I agree. Monarchs are very nice. I find the red deck more subtle to spectators, but I rarely have people even notice, and when they do, they just say nice cards. I have to say though, the Gold Monarchs are amazing. I wish I could buy them bulk. I think I would change exclusively to them for my gigs if they were affordable. The only other custom deck I've used for gigs were the stingers, which were really nice and classy. For the most part I destroy a deck of cards each gig now. For casual performance with friends, no one thinks twice.