http://instagram.com/p/k58WsSsorG/

Tomorrow. Our whole team is stoked. This project is huge (and unique) for several reasons, all of which you will find out soon.

// L

These look great but I can see a mile away that these are set up for a white counter part.

We will see about that. We don't go in planning additional colors, but we do try to stick with designs that look classy and could potentially work well for aditional color runs in the future. This always depends on how well the deck is received. This deck is actually brown and gold. It looks great (from the photos I have seen), and mine will be to me tomorrow to check out in person for the first time. I am stoked.

// L

T11's got a good lineup in the deck department this year.

Glad to hear you think so!
We aren't done yet.
// L

I'm totally glad to be wrong. Any chances of a sneak peek at the cards?

Not quite yet, but you guys over here are good to me so I'll tip you off to a little secret that nobody else knows yet. This is something I hear people ask ALL THE TIME for us to do with our cards. We don't do it terribly often, but we do try to create decks that appeal to several different crowds.

***Spoilers*** Full Custom ***Spoilers***

// L

Just saw this one, thought I would clear it up. We (theory11) are a customer of Firehost. They know what we do best and were inspired by our work to create their own deck. We did not design or produce it for them (though we did give them pointers along the way to ensure that they ended up with a quality product). We are mentioned in the latest edition of the deck on an ad card, which talks about theory11 being one of their customers.

Super cool honor for us to be mentioned, but not a theory11 project. I had people emailing and begging for us to sell these decks to them, which is hard to do when they aren't ours. I've never held one in my life, haha. Awesome, fun looking deck though, so if you see it, grab it up.

// L

I am extremely disappointed. The red used is very bland. Though i might be contradicting myself in saying that I love the red on the tuck box. Even though the two colours seem pretty identical, the tuckbox is simply much more elegant as the colours blend in with the gold and makes it look premium/exquisite. I wish T$$ could have changed it up by implementing different shades of Crimson in the different parts of the back design.. or had gone with a darker, more blood-like/premium shade of red.

Surprisingly, the shade is very distinct from the tuck case. Just like the original Monarch deck and the Silver Monarch deck, the color scheme of the Red Monarchs is not the same as the back of the tuck case. I will admit, when I first saw a photo, I had the same reaction. For a moment. The more I saw the red used on the cards, the more I loved it. It is bold, but not obnoxious. The white on red gives you the simple, classy, elegant feeling the Monarch deck is known for. You may not be a fan of the simple card style of the Monarchs, but if you like what you have seen before, you will love this.

// L

Toned down, in large part, because we don't have to prove anything dealing with the Monarch deck anymore. It was a BIG leap for us, and most of our team still consider it to be the best deck we have ever created. It is BY FAR our best selling deck, has received attention from BIG names in design, and has been featured in Hollywood movie(s). Of all of our decks, none have a larger or more obsessive fan base (myself included) than the Monarch deck. Since the first release, big hype has not been something that was needed, these decks are simply in demand.

Everyone remembers the hype of the original release very vividly, in large part because there was a HUGE issue on top of the hype (the now dubbed "Gold Monarchs"). When people talk about hype and theory11, it is the Monarch deck release they talk about. We certainly DID hype it before the release, but we knew we were onto something before the release. Look at our decks before the Monarch deck, and look at the decks since. The Monarch deck was a revolution of sorts for us. The hype itself hasn't ever really been a problem for people, but everyone still has a negative association with the Monarch hype because of the whole mess with the initial Monarch printing.

All that said, the Red Monarchs are incoming. They look amazing. If you are a Monarch fan, you won't be disappointed. This is also only the beginning of our fall playing card releases. I am obsessed with Monarchs, but this release is only my second favorite release slated for the rest of this year. Something HUGE and insanely cool is in the works right now, unlike anything we have ever done before. I can't say more just yet, but if you have felt that theory11 has had a quiet playing card year, you won't feel that way by the time the year is over.

// Lyle

Well, he did say no changes but the color - but since the border's also white...  It will have a white border that blends into the back design! 

Lyle, thanks for stopping by and please feel free to be more than just a lurker.  We love hearing from company reps such as yourself, especially when they're helping to set the record straight and give us news about their new products.  Come back ANY TIME you like, comment on anything you like!

Technically, not borderless. You will see the card back design very soon (tonight or tomorrow). We didn't just swap black and white on these cards. What we did makes for a surprisingly bold look. Same design, plus the colors you would expect, but not just a swap of color. There is a white border, and it is very obviously a border.

I will still be around here. I am now with theory11 full time, so you may see me more often. There is always lots going on, and I am happy to shed some light for you.

// L

Hey guys,

Lyle here from theory11. I am the guy you will get 99% of the time when you send off an e-mail to theory11 support. I just thought I would hop in here and give you theory11's two cents on the topic.

Don hit this one right on the money. Yes, there are four different decks of Monarchs. No, they are not all that different from one another. Here is the reasoning for it all.


Gold Monarchs (Gold on Navy) - These were meant to be the original, but the gold ink turned out to be really dark looking on a navy background. This was an oversight on our end, and 144 decks ended up in the hands of collectors because we were rushing to get things shipped (delays with delivery) after our pre-release. These decks were shipped out to customers before we made the call to shred them, as the decks we got in our hands from that 144 were the ones that failed to impress us after final printing. We shredded the rest.  These were never intended to be rare, and we really don't consider them an official part of the Monarch line, though they certainly are our cards.

Monarchs (White on Navy) - The standard Monarch deck. Like them or hate them, you can't ignore them. We hyped these things to death because we knew they were something special. They are the best selling deck we have ever released. They are also my personal favorite deck. They represent a striking change in the direction theory11 was heading with playing card design.

White Monarchs (Gold on White) - Intentionally limited. This is our way of catering to card collectors. If you don't think there is demand for exclusive and limited decks, you were not around when we released these. Twice our site was crashed from incredible numbers of button mashers refreshing on our site. This deck was created specifically as a collector's item.

Silver Monarchs (Black on White, Silver Foil on Tuck Case) - We had a TON of mad people after each White Monarch release. They weren't mad about the crashes, they were mad about the fact that they liked the White version of the deck but couldn't get their hands on it to USE IT DAILY. These were not collectors, but people who wanted the White Monarch to be their standard deck. The Silver Monarchs were created to give these people what they wanted, an unlimited white variation on the Monarch deck.


We try to cater to as many people as we possibly can. Yes, we are a business. Yes, we want to make money (shocking, I know!). That said, we do it by trying to give our customers what they want. If you don't like the Silver Monarchs, you don't need to buy them, and absolutely no harm done. If you do like them, suddenly you have a new playing card option. If you just like to collect every deck that comes along, that too is your call and you now have something else to get your hands on. We get accused a lot of trying to "suck people dry." We aren't forcing anyone to buy anything, but instead attempting to give our customers what they want. We simply hope to make a buck along the way, as that is what a business does.

Some people don't like the color variation trend. To each his own. Again, nobody is forced to buy anything. Instead, we offered (primarily) two colors of the Monarch deck because not everyone liked the Navy. The same is likely to happen with other decks of ours. The Rebels were recently released too, and we already have complaints that it is a black and white deck. Black and white fits the theme, but obviously does not fit everyone's style. The Rebels may have color variations to cater to more people. It all depends on what our customers tell us. We take feedback very seriously. You guys keep us in business, so you are the most important people to us.

Sorry for the long reply. I hope it clears things up for you all. There is a reason behind all this madness. There is more to come. The next deck release is something VERY different from what we have done until this point. Many of you are not going to like it or use it, but it caters to another group of people that has been mostly ignored in recent playing card production.

Hit me up via PM or here is you have any questions. I am happy to answer anything I can!

Keep it real guys.

// Lyle
theory11 Interactive