Theory 11: Propaganda Deck
Where to buy: http://www.theory11.com/playingcards/ (check for availability)
Price: $4.95
For more information about my reviewing methods and a list of other reviews: http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?26851-Deck-Review-Template
If you are interested in my Buyers guide check out this link: http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?30984-Playing-Card-Buyers-Guide
Video Review Suppliment: Includes Follow-up on my "practice ACR." http://vimeo.com/19880384
Initial Impressions:
With a Khaki and Black back and military imagery this deck manages to play to the modern look many of the “Young Turks” of the card world look for and yet pay a bit of homage to the old military identification decks at the same time. This deck manages to fan a tad better than its T-11 brother decks(Centurions and Guardians) yet it doesn’t seem to fair much worse for magical applications. Though comparisons with its T-11 brother decks seems like splitting hairs, there does seem to be something about how these handle that may explain why it has become the favorite of those decks by long time T-11 buyers. Having just reviewed the Bulldog Squeezers I can say that the two decks handle very similarly. Both decks feel like high quality versions of a Tally-Ho deck.
The Look:
Black silhouettes of airplanes, bombs, grenades, and gas masks etch out an interesting two way Pattern on the Khaki back of this deck. I quite like it actually though I can understand why many would not. It does kind of remind me of the military vehicle identification cards I used to buy for cheap at the army navy store. The Ace of Spades fits the decks motif with tha spade pip being surrounded by barbed wire. The Jokers are no exception. The gas mask replaces the traditional Joker and on the left pip is “Joker” and the right is a grenade. Included in the deck is a Theory Eleven ad card and a double back card along with the two Jokers. The red ink used in the deck is a deeper, almost maroon, red which is also used in the T-11 Bee Stingers. The court cards are traditional sketch art though the coloring scheme, in keeping with the rest of the deck, is much more subdued. Out are the usual yellows and blues and only the maroon, a silver-grey, and black are used. Overall I find it to be one of the best designs of modern wave of custom decks. This one is cool enough to appeal to the young crowd of magicians and flourishers but the Khaki colors are mellow enough not to draw unwarranted attention to the deck. You could certainly perform with this deck without being accused of using a “trick” deck.
Card Construction:
At a little over 15mm this one is just about the size of a Tally Ho deck(a few cards thinner than a Bike 808). The stiffness of the stock is about the same as the Tally-Ho stock as well(just a bit stiffer than an 808). Like the Bulldog Squeezer this deck feels like just what can be accomplished when you run Tally stock off of a high grade press with high quality controls. There are a few differences in feel with the Ohio Bulldogs. While both have very smooth edges the Bulldogs seemed to have an edge in faroing while the Propagandas seemed a bit more secure in doubling techniques.
Handling:
For magic applications this one “felt” the most secure of the T-11 decks in the OOB review.
Fanning: OOB: 9.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
Excellent fanning on this one, as with all the T-11 decks.
Spring Energy: OOB: 7.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
If you have felt the stiffness and pop on a Tally-Ho you will know what to expect here.
Dribble: OOB: 9.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
It took me about a week to “break in the dribbling on a Tally-ho but these feel like butter out of the box.
Crimp Hold/Recovery: OOB:7 Hold/ 6 Recovery
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
The worst recovery of a crimp from any of the T-11 decks. I’m not positive that is a bad sign. The Bulldogs felt this way in the OOB review as well but they managed to make it a full month. The cut on the Bulldogs seemed to give it a slight edge on in various shuffling techniques, which in turn led to a situation in which it didn’t crimp in the first place. The Propagandas shuffle nice but not quite as well as the Bulldogs so we will see how this develops.
Single Card Glides: OOB: 7
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
Performance about the same as a Bike 808.
2+ Card Obfuscations: OOB: 7.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
The extra stiffness give this deck a slight advantage on spin techniques and one handed DLs but other than that it is about on par with the 808.
Gaff construction and availability: Double backer included with deck. Everything else will need to be homemade.
XCM Flourishing: Being slightly stiffer and fanning slightly better than the 808 it will slightly better deck(performance wise) for all styles of XCM.
Who Should Buy?: Republicans, Dirty grunge kid XCMers, …and anyone else who like the look and like cards on the Tally-ho stock.
Who should not buy:
Dirty Hippy XCMers and other assorted muffin huggers who can’t stand military imagery and fear being labeled as a supporter of the military industrial complex.
Final thoughts:
Very encouraging opening round of tests for this deck. By the numbers other decks in the Theory Eleven line up may have scored a bit higher but there is something about these cards. It is probably because they feel so much like my beloved Bulldogs but it also could be that they have a certain “rough around the edges” panache to them. I definitely look forward to the Review for these. Latest from T-11 is that these went out of stock. They will be rereleased but whether there will be changes to them remains to be seen.
Where to buy: http://www.theory11.com/playingcards/ (check for availability)
Price: $4.95
For more information about my reviewing methods and a list of other reviews: http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?26851-Deck-Review-Template
If you are interested in my Buyers guide check out this link: http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?30984-Playing-Card-Buyers-Guide
Video Review Suppliment: Includes Follow-up on my "practice ACR." http://vimeo.com/19880384
Initial Impressions:
With a Khaki and Black back and military imagery this deck manages to play to the modern look many of the “Young Turks” of the card world look for and yet pay a bit of homage to the old military identification decks at the same time. This deck manages to fan a tad better than its T-11 brother decks(Centurions and Guardians) yet it doesn’t seem to fair much worse for magical applications. Though comparisons with its T-11 brother decks seems like splitting hairs, there does seem to be something about how these handle that may explain why it has become the favorite of those decks by long time T-11 buyers. Having just reviewed the Bulldog Squeezers I can say that the two decks handle very similarly. Both decks feel like high quality versions of a Tally-Ho deck.
The Look:
Black silhouettes of airplanes, bombs, grenades, and gas masks etch out an interesting two way Pattern on the Khaki back of this deck. I quite like it actually though I can understand why many would not. It does kind of remind me of the military vehicle identification cards I used to buy for cheap at the army navy store. The Ace of Spades fits the decks motif with tha spade pip being surrounded by barbed wire. The Jokers are no exception. The gas mask replaces the traditional Joker and on the left pip is “Joker” and the right is a grenade. Included in the deck is a Theory Eleven ad card and a double back card along with the two Jokers. The red ink used in the deck is a deeper, almost maroon, red which is also used in the T-11 Bee Stingers. The court cards are traditional sketch art though the coloring scheme, in keeping with the rest of the deck, is much more subdued. Out are the usual yellows and blues and only the maroon, a silver-grey, and black are used. Overall I find it to be one of the best designs of modern wave of custom decks. This one is cool enough to appeal to the young crowd of magicians and flourishers but the Khaki colors are mellow enough not to draw unwarranted attention to the deck. You could certainly perform with this deck without being accused of using a “trick” deck.
Card Construction:
At a little over 15mm this one is just about the size of a Tally Ho deck(a few cards thinner than a Bike 808). The stiffness of the stock is about the same as the Tally-Ho stock as well(just a bit stiffer than an 808). Like the Bulldog Squeezer this deck feels like just what can be accomplished when you run Tally stock off of a high grade press with high quality controls. There are a few differences in feel with the Ohio Bulldogs. While both have very smooth edges the Bulldogs seemed to have an edge in faroing while the Propagandas seemed a bit more secure in doubling techniques.
Handling:
For magic applications this one “felt” the most secure of the T-11 decks in the OOB review.
Fanning: OOB: 9.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
Excellent fanning on this one, as with all the T-11 decks.
Spring Energy: OOB: 7.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
If you have felt the stiffness and pop on a Tally-Ho you will know what to expect here.
Dribble: OOB: 9.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
It took me about a week to “break in the dribbling on a Tally-ho but these feel like butter out of the box.
Crimp Hold/Recovery: OOB:7 Hold/ 6 Recovery
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
The worst recovery of a crimp from any of the T-11 decks. I’m not positive that is a bad sign. The Bulldogs felt this way in the OOB review as well but they managed to make it a full month. The cut on the Bulldogs seemed to give it a slight edge on in various shuffling techniques, which in turn led to a situation in which it didn’t crimp in the first place. The Propagandas shuffle nice but not quite as well as the Bulldogs so we will see how this develops.
Single Card Glides: OOB: 7
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
Performance about the same as a Bike 808.
2+ Card Obfuscations: OOB: 7.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
The extra stiffness give this deck a slight advantage on spin techniques and one handed DLs but other than that it is about on par with the 808.
Gaff construction and availability: Double backer included with deck. Everything else will need to be homemade.
XCM Flourishing: Being slightly stiffer and fanning slightly better than the 808 it will slightly better deck(performance wise) for all styles of XCM.
Who Should Buy?: Republicans, Dirty grunge kid XCMers, …and anyone else who like the look and like cards on the Tally-ho stock.
Who should not buy:
Dirty Hippy XCMers and other assorted muffin huggers who can’t stand military imagery and fear being labeled as a supporter of the military industrial complex.
Final thoughts:
Very encouraging opening round of tests for this deck. By the numbers other decks in the Theory Eleven line up may have scored a bit higher but there is something about these cards. It is probably because they feel so much like my beloved Bulldogs but it also could be that they have a certain “rough around the edges” panache to them. I definitely look forward to the Review for these. Latest from T-11 is that these went out of stock. They will be rereleased but whether there will be changes to them remains to be seen.
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