This subject came up on another forum today. This is what I posted there:
~ The art on the deck is amazing. From the Edward Gorey-ish design on the face cards to the Tim Burton-esque design touches on the pips (I love all the little curls and flourishes on the numbered cards), it's very well designed. The red on the backs makes for outstanding contrast.
~ As for using them for magical purposes, the deck feels a little worse than E's 1800 decks. Because the art is so good, I'd wager the deck was printed from the press that can't handle the better finish. In other words, this deck won't fan very well -- not even fresh out of the box. But the back bleed is the same color as the face bleed (border on back is the same color as the face), so reversed cards in the deck are not a problem. The stock is not great, either; it's flimsy and thin. I was greatly disappointed in how the deck performed during basic sleights.
~ The claim of UV sensitivity is likely due to splashes of white on the face cards. They react to black lights as normally as any other white thing.
Far be it from me to tell you that the deck won't work for your performance. You might be able to do fascinating things with it. However, the deck is a lot more like Bizzaro and a lot less like Barry and Stuart. While the art is incredible and will get much appreciation from spectators, the performance limitations of the deck should give card workers cause for serious concern. Someone wishing for a "darker" deck may be better served by Shadow Masters or T11's Centurions.
