Binders make a great alternative: although they hold fewer cards, they fit nicely onto shelves or cupboards and most options contain transparent pages with pockets into which to tuck your cards
Keep in mind that small manufacturing tolerances of 0.51 mm are normal, so always compare measurements alongside other authenticity checks rather than relying on size alone
Because of the newness of the format, it's really difficult to learn much from these bannings, and things are further complicated by the fact that in the early years of the format, Wizards used a restricted list (much like we have in Vintage today, where you can only play one copy of a restricted card in a deck) alongside the banned list, and while many cards were restricted in the early years (Balance, Fork, Zuran Orb, Black Vise, Land Tax, Hymn to Tourach, and Strip Mine), only two were outright banned
There arent just Pokmon Cards, but Energy Cards that are attached to the Pokmon, as well as Trainer Cards, which are divided even further into Item, Tool, Stadium, and Supporter Cards.