CHAO – Dynasties of China, by MPC

[Azid]

Just launched:

[Räpylätassu]

MPC makes their own custom deck - I did not see that one coming.

I do like the design, reminds me of Kings of India.

[vasta41]

Wow, I really like these. The only thing I don't really like is the back but it's passable. $25 shipped for both decks isn't the worst but it's enough to make me stop and think. I'm on the fence now but will probably opt in at the end.

[alric]

I think the courts look great, and the back design fits the theme. What I can't get past is MPC. For that quality, I wouldn't even pay half as much for this deck. It's too bad they didn't go with USPCC, EPCC, or Carta Mundi. I'm gonna pass.

[RichK]

Why just a color swap though? Don't like that. And they're made in China so who knows the quality. Makes sense because of the theme but still. I'll pass.

[flyers3003]

What I can't get past is MPC. For that quality, I wouldn't even pay half as much for this deck. It's too bad they didn't go with USPCC, EPCC, or Carta Mundi.

The creator is MPC.

[Azid]

Backed this project and i'm curious how the final deck turns out. Especially the handling of the cards.
At their project page they say:
We broke down the elements that make a great deck of cards and re-engineered it in its entirety from card stock finishing to varnishing used. The card stock is a new much lighter card stock which was specifically developed to obtain a perfect balance between the softness and stiffness needed to excel in performance such as for cardistry, magic tricks and handling. The new varnishing was a monumental part to this project which has been in development over the past 2 years. It took longer than we wanted but it was completely worth the time and investment. The outcome is truly exceptional. I guess you will have to try it to feel the unique difference of this newly engineered deck.
I know we have heard thing like that a few hundred times but it's MPC itself who says that, maybe they have something good here, we will see. 2 years ago no one thought that Cartamundi can print decks that come close to USPCC.

[PipChick]

I do like the design, reminds me of Kings of India.

My initial thoughts exactly! I love the Kings of India deck and with these giving me the same feel of that design, I'm most definitely interested

The design of the back on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired buuttt... with the theme, I suppose it's appropriate - still tho, meh

I do agree that the price seems a bit steep considering that they're printing 12k (!!!) of each edition and that editions are only a back & tuck color swap - with such a great design, that's a super lame cop out IMO.

Needless to say, I'm also on the fence on this one - there's lots to love, but also lots that could be improved upon too. Until then, it'll stay on my radar lol

[sinjin7]

These are some of the best courts I've seen on an Asian themed deck. The back design is OK, but given the excellence of the courts, they look a bit like an afterthought. I just hate it when I see excellent design wasted by a sub-standard printer like MPC or NPCC. I can't trust the consistency of quality from China, not after what we've seen from EPCC/LPCC, and I don't have any expectations that MPC will do any better. Maybe if I hear the quality is good, I'll pick some up after the KS campaign - there should be plenty available if 24,000 of these decks get printed.

[guru]

These are some good looking courts. I am in.

I am also curious to see what they have done with the varnish and embossing. I remember MPC charging $6+ for shipping when I used to get prototypes printed from them. For 2 decks, it was close to $7-$8.5 as shipping from Hong Kong.

In essence, the deck's cost on Kickstarter is $7-$9 if we do the math using the numbers above. I don't think you will get these decks at the same price post Kickstarter. Price incl. shipping is going to be high post KS. Print run is ,indeed, high and the price per deck could have been a dollar or two less but I am not seeing this a reason to complain.

[Bradius]

This is a deck that just doesn’t interest me, but I am glad others are backing it. Another time I guess.

[Eric Lee]

I'm in. Already got Kings of India, backed Japan, so should go for China to make up the Asian Empire set.

Actually, I'm also curious to find out just how much MPC has improved their cards and if they can live up the their claim of:

"We broke down the elements that make a great deck of cards and re-engineered it in its entirety from card stock finishing to varnishing used. The card stock is a new much lighter card stock which was specifically developed to obtain a perfect balance between the softness and stiffness needed to excel in performance such as for cardistry, magic tricks and handling. The new varnishing was a monumental part to this project which has been in development over the past 2 years. It took longer than we wanted but it was completely worth the time and investment. The outcome is truly exceptional. I guess you will have to try it to feel the unique difference of this newly engineered deck"

Not expecting Cartamundi B9 stock, but hopefully this will help MPC close the gap. MPC's Cardinal Impressions was the 2nd deck I backed and 1st I received. That started getting me into the addic... errr hobby.

Plus USD25 for 2 decks and free worldwide shipping? That's a great bargain as it brings it down to $8-9 per deck. Pity nothing different between the 2 colours.

[MagikFingerz]

This is a deck that just doesn’t interest me, but I am glad others are backing it. Another time I guess.

Same here. This type of court cards doesn't do anything for me, to be honest. I guess the art style just isn't my cup of tea.

[ICantShuffle]

I'm in for two decks.

I'm skeptical, but I like the artwork. I actually do like the back, too. It's understated, I think, which makes it seem kind of like cards you would see at a nice hotel in the lobby.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I'll jump into this convo. I love the tuck boxes. I love everything about the back design other than the abuse of the Greek Key design in the middle. That begs the question, though, of why the Greek Key is the main design focus of the back when this is a Chinese deck..? I like the court designs, but hate the lack of color. The aces are all very nice. It would be interesting, to me, to get these for the exploration of MPC's new stock and finish. I'm on the fence.

[ICantShuffle]

TwoPiece,

The "greek key" you're referring to is found in a lot of traditional Chinese art, many surviving bronze relics of the Shang dynasty (prior to 1000 BCE) also feature these patterns prominently and are often present in more modern Chinese cultural works. For example, geometric meanders similar to those found in Greece are commonly found on decorative lintels and posts in traditional Chinese architecture. That geometric pattern probably originated from populations of humans that existed pre-Hellenic, as we see other examples of geometric meanders in yet again older civilizations in the middle and near-East.

That explains why it features prominently in the design.

[Adonael]

I'll be on the fence until the 48 hour reminder, being printed by MPC isn't great, but it is cheaper than most projects in the last couple years for me which does somewhat make up for that. I'd likely go for blue, the red used just seems too bright to me going by the pictures/video, I feel like it should be deeper/richer. I also have the Kings of India deck which I quite like.

[KT52]

Tuck boxes look good and it what drew me in initially. I see that they are trying to make the court cards stay somewhat faithful to the standard faces with their poses. And although they seem authentic compared to Chinese story books I read as a kid, I don't particularly like the design. What I want to see is Lotrek's version of this theme (perhaps arabesque has just given me some unrealistic standards). Finally, MPC will need to prove themselves before I jump in.

[theCapraAegagrus]

TwoPiece,

The "greek key" you're referring to is found in a lot of traditional Chinese art, many surviving bronze relics of the Shang dynasty (prior to 1000 BCE) also feature these patterns prominently and are often present in more modern Chinese cultural works. For example, geometric meanders similar to those found in Greece are commonly found on decorative lintels and posts in traditional Chinese architecture. That geometric pattern probably originated from populations of humans that existed pre-Hellenic, as we see other examples of geometric meanders in yet again older civilizations in the middle and near-East.

That explains why it features prominently in the design.

I don't know jack-all about Chinese art, so thank you. I still don't like the abuse of this pattern on the back design, despite it making sense now.

[Cbkimble]

Maybe it's the lack of color but this deck just doesnt interest me at all. The artwork is nice but I don't see it as a must have deck.

[rousselle]

Sometimes, I pick up a deck because of the experimentation in the technology rather than in design. While I thought this design looked good, I would have preferred more color, and so I was really on the fence with this. The price was a little high for a deck that is being produced in such large quantities and that is, really an experiment in varnish. But, what the heck. I went in.

Well, my decks arrived today. And, I have to say that... this is the best handling MPC deck I've ever gotten my mitts on. After a few tries, I was able to get these to fan perfectly, and the slipperiness was obvious when I set down the deck and the top card or two wanted to slide off the pack. Also, I gave it the sniff test (literally; this is something I do with decks ever since early EPCC decks made it clear how important the outgassing can be), and I gotta say... while these don't smell as sweet as USPCC, they don't smell bad at all (unlike early EPCC or the China shop that EPCC has been using lately.)

I've only opened one pack so far, and I plan to keep it that way for a little while, but I'm going to add this one into my rotation of cards that my kids and I use for our bedtime routine of card games, and report back a little later on how well the cards spring and snap and hold up after some game play.

That said, Jackson, if you're reading this, if you decide to produce more decks with MPC for your Shorts Subscription, allow me to strongly urge that you ask them for the finish that they used for Chao (if it's available in the quantities you're printing.) Because, really, this isn't just the best that MPC has done... it's downright actually acceptable. (At least, that's my preliminary verdict!)

[JuFiN]

So I finally got these decks, I mostly backed to check out MPC's new finish and the card quality and i have to say I'm impressed.

Fan beautifully right out of the box, Faro shuffle evenly, just feel good. Not quite to the level of USPCC or Cartamundi but not that far behind either, a little more stiff than those cards but MPC being the printer will not necessarily be a reason to not back a deck on kickstarter anymore! That said they of course offer other finishes that are not nearly as good but if people are using this finish (Says Linen Air on the tucks) I would not consider that a negative when considering whether or not to buy.

[Eric Lee]

Looking forward to get my deck as well after 2 positive reviews. Glad to see MPC up their game after Cartamundi's big push. Now to see if NPCC has/will also up their game to improve their product. Pretty sad that Roman doesn't come around here anymore. He was active to the point where he use to donate prizes as well for the UC deck of the year. Hope he'll come around like JR did and contribute.

[Adonael]

The price was a little high

I literally was only able to back because they were the cheapest decks I've seen in years! Something is high alright, but I think it's you!

I received mine, and I was definitely blown away by the change in handling and how slippery they are. I have a prototype deck from them and it's like day and night difference, the tuck isn't bad either, colour me impressed.

[guru]

Good that I picked it up. Far better handling than their last few decks, I am impressed.

[Eric Lee]

Got mine last week. Been going through the decks over the weekend. MPC has definitely upped their game with this finish. They're finally catching/caught up to EPCC/LPCC and can start pushing the other 2 if they can keep their prices low for this stock and finish. NPCC will need to respond to this if they don't want to get left behind.

2018: the year of upping the game!

[Azid]

Green Edition now live @ Kickstarter:

[cardcollector70]

This is a really awesome deck. Not kidding. Handles great. MPC has really upped their game with the Chao. at first, I was skeptical, too, but after getting them in my hands, I must admit all their claims are true. I ended up ordering more from their site, post-KS.

And the design is just gorgeous, mainly because of the historical and cultural references. You can say what you want about MPC, but their customer service is top-notch. definitely backing the Jade Edition.

[Azid]

This is a really awesome deck. Not kidding. Handles great. MPC has really upped their game with the Chao. at first, I was skeptical, too, but after getting them in my hands, I must admit all their claims are true. I ended up ordering more from their site, post-KS.

And the design is just gorgeous, mainly because of the historical and cultural references. You can say what you want about MPC, but their customer service is top-notch. definitely backing the Jade Edition.

Same here, MPC really upped their quality since the red & blue Chao deck! Maybe i'm wrong but somehow i feel an improvement at the MPC Beta One Deck against the Chao decks

[BaconWise]

After handling the 2019 NPCCD set, I am much more interested to see what mpc is up to lately. Very impressive!