The UV500s are KIA! I just read an article about it that was released just today. The originating supplier of the stock jacked the price so much that E would have had to order 8 times as many cards as their usual annual supply. E will use the highest quality stock available whick is currently a Bee stock. They will also use the better of the two current USPCC presses(the web press) and they will use the highest quality control standard that USPCC offers(Q1). You will likely still get a good card but you won't get a UV500.

My understanding is that their is still an inventory of UV500 cards available in red and blue "masters" edition decks but all other e cards have already switched over to the new stocks and finishes. The biggest bummer here is for both E and T11. The kings of the custom deck community at one time could boast a distinct difference in how their cards handled. Now they will be using the same stocks, printed on the same press, using the same quality control standards. Both companies have a long history of trying to ensure USPCC keeps it's standards up, and I'm sure they will continue with that, but very soon the difference between the two will be largely cosmetic.

I just don't understand why the USPCC is doing all these changes lately... Changing the Bike's box, cancelling the Tally Ho's and such... Reducing manifacturing costs? The USPCC is already the best and biggest manifacture of cards, and they don't have competators, so if they raised prices a bit, no one will "abandom" them...

What are my arcanes made out of?

Guess... lol

Lucky I bought half a dozen bricks...

In truth, the only real difference between the UV500 finish and Airflow (which is the finish that all E/T11 custom decks are still being printed on) is that UV500 glows brighter under UV light while Airflow doesn't; so unless you plan to perform under UV light frequently, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

You might ask, if they're still printing Airflow Finished cards, why do the sides now say Aircushion instead? Because USPC's lawyers are forcing all custom decks to use the trademarked "Aircushion Finish" for all the decks that USPC prints.

Read more here: http://blog.ellusionist.com/everything- ... id-to-ask/

That is correct....sort of. Here is the thing. The UV500 also had a thicker and stiffer stock than the Bee casino grade stock. Indeed the it was the thickest and one of the stiffest stocks used by USPCC. So fans of burly decks won't have the same kind of deck that they used to. So basically the both things that made the original E decks unique are now gone. Read what he says about how the future decks will be made, then go over to T11 and read what they say about their decks. Both will be using the same stock, same press, and same quality standards. I'm not saying it won't still be a good deck but it won't handle much differently than a T11 deck. For those of you who like the E designs but never liked the thicker stock this should actually be an improvement for you. It all depends on what you like.

I also read that bit about the "Air Cushion" That kind of chaps me as well. I mean giving decks different names for their finish was often just a marketing ploy anyways but sometimes it did indeed serve a purpose. IE. Aladdin 1001s come in a smooth finish and an air cushion finish. The smooth finish are widely regarded as one of the best cards USPCC makes while the air cushion finished Aladdins are conversely considered one of the worst cards USPCC makes. From their you can see where this will lead to some irritation. Imagine if De-Beers sold their diamonds like that. You wouldn't know until you opened the box if you had a jewellery grade or an industrial grade diamond....not good business.

@Akirafist-Never had a chance to try those out. My understanding was that it was printed on a thinner stock so the feel of those may not change much.

I think the biggest impact will be for the people who like a little variety. I'm not sure how many different stocks they have available to them but I am guessing that it is down to two or three? They have two different grades of press and four different grades of quality control.