News: Magician Chris Ramsay Speaks Out About the Blue Memento Mori

Magician Chris Ramsay has opened up about the new color variant of Memento Mori by Murphy's Magic. Last year, the original deck was released under his name and was inspired by Memento Mori, where imagery of a skull represents the short-lived nature of all things material and a reminder of our mortality. The Memento Mori deck features a unique low-poly design skull on the tuck and card backs.

Last week, an image surfaced on social media showing a blue colored low-poly skull of the Memento Mori deck. Chris' initial reaction on twitter was,

Blue Memento Mori's are ugly af. #notapprovedbyme #ridingoncoattails @MurphysMagic

— Chris Ramsay (@chrisramsay52) June 2, 2017

In the last few days, Chris has retweeted several memes by his followers to describe his feelings towards the blue Memento Mori deck.

My friend @FDflourishes puts my thoughts in to perspective. 😂🤢 pic.twitter.com/mb8ZM1BS6m

— Chris Ramsay (@chrisramsay52) June 2, 2017

Funniest Blue Memento Mori meme... GO!

— Chris Ramsay (@chrisramsay52) June 3, 2017

To set the record straight, Chris has released a video on his popular YouTube channel. At the time of writing, the video has been viewed over 41k times. He began by giving a back story to the original Memento Mori Playing Cards and the hard work he and the designer have put into the deck,

"I put a lot into this deck," he said.

Chris then talks about color variants of various decks like the Monarchs and Rounders.

"The deck I created for Murphy's and myself was not the purple edition, it was a multitude of different colors put together to create this beautiful design. If I had made a red Memento Mori deck, by all means, make a blue one or a green one."

He then continues talking about the trailer, originality or creativity of the color variant, and thanking his fans and followers for their support. It is clear that Chris doesn't want any conflict arising from this and just wants to move on.

Chris ended the video by announcing his new deck which will be available shortly. Check out the full video here:

Chris Ramsay's 1ST Playing Cards V2 Will be Released Today!

We've been getting a few DM's on social media and on the site with regards to the release date of Chris Ramsay's 1ST Playing Cards V2. Chris Ramsay announced over the weekend that the deck will be available Monday at Noon ET on his website, Chris-Ramsay.com. Unlike the V1's, V2's will be a DIRECT release. So... No Pre-Orders. No Reprints.

The V2 spots a STUNNING black tuck box with a gold foil band and embossed 1st lettering on the exterior and gold foil 1st pattern on the interior.



The card backs are bordered but now with a black colorway. This makes the gold foils on the back pop!

Like the V1's the courts and pip are pretty much standard but with updated color palette to fit the overall theme of the deck. For every brick you purchase, you will receive a signed V2 deck and as a surprise, Chris is throwing in a limited number of V1's from his personal stock to the first brick orders.

From the comments on Chris' Instagram post, we believe these will go EXTREMELY fast. Set your alarm clocks to Noon ET on Monday (4th Feb). You don't want to miss these!

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News: Chris Ramsay's Memento Mori Playing Cards Available Now for Pre-Order

After months of teasing on social media, magician Chris Ramsay has finally released his very own deck of playing cards.

Inspired by Memento Mori, where imagery of a skull represents the short-lived nature of all things material and a reminder of our mortality. As such, the Memento Mori deck features a unique low-poly design skull on the tuck and the card backs. According to Chris,

The low-poly design for me represents a simplistic one. The bare “bones” of 3D creation and graphic art, the first steps of animation or as I see it, the beginning of (virtual) life.

From the promo images, the Ace, Joker and courts are very stylized and modern-looking, consistent with the theme of the deck. The unique design and eye-catching colours will enhance displays and card flourishes making fans, spreads and cascades look amazing.

Pre-orders are open now and available from our favourite retailers JP Playing Cards, Collectable Playing Cards and Murphy’s Magic for $9.95. Deck will be released on 12th May.



Images and teaser video from Murphy’s Magic

Watch: Chris Ramsay's 1st Playing Cards on Kardify Spotlight

We've partnered up with Omar Chavez (Instagram: @thegentlemanwake) on a series of 'spotlight' videos to give you the rundown on some of the latest and unique decks of playing cards around. We aim to publish the 1-minute spotlight video weekly on social media (Facebook: Kardify) and in addition, a link to @thegentlemanwake's full video if you want to have a more comprehensive look at a particular deck.

This week, we have 1st Playing Cards by magician Chris Ramsay. The deck represents Chris' first solo venture into the playing card industry. 1st comes complete with a custom design, re-colored face cards using metallic ink and custom jokers! Find out more about the deck in the video below (with intro by a special guess!). If you like the video, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE (YouTube: TheGentlemanWake)!

Deck View: 1ST (Vektek Edition) Playing Cards

Puzzle. Escape. Sci-Fi.

1ST (Vektek Edition) Playing Cards emerged in 2022 as part of a hybrid escape-room experience created by Chris Ramsay. While the interactive puzzle game component is no longer available, this custom deck remains an interesting release tied to Ramsay’s signature blend of magic and mystery.

The playing cards lean into a futuristic cyberpunk aesthetic, with symmetrical, modern back designs and a cool-toned palette reminiscent of sci-fi armor. The tuck box avoids overt branding... Ramsay’s usual logo is replaced with a barcode, reinforcing the tech-driven theme. Inside, the court cards maintain their traditional structure but are recolored to match the deck’s sleek visual identity, creating a cohesive and contemporary look.

Originally designed to integrate directly with the escape-room storyline... where players helped Chris escape from a space shuttle via digital clues and scanned content, the deck now stands on its own as a collectible. 

Even without the puzzle component, it remains a stylish, modern pack that reflects Ramsay’s fascination with puzzles, technology, and cinematic design. Available now on 1st Shop for $12.

Chris Ramsay's 1st V6 Playing Cards

Last month, Chris Ramsay released the 1st Playing Cards V6. The eye-catching new deck sports a predominantly red/white for the red edition and black/white colorway for the black edition. 

The deck features a minimalist design with the 1st logo prominently featured on the tuck box, ace of spades and one-way card back. The traditional courts’ colour palette has been updated to ensure consistency and familiarity. 

The tuck case comes with their respective colorway beautifully wrapped with the iconic 1ST logo in gold foil. The tuck interior also features a repeated 1ST logo in gold foil.

Every deck includes a duplicate 4 of spades, two identical jokers and a blank card. The deck comes in a Mnemonica stack.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company and available NOW from 1st.shop for $20.

News: Chris Ramsay and Ellusionist Release Carpe Noctem Playing Cards. Only Available for 7 Days.

Chris Ramsay has released his new deck of playing cards, Carpe Noctem on Ellusionist. The intriguing deck is inspired by 'The Night Blooming Cereus'; one of the strangest and most beautiful plants of the desert, the Carpe Noctem deck unveils it's true beauty only after dark.

The bold deck features custom Ace of Spades, jokers and card back in deep black ink. The tuck box is subtle, but embossed, to emphasise 'The Queen Of The Night' forcing itself to be noticed.

Ellusionist will only sell Carpe Noctem once per year for a seven-day time period. Available now for $10 at ellusionist.com

Chris Ramsay's 1ST Edition Bicycle Rider Backs Playing Cards

The exclusive 1ST Edition Bicycle Rider Backs Playing Cards are now available on 1st.shop. This eye-catching deck is a historic collaboration between Chris Ramsay’s 1ST Playing Cards and the iconic Bicycle Rider Backs.

The deck features the timeless Bicycle Rider Backs design and a custom tuck case with the 1st gold foil band.

According to the product page,

This is the first collaboration for 1ST Playing cards. We’ve teamed up with the legendary Bicycle Rider Backs for this limited release. The Rider Backs are simply the most iconic deck of cards in history and are heavily protected, in fact, the only other entity to ever manipulate the back design in almost 150 years is NASA, a collaboration that happened over 50 years ago.

With 56 cards, including two jokers from both 1ST and Bicycle, a blank card, and an extra 4 of Spades, this deck is perfect for cardistry, magic tricks, and tabletop games.

Printed by the USPCC and available now on 1st.shop for $15 in red and blue colorways.

1ST Holo Edition Playing Cards by Chris Ramsay

With little notice, Chris Ramsay dropped the eye-catching 1st Holo edition playing cards last month. The Holo edition sports a holo foil band and embossed 1st lettering on the tuck exterior and 1st pattern on the interior of the tuck box. 

The card backs are bordered and feature the holo 1st logo on the top left and bottom right. This gives a subtle accent to your fans and spreads.

Like the V1's the courts and pip are pretty much standard and come with identical jokers, a blank card, and a duplicate 4 of Spades. 

Printed by the United States Playing Card Co. on Crushed Stock with Magic Finish. Available NOW from 1st.shop for $20.

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Chris Ramsay's 1st Playing Cards Feather Deck

Chris Ramsay released the 1st Playing Cards Feather Deck, a new addition to the series that embodies elegance and sophistication.

Like previous editions, the Feather Deck features stunning MetalLuxe foiling on the backs and some faces of the cards, ensuring a luxurious feel and striking visual appeal. 

This deck introduces a refined feather motif throughout, from the intricate card backs and Ace of Spades to the tuck box and court cards. The traditional court card designs have been enhanced with a soft, flowing aesthetic, replacing weapons with delicate feathers for a seamless, cohesive look. Both jokers are foil stamped and identical.

The deck comes in Mnemonica stack with a duplicate 4 of Spades and a blank card, making it an excellent choice for magicians and collectors alike. The tuck case comes with embossed feather details and is elegantly adorned with the iconic 1ST logo. 

Printed by the USPCC and available now from 1st Shop for $20.

Creators: Watch Chris Ramsay Solve the Hidden Puzzle on NPH Playing Cards

Over the years, we’ve been getting questions and requests for help regarding the secret puzzle on Theory11’s Neil Patrick Harris Playing Cards. Watch Chris Ramsay go down the rabbit hole to uncover the secret behind the Neil Patrick Harris Playing Cards. Apparently a secret site with a puzzle challenge. 

Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Nathan Darma of Implicit Playing Cards

Conceptualized by Nathan Darma, Implicit Playing Cards are a modern deck of playing cards designed by Gart Gartsman. The design elements of this luxurious looking deck are inspired from many decks, such as the circular design from the Orbit Deck, as well as decorative corners of Chris Ramsay’s Memento Mori. The faces of the cards are relatively standard and the court cards are fully custom. Combined, these elements combined make for an incredible looking deck, housed in a stunning tuck with interior and exterior gold foil.

Just prior to the release of the deck on Kickstarter, we were able to catch-up with Nathan for a quick chat about Implicit Playing Cards, the inspiration behind and design evolution of the deck.

Can you tell us about yourself and how did you end up collaborating with designer Gart?
My name is Nathan Darma, I’m a 22-year-old student/magician from Melbourne, Australia. I just recently completed my undergrad in Psychology at Swinburne University of Technology with plans on doing post-graduate study in Design Strategy and Innovation. I got into magic a bit over 5 years ago and have been on and off since then.

For the past 2 years, I’ve thrown myself heavily into the magic scene and have learned a lot as well as met some amazing people. I primarily stick to close-up card magic, which is what led me to create my own playing cards. As my following on Instagram grew, I started to seriously consider making the investment in a custom deck of cards as I knew I had a lot of support from the magic community. I found Gart by posting on Reddit asking if there were any graphic designers that could help me to make my playing card vision a reality, he got in contact and the rest is history.

Can you describe the Implicit Playing Cards? and why you’re passionate about it?
Implicit Playing Cards are designed with the modern magician and cardist in mind. The word Implicit means “suggested though not directly expressed”, which I feel is very relevant to the art of magic, where a lot of sleight of hand moves are rarely directly expressed to the spectator, yet the spectator will implicitly know something happened, but won’t be 100% sure as to what.

The design elements are inspired from many decks of cards that I have loved, such as the circular design from the Orbit Deck, as well as decorative corners that when fanned produce a beautiful display which was inspired by Chris Ramsay’s Memento Mori. Oh.. the tuck box is absolutely incredible. I actually have no words, it came out looking better than I ever could have imagined, you need to see it in person to appreciate the beauty of it.



As someone who has a deck of cards on them at all times, I am so passionate about Implicit Playing Cards because they add an element of luxury and professionalism to my everyday carry, and people know I’m serious about my love for cards when I pull them out.

Talk to us a bit about going from the first draft to the final version. How did you get to this finished product?
The first draft was just my rough ideas/outline of what kind of elements I wanted on the back design. I have very minimal graphic design experience, so I tried my best. All I knew was I wanted the logo (the circle with the split ‘I’) in the middle, with some pattern in the top left and bottom right corners. Once I had that and realised that I had no idea how to do court cards/needed the back design cleaned up, that’s when I reached out to get a proper designer.

How did you get feedback?
For feedback I relied on my friends (both magicians and muggles) to see what they thought of it. They honestly didn’t suggest many changes, the vast majority of them loved it 3 which was awesome. I’ve also recently been talking more to Hanson Chien who will be producing the cards and he has given me a bit of feedback regarding the cards/box too.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
Hmm the most brilliant breakthrough…that’s a hard one. I guess it would have to be seeing the change from my initial back design to the finalised version which made me realise that these cards look so good that I can honestly see these becoming popular worldwide. At that moment I had zero doubts as to the success of these cards (although time will tell haha).

What’s next? Can we expect more deck designs in the future?
I would absolutely LOVE to release a new edition of Implicit Playing Cards every year if they become popular enough. It would be such an incredible feeling to have these cards spoken about on the same level as Fontaines, Virts and Orbits.

Finally, what are your favourite playing cards?
Implicit Playing Cards of course! But in all seriousness, I love the Keepers from Ellusionist because they feel so great and are cheap.


Thank you for your time and all the best, Nathan. If you like what you’ve read here and want to support the Implicit playing cards, you can find it on Kickstarter here.

Printed by the Hanson Chien Production Co., pledge starts from and affordable AUD$13 (~USD$10) and if the project hits the stretched goal of AUD$14k, each card back will have metallic gold ink and on the gold parts of the court cards.

Tickets to the First-Ever CardCon on Sale Now!

Be a part of history at the first-ever CardCon at Irvine, CA this October! This is an exclusive experience by Bicycle is dedicated to celebrating a collective love of cards. Enjoy live performances, special guests, digital experiences, all-new deck reveals, panel discussions, and tutorials.

According to the event site, performers include: 

Oct. 17: Chris Ramsay (emcee), John Stessel, Ekaterina, Richard Turner, and Rick Smith, Jr. 
Oct. 18: Chris Ramsay (emcee), Richard Turner, Rick Smith, Jr., and Jon Dorenbo.

Tickets are on sale now on Eventbrite:

VIP Experience| October 16-18 | $250 

• VIP Reception (Sunday, Oct. 16)
• Access to VIP Lounge with VIP Meet & Greet Opportunities
• Live Performances
• Digital Experiences
• Deck Reveals
• Game Play & Tutorials

General Admission (2-Day Pass): October 17-18 | $175 

• Live Performances
• Digital Experiences
• Deck Reveals
• Game Play & Tutorials

General Admission (1-Day Pass): October 17 OR 18 | $95 

• Live Performances
• Digital Experiences
• Deck Reveals
• Game Play & Tutorials

Chris Ramsay's 1st V3 Playing Cards Released!

Earlier in the week, Chris Ramsay released the highly anticipated 1st Playing Cards V3. The new addition to the series is simply... beautiful.

Like the V1 and V2, the deck comes with stunning Metalux foiling on the backs and some faces of the cards.

The most prominent update for the V3 is the inclusion of the leaves throughout the deck, from the card backs and Ace of Spades to the tuck box and court cards. The color palette of the traditional courts have been up updated to ensure consistency and instead of weapons, they are now holding leaves. Both jokers are also foil stamped and identical.

One ad card features the foil stamped snake designed by renowned artist Abraham Garcia Sanchez. The deck comes in Mnemonica stack with a duplicate 4 of Spades and a playing card reveal on the King of Hearts.

The tuck case printed by Clove Street Press, featuring a mat white cardboard stock with embossing on the leaves and is beautifully wrapped with the iconic 1ST logo. The tuck interior also features a repeated 1ST logo in gold foil.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company and available NOW from 1st.shop for $15.

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News: Daniel Madison and Chris Ramsay Teamed Up for KNIGHTS Playing Cards. Latest Release by Ellusionist.

The team at Ellusionist is on a roll! Fresh off the release of AURELIAN Playing Cards, Ellusionist decides to waste no time in releasing their new deck of playing cards, KNIGHTS.

Magician Daniel Madison and Chris Ramsay have teamed up to bring this elegant deck to life. KNIGHTS features fully custom artwork by Oban Jones, from the iconic Ace of Spades, the eye-catching Jokers to the card backs and custom faces of the court cards.

A few surprises lie within the simplistic and classic matte white and stunning gold foil tuck. These hidden features embody the aesthetics and practicality which appeal to magicians, gamblers, and chess players alike.

KNIGHTS are printed by the USPCC with a smooth finish and traditional cut, making this deck feel as good as it looks.

Available now from Ellusionist for $9.95. Images courtesy of Ellusionist.