I personally pratice the art of XCM more than magic... I've tried the most commonly used decks and have compared them by their finish and performances.
So I'll talk about the kinds of cards and their finish, as for their performances.. its usually just personal preferance.
Tally Ho's with their LINOID finish are best for fanning and the cards tend to act more as "one"
so i recommend Tally Ho's when your doing XCM, since XCM is mainly about displays and flourishes.
Bicycles are fine, and their AIR CUSHION finish give the cards a better spring to the cards. But they hold crimps more easily which effects the display.
The UV 500 AIR FLOW finish of the Ghosts/Black Tigers are similar to Tally Ho's.. they have thicker stock and are great for XCM. One thing to note. Black Tigers/Vipers with their black ink makes the cards a lot heavier, to some people, thats good, but to others thats not. So be sure to pick the deck that you feel comfortable with.
Bee cards i don't really suggest you use that because they have cambric finish. This makes them softer and easier to handle, but they hold crimps easily, which wound then effect the displays. However, Bee cards are great if you are striving to become a card expert at the table.
Thats just some major tips with the playing cards simply by their finish... hope that helps!
