This deck is not part of of the sultan series, its a part of the republic. thats why there is the sultan republic and sultan treasury. Sultan is one thing, republic is another.sultan republic was a mix of the 2.
Where'd you get this info from?
This sounds very similar to my speculation on facebook, so taking a shot in the dark i assume me 
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151534747456161&set=a.147152631160.119734.61472466160&type=1&comment_id=9214479&offset=0&total_comments=51
There was a discussion on there page. E never said anything either way but this design has nothing to do with the sultans, it does have the republic symbol though.
So, in other words, John B., you were quoting speculation from John (minus B) as opposed to an official statement from E, right? No offense to my fellow moderator, but that makes it about as valuable as the paper it isn't printed on...
And John (minus B) - the official titles of the decks were:
Sultan Republic
and
Sultan Republic Treasury Edition.
SRTE was occasionally shortened to Sultan Treasury simply because it was faster and easier to say and write. But the tuck box says "Sultan Republic" on it exactly like the original (but in the new color scheme), along with "Treasury". I can't recall if it said "Edition" anywhere.
So, I'm not seeing anything in common with the Sultan Republic deck here. Except for the word Republic.
Is that really a bad thing? The new design is looking great so far.
This^ I honestly dont get why people are so quick to judge, bashing on something simply because it was not what they envisioned. Just because it doesnt look like a brother of the Sultan Republic doesnt mean it is bad. Just because E released the similar Madison Dealers deck recently doesnt make this deck a 'copy'. (Personally i prefer this other the Dealers).
I swear to you, if they released an exact copy of the Sultan Republic deck in a new color scheme, they'd be pissed about that, too. There is a tendency to be quick to judge around here. I'll grant that some things are obviously horrible from the first glance, but people - this is NOT one of them. So they're different - so what? I honestly think E took a bit of a hit with the SR and SRTE decks. SRTE looked better, but both decks had those awful split-chevron pip designs that were "wacky" for no good reason and did nothing to help the design. They probably announced they wouldn't reprint just so they could get them out the door and not have to look at them again - even if they're not the most attractive decks, if they're rare, speculators will swoop in and buy by the bricks rather than just decks.
I read people arguing on the FB page about how this is their second borderless deck "in a row" - technically not true, since their most recent deck is the red Rounders deck. But putting that aside, even if it was the second borderless deck in a row, it's the first one that didn't have hidden markings on the backs! Many players (yes, non-magicians do like and buy their decks to actually PLAY with them) won't get within ten feet of a marked deck because they don't want even a shadow of a doubt about how legit they play. For them, Madison Dealers was a non-event. This, however is different.
Not to mention beautiful thus far! I really love the small indices - older poker players hate them because they're too small, but those who can still see love small indices because they're easier to hide in a peek of your pocket cards in games like Texas Hold 'Em. The negative space and the elegant looking pips and their arrangements to me are quite gorgeous. Think of this deck like a more artful version of Bee Diamond Backs, because in essence that's the function they'll serve.
And I don't care what some of those people said about inverted cards - because of the edge being patterned on the back rather than a solid color, inverted cards will still hide very nicely. Anyone who's performed with a pack of Bees and done those tricks will agree.
BTW: am I the only person who noticed the release date is WED 14 AUG?
