Exquisite Fortuna by Giovanni

[Decknowledgy]

I only brightened the first two pictures (front and back) for Portfolio52, but otherwise the other photos are just under natural light and no renders. Purplish-dark blue is its true nature!

[Mike Ratledge]

...
I still regret buying the Exquisite Bold when it came out.

Tell the truth! We have come a long way since Bill introduced them even with the star cleanly punched through half of the cards.

I have purchased many CARC decks even though there weren't a lot of unique features (you know the drill; most of their decks have standard courts, and only one real technological change at a time) and have felt just fine about it because I was helping to advance the craft. Early adopters help pave the way for continued experimentation, and sometimes that experimentation pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. It's true, the original Exquisite Bold is hardly all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips, but I'm totally fine with the two or three I picked up, because it did lead to further experimentation with foiling, which in turn led to more interesting cards down the road. The fact that, if I wanted to, I can show the evolution of foiling at EPCC/LPCC via my string of decks from Exquisite Bold and on up makes for a cool exhibit, as well.

The first deck that Lotrek produced at the $100 price point... yeah, that pales in comparison to the work he's doing today -- even though it was breathtaking at the time. But, if we hadn't backed that project then, would he have continued that kind of wild experimentation? Would Oath have ever happend? Or Arabesque?

Don't get me wrong, I haven't been happy with *all* such purchases, but for some producers, I will still go in for a modest amount because I know they are trying to advance the craft. Bill at CARC has taken a very methodical approach to working with card manufacturers to experiment and improve.

This deck is a bit of an odd duck. I'm not sure where he's planning to go with this. But, I'm tempted to see. I expect I'll be buying one or two.

I could not agree with you more, even though I second Tom and his perspective above.

We might get a few dings along the way, but we have come a long way over the past few years!

[theCapraAegagrus]

Since I've got one and have already uploaded its profile onto P52, might as well share here to get people ready for Gio's Black Friday drop
[snip]
The arch of the cards is due to the three-layer hot foil stamp on the back design, which is crazy shiny... Definitely a collector's item.

That is when they're being released - Black Friday?

[Decknowledgy]

That is when they're being released - Black Friday?

Yup, see Gio's confirmation here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4uAgLgod6Y/

[Thirdway Industries]

I finally got my Exquisite Fortuna decks

They're very nice, and the effect of the triple foil is crazy. Will share some pics when possible - I get home late from office everyday and it's always dark, so it might take a little hehe.

Anyways, the pictures shared by Decknowledgy are awesome (thank you for posting these)

I will prepare a newsletter and will share details of the sale. It will be released in the Black Friday week.

Quantities will be extremely limited (I have just 100 total), with early birds.

[Ninthaquila]

I get home late from office every day and it's always dark, so it might take a little hehe.

Ah, no worries. You can freely send me one, and I'll gladly take pictures during daylight
On a more serious note, I'm deeply torn between getting a deck and killing my wallet for good, or skipping it (giving my wallet a chance to recover) but missing out on probably the fanciest deck with triple foil I've seen so far. Decisions, decisions, and never enough money :/

Oh well, good luck to all those who are going to try and snag one this Friday. I'll be watching on the sidelines with popcorn.

[brownsl]

Originally, I was not that interested in this deck but it has grown on me and I will try to get one.

[JackJacobsen]

I need it for reasons.

[shermjack]

I get home late from office every day and it's always dark, so it might take a little hehe.

Oh well, good luck to all those who are going to try and snag one this Friday. I'll be watching on the sidelines with popcorn.

These decks don’t go on sale until Black Friday (November 29th), so you still have time to possibly pick one up

[Adonael]

Details from the newsletter:

The retail price will be $85, because the expensive technique used. But there will be discounts - here is how I am planning to sell my 90 decks:

30 [Early Bird] Exquiste Fortuna, at $65

30 Exquiste Fortuna at $75

30 bundles that will include Exquisite Fortuna with a good price

Decks will be released in different waves from Monday 11/25 to Friday 11/29.

That is extremely limited (he has just 90 of the 500 total), I suspect they'll puff out of existence almost instantly. Not sure if there will be any advance notice of exactly when they will be released, maybe just whoever happens by chance to see the emails or the products come up first. I might be priced out of this one anyway to be honest.

[vasta41]

This deck is beautiful but it's not worth $85 (or even $65) IMO. I'm out.

[akicer]

This deck is beautiful but it's not worth $85 (or even $65) IMO. I'm out.

Not even 40 IMO. That's such a funny price but I bet there will be people paying for "limited quantity"

[STLBluesNut]

The card back is gorgeous. However, the courts are standard and I don't care for the tuck. Gio is my favorite but for only a couple cards and a back designed by him, this is too much for me even with the triple foil back.

I have no doubt that these will sell out fast even without my purchase.

Sent from my S10+ using Tapatalk

[shkorc]

Reading between the lines, it's so obvious everybody is broke with all the crazy decks that were on sale this month

Sanity returned, but it will only last until the next paycheck hehe

[theCapraAegagrus]

Most overpriced "MSRP" of all-time?

Looks like I'm not gonna complete my Exquisite collection. This deck is not worth THAT price. Not even 1/3 of that price. Absolute garbage.

[vasta41]

Most overpriced "MSRP" of all-time?

Looks like I'm not gonna complete my Exquisite collection. This deck is not worth THAT price. Not even 1/3 of that price. Absolute garbage.

I also find it insulting that they are squeezing this deck in a standard "Exquisite" tuck. AND STILL they have the balls to charge that much.

[PrincessTrouble]

I want it but I don't $85 want it. At that price, I'm out too.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Most overpriced "MSRP" of all-time?

Looks like I'm not gonna complete my Exquisite collection. This deck is not worth THAT price. Not even 1/3 of that price. Absolute garbage.

I also find it insulting that they are squeezing this deck in a standard "Exquisite" tuck. AND STILL they have the balls to charge that much.

This is seriously abhorrent. Standard tuck. Standard faces. I don't care if The Pope freaking farted at least once on each card - this deck is NOT worth more than $25-30. I'm pissed (surprise, surprise).

[Thirdway Industries]

Hello guys!

Actually I am aware that the retail price is very high - but it's also VERY limited and the techinque used is very expensive and unique.

I didn't produced this deck directly so I don't know the production cost exactly - I have agreed this price with EPCC (that have the majority of the decks and know the product better I do).

There are 3 different layers of foil on the backs, a lot of manual work is involved, and I suppose it was really complicated to produce - it took pratically 2 years to make.

Also consider I you are allowed to use discount codes, and lately I've been very generous with those (I'll share a new one for all newsletter subscribers if you haven't one).
This means an additional 5% - 20% discount AND Free shipping which should be a price similar to the one EPCC used at convention.

I suppose the ones who donated to Idols are very happy for this

I am still scared because 90 are very few... last time I've did those kind of sales I had way more decks. I hope everyone want it will be able to get it.

Hope this explanation will help, I am still aware that is not for everyone and I would totally understand if you think it's too expensive.

it's so obvious everybody is broke with all the crazy decks that were on sale this month

I also thought so. Sorry for the bad timing

[Bradius]

I am definitely interested in getting one. Those discounts definitely increase my interest.

[jerichoholic]

Sorry but not at those prices especially with currency differences. Sad when creators think customers are made of money.

[MagikFingerz]

Sorry but not at those prices especially with currency differences. Sad when creators think customers are made of money.

"Producers" might be a better word here.

[STLBluesNut]

Gio... you know we all love you to death here and I am certain your 90 decks will sell well.

We also know that you having designed the back and the jokers in no way makes you responsible for how the deck was produced or priced.

I'm sure the production costs for the 3 foils was higher than usual. This is one deck at 500? Made that i think can get away with being limited, but even from you, Gio, "limited" being used to sell a deck is a major turn off. For me at least. You are not a guy that sells on hype, don't fall into that trap.

If you had designed the box and the courts I would be in line mashing refresh as fast as I could with everyone else. That tuck with just the 2 huge words on that is just unattractive.

We love you, Gio!

Sent from my S10+ using Tapatalk

[PrincessTrouble]

If you had designed the box and the courts I would be in line mashing refresh as fast as I could with everyone else.

Good point. If the courts had been custom, you know... to match the style of the custom jokers - which look out of place in this deck, I'd probably get this deck. But with EPCC standard courts, nope.

[Decknowledgy]

The price tag is upsetting some folks around here, which is completely normal given the design is a mashup between Gio's and Expert's, not integrated but some here and others there. Nonetheless, I think the criticism towards Gio capitalizing on this "Limited release" trend is harsh. It's a FACT that Gio has only 90 only for sale, and he personally only received 100 out of a total of 500 made. Some were sold at the 50 Plus Joker convention, and besides these two places, I don't see when and where Expert will be releasing the remaining stock. Maybe even never. Good luck trying to find this in the aftermarket. Therefore, is this deck limited? Absolutely. 500 produced is only the given number, how many in reality will be owned on the market? I'll give it a generous guess and say less than half or even 1/3 of that.

On the other hand, you have other creators that are charging gilded editions of the same deck, probably with a different tuck and a numbered sticker with no change to the cards at all but with the same price tag as this deck, and people (those who proudly own "a spot" in the brand) go nuts and with no criticism against that. Gio here, instead, is offering as first-come-first-serve TO THE PUBLIC, and with EB deals, and with all sorts of discount codes that you could get in all kinds of ways, and people here are criticizing his pricing?

Look, I'm not saying that the price tag isn't steep, but if folks are going to criticize an artist for offering his limited PRIVATE RESERVE at this price point but drool over and never criticize some other gilded/numbered sticker/artist proof/recolored-tuck decks or other private reserve decks out on the market and eBay, I'd say wipe your glasses and think through that again. What about the difficulty of three layer hot foil stamping precision vs. gilding? Have folks considered the technical difficulty differences between the two when criticizing the price? Explain and justify the pricing for the Gilded Black Reserve Notes which is also promoted by how limited they are ("Only 250"/"Only 50"), and also all the different Dan & Dave Private Reserve decks out there with ridiculous prices for me.

If you had designed the box and the courts I would be in line mashing refresh as fast as I could with everyone else. That tuck with just the 2 huge words on that is just unattractive.

Do you even realize that the Exquisite brand line belongs to Expert? And that Expert owns most of the creative decision-making rights? What's the point holding Gio accountable for this? I'd be happy to see if anyone dare drag Expert into this criticism and hold them accountable for the artistic choices.

I also find it insulting that they are squeezing this deck in a standard "Exquisite" tuck. AND STILL they have the balls to charge that much.

Standard Exquisite tuck for this one? Are you serious? The tuck is also three-layer foil stamped...
I filmed this just now so that folks could get the facts right before jumping into conclusion:

[Thirdway Industries]

I absolutely understand all the criticism, guys!

I know custom courts are better, and I always prefer larger numbers for grant a way less retail (and especially preorder) price.

I prefer sell many decks with a good price than few with a high one - this is my philosophy in general and the direction I am heading to (you know, "Industries").

In the end, I think you should consider Exquisite Fortuna as a big experiment: it's a unique deck, and I don't think there will be something similar to this ever again.

The main reason that Expert wanted to do this - in 2017 (!) - was to test their new 3-foils technology.
A cool background story is that EPCC asked me to do a PURPOSELY complicated design to print with a triple foil.
I've used thin lines and hard-to register element like the star, to make it as much difficult as possible. I could say I've did my "worst" - maybe this complicated the process for the factory (no idea, I'm guessing)

Anyways, I am evaluating to raise the newsletter discount a little: this should made the deck price a little less crazy.
I want to hear what you said - an honest feedback is always much appreciated even when negative, since it's useful to plan and improve.

Please consider that shipping will be included, for EVERYTHING in the Black Friday week, even for international backers. And there are promotions not revealed yet

@Decknowledgy - Thank you very much for the kind words, really appreciate it

STLBluesNut - about the "limited trap" (this term is funny hehe) please consider that it's not for hype. Produce 500 decks is really much expensive and complicated than 1000 or 2000.
And in the end, there are less decks to sell.

[Adonael]

This is one deck at 500? Made that i think can get away with being limited, but even from you, Gio, "limited" being used to sell a deck is a major turn off. For me at least. You are not a guy that sells on hype, don't fall into that trap.

If you think 500 decks is a lot or doesn't instantly class as limited there's something wrong with you. What on Earth is wrong with stating how many were made or it's limited status? The last thing I want to do for a deck I want is think 'oh there must be 2,000 of these', and then have them sell out in a minute because actually there were only 100. It's literally basic information we need to know. Hell, I'm not sure you understand what hype is if you think it has anything to do with how limited a release is. I totally get that kind of criticism when 2,500+ print runs are advertised as 'limited' to help sell, because that doesn't make much sense and is indeed annoying, but for an actual limited deck like this it is necessary to know and anyone with complaints about it can take those complaints and shove them where the sun doesn't shine as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, all of this can be laid at EPCC's feet, and really has nothing to do with Gio. I wouldn't want him to be turned off from doing more collaborations (which can be interesting and allow creators to do things they otherwise wouldn't) if this is the kind of response he gets!

[Azid]

In the end, I think you should consider Exquisite Fortuna as a big experiment: it's a unique deck, and I don't think there will be something similar to this ever again.

The main reason that Expert wanted to do this - in 2017 (!) - was to test their new 3-foils technology.
A cool background story is that EPCC asked me to do a PURPOSELY complicated design to print with a triple foil.
I've used thin lines and hard-to register element like the star, to make it as much difficult as possible. I could say I've did my "worst" - maybe this complicated the process for the factory (no idea, I'm guessing)

First off, i love your decks and backed every single campaign since Omnia Golden Age, but recently i got Implicit V2 (printed by Cartamundi) which has also 3-foil on the backs for about 14 US $ (shipping not included) during the campaign. Then i got the newest Somnium decks (Blizzard & Firestorm) printed by Cartamundi aswell with 2 foils on the backs & 3 Foils on face cards + jokers !!! for ~24 US $ (Shipping not included). And if everything goes well then the UC 2019 deck by Montenzi will be delivered in februar with even more foil for ~ 16 US $ (shipping not included and yep cartamundi again ).
So calling this something unique when it comes to foil is maybe something new to EPCC ! but cartamundi is a step ahead and this that will happen again, sorry.

Anyway..... i love your art & decks and i like these Exquisite Fortuna aswell and i will try to get it

[Decknowledgy]

@Azid, the difference is cold foil vs. hot foil stamping where the latter is difficult for registration and shinnier than cold foil. As far as what I've got from the livestreams of 52+Joker, hot foil stamping for more than 2 layers has only been done by two: this deck by EPCC and Lotrek. The decks you mentioned are all cold foil.

[Azid]

ok my fault Sorry.