Saw the box, thought it was very minimalistic and very nice, saw the Ace and thought hmm that looks alright~
Then hoped the back design wasn't going to be the M all over or like 2 big M logos as the logo is already (the only thing) on the box and on the Ace of Spades... but then it was exactly that...
I am disappoint and agree with forumla ^^^
I feel the playing card market is very very saturated now and decks that are below average are constantly being released - even more so with all these KickStarter campaigns.
But that's just my opinion of course.
Side Note:- I'm happy that T11 haven't done what other companies have (yet?...) order a brick of X and get this 'rare' (but not really) different colour X.
Really, really happy with the way these turned out. While the style may not suit everyone's tastes (to each his own), they're really beautiful and remarkably elegant in person. The linen finish of the box, mixed with the silver foil emblem - really makes them pop. They look like what a wedding invitation would look like for a prince. Or in Madison's case, a prince of darkness. Haha - they're great.
I don't feel these or any decks that theory11 has put our stamp of approval on are in any way "average." Our goal is not to meet any standards, but to consistently raise the bar for the what those standards are. For that reason, it's pretty often we see decks come and go that borrow characteristics of our own, printing techniques - but style and quality are impossible to replicate.
To that end, we have and will continue to work with truly world class artists - from Shepard Fairey to Curtis Jinkins to Hatch and JAQK Cellars. I think that recent additions of theory11 decks into the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) and Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCa) this month are a testament to that high level of detail and pursuit of perfection.
We have about 90 days left in 2012 - that's about three months. Three new decks will be unveiled, and they're without a doubt our best work yet. Each has a TOTALLY different style, vibe, and characteristics. And to go along with them - some insane new magic and cardistry that will end this year with a bang.