I'll be honest I never really got the NOC following. I can understand when it was 1st released it's minimalistic clean design may have been eye catching. At 1st glance they do come across as sleek and eye catching but in comparison to other designs and concepts that have been released they don't seem to rise to the top, in my opinion.
Of course my opinion is usually drawn on a complete aesthetic view of a deck, I know that the decks have a marking system, from the cardist's and magicians on the board, how do they handle? I mean if they handle like the end all be all I guess the "Look" can be bypassed a bit. Is there something else about the NOC decks that maybe I'm not aware of?
The Blue Crown first came up with the Crown deck as an relatively inexpensive, commonly-available deck that could be easily used in magic and familiar enough to put audiences at ease. But it's more like the company's signature deck, and not everyone loves Arrco faces. I personally enjoy the change of pace now and then.
The NOC deck was an even simpler version of the same concept. Bicycle stock, standard faces and a totally solid back. USPC initially balked at making the deck, since a single air bubble in the ink could end up ruining a card. Sure, they make all-black decks, but they also have various patterns on the card back so a small printing glitch is less likely to go noticed; no such luxury on the NOC. Eventually, they relented. The name NOC, Alex Pandrea's invention, doesn't actually have a meaning, though Kevin Reylek once mentioned to me that he was calling it "nothing, only color". They even had a Facebook contest for it once. But back to the point.
NOC 1.0 was exceptionally simple - everything 100% standard on the front, a very minimal Ace of Spades and pair of Jokers, plus an extra Queen of Hearts - a useful card for tricks that you'd normally use two identical jokers for. Perhaps their customers wanted something with just a tiny bit more minimalism to it while still being functional, so NOC 2.0 had a suit marking system that's exceptionally subtle and a slight alteration of the court cards - they were simplified with bands of solid color and fewer details in their outfits, retaining the familiarity that puts spectators at ease while at the same time hewing closely to a minimalist aesthetic.
From the beginning, the NOC deck was meant to be a magician's staple. It's one of the least expensive decks you can buy that has Magic Finish. Here in New York, a pack of NOCs ($4.95) is only slightly more expensive than a pack of Bicycle Standards in most shops (usually just above $4). Bought in bulk, they're even cheaper. I can actually get Tally Ho cheaper locally than I can get Bicycles in most shops - only $3 a pack. And I mean locally - there's a fruit-and-vegetable market four blocks from my home that sells them!
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