Price$5.95
Media TypeUtility Props
CategoryClose Up, Collectibles
Date AddedNov 09, 2011
Sentinels
Theory 11
USPCC
(Based on 2 reviews)
theory11 has set the bar high month after month, pushing the envelope with each playing card release from the Guardians to the Centurions to the SMOKE&MIRRORS (all FOUR editions). We don't rest.
It started with an idea born 30,000 feet in the air. On a flight back to New York City from Magic-Con, theory11 ceo Jonathan Bayme made a quick sketch on his iPhone. Less than 24 hours later, the concept was sent to Hatch, an industry leading design firm in San Francisco, California that produces illustrations for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks, and Target.
Over the months that followed, we refined the concept with illustrations prepared specifically for the deck after hundreds of pages of research on the history of magic, hermeticism, secret societies, and mythology. The result is jaw dropping - unlike anything you have ever seen before.
The box is printed on imported paper 40% thicker than normal tuck cases - and has metallic accents on SIX sides. The art is embossed in 20 locations and coated with a matte varnish to enhance durability.
Clean, elegant, and refined design. The first mainstream deck in magic that is composed 100% of original art - the faces, the backs, the box. And yes - even the court cards. Every single design element has a meaning behind it. The deck represents magic, the industry of deception, and the allied arts.
Printed exclusively in Q1 quality on the casino web press at the United States Playing Card Company, under strict supervision from senior press technicians. They've been called "the world's finest deck of cards."
Plastic coated and featuring an all new 909 Premium Finish, the deck has been kept a closely guarded secret only shown to senior theory11 staff, artists, and collaborators like Chris Kenner, Andrei Jikh, Dan White, Daniel Madison, and Cyril Takayama. The project was kept strictly confidential.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
There are tons of decks out there and there are tons of uses for cards. I’m going to try to focus on this decks use in magic, flourishing, and gaming.
It is very easy for a reviewer to be put off by personal style but that wont help you purchase the deck that you want. Fortunately after you know the details about a deck it is easy to figure out if it will work for you. The details that I will concentrate on are as follow: finish, pip and face design, back design, and box design.
The Box
This box is beautiful. It is a matte card stock printed in grey and silver. Much of it is textured, the lettering is raised and so forth. The box is quality and is one of the highlights of the deck.
Back Design
The back design is grey and black with a white border. The border is the same size as you find on regular Bicycle cards. Theory11 carefully controls the quality as well so you will be hard pressed to find a deck with the printing problems of a regular deck of Bicycle cards.
Face Design
The pips are small on these cards. This is probably the worst part of the deck. If I am performing I wouldn't want there to be a problem reading what card was chosen. That said they are not microscopic and will work in most close up performances.
The indices are perfectly placed. The indices are just as far from the corner as the back design is. If you reverse a card in the deck this gives you a good idea of how far you can spread to without flashing the face up card. This is an improvement to standard bicycle cards.
A classic pitfall with standard decks is the color of the pips, too much deviation from the classic red and black makes the cards difficult to play with. These cards are classic red and black but the red is more a maroon color than a cherry red. The contrast is high and I see no problem differentiating the 2 colors.
The jokers are the same design. One is color and one is black and white. The ace of spades is has a large spade that fits the rest of the decks design. The other aces are standard with small pips in the middle.
The royalty cards are stylized. They fit well with the color palette of the rest of the deck. There is a suicide king and a one eyed jack but the basic design is different than Bicycle cards considerably.
Finish
This feels just about identical to a new deck of Bicycle cards. It is easily fanned but not overly slick.
They are printed on casino grade paper, so they are slightly thicker than a standard deck. They are cut normally and perform face down faro shuffles beautifully.
They come with a single double backer and an advertisement card.
Overall
This is a great deck that is suitable for magic, gaming and cardistry. The small pip design takes a little away from the rating but is almost made up with the other qualities of the deck.
It is very easy for a reviewer to be put off by personal style but that wont help you purchase the deck that you want. Fortunately after you know the details about a deck it is easy to figure out if it will work for you. The details that I will concentrate on are as follow: finish, pip and face design, back design, and box design.
The Box
This box is beautiful. It is a matte card stock printed in grey and silver. Much of it is textured, the lettering is raised and so forth. The box is quality and is one of the highlights of the deck.
Back Design
The back design is grey and black with a white border. The border is the same size as you find on regular Bicycle cards. Theory11 carefully controls the quality as well so you will be hard pressed to find a deck with the printing problems of a regular deck of Bicycle cards.
Face Design
The pips are small on these cards. This is probably the worst part of the deck. If I am performing I wouldn't want there to be a problem reading what card was chosen. That said they are not microscopic and will work in most close up performances.
The indices are perfectly placed. The indices are just as far from the corner as the back design is. If you reverse a card in the deck this gives you a good idea of how far you can spread to without flashing the face up card. This is an improvement to standard bicycle cards.
A classic pitfall with standard decks is the color of the pips, too much deviation from the classic red and black makes the cards difficult to play with. These cards are classic red and black but the red is more a maroon color than a cherry red. The contrast is high and I see no problem differentiating the 2 colors.
The jokers are the same design. One is color and one is black and white. The ace of spades is has a large spade that fits the rest of the decks design. The other aces are standard with small pips in the middle.
The royalty cards are stylized. They fit well with the color palette of the rest of the deck. There is a suicide king and a one eyed jack but the basic design is different than Bicycle cards considerably.
Finish
This feels just about identical to a new deck of Bicycle cards. It is easily fanned but not overly slick.
They are printed on casino grade paper, so they are slightly thicker than a standard deck. They are cut normally and perform face down faro shuffles beautifully.
They come with a single double backer and an advertisement card.
Overall
This is a great deck that is suitable for magic, gaming and cardistry. The small pip design takes a little away from the rating but is almost made up with the other qualities of the deck.
(Top ▲)
“Those Suck”
Those were the first words my mom said when she saw these cards. I was keeping the cards on me so I could play with them while I was visiting. Without prompting, and without mentioning them, my mom took one look at them, and spoke her opinion.
However, I can see why someone older would say that. Her following words were, “The pips are too small, the picture cards aren’t colorful, and they look gimmicked. And, regular people pay extra for cards with BIGGER printer!”
I couldn’t agree more with any of those statements with the design. They handle very well, they farrow, they fan, and they’re fun to practice and play with. As long as they are used for personal use, and not professional use, I think you’ll enjoy this deck if you collect these things and like to watch your card work in your mirror.
Those were the first words my mom said when she saw these cards. I was keeping the cards on me so I could play with them while I was visiting. Without prompting, and without mentioning them, my mom took one look at them, and spoke her opinion.
However, I can see why someone older would say that. Her following words were, “The pips are too small, the picture cards aren’t colorful, and they look gimmicked. And, regular people pay extra for cards with BIGGER printer!”
I couldn’t agree more with any of those statements with the design. They handle very well, they farrow, they fan, and they’re fun to practice and play with. As long as they are used for personal use, and not professional use, I think you’ll enjoy this deck if you collect these things and like to watch your card work in your mirror.