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I'll add to what Alex said that apart from the sheen, hot stamping is actually 3D. The pressure applied creates a second level to the paper and this gives beautiful results when you change the angle of the card in the light. Cold foil has also zero challenge in printing.

However, from the pictures shown here I don't think that RADIA was printrd with that technique. I'm 99% sure that the sheets were laminated on the back with a very thin sheet of silver plastic material and then they were printed with UV inks. It's not foil and it's not cold foil either.
It could have worked but seems that the added material (sheet + glue) makes it a no.

So, just a quick data point here:

I opened one of my decks as soon as I received it. Fanned it, looked through it, admired it, put it back in its tuck and set it on a pile of decks. Took it back out a few times, fanned it, took really close looks at the backs and the faces, put it back in the tuck, and put the deck back on the pile. Never played with them or shuffled them (although, I suppose I should), so take that for what it's worth. Other than the fact that the cards are in the tuck, there is no other real protection against the seasonal changes in the air here.

My house is not climate controlled. I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US, famous for its rainy season, less well known for its (admittedly shorter) dry season, and otherwise enjoying very moderate temperatures.

Inspired by this thread, I went back to the pile, picked up the deck, opened it up, and...

No bowing at all. The cards are completely fine. They are flat. They fan the same as I remember. They still look good; the faces continue to be quite appealing and clever while the backs continue to be... good, but not as awesome as we had all hoped.

This experience doesn't refute reports of bad experience, it's just to say that the bad experiences do not yet appear to be universal.

Two more observations from me, although I'll note that I continue to read this (and related) threads with interest and with an open mind, and am certainly open to persuasion:

1) Like many, I had hoped Radia would knock my socks off, and, instead, it was just... good. And, I'm fine with that. Paul's work on previous decks has somehow always pleasantly surprised me. Zenith, Chancellor, Celestial, his 52+Joker deck, and even his "standard" deck all exceeded my expectations, and I was expecting pretty decent decks in each case. Paul is a master of subtlety in a way that really works for me. Radia didn't quite seal the deal the way those others did, but I'm okay with that. Not every designer is going to hit it out of the park every single time for a given collector. He keeps trying new things, and I applaud that. All things being equal, and if the price point is appropriate, I'd be inclined to give his next project the benefit of the doubt.

2) Even so, I acknowledge that his approach to "customer service," for lack of a better phrase, appears to be lacking of late, and it does play a role in how I make my decisions about which decks to buy and which projects to back. I have had pleasant interactions with Paul in the past, and i hope he comes back into the proverbial fold because I sincerely believe he contributes to our hobby. But, yeah... the reports of his current indifference toward backers/customers are not encouraging.

Bumping this thread due to the recent Priory thread and not being aware of the issues that happened around Radia (I was on a bit of a sabbatical from collecting and UC when Radia was released and it's not a deck I own or was that aware of).

I read the whole thread from start and it's quite fascinating to see how it evolved and the number of designers who commented on this thread, just about all the majors except for Jackson, Gio and Lorenzo!

I've actually had some good interactions with Paul lately but can see from this thread and also how Radia was handled why people might be upset with him. For those who may not be aware, he actually has a Discord now so maybe you can use that to contact him? https://discord.gg/nnPguZ9Khj

I'm still a Patron and relatively happy to continue on with it for now but will keep an open mind.

https://encarded.com/collections/playin ... ucts/radia

#444, #888, #1000 available