Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

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Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by CBJ »

Not sure if these are real or not. I'm trying to find out more info. If they are real, I would not be surprised if we see then either this Friday, or for some kind of Christmas special
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by hawk199 »

Damn if it is real I will be a poor man this month :ugthink:
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by jerichoholic »

They look legit, I guess it depends where the pic came from. I wouldn't put it past E to reprint old decks to make a quick buck.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by jerichoholic »

Confirmed as coming soon on their website

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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by jsantafe »

New pictures, looks ready to launch
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by Räpylätassu »

That is a somewhat nice tuck... I just don't see the reason to get these. I have quite enough of these okay decks in my collection, I do not need any more. This would have been a great deck in 2013. Nowadays it is just meh.

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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by sms69x »

After seeing the tuck boxes one thought came to mind, MetalLux, and that can make me go for these...
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by vasta41 »

sms69x wrote:After seeing the tuck boxes one thought came to mind, MetalLux, and that can make me go for these...
While I agree MetalLuxe would look BALLS on these, I still think they're good looking enough without it. That being said I don't think E is creative enough to have put MetalLuxe on them so my hopes are not up.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by MagikFingerz »

If these are the same old decks in new boxes, I will definitely not spend a cent on them. MetalLuxe or any other new feature, sign me up. But I have a decent stockpile of good ol' UV500 decks that will last me a good while, and I collect cards not tuck boxes.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by CBJ »

So it looks like at least 4 decks so far
Bicycle Shadow Masters
Bicycle Ghost
Bicycle Black Ghost
Bicycle Black Tiger

I wonder is they'll have the Black Tiger with the red


I'm all over these

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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions??

Unread post by CBJ »

A little birdy told me these will be available sometime net week...
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by CBJ »

not sure where the bicycle ghost deck is... but the other ones are up for sale


http://www.ellusionist.com/legacy-box-set.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by RichK »

The Legacy Box has all 3 as far as I can see.
Move on, nothing to see here.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by vasta41 »

$50 for the box set of 3. PASS. The tucks look great but if I wanted a really nice embossed and foiled tuck I'd look no further than T11 for $10-12. If the cards were foiled then this would be a great deal but they don't appear to be. So again, easy pass for me at that price.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by jerichoholic »

Wow rather pricey, E is taking on the role of the Scrooge this year, lol. I'm guessing they will release the White Ghost later on just so they can make you pay shipping twice.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by badpete69 »

When you take the box set and 1 extra of each deck, they come to $14.33 a deck still pricey but not $25 plus you get the free gifts as they count your $12 decks as $25 for the gift. If you care about a free aurelian or the Vista
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by sinjin7 »

I've always had a soft spot for Ellusionist - the Black Tiger deck was what got me into collecting custom playing cards. The 1st Edition Black Ghost was the first limited edition custom deck that went viral. And the Shadow Masters with the UV500 stock was the best handling deck of cards ever created, in my humble opinion. Just for the nostalgia factor, I went for the Legacy set, which in turn let me pick up additional decks for a more reasonable $12.00 each. Gotta love E's flat rate $5.00 shipping as well. Plus, if you look in their clearance section, you can get some great deals on certain items, like the Red Artifice Uncut sheet for only $7.00.

Obviously the tucks for all three decks got the complete make over with all the bells and whistles. It appears the Black Tiger deck still uses the same cards as the original (minus the UV500 stock), which is a bit of a shame. However, it appears the Black Ghost and Shadow Masters cards get an update in design, so its not just the same old cards just packaged in a prettier tuck box.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by badpete69 »

sinjin7 wrote:I've always had a soft spot for Ellusionist - the Black Tiger deck was what got me into collecting custom playing cards. The 1st Edition Black Ghost was the first limited edition custom deck that went viral. And the Shadow Masters with the UV500 stock was the best handling deck of cards ever created, in my humble opinion. Just for the nostalgia factor, I went for the Legacy set, which in turn let me pick up additional decks for a more reasonable $12.00 each. Gotta love E's flat rate $5.00 shipping as well. Plus, if you look in their clearance section, you can get some great deals on certain items, like the Red Artifice Uncut sheet for only $7.00.

Obviously the tucks for all three decks got the complete make over with all the bells and whistles. It appears the Black Tiger deck still uses the same cards as the original (minus the UV500 stock), which is a bit of a shame. However, it appears the Black Ghost and Shadow Masters cards get an update in design, so its not just the same old cards just packaged in a prettier tuck box.
Yes i agree John. Me and jay were discussing that fact earlier today. I think all 3 decks will have somewhat changed cards which would justify the high price for these decks. This quote here could be an indication : " Re-imagibed, re-vamped and re-invigorated with multi level embossing and two tone foiling, the Legacy continues with these all new designs. i think Jay was going to get confirmation from E.

Nice add to the collection
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by sinjin7 »

To me, the embossing and foiling only refers to the newly designed tucks. The descriptions of the cards specifically state that the Black Ghost and Shadow Masters have an updated design, but doesn't mention anything about the Black Tiger deck being different in any way, but I hope all three decks got new designs.

It appears not many people were biting at the $25.00 price tag for individual decks, so E lowered the price to $16.00 per deck. The 3-deck set remains at $49.95 along with the $12.00 per deck add-on.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by vasta41 »

sinjin7 wrote:To me, the embossing and foiling only refers to the newly designed tucks. The descriptions of the cards specifically state that the Black Ghost and Shadow Masters have an updated design, but doesn't mention anything about the Black Tiger deck being different in any way, but I hope all three decks got new designs.

It appears not many people were biting at the $25.00 price tag for individual decks, so E lowered the price to $16.00 per deck. The 3-deck set remains at $49.95 along with the $12.00 per deck add-on.
I'll wait for these to be on ToM in a few months for $29ish.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by jerichoholic »

sinjin7 wrote:To me, the embossing and foiling only refers to the newly designed tucks. The descriptions of the cards specifically state that the Black Ghost and Shadow Masters have an updated design, but doesn't mention anything about the Black Tiger deck being different in any way, but I hope all three decks got new designs.

It appears not many people were biting at the $25.00 price tag for individual decks, so E lowered the price to $16.00 per deck. The 3-deck set remains at $49.95 along with the $12.00 per deck add-on.
No shit. Who in their right mind would pay $25 for those? lol
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by hikeeba »

badpete69 wrote:plus you get the free gifts as they count your $12 decks as $25 for the gift.
I guess I waited too long on this - now the price is $16, not $25. (Guess too many ppl took advantage of that, which is odd since their promotion rules do state that the 'gifts' are supposed to be after promotions and discounts.)
Also, they show up at $13 in the cart, not at $12 like in the copy. They really are incompetent.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by octave »

are they printed on black paper? the edges look amazing on one foto, as if they were blackened? have not seen that before on a deck without the use of a black sharpie.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by sinjin7 »

I got these in and I have to say that I was let down by the Legacy Editions, unfortunately, especially at the prices they're sold at. To answer Octave's question above, while the pictures do look like the edges of the deck are black (suggesting black stock, or at least sharpie'd edges), its just trick photography and the edges are normal. Here are the specifics:

Tuck Boxes - Probably the best feature of this set. The embossing is great and accented nicely by the black foiling. The one big miss for the tucks is that all the white elements of the tucks should be in silver foil instead of white ink. The white ink contrasts nicely with the matte black tuck material, but comes off as a little cheap, imo. Silver foiling would've been so much better and more befitting a legacy edition. Certainly the $16.00 per deck pricing should demand silver foiling instead of white ink. The custom stamp shaped seals are in silver foil and have the initials of their respective decks (BT, SM, & BG), but I could do without deck seals in general, and these left a bit of adhesive residue when I removed them, and matte tucks are more susceptible to this.

Black Tiger - The most disappointing of the three decks. The cards are pretty much the same as a standard Black Tiger deck. The backs are identical, as are the Jokers with no reveals. The AoS is the same except for the words "BLACK TIGER" printed beneath the center spade. The courts are just slightly modified, I didn't even notice it at first. Basically the courts are a little less filled in than the original courts. The diamonds and hearts do have red pips.

Shadow Masters - There is more customization on this deck, and that's primarily on the back design and the AoS. The back design is very nice, with a simplified Rider Back design in white and filled out with the rest of the Rider Back design in gray. The Jokers are the same as the originals, except that the reveal is a bit different. The AoS is simplified and more minimal than the original, but its executed well. The court cards are the biggest disappointment with the Legacy Shadow Masters because they are the same courts as the Black Tigers! The shadow effects on the courts and pips which made the original Shadow Masters so nice is completely gone and they totally punted by using the same courts as the Black Tigers. Unbelievable.

Black Ghost - This deck is also very similar to the original. The back design is basically the same, but without the faded edges. The Jokers are identical to the originals. The AoS is the best feature of this deck, with the snakes entwined within the center spade pip being skeletonized, very nice. The court cards are the same as the Black Tiger courts (where the courts are somewhat less filled in), but with the Ghost deck treatment (all white pips except for the red pips outlined in white underneath the indices).

All versions come with a double backer and one ad card touting these as Legacy Editions. I guess if you're strictly a collector who never opens their decks, then the Legacy Editions are sufficiently different enough with their tucks to be worthwhile in your collection. But if you care about how the cards themselves look like inside, then the duplication of courts on the Black Tiger and Shadow Masters decks is unfortunate, especially with the Shadow Masters losing their shadow effect, and the Black Tiger Legacy deck is especially disappointing because the cards are virtually identical to the original version.

On a side note, I picked up a few Aurelian decks with my order and one of them had a $10.00 bill inside, it made me feel a bit less ripped off by the Legacy set. The Aurelian deck doesn't come with a deck seal, and I would imagine E is more likely to put money in their decks that don't have deck seals because it would be easier to do so. I also got one Madison Blank deck. It's my favorite Madison deck of all.
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by hikeeba »

sinjin7 wrote:I also got one Madison Blank deck. It's my favorite Madison deck of all.
It is also mine! Penguin charges $5.95 for a double blank deck! These are a steal! (oh yeah, and minimal madison - that's always good)
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by jerichoholic »

Wow, available from playingcards.net for the low price of $99.95! I seriously don't understand how they determine their prices, surely nobody would pay that much for this. Is Michael Ferrante working for them behind the scenes? lol
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by shaitani »

I just read a comment (the only one) left on Kardify's article about this release:
http://www.kardify.com/2016/12/news-ell ... egacy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The comment was by a user named "MagicMike Kelley" and it was a response to the original email announcement about the release.
Here is a transcript of what he said:
Scams. Look at the lovely Team E email I got today.

This
email is BULLSHIT. Brad Christian did NONE of that. *I* did
that...Brad turned me down and *I* had to work out the initial deal, get
the cost details and initial approvals / amounts worked out with the
USPCC before Brad would even consider it.

Brad
and Ellusionist refused to make a contract with me but promised not to
forget where this came from. E has since made millions on this and I'm
here with my thumb up my ass.

Looks like Brad has gone so far as to even forget who came up with this.

Thanks a lot assholes and Merry Christmas.
For reference, the original email from Ellusionist said in part:
In early 2003, in the very beginnings of the Ellusionist brand, Brad Christian crafted a Photoshop image of Black Tigers, and wrote a letter to the ultra-conservative, 126 year old behemoth, United States Playing Card Company.
He asked them simply to do something they had never done. He asked them to step outside of their box, their comfort zone, and allow the printing of an outrageous, completely BLACK version of their beloved Bicycle deck.

They loved how different the deck was.

Thus giving birth to the custom playing card market. Shooting up the rankings and selling over 1 million decks in their original designs.
...

I normally wouldn't draw attention to random allegations in a comment section, but this is a pretty small community and this didn't appear to be a passing troll comment. Does anyone know anything about this? Or have anything to substantiate the claim one way or the other?
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by rousselle »

So, if you do a google (or, bing or yahoo, I'm sure) search for "magic", "Mike Kelley", and "ellusionist", you see a whole lot of results on reputable sites and site archives listing Mike Kelley as the creator of the black tiger deck. The first site to show up is the Ellusionist Forums (pretty reputable site, no?) which features a thread on "Interview with Mike Kelley...Black Deck Creator". The interview in question is posted by "strmagguru" and opens up with this:
What made you photoshop regular Bicycles in the first place, let alone edit them?

It was a dark and stormy night... OK, well it was night time anyway, and I was standing outside on my back porch at night fanning and dribbling a deck of blue Bicycles while smoking a cigarette(Not recommended :P) I had my handy dandy new Sprint PCS Camera Phone and took a picture of me doing a fan. I emailed myself the picture, opened it up and thought, "what if I..." and went ahead to inverse the image. I was greeted by this AWESOME picture >of a black deck of cards in a not so perfect fan. All sorts of things ran through my mind at the point. I then took a blue backed card face down and the Ace of Spades face up angled them next to each other with the Ace on top and did shot again. Took those and sent them to Ellusionist, and the rest is history.


What does it feel like to have created such a boom in the magic community?

Honestly...It's kind of surreal. I'm very excited to be a part of it all, and just glad I was able to make a contribution that others are so hyped about.
You should read the full interview (found here: http://forums.ellusionist.com/showthrea ... r&p=167578); it's interesting, and it acknowledges some of the known issues with black decks and how folks have experimented with addressing them. Brad Christian posts the following comment later in the thread:
Good interview.

The new second edition has two addtional GAFFS for magicians to fool around with.

1 The same white faced three of clubs - black back as always.

2. An ace of spaces that is whacked out. The inner portion (spade, writing, etc) is twisted to the right so it faces 1 pm. You can do a color change and totally tweak the writing on the ace... or say you got a weird one in your deck and then "fix" it with a flick.
So, yeah, it's kinda immortalized on their site that Mike Kelley came up with the idea, created the photoshopped image, and that Brad and Ellusionist were public about acknowledging it at the time. The interview was posted in June of 2004.

As recently as 2011, E was still publicly acknowledging Mike's creation of the Black Tiger: https://www.facebook.com/ellusionist/po ... 3828252264

So, yeah. The marketing team at E kinda did a stinky thing here. Which is too bad; Brad is well known as an innovator in his own right, so it's not like the company loses anything by correctly attributing credit for kicking off this trend to Mike Kelley.
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vasta41
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by vasta41 »

Legacy Ghost now available: http://www.ellusionist.com/ghost-deck-l ... ilable+NOW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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ALSO, save $10 on the Legacy Box Set when you buy a Ghost (which comes to $15 per deck is you buy all 4, including shipping).
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Re: Ellusionist - Bicycle Legacy Editions

Unread post by MagikFingerz »

vasta41 wrote:ALSO, save $10 on the Legacy Box Set when you buy a Ghost (which comes to $15 per deck is you buy all 4, including shipping).
Slightly more tempting than before, but still overpriced IMO.
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