Buying your first single cards: a beginner’s guide to TCG singles
Single cards — or singles — are the fastest and most affordable way to get exactly the cards you want. Instead of opening booster packs and hoping for luck, you buy precisely what you need. Your first singles order can still feel confusing: what do all the abbreviations mean, and how do you know whether you are getting a good deal?
This guide covers everything you should know before buying your first single cards.
What exactly are singles?
A single is simply one individual card, sold separately rather than inside a booster pack or sealed product. Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Magic: The Gathering all have large markets for individual and previously owned cards.
The difference from sealed products is straightforward:
- Booster pack — you do not know what is inside. Fun to open, but expensive when you are looking for one specific card.
- Single — you see exactly which card you are buying, its condition, and its price.
If you want to build a deck or add a specific card to your collection, singles are almost always the more economical choice.
Why beginners often pay too much
The most common beginner’s mistake is to keep buying booster packs in the hope of pulling one particular card. If the card you want appears in roughly one out of every hundred packs, you will usually spend much more on packs than you would by buying that card directly.
Opening packs is enjoyable for the experience itself. But when you have a specific goal, buy with that goal in mind.
Understanding condition: the most important step
This is where most of the confusion begins. Singles are sold in different conditions, and condition has a major effect on price. Lichcards uses six condition grades:
| Condition | Abbreviation | In brief |
|---|---|---|
| Near Mint | NM | Almost new, with no more than minimal wear |
| Excellent | EX | Light signs of use on edges or corners |
| Good | GD | Visible wear and several small scratches |
| Light Played | LP | Clear signs of play, but still perfectly usable |
| Played | PL | Several clearly visible types of damage |
| Poor | PO | Heavy damage and often not tournament legal |
We inspect every used card by hand on both sides. The back matters just as much as the front, and the final condition is determined by the largest or most noticeable defect.
Our Card Condition Guide explains every condition in detail and includes example photos of real cards from our stock.
Which condition do you need?
That depends entirely on what you plan to do with the card.
You want to play
If the card is going into a deck and will be played in sleeves, Good or Light Played is often sufficient. Inside a sleeve, the difference from Near Mint is barely noticeable, while the price can be considerably lower. Across a complete deck, that can save tens of euros.
Remember that, in official tournament play, every card must look identical from the back when sleeved. Heavily damaged cards may be rejected.
You want to collect
If the card is going into a binder or display, choose Near Mint or Excellent. You pay more, but you can enjoy the card for longer and it will generally retain its value better.
You are unsure
If your goal falls somewhere in between, or if the card is expensive, ask us for additional photos. We are always happy to provide them.
What else should you check?
Foil or non-foil
Foil cards — including holo, reverse holo, and etched cards — are more sensitive to wear than standard cards. They curl more easily and show scratches more clearly. A Near Mint foil is therefore less common, and usually more expensive, than a non-foil card in the same condition.
Set and card number
The same card often appears in several sets, with different artwork and prices. Always check the set symbol and card number when you need a specific version, for example for a deck with format restrictions.
Language
English-language cards are the most common in the Netherlands and are generally easiest to resell. Japanese cards are often less expensive and sometimes have more attractive print quality, but they are not permitted in every format. Check what your intended use requires.
Printing anomalies
Minor manufacturing anomalies such as a thin print line or slight misalignment can occur, even on cards in higher conditions. At Lichcards, these do not lower the condition when they do not affect the surface or playability, but we do disclose them. More serious defects that physically affect the card do lower its condition.
Protect your cards immediately
A card stored unprotected in a drawer will lose condition quickly. A few euros spent on protection can prevent an expensive card from dropping from Near Mint to Good within a year.
- Card sleeves — the basic layer. Always use them, including for inexpensive cards you play.
- Toploaders — rigid plastic holders for your more valuable cards.
- Binders and portfolios — for keeping your collection organized and easy to view.
- Storage boxes — for bulk cards and complete sets.
Placing your first order
At Lichcards, you can search singles by game:
Each card shows its condition and current stock. We manually inspect every used card before it leaves our store and package every order with appropriate protection.
Any questions?
Are you unsure about a card’s condition, would you like extra photos, or do you need help identifying the right version? Contact us — we are happy to help, and usually reply within one working day.
Enjoy collecting and playing!