Which deck did it first?

[john]

I started a chat with a friend on Facebook regarding what deck did custom everything first, and while we came up to, what we think is the answer. We would love to have more input.

"If you don't include any decks from T11, Ellusionist, D&D, or USPC direct... what was the first deck to be FULLY custom.  Tuck, ace, courts, seal... everything."

After much debate.. we looked into the actuators, Tendril, Vortex... but it seems like the one we both agreed upon (after looking at old pictures of my collection) was the Bicycle Bape deck.  It met all of the criteria... custom everything.








Can you guys think of a deck that might have come before this one that didn't come from the big 4?

Not a re-coloring of courts... CUSTOM courts

[john]

Double Post is worthy just to show personal stupidity.

Clearly Bape can't be the first 100% custom deck... It has a Rider Back back design!

[Rob Wright]

I would think this would be one of the first custom decks. He was the first to put those little numbers in the corners.

[Don Boyer]

Are you guys nuts?  There's been "fully-custom" decks since there's been decks!  The first one is over a century old, for certain, and probably dates into the 19th century!

[john]

Okay, lets say decks after 2000 then.

[Don Boyer]

Okay, lets say decks after 2000 then.

That's easy.  If you count decks from all makers, I'm guessing that T11's Sentinels would be the first.  If you're talking about indie-made decks, it might well be the Vortex deck.  This assumes the definition of "fully custom" as being "unique backs and custom-designed faces only loosely based on standard Anglo-American design, bearing unique pips, unique court characters and at least some unique spot card configurations."  I can't recall off the top of my head anything else that fits from earlier than that.  Though if the original JAQK Winery decks are original enough - and they may be - I'm thinking they may have come first.

Mind you, this is only picking from decks we know about from around here.  E's first truly custom job was not until, well - Artifice probably comes closest, though the courts are based on standard courts and the pip configurations are pretty standard.  T11 had the Sentinels, and precious little else.  D&D - maybe the Ultimate Deck was their first.  TBC's closest would be, I think, the Vaudeville deck, and HOPC's would probably be the Curator, though one could argue that all the modifications are based on standard pip designs and that it wouldn't count...

Were it not for the backs being based on the Rider Back, the Bicycle Tragic Royalty might be USPC's first since 2000...

If you apply the strict definition of fully custom, precious few decks made since 2000 actually qualify...

[xela]

1. First fully custom deck from USPCC that was "main stream" was the Actuator deck by Lance Miller.

2. First fully custom non-Bicycle deck was my Vortex deck.

3. First truly fully custom deck was the Tendril deck.

[Aaron]

when were seasons

[jmrock]

1. First fully custom deck from USPCC that was "main stream" was the Actuator deck by Lance Miller.

2. First fully custom non-Bicycle deck was my Vortex deck.

3. First truly fully custom deck was the Tendril deck.

Alex, why would you say the Tendril deck is truly custom and Vortex is not?

[xela]

1. First fully custom deck from USPCC that was "main stream" was the Actuator deck by Lance Miller.

2. First fully custom non-Bicycle deck was my Vortex deck.

3. First truly fully custom deck was the Tendril deck.

Alex, why would you say the Tendril deck is truly custom and Vortex is not?

Paul made his court cards from scratch, whereas I traced mine from standard court cards, and then worked from there.

[Mr. Mistoffelees]

Must say I was pretty miffed when I saw this thread pop up.  I hadn't even realised it was coming to almost 2 years since I had backed the Vortex deck on Kickstarter (deck still not received), such that it was produced early enough to be considered on this list.

Anyway, I'd hazard a guess that even for indie decks something like WhiteKnuckle (2010?) would have beaten Vortex to it.

[Card Player]

Which standard 52 (+4 extra) card deck was the 1st NOT to use new deck order?

[Don Boyer]

1. First fully custom deck from USPCC that was "main stream" was the Actuator deck by Lance Miller.

2. First fully custom non-Bicycle deck was my Vortex deck.

3. First truly fully custom deck was the Tendril deck.

Sentinels predate Tendril.  So does the original, pre-T11 JAQK.

when were seasons

Which standard 52 (+4 extra) card deck was the 1st NOT to use new deck order?

Some number of months later.

Perhaps Blaine.  He's been using stack order for a while now.  If you count trick decks, though, the Gambler's deck was also in a stacked order.  I have an uncut of the Split Spades Lions blue - it's pretty cool seeing the stack order on the uncut sheet.

BTW: the Nautical deck uses OLD new deck order - A through K, spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds.  On top is a gaffed double-backer, on the bottom is the deck's single joker.

[xela]

Don, JAQK doesn't count because they weren't really a usable deck. Sentinels are from T11.

[john]

When did style come out again?

[xela]

When did style come out again?

Way after. Basically, I saw Lance who was a professional artist make his own deck, then I saw Russell & Adam, and then I was like "well shit, why don't I try?" My concept took off and it worked, and then Paul was like "oh shit I could do this too" and his concept took off and worked and then about 9000 people decided they could do it too. Some were the definition of perfection, like Fed52, and others were AlienInk decks or that weird fucking Texas deck that I still don't understand. :S

[Paul Carpenter]

Haha Alex. Yes that more or less is the history of it, isn't it?

[Don Boyer]

Don, JAQK doesn't count because they weren't really a usable deck. Sentinels are from T11.

I know Sentinels are T11.  JAQK was perfectly usable - it just had a one-way back.  The faces between the two designs are identical.

[xela]

Don, JAQK doesn't count because they weren't really a usable deck. Sentinels are from T11.

I know Sentinels are T11.  JAQK was perfectly usable - it just had a one-way back.  The faces between the two designs are identical.

Well this post is only about indie decks. Even if Jaqk was an indie deck somehow, it really isn't usable for any kind of cardistry except maybe cuts.

[Don Boyer]

Don, JAQK doesn't count because they weren't really a usable deck. Sentinels are from T11.

I know Sentinels are T11.  JAQK was perfectly usable - it just had a one-way back.  The faces between the two designs are identical.

Well this post is only about indie decks. Even if Jaqk was an indie deck somehow, it really isn't usable for any kind of cardistry except maybe cuts.

You say potato, I say potato, you say tomato, I say tomato.