Your Top 10 favorite Decks EVER, as of 1/9/14

[HandSkillz]

Now that my collection has grown to a decent capacity and I've gotten my hands on several different types of custom decks, I thought it would be fun to go through my top 10 and solicit all your Cardies (better term anyone?) for your lists as well.  My list will be based on a combination of look, feel, handling, and a healthy heap of personal bias.  For your lists this is no holds barred, heck if you want to list 10 different colored rider backs as your top 10, go for it.  If you want to list a specific year, go for it, or don't, do whatever you want!!! 

I will note that I don't have any collection, with almost equally as limited knowledge, of vintage cards, so I apologize for leaving them off my list.  I kept the list to cards I own (you don't have to), and the majority of my collection is from Ellusionist, D&D, and T11.

1. Federal 52, entire series, especially the originals - I haven't opened these bad boys yet, but I don't have to for them to be my favorite.  The design of these cards is unparalleled, 10/10 on the backs, courts, aces, tuck boxes, pips.  Major props to Jackson Robinson for hooking it up and for the design.
2. Exquisites, pick 'em between red and blue - the handling gets better every time I use them, great back design, classic courts. Props to Bill Kalush for the design and Don for the rec.
3. White Ghosts, Ellusionist - the best handling bikes from my experience, elegant card design, love the pips.
4. Split Spades Lions 1st Ed - Great all around cards, handling is excellent, great back design, core cards are my only knock.
5. S&M, v5 - once broken in these cards just handle so well.  I haven't used any v1-v3 so those could be even better, but I also really like the blue pips, the court colors, I'm a fan.
6. Bicycle Masters, Ellusionist - my practice deck, holds up forever, had to have a straight rider back on here somewhere, love the ace.  I think I like the Red over the blue and shadows.
7. Virts v2 - crazy handling out of the box, i for one really enjoy the colors, appreciate the thin boarders, the courts and ace of spades are great.  Not thrilled about the diagonal pips though.
8. White Artisans, theory11 - probably deserve to be higher on this list, but I can't break these in for the life of me.  The back designs and tuck box are just unreal.
9. Whispering Imps - I can't get over the tuck box on these cards in all honesty, just awesome.
10. (tie) Black Ghost 1sts, Gold Arcanes, Red LTDs - file these under the decks i'm too scared to open and should probably sell, but i love the designs of all three.

Honorable mention to D&D's Bruce Lee cards, probably handle better than S&M, like the black band, but loses major points for 1 way backs.

[Nurul]

Oooo this is a toughie

My top 10 current decks in terms of design are
1. Blue blood
2. Bohemia
3. Fed 52
4. Aurum
5. Empire
6. Artifice (first design I fell in love with)
7. Artisan
8. Crown luxuries
9. Aristocrat banknotes
10. Whispering imps

This may change, done from the top of my head.

[Don Boyer]

My collection is too freakin' big for me to pick a top ten from.  It would take me weeks to figure it out.  1,700 decks in about 600-700 varieties or more.

[atsquare]

My top ten in no particular order:

Expert at the Card Table v2
DeckOne v1
Blue and Red Artifice v1
Magic-Con v2
Bee Watermelon
Seasons Playing Cards 1st edition
Utopia
Smoke and Mirrors v5
Blue JAQK
Sultan Republic

[HandSkillz]

My collection is too freakin' big for me to pick a top ten from.  It would take me weeks to figure it out.  1,700 decks in about 600-700 varieties or more.

Don. if there were a fire and your family were already save, you have to have a handful of decks you would grab above the others

[Don Boyer]

My collection is too freakin' big for me to pick a top ten from.  It would take me weeks to figure it out.  1,700 decks in about 600-700 varieties or more.

Don. if there were a fire and your family were already save, you have to have a handful of decks you would grab above the others

Y'see, that's why my collection is next to a window...  It's all in stackable cardboard boxes and plastic detachable shelving units.  I could get most if not all of it out the window in under a minute...

[HandSkillz]

My collection is too freakin' big for me to pick a top ten from.  It would take me weeks to figure it out.  1,700 decks in about 600-700 varieties or more.

Don. if there were a fire and your family were already save, you have to have a handful of decks you would grab above the others

Y'see, that's why my collection is next to a window...  It's all in stackable cardboard boxes and plastic detachable shelving units.  I could get most if not all of it out the window in under a minute...

Ok, stop copping out haha...pick a few buddy!!! Even 5, or 20. Maybe think of the decks that you would want to perform with in a tutorial video or performance at Carnagie Hall.

[Anthony]

Out of the decks in my collection so far, I would say these are my Top 10....in no particular order

Artisan
Deck One
Seasons
JAQKs Red
Artifice
Fed 52 Original
Aurum
Whispering Imps
Mana
Bohemia

[bhong]

No particular order:

Federal 52 (whole series)
Whispering Imp
Empire
Sentinels
JAQK (all three colour)
Legends V2
Silver Split Spades
Madison Dealers
Exquisite (CARC)
Mana (oracle)

[MrMollusk]

I have TONS of top decks. These aren't listed in any real order.

Fed 52 Series
Uusi Royal Optik
Aristocrat Banknotes
T11 Sentinel deck
JAQK decks
Legend decks
Fantastique deck
Stranger & Stranger deck
Smoke and Mirrors V6 Original
Aurum

There are at least a dozen other decks that I love just as much, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

[Don Boyer]

My collection is too freakin' big for me to pick a top ten from.  It would take me weeks to figure it out.  1,700 decks in about 600-700 varieties or more.

Don. if there were a fire and your family were already save, you have to have a handful of decks you would grab above the others

Y'see, that's why my collection is next to a window...  It's all in stackable cardboard boxes and plastic detachable shelving units.  I could get most if not all of it out the window in under a minute...

Ok, stop copping out haha...pick a few buddy!!! Even 5, or 20. Maybe think of the decks that you would want to perform with in a tutorial video or performance at Carnagie Hall.

My desert island deck - if I was stranded on a desert isle and could only have one deck of cards with me (but in ample quantities to last) it would be the Tally Ho Original Fan Back.  It's a decent deck, but it's also a deck I have memories of as a child.  The fact that the box design essentially hasn't changed in decades is probably a contributing factor - I picked up a deck in one of my drawers, thinking it was one of my regular Tally Ho decks in the wrong place until I noticed the long box flap and realized it was a 1970s vintage deck.

[Justin O.]

- M.A.C. Cosmetics Body Paint deck (I'm a M.A.C. Fan, this deck brings two of my favorite things together, it is probably the prize of my collection despite the fact that I don't think it has tons of value to other card collectors, it has a ton of sentimental value.)
- Punk: Chaos to Couture
- Oracle (Chris Ovdiyenko was amazing enough to put my name on the two sided Yes/No gaff card after suggesting it to him. If you get one of these great decks take a look at the fine print on the bottom of the gaff, I'm incredibly proud of this and couldn't be more grateful to Chris.)
- Unbranded Black Reserve Note
- Blue Blood
- English Laundry
- Decked Out
- Madison Rounders; Black (My favorite deck to use for  flourishing and magic)
- Misc. goods
- Deck of Legend

Special Mention: Dose, Sultan Reps, Marc Jacobs Vandal, Artisans, Binth 52s, Fulton's Clip Joint
I'm sure I could go on for days.

[Jonathan]

My top 10 (only including decks I have opened in my collection):
1: Uusi Blue bloods
2: Black JAQKs
3: Blue Monarchs
4: Purple artifice
5: Madison dealers
6: Black Arcane deck (first custom deck I got)
7: Ellusionist infinity (the 1st edition tuck is awesome but the cards for 1st and 2nd edition are the same)
8: Theory11 Medallions
9: Calaveras
10: Bet no one else will have this on their list: Cevin Cox's League of Monsters Playing cards
It's a recently funded kickstarter - it didn't fund as a USPCC project and I'm glad it didn't; whatever printer they used for these cards impressed the pants off me. Handling wise out of the box these cards are smooth to fan but sticky enough not to slide apart and drop to the floor when doing flourishes. The design isn't as beautiful as some of the other decks on my list but it gets a place in the top 10 pretty much entirely for it's handling.

That's only my list for opened decks. There are many, many, many other decks that look amazing but I haven't included in here because I either don't have them in my collection or I have them but haven't/can't bear to open them.

[Paul Carpenter]

In no particular order, these are my current top ten most used and admired:

- Seasons
- Fed52
- Whispering Imps
- Curator
- Virt
- Empire
- Exquisite
- Mana
- Artisan
- Actuators

There are of course many more, but those are my current top shelf. (and of course, I have secret things I've been playing with a lot lately... )

[Jonathan]

In no particular order, these are my current top ten most used and admired:

- Seasons
- Fed52
- Whispering Imps
- Curator
- Virt
- Empire
- Exquisite
- Mana
- Artisan
- Actuators

There are of course many more, but those are my current top shelf. (and of course, I have secret things I've been playing with a lot lately... )

Great list! (Didn't put your own decks on that list out of modesty I'm guessing? Because I'm SURE that if I opened the tendril or aurum or deco decks I have sealed in my drawer they would be on my top ten!)
And haha you tease, secret things indeed.

[BiggerDee]

In no order:

Ornate
Imperial
Aurum
Artisan
Medallion
Federal 52
Jerry's Nugget
Stranger
Monarchs
Elite's series (Ritual, Divine, Gold, Majestic, One Million)

I'm sure that I will kick myself later for leaving something off of the list, but that's a good start. I'm a collector with about 3,500 decks, and I buy an example of almost anything that's produced in modern decks, so I have a lot of different varieties but the ones listed above are the ones that are some of my favorites, and ones that I have a larger, some a much larger, quantity of.


And Tendril and Whispering Imps. And Crown Luxury. See, I knew that I'd forget! Narrowing the list to 10 (ish) is tough!

[Jonathan]

I'm sure that I will kick myself later for leaving something off of the list, but that's a good start. I'm a collector with about 3,500 decks, and I buy an example of almost anything that's produced in modern decks, so I have a lot of different varieties but the ones listed above are the ones that are some of my favorites, and ones that I have a larger, some a much larger, quantity of.

And Tendril and Whispering Imps. And Crown Luxury. See, I knew that I'd forget! Narrowing the list to 10 (ish) is tough!

Wow 3500 decks :| is that 3500 different types (ie not counting duplicates) or is that 3500 decks?
How long have you been collecting?
I thought I was bad haha I think I have about 200 different types of decks, I haven't gotten around to catalogueing my collection yet

[HolyJJ]

I like threads like this!

I'll split my picks between my favourites for handing, and my favourite designs.

Favourite for handling (in no particular order)

[1] Exquisite (by The Expert Card Company -- and NOT the deck by devo!)
[2] Legends V2
[3] Richard Turner Gamblers
[4] Richard Turner's traditionally cut Bee deck
[5] Bicycle Professional by CARC

Favourite Designs (in no particular order)

[1] Aurum
[2] Luxury Crown decks (all 3 of them look great)
[3] Mana V1 Oracle Edition
[4] Blue and Gold Chinese Bee deck
[5] White Lions (series B) -- in my opinion, these decks have the best marking system of all time! They are the ONLY marked deck which I'm actually comfortable with letting the spectators check!

[Aptombstone]

Threads like this NEVER DIE!

My collection isn't very large, but, in no order

1. Silver Split Spades (possibly my favorite back design, beautiful box, handles amazing)
2. Americana Deck (i love every aspect of this deck.)
3. Doomsday Deck (love the box, back design, and one of my favorite jokers)
4. Tally Hos (both designs and ALL color, company variations, great stock)
5. New Fan Backs (Any version will do, for ex D&D version, Bicycle Canasta versions, classic back design)
6. Dan and Dave S&M (pick one)
7. Aurum (beautiful)
8. Bicycle Masters (one of my favorite handling cards)
9. White Raiders (something about the 90's looking cgi background appeals to my eye)
10. Noc v2 (simple background, stripped courts, soft stock)

Based on everyone else's top 10's, I guess I need to get me some Artisans.

[JacksonRobinson]

I'm only including decks that I own there are others I wish I had, and know would probably be on this list.

1. American Bank Note RU15
2. Tigers #101 US1
3. Dundreary Congress US6
4. Vladislav Erko 1 & 2
5. Red Whispering Imps
6. Deco Bronze
7. Seasons
8. Army Navy US5h
9. Trophy Whist No 39 US19
10. Empire

[Card Player]

1. Arrco U.S. Reg. Red/Blue Ohio - USPCC
2. Black Acorn Back - CARC
3. Madison Dealers - Ellusionist
4. Aristocrat Banknotes - USPCC
5. Split Spades Lions 1st Ed. - Blaine
6. Madison Rounders - Ellusionist
7. Royal Optik - Uusi
8. Monarchs - Theory11
9. Legends v2 - Legends Playing Card Co.
10. Artifice v2 Black/Green - Ellusionist

[rousselle]

I love seeing y'alls lists. Here are some of my thoughts:

The "Top 10ers"
* Royal Optik (both colors) -- I love everything by Uusi, but this deck is head an shoulders above everything else in my collection (well, tied with the Silver Certificates) because the design just sings to me. This is the first uncut sheet I've ever bought, and it's mounted and hanging proudly in my living room.
* Federal 52 Part II (both styles) -- Excellent illustration, perfect design and execution. Subtle improvements over the first releases (also true of Uusi).
* Calaveras -- Captures the theme (the Mexican "Day of the Dead") perfectly. Well researched, perfectly executed.
* Republic No 2 -- I just love the way these feel in my hand, the way they look when they're fanned. The small pips, the number cards, the elegant coloring of the standard courts. Poetry.
* Artisans -- The metallics actually work on these, and they feel like buttah.
* Radical 80's -- Yeah, I know. A novelty deck. But the court designs really rock the theme, while still honoring the courtly traditions. The 80's were when I came to embrace pop culture, and the design of this deck captures that aspect of that era perfectly.
* Americana -- Another winning theme winningly executed. One of my favorite suicide Kings (along with Royal Optik and Fulton October)
--> see note below about Whispering Imps

Tied for the last spot:
* Imperial -- Exceptionally unusual, well researched, and exquisite in detail. Celebrating the heights of Russian creativity.
* Bohemia -- Art, pure and simple.
* Venexiana -- Love the courtly illustrations, and the joker's reveal really appeals.
* Emperor -- China-themed courts, brilliantly executed.
* The Mazing Deck -- the second (and so far, last) uncut sheet I've ever bought. An extremely fun deck for the puzzle-minded.
* White Arcane, White Ghost, the Artifice series -- Ellusionist's "worker decks" get the job done with style; they're durable, fun to work with, and pleasing to the eye.
* Galvanic -- I like whimsy and I like story; the computer rendered art here captures both.
* I'll grudgingly mention that I love the design of Revision No 1, which is a deck about design, even though I am still burned that the designer owes me money for the failed Green Army deck.

Honorable mentions:
* Empire -- very ambitious design. A couple minor quirks keep it out of my top ten, but I'm looking forward to more of what Lee comes up with down the line.
* Nautical -- This deck is interesting from a more practical standpoint; the design is solid, albeit not innovative, and the feel and play of the cards is top notch.
* Legends & Exquisites -- still getting to know these, but I find them to be very intriguing entries for the combination of interesting design elements with interesting card feel/play.

Note: I haven't dared to crack the seal on my Whispering Imps yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it, and expect them to fall into the top 10, once I do, based upon all I've seen and heard. It took a while to work up the nerve to open up a Silver Cert!

Hotly anticipating (and this could be another thread, no?): Chris O's Oracle, Origins, Requiem, the Different Deck, Civil Unrest, Gold Artifice, and anything by Uusi, Jackson, Randy B., Lotrek, Chris O., Chris Chelko, Sean Whelan. I'm interested to see how Elite Playing Cards and others shake up the landscape. Also, like Rick did with Origins, Jackson started showing prototype designs last year for a new version of a "standard deck" (I saw the images he shared on UC, I don't know if he posted them here, too), and I'm really hoping those see the light of day soon.

[Edited to fix a typo.]

[Sher143]

I collect cards primarily for the artwork,  so my favorites are really based on how much I like the design.  Consequently,  those in my top ten are not necessarily decks I own (and two on the list have not even been released yet, though I am eagerly anticipating them). Short list for now,  will come back later to modify my post with explanations.

1. Ultimate Deck by Stranger and Stranger

This is my favorite deck because of the intricately designed tuck box and the unique faces of each card. The tuck box is just absolutely gorgeous. The tuck has an elaborate design that is glossy black on matte black with embossing and foil, plus a stamp-like seal. Each of the faces are unique, and it's considered a semi-transformation deck. Pips are hidden within artwork (sometimes very well hidden). Some of the images may not be to everyone's liking (pictures of cherubs squeezing a heart, skeleton boy king being stabbed with  a sword, weird images of animals, etc), but the art itself is executed very nicely, in my opinion. This deck is probably not very functional, as most of the time it can get difficult to distinguish quickly what the suit and number a particular card is, but that isn't my primary concern.

2. Unbranded Black Reserve Note

The tuck box is just as well designed as the Ultimate deck, plus red foil on the inside. I really like how the courts are drawn, and I like the frames on each suit much better than the ones in Fed 52, Gold Cert, or Silver Cert because it has more detail. I also like how the indices are in all four corners.

3. Black Book of Cards

This hasn't been sent to backers yet, but just based on the designs on their Kickstarter page, these are going to look awesome. I don't know if anyone else can do a typography deck better than this. They managed to create images of the courts using words!  All other typography decks stick to simple shapes (hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs, etc.) and non I've known so far have tackled much more complex images such as the court cards. The tuck box looks promising, too. They used very detailed embossing to create a leather-like texture similar to leather-bound books.

4. Aurum Laser Cut

The pearlescent stock used for the tuck box is awesome. I really like the way the color of the box changes slightly depending on the lighting. The tuck box also has detailed embossing and a very detailed laser cut on the back. The cards themselves are awesome. I like the rich purple color and the continuous symmetrical line that on the backs and faces of each card and is only noticeable upon close inspection.

5. Deco Silver
6. Requiem
7. Bohemia
8. Ornate
9. Empire

10. The Dark Knight Joker Deck

I don't know if this counts, because it's a deck composed of 52 jokers. There are five duplicates, but apart from the duplicates, each back and face is unique. I was able to get a hold of one thanks to Midnyghte, who gave me the info I needed to contact the seller. The deck was based on the viral deck from the 2008 movie, The Dark Knight. Someone scanned high resolution images of an actual viral deck (which retails for $500, or so I've been told) and printed out replicas and sold them for a fraction of the price. What's a little disappointing about these cards was that some of them weren't cut very precisely, so some of the backs are off-center. Still, I really like this deck mainly because of each of the really unique artwork on each of the backs and faces. This deck was quite pricey, but I thought it was worth it.

[post still to be updated with explanations]