In this guide, I check each shelf and item combination to find the best shelves for storing different items. I also compare the overall storage efficiency of each shelf so I can make better use of my shop space.
I also cover the unique corner shelf, which has different storage capacities on each side. Some items get bonus slots on one side while receiving a penalty on the other.
I noticed that the storage slots between items are not always consistent, despite what the in-game descriptions say. Some shelves can hold less of an item than I would expect.
TCG Card Shop Simulator: Best Shelves for Every Item
I analyze each shelf and item combination below and list the best shelf to use for each item.
Note: The corner shelf has a unique property because it has two different sides. Each side has a different capacity for certain items. One side can give me bonus slots while the other can give me a penalty.
Trading Card Goods
| Item | Placement | Bonus / Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Card Pack (Any) | Any shelf | — |
| Card Box (Any) | Any shelf | — |
| Battle Deck | One-sided shelf, two-sided shelf, or metal rack | — |
| Cleanser | Any shelf | — |
| Sleeves (Any) | Single cabinet | — |
| Dice | Any shelf | — |
| Deck Box (Any) | Any shelf | — |
| Bulk Box (Any) | Any shelf | — |
| Collection Book (Any) | Any shelf | Right side of corner shelf: Small bonus (unlocks later) |
| Playmat (Any) | Any shelf | — |
| Comic | Any shelf | Corner shelf and box shelf: Bonus |
For Collection Book, I would keep the unlock note because it’s useful information:
The right side of the corner shelf provides a small bonus, but this option unlocks later in the game.
Dolls
| Item | Level / Type | Placement | Bonus / Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigni | Pig Level 1 | Any shelf | Corner shelf and box shelf: Bonus |
| Burpig | Pig Level 2 | Any shelf | Corner shelf and box shelf: Bonus |
| Inferhog | Pig Level 3 | Any shelf except cabinets | — |
| Blazoar | Pig Level 4 | Any shelf | — |
| Nanomite | Golem Level 1 | Any shelf | — |
| Decimite | Golem Level 2 | Any shelf | — |
| Meganite | Golem Level 3 | Single cabinet | — |
| Giganite | Golem Level 4 | Any shelf except cabinets | Left shelf and box shelf: Penalty |
| Minstar | Star Level 1 | Single cabinet | — |
| Trickstar | Star Level 2 | Any shelf | Corner shelf: Bonus |
| Princestar | Star Level 3 | Single cabinet | — |
| Kingstar | Star Level 4 | Any shelf except cabinets | Left shelf and box shelf: Penalty |
| Nocti | Bat Level 1 | Any shelf | — |
| Lunight | Bat Level 2 | Any shelf | — |
| Vampicant | Bat Level 3 | Single cabinet | — |
| Dracunix | Bat Level 4 | Any shelf except cabinets | — |
| Bonifox | — | Any shelf except cabinets | — |
| Toonz | — | Any shelf | Corner shelf: Bonus |
| Drilceros | — | Any shelf | Left shelf and box shelf: Penalty |
| Evo Blazoar Statue | Evolution Statue | Any shelf except cabinets | Corner shelf and box shelf: Bonus |
| Evo Kingstar Statue | Evolution Statue | Any shelf except cabinets | Corner shelf and box shelf: Bonus |
Tabletop Goods
| Item | Placement | Bonus / Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Penny Sleeves | Single cabinet or corner shelf | — |
| Tower Deckbox | Any shelf | — |
| Magnetic Holder | Single cabinet or corner shelf | — |
| Toploader | Any shelf | — |
| Card Preserver | Single cabinet or corner shelf | — |
| Playmat (Any) | Any shelf | — |
| Pocket Pages | Any shelf | — |
| Card Holder | Any shelf | — |
Collectors Album: any shelf. The left side of the corner shelf gives a penalty while the right side gives a bonus.
Board Games
- System Gate 1/2: long shelf. The corner shelf gives a bonus but causes items to clip and flicker.
- Mafia Works: same as above.
- Necromansters: one-sided shelf, two-sided shelf, metal rack, and single cabinet.
- Claim!: same as above.
Shelf Overview
I’m approximating the shelf sizes in this section, so the analysis is not completely precise. I use the number of slots divided by the rough size of each shelf to get a shelf efficiency rating.
Using the most efficient shelves helps me make better use of the space in my shop.
One-sided shelf – C Tier
This is the most basic type of shelf and one of the least optimal options.
Its main advantage is that I don’t have to crouch to see the bottom shelf.
Two-sided shelf – B Tier
This is my personal favorite.
I can’t go wrong with this shelf. It gives me plenty of space to stack different items on both sides and has medium storage efficiency.
Metal racks – A Tier
The dark horse of the shelves.
I was quite surprised when I saw the numbers. They are highly efficient in terms of space and have many shelves.
The only downside is that they look cheap.
Single cabinet – B Tier
This has medium efficiency.
Two single cabinets take up the same size and cost as one double cabinet, but give me an additional 64 item slots.
Double cabinet – D Tier
This is worse than using two single cabinets.
I avoid it.
Long shelf – C Tier
This has low storage efficiency, but come on, they look nice and make the store look bigger!
Corner shelf and box shelf – S Tier
These are enormous end-game shelves and the best options for storing items.
The only problem is that their prices are ridiculously high.
The Boring Math Section
For completeness, I want to explain how I define a storage bonus or penalty. The smallest shelving units are the single-sided shelf, two-sided shelf, and metal rack. The game describes their capacity as 32 slots. The long shelf is described as having 64 slots.
Since the long shelf is twice as big, I would expect it to always carry twice as many items, right?
Unfortunately, no. That’s why I made this guide. For example, I can store up to 9 Battle Decks on a single-sided shelf.
Based on the shelf descriptions, I would expect the long shelf to hold twice that amount, or 18 Battle Decks.
Instead, it only holds 15 Battle Decks.
That means the long shelf has a -3 penalty for Battle Decks.
Conclusion
I noticed that the recommendations in the two sections of this guide don’t always match perfectly. This might seem confusing at first.
For example, I recommend storing card sleeves in a single cabinet, but later rank cabinets as a B-tier shelf. Why?
The reason is that each section answers a different question. The first section focuses on which shelf is best for a specific item. The second section focuses on which shelves make the most efficient use of my shop space overall.
A shelf can be the best option for storing a particular item while still being less efficient in terms of the amount of space it takes up in my store.