Unstoppable Sleeving Guide – The Flawless Build for First-Time Players

How to prepare cards correctly without chaos during the first setup!

If you've just unpacked Unstoppable and felt "something isn't right" when sleeving, then you've landed right in the typical first-player moment.

In short:
👉 You most likely didn't do anything wrong.
👉 The game is just poorly self-explanatory during the first setup.

This guide will explain to you, completely error-free and in the correct order, which cards go together, which are not sleeved, and why you'll have sleeves left over in the end.

Basic Principle (please understand first)

Unstoppable uses card sleeves not just for protection, but as a game mechanic.

This means:

• Some cards are combined
• Some cards are added later
• Some cards start intentionally incomplete
• A portion of the cards remain normal in the deck without sleeves

👉 That's why the system seems chaotic at first – but it isn't.

WHAT YOU MUST NOT SLEEVE

These cards remain completely unsleeved:

100 Base Cards (Levels 1 to 6)

(Level 1 = 18 cards, Level 2 = 24 cards, Level 3 = 18 cards, Level 4 = 16 cards, Level 5 = 12 cards, Level 6 = 12 cards)

36 Upgrade Cards (2x 16 cards each)

These cards are your classic deck:

• are shuffled together
• are drawn
• function without card sleeves

👉 If you accidentally sleeve these cards, the thickness and shuffling behavior of your deck will change, and the game will no longer function as originally intended.

WHAT IS ALWAYS SLEEVED TOGETHER (STARTING CARDS)

These cards are always constructed from two matching halves:

Examples:

• Attack + Ceresan Thief (12 cards + 12 cards)
• Loose Change + Virenan Deer (2 cards + 2 cards)

👉 Basic Rule

2 cards → 1 sleeve

Front                        Back

👉 These combinations are fixed.

Procedure:

1. take both cards
2. place them back-to-back
3. slide them into one sleeve
4. done

CHARACTER CARDS (A / B / C) – THE BIGGEST POINT OF CONFUSION

80% of all errors during the first setup happen here.

IMPORTANT

The letters A, B, C are NOT the complete information.

👉 The actual assignment is on the BACK of the cards.

HOW TO DO IT CORRECTLY:

1. Take a character card (e.g., Guardian Squadron)
2. Look at the text on the back (e.g., Kai Silver - Paired with Backyard Bladesmith)
3. There you will find the matching name on the Threat card
4. Find this Threat card
5. Sleeve both cards together

Example:

• Take a character card (e.g., Guardian Squadron)
  → Read the back: "Backyard Bladesmith"
  → Find the matching counter-card
  → Sleeve both cards together

Front and back of character card

THREAT AND SLEEVE (START INCOMPLETE)

These cards are initially sleeved individually.

Examples:

• Ceres II Threat
• Virenos Threat Cards
• Mithras Threat Cards
• Triumvirate - Minion (Card Separator | Boss - The Triumvirate)
• Order of the Forbidden (Card Separator | Boss - Prohibitions)

IMPORTANT

These sleeves often seem "half empty."

👉 These sleeves are expanded during gameplay.

Because:

• later in the game, these sleeves are expanded
• new cards are dynamically added
• the system changes during the game

RED / SPECIAL SYSTEM CARDS

(Grand Triarch Megacasino, Secret Hangar, Eaze Distribution Center)

These cards remain:

NOT sleeved

NOT sorted

NOT shuffled into the deck

Why?

These cards:

• belong to special game mechanics
• are only explained during gameplay
• are not part of the initial setup

 

WHY ARE 20–30 SLEEVES LEFT OVER?

This is one of the biggest moments of uncertainty during setup.

👉 Answer:

That is NORMAL.

These sleeves are:

• Reserve for later card expansion
• Part of the dynamic system
• intentionally not occupied during initial setup

IMPORTANT

Leftover sleeves = no error

THE BIGGEST BEGINNER MISTAKE

Many players think during setup:

• "I forgot something"
• "I used too few card sleeves"
• "The table is incorrect"

👉 The problem is not the setup
👉 The problem is the missing visual reference in the rulebook

SIMPLE OVERALL RULE

If you only remember ONE thing:

🟢 2 cards = one finished card

🟡 Back of character cards determines pairing

🔴 Some sleeves intentionally start empty

⚪ Base and Upgrade cards remain unsleeved

 

QUICK CHECKLIST FOR STARTING

🟩 included card sleeves; Optional recommended 🟥 separate card sleeves SKS-9905; 🟨 separate card sleeves SKS-8842

Done correctly if:

• 12 Character Cards with 12 Starting Threat Cards each in one card sleeve🟩
• 14 Starting Base Cards with 14 Starting Threat Cards each in one card sleeve🟩 
• 100 Base Cards (Levels 1 - 6) and 36 Upgrade Cards without card sleeves
• 39 Threat Cards each in one card sleeve (During the game, a Base Card is added to the card sleeve) 🟩
• 4 Portrait Cards in card sleeves 🟥
• Boss - Duomo's Peril in card sleeves (#00 - #22) 🟥
• 3 red cards in card sleeves (Grand Triarch Megacasino, Secret Hangar, Eaze Distribution Center) 🟥
• 20 Card Dividers in card sleeves 🟨
• 221 sleeves total

If there are sleeves left over after setup, that is normal – they belong to the extended game system and are not all needed immediately.

CONCLUSION

The sleeving system of Unstoppable seems more complicated during the first setup than it is.

The actual core is simple:

You assemble cards from multiple parts – and not every sleeve is immediately "complete."

Once this idea sinks in, the entire setup suddenly makes logical sense.

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This content serves as an unofficial game aid and is based on self-developed explanations and strategies. It is not affiliated with the publisher or rights holder of the game.

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