I love my Bicycle Prestige deck! Definitely the best plastic deck out there. That deck looks terrible though, 1 way back and its just a terrible lazy design in my opinion.
One-way? I have Prestige decks and never noticed. Where, exactly?
meh guess i won't be getting it then. not so much into bbm's products anyway, AND it's not bicycle branded.
No, they aren't Bicycles - they're actually better. Am I the only one who noticed on the deck box that they're made by Fournier in Spain? Making anything with Fournier and shipping it here is more expensive - look at Lee Asher's Fournier 605 decks; they cost about $11 or $12 a pack. Fournier is not only one of the highest quality card makers in the world, they're also a subsidiary of USPC! These guys aren't slouches when it comes to making high-grade cards - I ordered two decks and I'm looking forward to seeing them.
I know the price is definately out of whack, but why? Does it cost more to make plastic it decks, does it cost $20 to?
No, it doesn't cost $20. But if you want them made well, and they have to be imported from nearly halfway around the world and over an ocean, then yes, they're going to cost more when they get here in the States. Probably as much or more when they reach Asia.
Does anyone remember how expensive Kem cards were before the USPC takeover? Most people using Kem cards from then and from now prefer the older ones - a higher-quality plastic and process was used to make them, and they were also available in a much wider variety. The new ones are cheaper because they're made cheaper - not to say poorly, just cheaper, and in the opinion of many not as good as before. I've seen Royal plastic decks in 99-cent stores - and they play like a deck from a 99-cent store. Good decks of any kind cost more than cheap, chintzy ones, paper or plastic. It's why Infinity and Black Crown decks and the like are never seen anywhere near a 99-cent store, nor in a supermarket, or a stationery, or a pharmacy, etc.
Quality costs more, and that's what BBM appears to have been shooting for with their deck - quality, durability and a "street magic"-friendly design akin to the rest of their product line. When I get mine, I'll give 'em a once-over and let you know how they perform. I have high hopes for this deck, and have had ever since I heard the original announcement. It would be nice to be able to perform somewhere like a bar or a restaurant without worrying about my beautiful, expensive, high-grade playing cards getting utterly ruined. I've lost a Gargoyles and a Dose deck in a single night at one less-than-hygenic bar that was running a barbecue night...
If this deck is a hit, I could easily picture other name-brand magic card shops coming up with designs of their own in tough-as-nails plastic. It would only make sense.