RADIA, The Spiritual Successor to AURUM by Encarded

[sinjin7]

I collect playing cards by Paul Carpenter because they are awesome.

Agree all you want.

100% here! Anyone who disagrees is a jabroni with a poor opinion of art.

Paul Carpenter is one of the 5 best playing card artists in the world. He only releases 1-2 decks a year and they're always 100% excellent.

The red highlighted portion in this comment is not necessary.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to motivation for collecting or appreciation of art. Everyone is free to express their opinion, but its fruitless to try to impose one's view over someone else's, or to say their view is superior. It's like arguing over what is the best color. However, I do think it can be an interesting discussion where people (in a judgement-free manner) explain their "Why's" and "How's" of collecting and I feel we can find benefits and insights from each other's diverse collecting philosophies. Perhaps someone can start a new thread in the General Discussion section so that we can stop hijacking the RADIA thread.

For me personally, Paul may not in my top 5 custom playing card designers, but I have every one of his decks within my collection of over 1500 sealed decks, so that shows you he ranks pretty high on my list of designers. Sadly, RADIA will not find its way into my collection due to 2 reasons: 1) I just can't find a reason to pay such a high premium for a deck made in China, and 2) I can't trust the quality and consistency of decks coming out of EPCC/LPCC's Chinese factory. This second point is very important to me because I'm one of those collectors who open and use their decks in addition to keeping at least 1 or 2 sealed for the collection. For a Paul Carpenter deck, you know the art will be great as usual, but in RADIA's case, I don't know the quality of the handling will also be great. To Paul's credit, he was explicitly up-front with us about the Chinese printer and indicated this is a deck more for pure collectors, so I appreciate that honest transparency and wish him the best of luck with RADIA.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I collect playing cards by Paul Carpenter because they are awesome.

Agree all you want.

100% here! Anyone who disagrees is a jabroni with a poor opinion of art.

Paul Carpenter is one of the 5 best playing card artists in the world. He only releases 1-2 decks a year and they're always 100% excellent.

The red highlighted portion in this comment is not necessary.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to motivation for collecting or appreciation of art. Everyone is free to express their opinion, but its fruitless to try to impose one's view over someone else's, or to say their view is superior. It's like arguing over what is the best color. However, I do think it can be an interesting discussion where people (in a judgement-free manner) explain their "Why's" and "How's" of collecting and I feel we can find benefits and insights from each other's diverse collecting philosophies. Perhaps someone can start a new thread in the General Discussion section so that we can stop hijacking the RADIA thread.

For me personally, Paul may not in my top 5 custom playing card designers, but I have every one of his decks within my collection of over 1500 sealed decks, so that shows you he ranks pretty high on my list of designers. Sadly, RADIA will not find its way into my collection due to 2 reasons: 1) I just can't find a reason to pay such a high premium for a deck made in China, and 2) I can't trust the quality and consistency of decks coming out of EPCC/LPCC's Chinese factory. This second point is very important to me because I'm one of those collectors who open and use their decks in addition to keeping at least 1 or 2 sealed for the collection. For a Paul Carpenter deck, you know the art will be great as usual, but in RADIA's case, I don't know the quality of the handling will also be great. To Paul's credit, he was explicitly up-front with us about the Chinese printer and indicated this is a deck more for pure collectors, so I appreciate that honest transparency and wish him the best of luck with RADIA.

Sorry, I forgot to use my sarcasm font...

It's the internet, guys. It really doesn't need to be taken this (!) seriously... [MURRAY]

[MagikFingerz]

Sorry, I forgot to use my sarcasm font...

It's the internet, guys. It really doesn't need to be taken this (!) seriously... [MURRAY]

Perhaps especially what someone with your avatar writes

On topic: I will be ready come Saturday. Can't miss a new original Carpenter...

[RichK]

I clicked Encarded's link and it has the deck at $30. Where are people getting this $80 deck price from? Is that another deck I missed being discussed in this thread?

[Encarded]

RichK, I think that was just a theoretical discussion about opening and using expensive decks. There is only one version of Radia at the mkment.

[guru]

I am curious about the reason for going with the factory in China and hope it becomes clear once the deck is released.

[badpete69]

For you non anti chinese printing companies, it is now live

[MagikFingerz]

$15 INT shipping for 1 deck... Ouch.

[Bikefanatic]

I never bought a deck I couldn't see so this may be the first.

[badpete69]

$15 INT shipping for 1 deck... Ouch, Paul.

That's about the price USPS charges.. If you check a 5 ounce package to Norway from US first class it comes up at $13.50. Shipping to Europe prices are crazy

[Encarded]

Postage sucks, for reals. I really do not mark that up much at all and it's calculated off USPS postage, so it just stinks for everyone. Sorry.

About half the available stock has been snapped up in the the first 15 minutes so if this looks interesting you may want to visit the site soonish.

https://encarded.com/products/radia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TGunitedcardists]

Why aren't there more images of the actual cards? Seems like basic and glaring omission.

[Bikefanatic]

Why aren't there more images of the actual cards? Seems like basic and glaring omission.

The description on the site says why they aren't shown.

Just by the corners of the backs, they must be good plus seeing Paul's past work, it shouldn't be bad at all. I took very huge risks in life that went very well so $30+ isn't bad.

[TGunitedcardists]

Why aren't there more images of the actual cards? Seems like basic and glaring omission.

The description on the site says why they aren't shown.

Just by the corners of the backs, they must be good plus seeing Paul's past work, it shouldn't be bad at all. I took very huge risks in life that went very well so $30+ isn't bad.

Yes, but it is a double standard. Maybe it's earned, but it's not customer friendly. If other creators did the same, there would be far more blowback. Myself, I prefer to see some of the product before putting money down.

[Justin O.]

Why aren't there more images of the actual cards? Seems like basic and glaring omission.

The description on the site says why they aren't shown.

Just by the corners of the backs, they must be good plus seeing Paul's past work, it shouldn't be bad at all. I took very huge risks in life that went very well so $30+ isn't bad.

Yes, but it is a double standard. Maybe it's earned, but it's not customer friendly. If other creators did the same, there would be far more blowback. Myself, I prefer to see some of the product before putting money down.

Does it need to be customer friendly? Encarded has earned it's customer base, and it's reputation, and shown with nearly every release that it produces a quality product that nearly universally demands value. You can pretty much guarantee these will be worth the price. A price that seems more than reasonable based on the little bit that you can see of it.
I think Encarded is a safe bet.

[TGunitedcardists]

Does it need to be customer friendly? Encarded has earned it's customer base, and it's reputation, and shown with nearly every release that it produces a quality product that nearly universally demands value. You can pretty much guarantee these will be worth the price. A price that seems more than reasonable based on the little bit that you can see of it.
I think Encarded is a safe bet.

I agree, for the most part. His back designs are fantastic. His court cards aren't always at the same levels as the back designs, of course, individual opinions vary. I like the fact Paul designs, prints and sells. He knows he sells at a premium and creates scarcity etc. It's a model I can't believe Jackson Robinson doesn't do more of (I know, he tried).

However, it's the principle of the matter. In general, the more information, the better, especially when preordering. But, it's his project, he eventually sells out everything he produces, so my opinion isn't the end of the world.

[Encarded]

Going back a few years now, some creators have aimed to release decks at the 52 Plus Joker convention each year, and I promised to fully release Radia there. All will be revealed, but I wanted to allow people to get their preorder in place before the October date of the convention. In some ways, this was an experiment in marketing (partially inspired by my experience with the Tesla Model 3 reservations). Would people preorder something they really haven't seen, because they generally trust the company?

So far, the answer has been yes. Compared to the sales speed of the Black Celestial decks, Radia is selling faster and I greatly value each person that put faith in me. I work really hard to create the most beautiful and (hopefully) valuable cards and I also work hard to take care of all my customers, to pay back for their loyalty. I have no doubt that people will really enjoy Radia, it is quite special and harkens back to one of Encarded's most treasured decks, Aurum. If you appreciate my style and approach, Radia will be right up your alley.

[vasta41]

I would say that Paul is one of the very few card designers that can pull this off. He's earned it. On a side note I was poking around my KS the other day and found out that the original Tendril was the first campaign I ever pledged for! Only $7 a deck back then! Hahaha

[Encarded]

I would say that Paul is one of the very few card designers that can pull this off. He's earned it. On a side note I was poking around my KS the other day and found out that the original Tendril was the first campaign I ever pledged for! Only $7 a deck back then! Hahaha

Original Tendril feels like so long ago. For kicks I did a search on Kickstarter today for all playing card projects and there are 3,495. When I did Tendril, I believe there were 6.

Thanks for joining me on the ride for all these years, and for the kind words.

[Bikefanatic]

I have Chancellor, 52 Plus Joker and Zenith. Aurum looks look so off of those alone, it was good enough to take a chance plus don't recall any problems with Paul in the past. I love when you order decks and they'll be delivered right away so with this one I can wait.

[sms69x]

I bought these mostly because of the hype of it being a tribute or successor of Aurum (which is one of my most prized decks). I really hope that it is up to it, because I'm not a guy who like to buy in the dark. Even worst being it printed in that China factory...
Hope that Paul manages to get out of this situation in class, and deliver a great deck, not only in artwork terms but also quality.

[Encarded]

Based off the samples of this particular process that I have, I think Radia will handle pretty well. It faros nicely and fans quite smoothly, even for my not-all-that-skilled hands. I did compare to my Legal Tender chinese deck (which seems to be a prime example of the "issue") and Radia handles completely different.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZjcNiRHK_P/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

But, as I said, this is really a deck for collectors and I doubt too many kids are going to be ripping these open to practice with.

[sms69x]

But, as I said, this is really a deck for collectors and I doubt too many kids are going to be ripping these open to practice with.

Sorry Paul, but I think this is a very poor excuse... If you're going to do a deck to stay closed, then just do the tuck box and chagre $5 USD instead of $30... I'm counting in opening my deck and test it, so I expect nothing less than perfect handling for a $30 deck (sure someone will point Lotrek decks that are more expensive and handle like crap, but Lotrek decks are very much innovation decks and self-produced, so you can't expect the handling of a professional playing card company - if you can call that China factory such a thing)... otherwise you may very much loose a supporter here...

[vasta41]

But, as I said, this is really a deck for collectors and I doubt too many kids are going to be ripping these open to practice with.

Sorry Paul, but I think this is a very poor excuse... If you're going to do a deck to stay closed, then just do the tuck box and chagre $5 USD instead of $30... I'm counting in opening my deck and test it, so I expect nothing less than perfect handling for a $30 deck (sure someone will point Lotrek decks that are more expensive and handle like crap, but Lotrek decks are very much innovation decks and self-produced, so you can't expect the handling of a professional playing card company - if you can call that China factory such a thing)... otherwise you may very much loose a supporter here...

I don't think we'll all ever agree on this subject but I'm one of those collectors that doesn't open 99% of my decks. For my own reasons. Just like you have your own reasons for opening them. I will not, however, ever by a $5 tuck with nothing inside. To each his own, my friend... you can't force people to share your opinion. For $30 you want a deck that handles perfectly. For $30 I just want a really nice deck. Every single "high end" deck of playing cards doesn't need to be perfect in every single category. Per your example,it would be unreasonable to think anyone is going to be using Lotrek's Liturgy decks for XCM. But on the same token, it would be unreasonable to think anyone is going to nominate Fontaine's as having the most intricate artwork. Different strokes for different folks!

Not to mention Paul's reputation has earned him the benefit of doubt IMO.

[PrincessTrouble]

Another teaser image.

[Justin O.]

But, as I said, this is really a deck for collectors and I doubt too many kids are going to be ripping these open to practice with.

Sorry Paul, but I think this is a very poor excuse... If you're going to do a deck to stay closed, then just do the tuck box and chagre $5 USD instead of $30... I'm counting in opening my deck and test it, so I expect nothing less than perfect handling for a $30 deck (sure someone will point Lotrek decks that are more expensive and handle like crap, but Lotrek decks are very much innovation decks and self-produced, so you can't expect the handling of a professional playing card company - if you can call that China factory such a thing)... otherwise you may very much loose a supporter here...

He wasn't making an excuse. Your perspective is the minority. And besides, $30 isn't expensive for a deck in this community, you've been here long enough to know that. You should be happy when any deck isn't produced by makeplayingcards.com. Even Noir is getting their shit together, and anything over them is quality enough for any half-decent cardist or magician. If you want "perfect" handling, shell out for a JN, and then we can talk about how much you spent to get in the deck's pants.

[sms69x]

To each his own, my friend... you can't force people to share your opinion.

Totally agree, and the same applys to you!

Not to mention Paul's reputation has earned him the benefit of doubt IMO.

Sure, not too long ago the same could be said for another creator... can't recall the name right now... was he Jackson Robinson?? Can't remember..

He wasn't making an excuse. Your perspective is the minority. And besides, $30 isn't expensive for a deck in this community, you've been here long enough to know that. You should be happy when any deck isn't produced by makeplayingcards.com. Even Noir is getting their shit together, and anything over them is quality enough for any half-decent cardist or magician. If you want "perfect" handling, shell out for a JN, and then we can talk about how much you spent to get in the deck's pants.

I'm quite sure my perpesctive is the minority, it seems that people are happy in collecting tuck boxes, and just believe in what's said about the cards. And if you don't open your decks I guess you have to take the word of the creator as true.
And $30 is very expensive for almost any deck. As you said, I've been here for some time so I know that as a fact. As long as people are going to keep their decks sealed, creators can do whatever they want regarding the quality of the cards, since no one is going to handle them, so they can even put some gift shop quality cards inside that you won't complain, and will gladly pay $30, as it is not that expensive!!!
And just to wrap up your JN comment, I'll have to guess that you never handled any JN and thus once again you believe in what's said about them. Although they are very good, they are far from been the best cards out there (IMO), give me an old Bicycle Masters Edition UV500 Air-Flow Finish instead!

So yeah defferent people have different views, and I'm not trying to force my view on anyone, just sharing it because I believe this way we can help this hobby getting better.

As for the RADIA, I still believe $30 is very expensive, at least until this special feature is revealed and what impact will it have on handling of the cards.
If I may guess I would say that this feature will be the back design of the cards will bleed through the sides of the cards, kinda like gilding but with the back design pattern on the sides. Would be cool!

[Justin O.]

I'm quite sure my perpesctive is the minority, it seems that people are happy in collecting tuck boxes, and just believe in what's said about the cards. And if you don't open your decks I guess you have to take the word of the creator as true.
And $30 is very expensive for almost any deck. As you said, I've been here for some time so I know that as a fact. As long as people are going to keep their decks sealed, creators can do whatever they want regarding the quality of the cards, since no one is going to handle them, so they can even put some gift shop quality cards inside that you won't complain, and will gladly pay $30, as it is not that expensive!!!
And just to wrap up your JN comment, I'll have to guess that you never handled any JN and thus once again you believe in what's said about them. Although they are very good, they are far from been the best cards out there (IMO), give me an old Bicycle Masters Edition UV500 Air-Flow Finish instead!
So yeah defferent people have different views, and I'm not trying to force my view on anyone, just sharing it because I believe this way we can help this hobby getting better.
As for the RADIA, I still believe $30 is very expensive, at least until this special feature is revealed and what impact will it have on handling of the cards.
If I may guess I would say that this feature will be the back design of the cards will bleed through the sides of the cards, kinda like gilding but with the back design pattern on the sides. Would be cool!

I can see the card art online, I can see the printer of the deck to know that I like the artwork and respect the quality. I don't have to open them to know these things. And I own Jerry's I can attest to the quality first hand, and they are without a doubt the best handling deck I have ever handled, which says something out of the 400+ open decks I have. I've never tried the Master Edition Bikes, but if there is only one other deck that beats JN handling, that still makes them pretty smurfing spectacular. But I believe it has been said multiple times that this deck is not for you, this is a collector's deck, not a user's deck, and I am confident the $30 features of this deck are not going to make it a good handling deck, they are going to make it a collectible one. An easy pass for you, but a must have for many, whether they open them or not.

[sms69x]

I can see the card art online, I can see the printer of the deck to know that I like the artwork and respect the quality. I don't have to open them to know these things.

You can know all the specs you want from the internet, you can even have an online playing cards collection, you don't need to buy them, just create a portfolio52 account and start collecting playing cards, it's easy and cheap - courtesy of Alex Chin - the rest of the information about the deck you can get from the internet (where you can find true an accurate information about everything).

Sorry for getting out off topic here.
Guess this deck is not for me Afterall it seems to be just for the pure hardcore collector (whatever that may be!)

[vasta41]

To each his own, my friend... you can't force people to share your opinion.

Totally agree, and the same applys to you!

Right, but the difference is that you say things like:

If you're going to do a deck to stay closed, then just do the tuck box and chagre $5 USD instead of $30

...and:

And if you don't open your decks I guess you have to take the word of the creator as true

...and:

so they can even put some gift shop quality cards inside that you won't complain, and will gladly pay $30

...which is more than an opinion, it's projecting. And insulting to our (or at least my) intelligence. You come across as though you're saying we're foolish, too trusting, ignorant collectors which is NOT the case. I don't like to open my cards. But I'm not forcing it down peoples throats or screaming it from the mountain tops and making wild assumptions about the collecting habits of fellow cardists. We get it, dude- you open your cards and you think the people that don't are stupid (I'm paraphrasing). Minority or majority it doesn't matter- you should do what you want with the decks of cards you buy. But don't think for one minute that those of us that don't open decks don't care about what's inside.

And finally, more on topic, in regards to Paul's reputation- I had given JR the benefit of doubt up until last year when he tarnished his reputation. If that happens with Paul or anyone else, they will lose the benefit of doubt just like JR did. So at the end of the day is $30 for a deck of mystery cards a risk? It sure is. But it's a calculated one because not only has Paul never skunked us, he's never even come close.