Batle 19: Split Spades Lions vs. The Crown Decks

[Don Boyer]

I'm going to do just a quick side-by-side comparison for these two.

FEATURE	Split Spades Lions	The Crown Decks
Producer/Designer	David Blaine/Mark Stutzman	The Blue Crown/fracturize
Colors	blue, red, black	blue, red, green
Face Design	USPC w/new court faces	Arrco Standard
Limited Edition?	yes - sold out	no - still in print
Gaff Decks?	stripper, marked, Svengali (branded as "Bicyle Split Spades")	stripper, Svengali, invisible, forcing
Gaffed Cards?*	yes	no
Stock/Finish	Bicycle/Air Cushion	Bicycle/Magic

* Does not include double backers/blank facers.

That pretty much covers the bases on these deck series.  Cast your vote!

Voters who comment on their choice are entered in a random drawing for forum swag - see this topic for the rules.

[KPopFever605]

I've always enjoyed the elegance of the Crown decks, but the details of the Split Spades won me over.

[Don Boyer]

I love both decks, really, and I prefer the SS Lions for the fact that there are gaff cards available in addition to gaff decks.  But the clincher for me is that the Crown Decks are still in print and cost only a fraction of what the SS Lions fetch in the open market.  A working magician's gotta have a deck that's not a budget-buster for performing with.  I paid around $20 a pack for my first SS Lions, and I'm told they're much more expensive now - anywhere from $25-40 on eBay, depending on who's selling and from where.  Crowns are $6 a pack, even less when bought in bulk or during a sale, and they keep printing more.  I also like the "different-but-familiar" feel of the Arrco faces - they aren't Bicycles, but people still recognize them, so they're a nice change of pace.

[Siegismyname]

No Fight. Split Spades all the way. Love the handling of the Crowns though. Very very good handling deck. But their looks are not to my liking. Sorry Blue crown. Dont really fancy the arrco faces. Split spades faces are a familiar yet distinct look. Handling is also top notch. The backs are also mesmerizing.

[John B.]

Split spades. I never really like the crown decks, + when using split spades your using the deck David Blaine uses.

[The Quadfather]

I recently got my first crown deck (blue) and whilst its a really nice looking deck, and handles really nicely, my opinion of the split spades lions is just so much higher. They've been my favourite decks for a few months, and are the baseline that I use to compare other decks too.

[Soliloquy]

Much as I like the Crowns, the Split Spades are unique and original. SS FTW!

[volantangel]

SS lions for sure, no contest

[Utterfool]

I will have to vote for the crown decks.
The ability to still get them at a decent price is number one. The standard look about them makes them great for magic and gaming.
Playing poker with a David Blaine deck makes everyone automatically assume they are marked (as most of them are)
and lastly I do not like David Blaine, I have always considered him a mediocre magician with the majority of his fame from performing stunts.
His cards are nicely designed but since he has put his face on the court cards it makes it difficult for me to play with. Seeing his smug face staring up at me from my hand just gets a bit infuriating.

So yeah
put me down for the Crown decks. Except the red, I never thought the design worked in red

[Nurul]

I got to go for crown decks design overall is better than split spades IMO. And I love the black and gold crown decks

[Don Boyer]

I got to go for crown decks design overall is better than split spades IMO. And I love the black and gold crown decks

Well, that's three comments for the Crowns - but only two votes...  Who keeps forgetting to vote in the poll in addition to commenting?  I know it's not me! 

At this point, it doesn't matter - SS Lions win by a landslide.

The comment winner is volantangel - contact John about your prize!

New contest coming shortly...

http://aethercards.com/discourse/deck-battles-%28alpha%29/battle-20-bicycle-new-fan-back-dd-vs-zenneth-kok/