Guardian Deck by Theory11 Review

[Alex Hess]

Hello!

First off, I would like to thank everyone for reading my review. You can count on me to be brutally honest. I am not going to powder coat anything! So sit back and enjoy!

As soon as the decks arrived I went and washed my hands. As I started to remove the plastic wrap I noticed the box was made out of a different material then all the other *********** decks. Its almost as if they forgot to add a high-gloss coat onto the box. However it actually makes the box nicer, not having that coating. Gives the box a better feeling to it.

Now onto the cards! As I removed them out of the box I had high expectations. I removed the Theory11 advertisement card and quickly did some XCM. I did the molecule and a few other flourishes. Shuffled it a few times and went on. I did this for roughly one hour to get the full gist of the cards.

The 2nd edition seems to fan pretty nicely. Nice smooth finish also. After an hour of playing with them, I examined them singly. I took out the Ace of Spades and the 2 of diamonds. I scrutinized the backs and the fronts.

The back design is very detailed, but it seems that they where not printed off as clear as possible. So it gives it a "sketch type" look to it. Not sure if that is what Theory11 was trying to go for, but they did it.

After careful examination of the design itself, I felt the thickness. It was horrible! This may be one of the only drawbacks of this deck. The thickness just won't cut it. It seems as if it is actually thinner then the regular Bicycle backs. They are very flimsy. I was not impressed with this. Makes flick-changes and other tricks very difficult. Tends to bend much more easily. The "Air-Cushion Finish" that they have been gloating about also seems to be flawed. It is almost "too" slick. It has a plastic style texture that is less than desirable.

All in all I would rate this deck a 7.5 out of 10.




Here are some Hi-Res pictures I took.

http://i22.tinypic.com/n6yer5.jpg
http://i24.tinypic.com/33u93xj.jpg
http://i20.tinypic.com/264ryw0.jpg
http://i22.tinypic.com/25pibky.jpg
http://i22.tinypic.com/4fwvo7.jpg
http://i24.tinypic.com/sv511z.jpg

[BarzI]

i need to get one deck in soon...
its a very beautiful deck

[Frab]

Dude, Thanks for this post, I wasn't sure about whether or not to buy the Guardian Deck but now I'm buying 2!

[Brandon Pomeroy]

Meh. I don't think that I'm going to get this deck. I have had experience with flimsy cards, and I don't like it.
Great review though, Exo!

[corduroy82]

As you guys may know, I dispised the first edition.

1. they dont fan.. at all.
2. the white borders- although a neat idea, kind of made the cards look a bit toyish. if you know what i mean. they didnt look like a pro would use them. of course im just judging - im sure they would be fine if your presentation was good.
3. they were thin- and they werent going for the *********** thick stock kind of cards.

the second edition...

just opened them- and immediately fanned them. and presto! perfect fan. I couldn't believe it. I did a fan a few more times- and without fail - a good thumb fan. so, there you go. If you want a decent deck that fans, guardians fit the role.

If you are looking for thicker stock, these are not for you. Theory11 said they completely revolutionized the second edition- experimenting with different finishes and stocks and paper, and no one else has this combo. Well, I got to be honest- they feel thin, they seem to have the air cushion finish- just like the regular bikes. I think thats why *********** goes out of their way to make such thick, unusual cards- so that theres no way anyone can mistake them as ordinary cards. I believe theory 11 took regular bikes, and put a new design to them. which is ok.

If you have the first edition - and the second edition - unopened... how will you know which box is which? the first edition has a "11" logo on the bottom flap thats darker.. slightly. other than that, i dont see any difference at all! Theory 11 went on and on how there were so many differences. blah. i dont think so.

Regular bikes fan great. These also fan great. They are thin - which some people do prefer. They feel rough around the edges when you first pull them out, just like regular cards. If you are looking for a change of pace- try the theory 11 guardians. MAKE SURE THEY ARE THE 2nd EDITION! Especially if you buy on ebay. i would hate for people on here to get screwed.

[abc123mpc]

hmmm

look good but I don't like the ace of spades.

I might buy a box just to add to the collection

[zappy]

I really like its dark colour. Must buy I new deck myself

[Magicman]

I think the *********** decks look and feel better than the guardians. The back design looks more of a sketch (like a photo printed on the card) and not printed like the usual bikes (a more professional look) . I didn't like the card stock also.

[AndyP]

Are they like the Master Deck in terms of quality? That might explain the thickness

[thha]

great , i was looking for some thinner cards for better palming

[sp0rk]

Does the 2nd edition have theory 11 logo at the bottom of the box?

[HeTaL]

Originally Posted by sp0rk

Does the 2nd edition have theory 11 logo at the bottom of the box?

Yes it does.

[Charnel]

Something else I like about this deck - a small thing - but the jokers are identical. I have a number of tricks where this is preferred so it saves needing to raid a second deck to get the second joker ;-)

[xnonfactor]

I am looking forward to picking a deck of these up. I have read some really good things about these cards. Theory11 is fast becoming one of my favorite places to visit.

[weimin]

The back is beautiful however the cards handling sucks for me , i will stick to shadow masters.