Given that the promotion was already well over at this point, the latter was the only real option that you had for an incredibly long period of time
Its not just for a good score, but slabs offer some of the best protection for cards, meaning you dont need to stress about damage

Cards from Revised Edition and Unlimited Edition have the following characteristics: No expansion symbol No copyright date Unlimited cards have a double beveled inside border, while Revised cards have a single beveled border Unlimited card titles are more left justified than Revised Unlimited card ink colors are darker than Revised 4th Edition & 5th Edition No expansion symbol 4th Edition has a 1995 copyright 5th Edition has a 1997 copyright 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th Editions 6th Edition has a "VI" expansion symbol & copyright 1993-1999 7th Edition has a "7" expansion symbol & copyright 1993-2001 8th Edition has a "8" expansion symbol & copyright 1993-2003 9th Edition has a "9" expansion symbol & copyright 1993-2005 Other Sets Chronicles: Chronicles cards are white bordered reprints of cards from Arabian Nights, Antiquites, Legends and the Dark, and have a 1995 copyright date
Er legte den Kopf schief irgendwie kam ihm das Bild vertraut vor
If you're looking to buy sealed Japanese booster boxes, look no further than Mirai Card Shop
Heres a clear example image from an eBay listing