News: 7 Questions with DMC on the Elite Rouge's

Now available at sovereignplayingcards.com, the latest in the DMC Elites Series, Rouge. Beautifully crafted with a familiar look and feel and the fourth generation of the Optical Marking system, the deck is sure to appeal to a wide range of card aficionado's. 

We were honored when Drummond Money-Coutts (DMC) took some time out of his schedule to talk with us about the deck, work and passion behind it.

Your decks are very easily identified, how involved are you in the creative process?

On each deck that Phill and I have produced together (the ELITES ROUGE now being our fifth) it’s been very much a collaborative process between us both.  The genius marking system (The ‘Optical Marking System’) is very much Phill’s brainchild - but on all other aspects of design we will collaborate on ideas, and Phill will bring it to life on screen.

Do you feel your decks are a reflection of yourself in terms of style and presence? 

Very much so.  It’s been a roundabout journey to reach our current design style, but today the ELITES feel very much an authentic representation of my approach, style and philosophy with magic.

With new features and designs, are there certain things that you feel all of your decks need to have, a foundation, if you will?

Yes, with ELITES we struck upon a design theme that moving forwards I’d certainly like to continue to orbit.  Our intentions were to create an innocuous, harmless looking deck that wouldn’t arouse suspicion or special interest when used for an audience, but that which also beneath the bonnet holds a powerful strength.  Today the ELITES are the only cards I use and with the flexibility and possibilities that the marking system allows in so many elements of card magic  – it’s unlikely I’ll move away from this any time soon.

Over time some of your decks have become very sought after, do you see your decks as collectibles or more so "working" decks?

The honest truth is we never set out to create decks to sell to magicians; the first few decks we created were literally for my own private work and to be given as gifts to my clients.  When Phill created the ‘Optical Marking System’ that we first used for the GREAT WHITES in 2014, we only ran 500 marked decks (now incredibly sought after).  Even then, the quality of stock held us back a little and it wasn’t until we really launched the ELITES in 2015 (printed by Legends PCC) that magicians and dealers suddenly took a keen interest in buying the decks.  Those initial ELITES sold out within weeks of release – and since then we’ve been in discussions with Cartamundi to create the ultimate version using their incredible new advances in card production.  I’m proud to say that after months of development with Cartamundi we now have the ultimate design version of the ELITES printed onto what I think is one of the most beautiful card stocks available in the world today.

How challenging was the development of the Optical Marking system?

This you’ll have to ask Phill.  From my side – he sent me an email saying that he’d had an idea, and asked if we might try it out on the next deck.  The instant I saw it I knew we had something special – and we haven’t looked back since.

Cartamundi is producing your new deck, how involved was the process of finding the right stock and finish for the new Rouge edition?

This was a crucial element for us – and something that we know held back previous decks in the past.  I’ve now printed with four different card producers around the world, and for this deck wanted to make sure we had one of the best card stocks, finishes and cuts in the world.  I’ve now been to the Cartamundi factory in Belgium twice to advise and consult on the stock and finish for these new ELITES, and they really are a thing of beauty.  I am confident that we will see Cartamundi entering into the magic and cardistry industries in a major way within the next few years.

What one thing excites you the most about the new DMC Elites: Rouge playing cards?

I’m excited that, holding this deck in my hands right now I know we have the ultimate marked deck available for magicians today.  The refined marking design is flawless, the style of the deck and the box is beautifully timeless, the gold foiling against the red looks better than I could have imagined, and the cards handle as well as any of the greatest stocks available today.  It’s been an organic process to reach this moment, and like I said we never set out to sell these to the magic industry – but almost five years on I sincerely believe this deck is set to become a hallmark deck in the armoury of magicians around the world.

We want to thank Drummond for his time and graciousness in helping us bring our readers a bit of insight into his craft and the latest entry into the Elite Series, Rouge is available now!