Dragon Shield Nest And Nest+ Deck Box Review

The Dragon Shield Nest and Nest+ Deck Boxes are a lesser known offering by the manufacturer of the famed Dragon Shield Matte Sleeves. With the deck box market dominated by products such as the Ultra Pro Satin Tower, Ultimate Guard Boulder, and newcomer Gamegenic’s fantastic range of options, does the Dragon Shield Nest have a place amongst the greats? We’ll leave no stone unturned to find out. 

Both the Dragon Shield Nest and Nest+ deck boxes are made from thick cardboard, with the outer layer covered in a wonderful ‘dragon scale’ textured material, and the inside lined with a soft, velvety fabric. The outside edges of the box are elegantly stitched, further adding to the premium look of the product.

The design of the Nest is simple yet intuitive, consisting of 2 halves that (as the name would suggest) nest together satisfyingly, with strong magnets to prevent separation. The box can then be opened by placing a finger and thumb on each of the four marked circles and pulling apart, being careful not to spill the contents. Once opened, the smaller of the 2 halves slots neatly into the outer shell for a stylish and efficient presentation on your gaming table. 

From left to right: the beautiful dragon hide outer shell of both Nest boxes, the Nest+ closed, and the Nest+ opened with the inner compartment fitting neatly into the outer shell.

When disassembled, the components of the Dragon Shield Nest can be bent under pressure, but when assembled, the two halves act as reinforcements for one another and almost no bending is possible. While not as strong as some plastic based deck boxes, this is comparable to other top tier cardboard based ones and we are confident in its ability to protect the cards inside from being crushed.

The biggest drawback of the build quality of the Nest Deck Boxes is that the stitching, while beautiful, is just for show and does not go through to the interior. This is a real weakness as glue alone will lose potency over time and real stitching would have gone a long way to ensure the durability of the box.

All things considered, the Dragon Shield Nest is a sturdy and fantastically well designed product but let down in some small details. For that reason we must mark it down to a 7/10 for build quality and toughness.

Dragon Shield state that both the Nest and Nest+ Deck Boxes will fit 100+ double-sleeved cards, and 90+ double-sleeved cards in their own Sealable Perfect Fit Inner Sleeves. However, with the huge variety of manufacturers out there today, players may want to mix and match brands when it comes to their preferred deck boxes and sleeves.

To this end, we tested every combination of the most popular inner and outer sleeves on the market to see if they fit into the Dragon Shield Nest boxes - and the results were mixed. Most combinations of 100 double-sleeved cards will indeed fit, with the main issues coming from Dragon Shield’s Sealable Inners and Gamegenic’s version called the Closeables. 

Most worryingly, 100 double-sleeved cards in Dragon Shield’s own Matte Outers and Perfect Fit Inners results in a fit we would consider very tight.

A very tight fit for 100 double-sleeved cards in Dragon Shield's own Perfect Fit Inners and Matte Outers.

The cards will physically fit into the box, but some force is required, risking bending your cards in the process. Furthermore, once the cards are squished into the Nest boxes, the pressure forces the front cards to bend outwards due to the design. If left like this for too long, the cards would permanently warp. We would not want this for any cards that we cared about, and having to squish your cards back into the box after playing is not a good experience. 

To see exactly which combinations of sleeves will fit into the Dragon Shield Nest Deck Boxes, please visit our Deck Box Comparison Tool.

These Dragon Shield Deck Boxes are held shut by 3 pairs and 5 pairs of magnets on each side of the Nest and Nest+ respectively.

Just like all of our deck box reviews, we test how secure the locking mechanisms are by filling the boxes with 100 double-sleeved cards and giving them an enthusiastic upside down shake. Both boxes performed well, with the magnetic closure able to withstand a serious amount of force before giving out. Not the best on the market but more than adequate for day to day use. We would rate this a 7/10 in relation to all of the other deck boxes we have tested. 

The regular Nest Deck Box does not have room for accessories whereas the Nest+ does. 

The accessories compartment on the Nest+ measures 6.45cm x 6.07cm x 3.05cm. Even though the compartment is deep enough to fit MTG's oversized spin-down life counters, the overall space of 119.41cm³ is among the smallest of all accessories compartments we have come across. Having said that, as you can see below, there is ample room for dice of all sizes, and it should be enough to meet the needs of any player.

The dimensions of the accessories compartment and an example of the practical capacity.

The Nest can be found for £13.95 whereas the Nest+ falls into the £20 - £25 range which is comparable to the Gamegenic Watchtower and the Ultimate Guard Flip ‘n’ Tray. 

In recent years, the Nest Deck Boxes have been increasingly hard to find and are not widely stocked, so prices may vary drastically and we encourage you to do your own research on price.