If you want a durable deck a plastic deck can't be beaten, but it will handle terribly with a lot of sleight of hand.
For fans and most flourishes, you need either an air cushion finish or a smooth finish.
Some sleights look better when performed with a borderless deck like Bees (false deals) some sleights look better with bordered cards (reversals).
The stocks and cut of the deck can affect some sleights but its mostly personal preference. Traditionally cut cards drive me nuts unless I am working on a specific type of faro shuffle. There's standard card stock as well as casino stock, casino stock is supposed to be thicker and more durable. Either of these stocks can be crushed to be made more pliable.
My recommendation is to get a few boxes of Bicycle cards. If you're curious get a couple of decks of Bee or possibly a plastic deck. You'll probably be comfortable with Bicycle cards.