Glad to have you back in this community! Magic is a great hobby to have especially at your age being retired. Must have a lot of time for practicing :D. And i feel your pain, literally, on the arthritis as I also have carpal tunnel and arthritis only being 24. I cant imagine how bad it is going to be when I reach your age, if I even reach that age…
I totally agree with you about cards being not so showy, even if there is nothing wrong with the cards, the spectators are most likely going to be suspicious of them since they have most likely never seen those cards before. Funny how most people are comfortable around bicycle rider back decks when those are most likely to be gimmicked/trick decks.
Im not a huge fan of one way designs as well, unless im doing cardistry/flourishes where the orientation of the card is irrelevant.