Mana. Best. back design. ever.

Also, best use of metallic inks in a deck. Photos don't do justice do this deck and if you don't own one yet, you're sure missing out on this wonderwork.

Yeah,  I adore the Mana deck.

Sorry for off-topic, It Smells Like Feet...

LOL, that is what I'd call a real sharp eye.

Well, I voted for Blaine's Split Spades because the artist just made a great job with that back design. I'm also fond of the use of the gestalt effect on playing cards.

Plus - although I think the cards are nice - I've got to say I'm no fan of the S&M series as a whole, the hype never really grew on me.

Can't really say anything about how well S&M's handle, so I voted purely on design here.

Very intricate and beautifully designed. I'm considering to pledge for a brick.

Hey, that's interesting.

That back design has some nice colors to it and I liked the flower pattern. I'm not too big on those pips, though. They look a bit cartoonish and don't really seem to relate with the vibe of the deck. I think it would be nice if the pips resembled fruit cuts (I have attached an image to make the idea clearer).

Well, I guess the main problem here the subtlety of the theme. Many people will find it very hard to grasp.

You see, the one thing that people know about Komodo is that it's the habitat of a giant lizard named the Komodo Dragon. And, as the Caribbean are a much bigger cultural reference than the Komodo Islands, I think that is what most people would relate to when thinking of bright sunny beaches, flowers and stuff.

Lets wait and see how Russell will handle this issue. Hope he surprises us all.

What?? I didn't even...

This is some serious news to me. I thought the Mechanic Deck was a regular deck - a regular 'meh' deck for me. Didn't know there was something special hidden on that back.

Although I don't own the Mechanic and can't really make a fair comparison here, I'll vote for Fantastique anyway. It's too awesome not to vote and I doubt the other contestant could top it

Seriously though, I really like the Fantastique's surrealist vibe. It's back remind me of an Escher painting and the jokers have a kind of Hieronymus Bosch-like feel to it. Great design.

The Ace of diamonds is posted.
(...)
"If you are an International Backer that grabs one of these decks you will also receive a second Federal 52 Deck for free!"

That's a pretty good deal for those who are ok with paying $100+ for an uncut sheet. I'm not in that group, though.

Is every sheet available for purchase by non-black-club-members? Let's say... Black Artifice Uncuts, for example? If yes, this is a bit of a disapointment.

At first glance - looking at that back design - I thought this was the green Cthulhu deck, or another deck by Albino Dragon within that same style.

Well, besides the ridiculously high price, that tuck box is what is killing it for me. It just doesn't seem to relate with the artwork in the cards.

Furthermore, "The Four Elements" seem to be another recurring theme in playing card projects.

I use a mail forwarding company to make shipping a little cheaper.

This is relevant to my interests. Can you elaborate, please?

I didn't received them yet.
But I've received an e-mail asking to pay extra shipping fees, claiming that shipping to my country, in Europe, is more expensive than shipping to US, wich is weird because they know my adress from the start.
Did this happened to anyone else?

This happened to me as well.

I received an email from Jessica asking me whether they were supposed to ship to the US or to Brazil.

Funny thing is that I don't remember having had the option to select between domestic and international shipping. The checkout button sent me directly to PayPal.

Check out a Bicycle Maiden Back Gambler's Deck, Mandolin Back GT Speedreaders or Ultimate Marked Deck and you'll realize that marking system isn't all that and a bag of chips.  It's nice, I'll grant you - even hides well under a riffle test - but you have to memorize a system.  The decks I mentioned can be read without memorizing anything other than where to look on the card, and the marks are well-enough hidden to pass inspection by most people - magicians and gamblers that know wehre to look would spot them, but no one else.  Furthermore, you can read the marks on a UMD with the cards held in hand, and the GTs can be read in a tight table spread.  Blaine's "Mind Reading" deck is easily read, though to my eyes it's easier to detect.

Thanks, I'll take a look at Speedreaders and Blaine's Mind Reading. I'm familiar to the other two decks you mentioned.

I'm not - under no circumstances - saying that Players' got the best marking system ever, it sure doesn't. I'm just saying that the presence of a marking system is the criteria I used to choose between Rounders and Players, cause I like them both equally under other aspects.

Quote from: sway on March 15, 2013, 07:39:16 PM

P.S. Oh, and I wouldn't use green on the court's faces. That queen looks like it's possessed by evil forces or maybe just nauseated.

That queen isn't a standard queen for this deck - it's a gaff card.

Well, that explains it. Still, I hope Randy doesn't use green on standard courts because I'm thinking of a The Exorcist routine now