaching impacts on the community Archidekt has had weren't things he expected when beginning to craft what grew to become the site today. “The way Magic players now interact as a community has so much to do with how they brew decks and how they share decks,” he said.
And with the recent implementation of <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Bracket System</a>, there's an increased need for documentation - of Commander decks and the cards each deck contains.
 “There now needs to be an understanding of ‘What combos are in my deck?’ You know, ‘How many <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Changers</a>? How many extra turns?’ There's just this increasing need for documentation as the game grows larger,” said Grimm Cassidy. “There are just so many cards to search through. It’s tough to build Commander decks without tools now. So it's interesting that now we've become a part of this community. In a way, it's gratifying, for sure, and also sometimes humbling, because there's some responsibility.” 
Nearly a decade later, Grimm Cassidy reflected on seeing the Archidekt banner at the largest Magic event of the year. “That logo is something that I just made in some image editor eight years ago. That font is just a Google font that I picked, that I thought looked good. But that's not something anyone walking by would know,” he said.
<div id="attachment_165481" style="width: 516px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/archidudes-BA3ja1kd-1.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-165481" class=" wp-image-165481" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/archidudes-BA3ja1kd-1-300x214.jpeg" alt="The &quot;Archidudes&quot; with their banner at MagicCon Vegas 2025" width="506" height="361" srcset="https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/archidudes-BA3ja1kd-1-300x214.jpeg 300w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/archidudes-BA3ja1kd-1-1024x731.jpeg 1024w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/archidudes-BA3ja1kd-1-768x548.jpeg 768w, https://edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/archidudes-BA3ja1kd-1.jpeg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px" /></a>The "Archidudes" with their banner at MagicCon Vegas 2025</div>
 “It's a weird disconnect to me; this is something so personal. I personally dragged the lines to make it, but it’s now something that people just walk by at a convention, and it's just another thing.” 
The banners bring up a mixture of emotions for Andy. “It's gratifying, it's humbling, and also has that weird kind of disconnect. There’s a lot of personal connection and a lot of personal meaning behind these projects. They're not just like faceless websites,” he said. “And that's one of the most gratifying things about this job. You are not often, as a software engineer, both the user and the developer. But for pretty much everything we work on at Space Cow, we are both, which is so much fun.
<h2>Spellify at MagicCon Atlanta 2025</h2>
And now, Andy Grimm Cassidy's work alongside Archidekt developer Ben helped launch an addicting card guessing game, Spellify. At MagicCon Atlanta, you'll get all the details on Spellify's launch, tips and tricks, and be able see inside the mind of one of the best deckbuilders and gamemakers in the business (and no doubt there will be a few surprises thrown into the mix).
And of course, you can always <a href="https://edhrec.com/games/spellify" target="_blank" rel="noopener">go play Spellify now</a> if you just can't wait.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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