Battle 33: 216 Squezers vs Madison Dealers

[john]

One is done to be in honor of erdnase, one is colored to honor erdnase... WHICH ONE SHALL WIN?


I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS why did i type that i dont know, happy fourth of july England!

[Don Boyer]

I haven't handled the Dealers yet, but the fact that it's a marked deck, having limited appeal for playing card games.  I like the old-time look of the 216s, despite that they have a one-way back.  But in the end, I pick the 216s, because of the unique physical properties of the paper and finish - they really are unlike any previous USPC deck to have come out of that factory in years, if ever.  I know this puts me in the minority (at least at the moment), but it wouldn't be the first or last time that's happened!

Just out of curiosity, how many of you have tried the 216s?  And how many have tried BOTH decks?

[Rob Wright]

because of the unique physical properties of the paper and finish - they really are unlike any previous USPC deck to have come out of that factory in years,

What is the unique paper and finish?

[Don Boyer]

because of the unique physical properties of the paper and finish - they really are unlike any previous USPC deck to have come out of that factory in years,

What is the unique paper and finish?

It doesn't actually have a name.  It's a very thin but strong stock and has a smooth finish that ISN'T Magic Finish but something different.  It's hard to described, really.  Comparing it to the Bicycle Professional Skull & Bones deck in Ivory Finish, it's notably thinner (the 54-card stack is three cards taller than the 216s) and has a smoother feel to it.  It lacks the tell-tale smell of Magic Finish.  The paper has firm-but-flexible quality to it, can hold a crimp well but releases it just as easily when bent back.  This isn't something that USPC devised, but something that Bill Kalush came up with after experimenting, ordering custom deck runs that were never made for sale just for the purposes of discovering the right process for developing this deck.  I know this not just from talking with him, but he was gracious enough to give me a few of the experimental decks he made - they look like garden-variety Bikes and Bees, some with different-than-normal deck seals, but the cards inside are not the usual stuff; paper and finish qualities not like the normal production decks.  I have no idea what the size of the print run was on these decks, but they wouldn't exist if Bill hadn't ordered them to his exact specifications.  He's got far more resources at his disposal than pretty much any company making Kickstarter decks does, and enough pull at USPC to get decks made thoroughly custom, not just in terms of the design but also the manufacture.

[Rob Wright]

Don, I wouldn't mind getting a deck to check out. Any suggestions on were to order, and approximate pricing?

Edit- Never mind I think. I just ordered from 1eyed jack on the bogo wild card. I hope that's what I ordered.

[Don Boyer]

Don, I wouldn't mind getting a deck to check out. Any suggestions on were to order, and approximate pricing?

Edit- Never mind I think. I just ordered from 1eyed jack on the bogo wild card. I hope that's what I ordered.

If you're talking about this week's wild card, then no, you didn't order the 216s.  You ordered the Bee Erdnaseum deck.  Similar box design, because both are based on a classic Bee box, but very different cards.

You can get Bee Erdnase 216s straight from the source.  While you're at it, you can check out the deck they released yesterday, Global Titans.  The GTs are like Legends but with a slightly softer stock and made in Shanghai instead of Taiwan.

[john]

Dealers win with 4x the votes!