It's not always the quality that's important... ok, you want to be using nice cards, but it depends what's used around the area in which you do most of your magic - I use bikes, not because I have any huge preference, but because I also play a fair amount of poker and they are the standard, used at most games I go to.
This gives a strong early advantage, as there are so many decks around in the room already, people assume I've just picked one up. Also, they mistake "standard" for "official" or "untamperable"... the trick I really have to keep practicing is not to giggle smugly to myself every time you do ID or delphic deck or something, then hear some know-it-all do the hard work for you by saying "wow! And those are bicycle cards too, so you
know there's nothing dodgy about them!"
