Opinions on Ellusionist

Status
Not open for further replies.
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
I had purchased a deck of Artifice playing cards from Ellusionist and I was sorely disappointed. Since then I have seen some decks there that seemed very elegant and striking, but I am afraid of finding that they are as low quality as the Artifice deck. I love the decks from Theory11 but I always look for new decks. I was wondering what experiences others have had with them and what you would recommend.
 

yyyyyyy

Elite Member
Apr 7, 2012
537
12
Generally, your experience with Ellusionist.com WILL differ from that of Theory 11's in many ways. Personally, I'm not a fan of the "mysterious" vibe that Ellusionist goes for. But that's just personal opinion and it doesn't answer your question. As for decks of cards, I love the Sultan Republic decks. Also, what were your issues with the Artifice decks? I really enjoyed those as well. The only annoying aspect to the Artifice series was the lack of change between each deck.
 

yyyyyyy

Elite Member
Apr 7, 2012
537
12
The purple one wasn't a very good deck. I'm not sure why, but it felt rather flimsy. I wore out quickly and it was as stunning in person as it was in the pictures. Try one of Madison's decks, or the LTD Blue decks.
 
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
Generally, your experience with Ellusionist.com WILL differ from that of Theory 11's in many ways. Personally, I'm not a fan of the "mysterious" vibe that Ellusionist goes for. But that's just personal opinion and it doesn't answer your question. As for decks of cards, I love the Sultan Republic decks. Also, what were your issues with the Artifice decks? I really enjoyed those as well. The only annoying aspect to the Artifice series was the lack of change between each deck.

The decks I really liked were the black tigers and the vintage series. The issue I had was that the back began to peel from the edges so they looked worn after just a short period of time. Also they were clumping horribly in a short amount of time despite my best efforts to make sure I kept my hands clean and dry.
 
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
The purple one wasn't a very good deck. I'm not sure why, but it felt rather flimsy. I wore out quickly and it was as stunning in person as it was in the pictures. Try one of Madison's decks, or the LTD Blue decks.

For me they were rather think but they felt cheap in the sense that despite being stiff they didn't function as well as decks like Tally's and Rebels.
 

yyyyyyy

Elite Member
Apr 7, 2012
537
12
Yeah, I wouldn't judge Ellusionist based on your experience with only one deck. Give some other decks a try, why not. I'm heavily biased as well, I love Theory 11 100%. But hey, you might find something nice in their store.
 
Sep 3, 2011
5
0
That's because of the back! its to much ink the ones with borders are more what your looking for they destroy tally in most ways! also all erdnase backs wit black ink will do the same all the cards with black ink on the borders as well! Also they have to be fully broken in they get better with time! Ltd are great the Madison are as well!
 
Sep 3, 2011
5
0
Now the all white artifice might be different because they are white it's less ink so they will be thin soft flexible and durable!
 

c.t

Apr 17, 2013
125
0
Australia
Dude ive had a deck of purple artifice's for a few months and its still great its my favourite deck at the moment so i dont know whats wrong with yours and the Madison decks are amazing and so are the LTDs, everyone who already mentioned those have good taste.
 
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
Yeah, I wouldn't judge Ellusionist based on your experience with only one deck. Give some other decks a try, why not. I'm heavily biased as well, I love Theory 11 100%. But hey, you might find something nice in their store.

Oh believe me I am just as biased. I would never have gotten into magic had it not been for Theory11 and from everything I have seen, read, heard, I believe Theory11 IS the future of magic. I enjoy the aesthetics of designs depending on what I am doing and was just trying to find out if it was worth the investment. All my go to decks are here and I always recommend Theory11 to anyone who asks about learning
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
I don't think any one site is THE future. I think THE future will actually be a split between those who spend a lot of time online on forums like these, and those who's goal is a more 'mystical' 'magical' approach as opposed to the display of skill school that is largely predominant now.

I am admittedly extremely biased toward Ellusionist considering they pay my bills. I like some of the stuff here on Theory11, but my design tastes don't usually jive with theirs so I have passed on most of their offerings. However, those offerings were probably top notch quality.

Personally the Artifice series was my favorite from release until just recently. Now that spot is in contention as the recent Madison releases have been quite pleasant to my hands. The V1 Artifice is still the deck that I enjoy the most but since they added the borders I'm not as keen on them. The thing I find interesting, and I am certain guilty of this too, is that people seem to find such drastic differences in various decks when usually when you're looking at the high end decks like Theory11 and Ellusionist sell, they are pretty much the same other than artwork.

Now, I will not claim to be an expert on card manufacturing but from what I've gathered there really isn't that many genuinely different choices when it comes to stock and finish. Most cards I've seen lately all use the 'Performance Finish'/'Magic Coating', which are the same thing as far as I understand. The stock is usually 'casino grade' which I understand has more than one option obviously.

The idea of the ink making a difference is one I've been considering lately. When I got the Black Arcanes they felt distinctly different to me than the White Arcanes. Slicker. I just assumed I was imagining it, but since that has been often stated by others, I'm beginning to think that the difference people are feeling between cards is really just how much ink is in them, as someone said above me. Sorry, it's on the first page and I'm looking at the second so I don't know who it was.

That being said, judging an entire company by one deck of cards isn't fair at all. If that were the case I would have abandoned Theory11 ages ago since the first deck I got from them was worn out and useless in a fraction of the time my Shadow Masters from E lived.

Different decks offer different feels and design aesthetics. You really do have to try many different ones before you'll find what you like. The Rounders are really nice to me. I also really like the Dealers.
 
I had purchased a deck of Artifice playing cards from Ellusionist and I was sorely disappointed. Since then I have seen some decks there that seemed very elegant and striking, but I am afraid of finding that they are as low quality as the Artifice deck. I love the decks from Theory11 but I always look for new decks. I was wondering what experiences others have had with them and what you would recommend.

That's weird because I've got two bricks of artifice sitting on my shelf right now, and I've used them almost exclusively for the past year or so.

Maybe you got a bad batch? You know sometimes mistakes happen.

I stand behind Artifice. I also like Sentinels too.
 
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
1st of all well said about the future of magic, and you are right I shouldn't judge them that quickly. I will probably get another few decks and see what I think. Thanks everyone for your insight.
 
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
That's weird because I've got two bricks of artifice sitting on my shelf right now, and I've used them almost exclusively for the past year or so.

Maybe you got a bad batch? You know sometimes mistakes happen.

I stand behind Artifice. I also like Sentinels too.

I love Sentinels. They never seem to wear out
 
Aug 30, 2012
232
1
As long as you don't drop them on dirty carpet like I did. Like the design though.

fair enough. However I did end up getting some water damage along the edge of the deck and thought they were ruined. turns out despite the obvious blackening of the cards they still handled like a dream
 
Sep 1, 2007
3,786
15
Personally, I'm not a fan of the "mysterious" vibe that Ellusionist goes for.

I rather like that myself, but that's my thing. And yes, I am a bit biased due to my association with them, but when I was a busker, Ghosts were my favorite cards. Matched my monochromatic outfits and just looked stylish.

If I could be forgiven for a quick digression, I don't really get much of an overall design philosophy from the Theory 11 decks. Yeah, I know that's a nerd thing to say and most of you probably don't give a damn, but that's just how my brain works.

And personally speaking, the Steampunk deck was a colossal disappointment. It's no coincidence that the promos spend more time featuring the box than the actual cards. I love steampunk, and I'm telling you right now that you can't just slap extraneous gears on something and call it steampunk. Steampunk aesthetic is all about the handmade artisanal aesthetic of a bygone centrury, a world that never was. Machines let us glimpse the guts, everything has the look of being handmade, ornamentation is king. The Steampunk deck? The ace of spades has some gears in it. They really dropped the ball on that one.
 

yyyyyyy

Elite Member
Apr 7, 2012
537
12
No, you certainly are not alone in your appreciation for the finer aspects of design. The Steampunk deck wasn't really my cup of tea, but hey. To each is own. I'm sure someone liked it. I feel like Theory 11 tries to emulate the "Classy, luxury" feel and Ellusionist tries to emphasize the magical elements in all of their products. Theory 11 probably appeals to most flourishers due to some of the reasons that ChristopherT mentioned before me. But each site has their own small collection of jewels that make them each stand out. Ellusionist, for me at least, completely kickstarted this whole custom deck arms-race. They have the Ghost decks, the Black Tiger decks, Arcane decks, Shadow masters, Masters decks, I liked all of those.

But in recent times, it appears to me that Ellusionist is taking efforts to try and emulate some of the elements Theory 11 uses with their products. The minimalist designs (LTD), the infinitely less "magical" feel (Executive, Fathom??) and consider that you haven't seen a "gaff" deck from Ellusionist in years. That used to be a big thing for them, but they seem to have completely moved their focus away from another element of magic. I'm also not fond of this rather glamorized focus on gambling (Artifice, Madison's...everything). However, the Artifice decks are awesome. I love the clean cut look of the bordered blue and green decks, the Madison decks have settled nicely with the community as well.

Like any business, Theory 11 has its flops and it has its triumphs. Flops, I wasn't a fan of the Steampunks, the Archangels, the Charity Waters and the Animal Kingdoms. However, the Monarchs, the Sentinels, the Centurions and the Guardians are great decks.

So to each his own, I prefer Theory 11 largely because of the community, the customer service, the Wire and the cardistry. I can acknowledge why one would be attracted to Ellusionist, but Theory 11 feels a bit more personal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results