As with all of the Diavoli designs (see our review of 3 earlier decks here) they are visually impressive. Here’s a look at the box:

As you can see, the design is inspired by Gothic style architecture and, in particular, Gargoyles. I found fascinating an extra card which is included by Lance T. Miller, the designer, explaining the rationale behind his design. You don’t need to have read this to enjoy the design (and I won’t spoil it here) but it frames the whole thing in the context of the struggle betwen good and evil – drawing on the Gargoyle’s historic role of warding off evil.

The card backs are printed in black and silver/gray ink. The overall effect is pleasing and looks nice in a spread – the Gargoyles themselves aren’t too prominent in that kind of layout:

The card faces are printed in silver rather than black ink, with the red indices only (not the actual pips in the middle of the cards) printed in red. It is a dramatic look, though to my eyes it makes the rest of the face on red cards look a little washed out.

Have a look at some court cards and see what you think (my photo may not help here)…

There is an extra prediction card included – a ‘slashed’ 3 of Spades – here it is, plus a look at the Jokers and another shot of the box.

The USPCC are advertising a new finish on these cards ‘magic finish’. I have to say that my first impressions of the handling were very favourable. In particular, a few of the decks I have recently tried from BBM have felt slightly on the thin side – these felt like a return to classic USPCC form, and were extremely smooth.

All in all a stylish pack, and like all the Diavoli decks, a limited edition. Available for £7.49 at MagicNevin immediately.

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