Cipher Merchandise Guide

Fundamental Merchandise

Booster Boxes

Booster boxes are the main product in Fire Emblem Cipher. Each booster box comes with sixteen packs of the respective series, with ten cards to a pack for a total of 160 cards per box. This is the best way to obtain a large quantity of cards for the cheapest price; though you're subjected to luck. When trying to obtain playsets of Normal or High Normal cards, booster boxes are recommended, because one box will give you a complete set of N and HN cards. However, if you are looking for specific cards, namely Rares and Super Rares, then buying singles is recommended. Most players start a series with a couple booster boxes, then purchase singles to complete playsets. Click on the table below to see specific information about each series.

Things to Note

Each booster pack includes 6N and 3HN cards, and one R, R+, SR, or SR+. For Series 1-4, it was 7N and 2HN. Boxes have set ratios: One box will give you a complete set of N and HN cards, plus 12R and 4SR cards. There is a chance for one R+ or SR+ which replaces one R; making it possible to get 5SR in a box. For Series 1-4, the R+ or SR+ replaced one R or SR, respectively. From Series 5 onward, Secret Rares N+X and R+X cards were introduced to preview a specific card in that series or upcoming one with alternate art and a special gold border. These secret rares take up the R+ or SR+ slot in a box.

Starter Decks

Starter decks offer a great introduction to the game. These 50-card decks come with 5 starter-deck exclusive cards not found in the main series, a Main Character marker card, a rulebook, and a paper playmat (all in Japanese). You can start playing the game immediately with these and they give some insight about deck building. Currently, ten starter decks have been released. Click on the links below to find specific information on a particular starter deck.

Secondary Merchandise

Sleeves

Intelligent Systems sells packs of 65 standard-size sleeves with character art on them. They release a new set of 4 with each new series. From series 2 onward, these sleeves have metallic effects added on to give off an extra shine. The inside of the sleeves are a bright metallic silver and they can fit a perfect-fit sleeve for double sleeving. They are a good thematic way to stylize your decks with your favorite art. Head over to the Card Sleeve Gallery to see the different ones.
Note: Some sleeves are now quite rare to find now or very popular so they may be more expensive than newer ones.

Cipher Guidebooks

Up to Series 7, Intelligent Systems released a guidebook that contained a full series card catalog as well as introduced more advanced tactics for the game at the time. Most collectors are interested in the promotional cards included in every book. Each guidebook comes with two copies of a holographic promo card that are exclusive and boast specific tactical skills.
Note: Some of these cards are highly desirable and the guides are often sold out, making them expensive cards to obtain.

Recommended Shops: AmiAmi, Tokyo Otaku Mode or Amazon JP MSRP: 1380 yen

Cipher Guidebook List
Cipher Guidebook I - Robin (Male): Enigmatic Tactician Cipher Guidebook II - Hinoka: Fervent Princess of Hoshido Cipher Guidebook III - Azura: Virtuous Songstress Cipher Guidebook IV - Itsuki Aoi: Passionate Background Entertainer Cipher Guidebook V - Micaiah: Lady of Dawn Cipher Guidebook VI - Eldigan: Young King of Nordion Cipher Guidebook VII - Lyn: Daughter of the Lorca Tribe

Magazines

Dengeki Nintendo and Nintendo Dream are bi-monthly magazines that sometimes have Cipher related content and promo cards. There are two copies of the promo card and sometimes extra goodies inside (See Note below). Also, each magazine issue has limited runs and will be hard to obtain after its' initial production, which can make the promo cards highly desirable and more expensive later on like the guidebooks. Check the promo cards page to find out how to obtain a particular card.

Note: Aug 2016 & 2017 issues of Dengeki Nintendo also include, with the promo cards, a complete card catalog for Series 1-4 and 5-8, respectively.

Recommended Shops: Tokyo Otaku Mode, Amazon JP, or any bookstore in Japan MSRP: ~800 yen

Comiket & Events

Oh, Comiket, the wonderful event held in Japan twice a year, boasting overflowing amounts of doujin and otaku culture. The Cipher team sets up a booth at this event and offers limited products which aren't sold anywhere else. This makes their value on the aftermarket absurdly high, and hard to obtain. It is recommended to try attending the event in person or if you have a friend attending instead, have them pick you up what you want.
To the right here, is Cipher's promotional banner for C95 (December 2018).

The Lilina promotional card is given out to anyone who purchased from the booth.

The Character Boxes are the most desirable products of Comiket, and come with a deck box with card divider, storage box, 2 exclusive packs of 65 sleeves, 4 unique marker cards, and a promotional card. After the event, these boxes can vary in price considerably, though being upward of 10,000 yen is very likely. The individual items broken down can cost a lot themselves, as the cards are what every collector is looking for the most. Be wary of your funds, Tacticians.

Cipher Festival and Summer Party are some other events exclusively dedicated to Fire Emblem Cipher which are held in early and mid year respectively. The latter is new for 2018 and looks to be a fun experience with mini games, duelist areas, and Fire Emblem related goods.

Ways to Obtain

We're breaking this section into three categories: 'Buying Outside Japan', ‘Buying In Japan', and ‘Trading and Buying Individually’. With things like this, it's always easier and cheaper to go in person, but not everyone can do that, so we'll try to list as many different options as we've found thus far.

Buying Outside Japan

As with any TCG, singles are the best way to complete decks for the cheapest price. The card market is a fickle thing, as prices fluctuate with changes in the demand. We suggest if you're searching for lots of N and HN cards, booster boxes will give you tons and a set ratio for the R and SRs for less cost. However, if you are after certain cards, it's best to go for singles. The table below lists various options, though some do require a proxy to able to buy anything.

Outside Japan List

Overall Recommendation For purchasing boxes, booster packs, starter decks, sleeves (including pre-orders), the most popular option is Ami Ami: Click Here Their website is entirely in English and they ship all over the world. Their pricing on most FE Cipher products is competitive even with physical shops in Japan; you just have to add on the shipping fees. You can choose between various shipping options depending on your budget. Note: They restock Cipher products regularly, so check every so often if you can’t find it at first. Tip: Check the Serenes Forest forums or find us on Discord to see find people doing group orders – it saves on shipping as they calculate the cost by weight. This is usually done for new series pre-orders. Singles Listed below are options we’ve found for buying singles. Just a bit of information: a proxy is the use of a 3rd party service based in Japan who receives your items, as that website selling what you want doesn’t ship internationally. Then the 3rd party will ship it to you, usually with extra fees for their services. Fullahead on Rakuten + Great Prices + Can set shipping country and currency + Paypal o English, Chinese, & Korean - Poor stock usually TCG Republic + Easy to navigate + Paypal + Great stock + Free shipping + Bonus, random assortment of N's and HN's, and booster packs added with certain orders (They aren't consistent) o English - Inflated pricing - Since each card is priced with their own shipping cost, buying bulk cards is highly not recommended, but the one off card is okay Note: It looks like they use our translations. If you guys end up reading it, thank you. We mean no offense to your store, though by simple comparison we have come up with these points. J Subculture + Easy to navigate + Good Stock + Great for rare items (promos, event only, etc.) + Acts as its’ own proxy o English - Auction-type website - More complex than other options Amenity Dream, Bigweb, Yuyu-tei, & Ground Panda + Competitive prices + Great stock o Japanese only - Requires proxy shipping (More expensive / complicated) Note: These websites are used to determine individual card prices when trading and buying as they update frequently. Amazon JP + MSRP Prices (though some will go on sale periodically) + Decent stock + Calculates shipping and import fees during checkout (Prepaid - will refund later if there is a difference) o English / Japanese - Requires proxy shipping on all singles as they are from 3rd party sellers (Very expensive / complicated) - Adds Japanese tax to the list pages (it's removed during checkout if shipping internationally) Big Orbit Cards + UK based TCG Company + Flat rate shipping for the UK, Europe or international + Sell cards to themm for credit or cash o English only - Inflated Prices - Limited Stock; Singles only Ebay Ebay is not recommended, because of inflated prices, private sellers, and shipping prices. Too many variables. Rarely will a reasonable deal appear. Amazon US/EU Amazon US and EU are also not recommended, because of inflated prices. However, if you have Prime, then booster boxes and starter decks may be an option, but do compare prices.

Buying Inside Japan

For the ones visiting or living in Japan, there are more options than buying internationally. We’ve compiled a ton of information on the hidden gems and big chains, separated by city, as it depends on where you are located. Also, you may find the same shop in our list that has branches in other cities, but we didn’t list them because we haven’t found they carry Cipher. Hobby Station in Fukuoka is a good example of this.
Note: You will have to pay Japanese sales tax of 8% and not every shop includes the tax into its price tag (varies between shop). Keep an eye out for this!

Inside Japan List

Across Japan These shops are the big chains that often carry other items than just Cipher. Since they are so wide-spread, it's pretty easy to do a internet or Maps search to find a branch. Yodobashi Camera & Bic Camera – Similar, but separate electronics companies with branches all over. + Easy access and great with tourists + Good stock on main products (booster packs/boxes, starter decks, etc.) + Reasonable prices (occasional sales) o Japanese, English, Chinese, & Korean support (online or in-person; varies by store) - No Singles - Stock varies by store - Can become crowded Amenity Dream + Easy access and wide spread + Singles and main products available + Competitive Prices o Japanese only - Not every shop will stock Cipher - Prices vary between shops and online (as do their sales) Yellow Submarine + Easy access and wide spread + Stocks board games and figurines as well + Singles and main products available o Japanese only - Not every shop will stock Cipher - Higher prices than others (varies by shop) Tokyo You can find just about anything you’re looking for here and even more still. Akihabara (Akiba for short), a district within Tokyo, is the place to go for all things anime, manga, and otaku-related. All options listed above are available in Tokyo and there are a few hidden gems we’ve found as well. Ground Panda Canyon + Dedicated shop for TCG + Great prices + Easy navigation – the store has printed binders listing every card + Singles and main products available o Japanese only - Small, single shop - Hard to find Kobe Dragon Star + Competitive Prices + Singles and main products available + Singles displayed in cases for viewing o Japanese only - Limited stock - Slightly disorganized Fukuoka Hobby Station + Good Prices + Singles and main products available + Singles displayed in cases for viewing o Japanese only - Limited stock - Crowded during other TCG tournaments and weekends

Trading and Buying Individually

Lastly, there are options for trading and buying between individuals. The two most common ways to do this are via the Serenes Forest Forums or joining the server on Discord.

Trading and Buying List

Serenes Forest Forums This sub forum was set up back in 2015 as Fire Emblem Cipher was just starting out and it is still very active today. The trading thread has a point-based ranking system to establish reliable sellers/traders and to show appreciation. Discord This is an international server dedicated to Fire Emblem Cipher. There are separate channels for cipher discussion, trading and even voice chat areas for playing against one another online. It’s very active as there is always someone looking to play, trade, or just chat from all across the world.