after reading the other comments I see why people would want the cheaper deck but I think the embossing was one of the nicest parts of the deck, also the court cards changed to regular bicycle kinda wreck it, they would have been good if they hadn`t changed the court cards.
The embossing isn't on the DECK, it's on the BOX! It's not a selling point of the cards, despite what T11 loves telling people! Does it look cool? You bet. Does it affect performance, handling, shuffling, the ability to faro, etc.? Not one freakin' bit.
(Funny side note: there's a toy museum that compiled a list of the favorite toys of all time. The number one toy? The box that the toys came in!)
I'm certain that using the USPC standard Bike faces was in some way cheaper, or they wouldn't have done it that way. This looks like an effort to modify the model set with the Guardians - the USPC version was an exact copy, down to the ink, stock and finish, except for the deck box and the extra cards, and they sold for somewhat less than the T11 version. I think this time they're trying to see just how much cheaper they can make the USPC version and raise their profit margin while keeping the price lower before people decide ordinary Bikes would be a better option.
Remember, a HUGE number of people buying the USPC version in whatever stores will be carrying it will have NO IDEA that a T11 version exists, never mind what it looks like and how it handles. But knowing that, these will be selling in stores that likely carry Bikes as well, and they're going to cost less. USPC wants to add value to the deck while at the same time making it as cheaply as they can, in hopes that people will recognize the added value over Bikes (or whatever dollar-brand that store may be carrying as well) and buy it instead of Bikes at a slightly higher cost.
In an economy like this, though, I think it's a bad idea. In the '90s, when people all over were more flush with cash and had more disposable income, buying a premium product wasn't thought of as that big a deal - it was almost expected. Now, people are losing jobs and counting pennies, and those dollar-store decks are looking a lot more attractive to some. At the most, if they're more serious about playing poker (one of the most common purposes for buying new cards in the first place) with "real cards" that don't handle like crap, even if it is only a nickel-ante game, they'll buy the basic red and blue Bikes and that's it - perhaps even buying the dozen brick to economize, since per deck they cost usually under a buck-and-a-half. Even a discounted premium product is still a premium product, and there are decks out there at an acceptable level of quality for less.
Here's a thought - do we yet know if the USPC Steam Punks use the same stock? If I spot a difference when I get mine, I'll let you guys know.
