When reading reviews, the average forum browser should always be aware of context, balance and bias. It's hard to trust a review filled with nothing but florid praise or awful slams. It's also difficult to know how reliable the review is, based on the experience of the writer. So let me give you some caveats: I'm a longtime magician, but only with self-working tricks and gaffs. I never seriously studied sleight of hand until about two years ago. I know three or four flourishes and can do one of them really well. I am an E fanboy who thinks that Ghosts are the best cards ever made.
All that should make this sentence stand out: Centurions are fast becoming some of my favorite cards.
The deck is T11's second foray into a custom deck, and is a worthy successor to Guardians. The black back's design is chiseled and not as grainy, the cards perform better and are more durable. They are a shade thicker than Ghosts, about a card thicker than brown Wynns, thinner than Guardians and the same size as Masters.
Several design features of the deck will be appreciated by magicians who know how to use them, including a somewhat subtle, one-way back and a double-backed card. The unique back and red-gray-black color scheme of the face cards bring a different look to a traditional deck of cards, which impresses the one or two rare audience members who are more observant about cards. Plus, I've always appreciated T11's take on a black deck.
Because my cherished Ghosts were threatened, I was a little harder on the Centurions. I tested them for a much longer period than decks I have reviewed in the past. Results: Their finish came in second place to the UV 500 on the Ghosts, which fan better for longer. But the finish is the highest quality of any T11 deck I've used. Tricks such as Aaron Fisher's covered backslip force, David Kong's Mercury and Danny Garcia's Fallen are easily facilitated with this deck (those who know will know why). And the Centurions outperformed Ghosts on a humid afternoon by keeping their snap, resisting clumps and recovering from bends (Centurions aren't indestructible: Of course they suffered in the humidity).
My only disappointments are with some design foibles. The jokers look like they received more design attention than the ace of spades. The gray-scale gradients are grainier than Ghosts. And a deck designed for magicians should have more magic-related features, such as a joker-reveal or a trick box. If it wasn't for the deck's performance and Baroque-Civil War design, this would be a plain-jane deck with nothing to offer magicians
Thank goodness it's not, however. The Centurions perform better than they look. While cardists may struggle with the slick backs, magicians will pick them up and command them with ease.
All that should make this sentence stand out: Centurions are fast becoming some of my favorite cards.
The deck is T11's second foray into a custom deck, and is a worthy successor to Guardians. The black back's design is chiseled and not as grainy, the cards perform better and are more durable. They are a shade thicker than Ghosts, about a card thicker than brown Wynns, thinner than Guardians and the same size as Masters.
Several design features of the deck will be appreciated by magicians who know how to use them, including a somewhat subtle, one-way back and a double-backed card. The unique back and red-gray-black color scheme of the face cards bring a different look to a traditional deck of cards, which impresses the one or two rare audience members who are more observant about cards. Plus, I've always appreciated T11's take on a black deck.
Because my cherished Ghosts were threatened, I was a little harder on the Centurions. I tested them for a much longer period than decks I have reviewed in the past. Results: Their finish came in second place to the UV 500 on the Ghosts, which fan better for longer. But the finish is the highest quality of any T11 deck I've used. Tricks such as Aaron Fisher's covered backslip force, David Kong's Mercury and Danny Garcia's Fallen are easily facilitated with this deck (those who know will know why). And the Centurions outperformed Ghosts on a humid afternoon by keeping their snap, resisting clumps and recovering from bends (Centurions aren't indestructible: Of course they suffered in the humidity).
My only disappointments are with some design foibles. The jokers look like they received more design attention than the ace of spades. The gray-scale gradients are grainier than Ghosts. And a deck designed for magicians should have more magic-related features, such as a joker-reveal or a trick box. If it wasn't for the deck's performance and Baroque-Civil War design, this would be a plain-jane deck with nothing to offer magicians
Thank goodness it's not, however. The Centurions perform better than they look. While cardists may struggle with the slick backs, magicians will pick them up and command them with ease.
Last edited by a moderator:
Glad to know you have some credibility behind your words.
