Stage Size Jumbo Card Deck Bicycle Guardian Deck

Bicycle Centurions

Just over six months ago, theory11 set out to create the next standard in playing card design. Our focus was dual: design and quality. The deck had to be the best of breed in both categories.

On the design front, theory11 teamed up with WA007 - one of the most respected, avant-garde design studios in the nation - and worked side by side tirelessly for weeks. Hundreds of hours were spent tweaking and polishing the design from the ground up. Over 17 rough draft concepts and prototypes were produced. The final result is a mix of modern core structure, contemporary style, and a touch of theory11 signature grunge.

Every element of the deck was designed from the ground up-- the back design, the Ace of Spades, the Joker, and the box design are all new. Even the royal card design was slightly altered in coloration to better fit the vibe of the new deck.

On the production end, theory11 worked hand-in-hand with the US Playing Card Company's research and development team to ensure unsurpassed quality and handling. The result: perfection. The feel of the Bicycle Centurions rivals or exceeds all past decks produced, employing a number of innovations to achieve incomparable strategic result.

The summation of efforts on design, innovation, and quality is a deck that we believe is distinctively the best in class. It feels as good as it looks. So what's more important-- style or quality? Our answer is both.

Video Clip

Review:

Backs: The backs on these cards are amazing. They're sleek, modern, and overall gorgeous. You can see them in the gallery on the Centurions page for yourself. The only con is that the black is a bit faded, so it appears to be more of an incredibly dark grey.

Faces: Bingo. Jackpot. Insert phrase of happiness here. The faces on these cards are great. The reds have been brightened just a tad from the darker reds on the Guardians. The royal cards are all red, grey, black, and white. They look amazing. The Ace of Spades is great, as well. It's the spade you see on the backs, with skulls on the bottom, and little flourishing designs around it.

Now, I really have to single two cards out. The Jokers. They are my favorite cards in the deck. On the upper left corner and the lower right corner is the word JOKER, stretching vertically across the face of the card. On the opposite corners are stars. The main picture is something totally new. Instead of some humanoid figure, there is a shield. Yes, a shield. There are two crossed sword across it, and two more skulls. I am going to be using the Jokers as much as possible.

Handling:

Magic
For magic, these cards are great. They were a little clumpy coming out of the box, but that all but went away. The faces are awesome for color changes, and I can do all of my sleights easily.

Flourishing
As I said, the cards were a bit clumpy, similar to the first edition Guardians, but not as bad. The clumping only lasted for a little while, and now they are great. They hold together fairly well for cuts, and the fanning isn't bad, either. The feel is similar to a deck of Guardians.

Overall: I really love this deck. Now they need to come out with some other colors. I can totally see it now: Red Centurions, Inverse Centurions.

All in all, I have to give this deck a 9.5/10.

Good job Theory 11.

David