Magick & Witches Playing Cards by FRIS Cards

Following the success of The Elves Deck and The Secret of the Sea, FRIS Cards is back with its most ambitious project yet: Magick & Witches. This fantasy-themed playing card series continues the studio’s tradition of storytelling through art, immersing collectors and players in a world where wizards, witches, and elemental forces battle for balance between light and darkness.

Every detail of Magick & Witches has been meticulously crafted. The decks feature fully custom, hand-drawn cards, from intricately illustrated pips to immersive court characters that embody elemental magic. Gold foil shines on both sides of the cards, a feature that elevates the artwork and enhances their table presence.

The Magick Deck draws its inspiration from wizards and witches divided by their elemental allegiances: water, wind, fire, and earth. Meanwhile, the complementary Witches Deck introduces an all-female cast of spellcasters united in their devotion to witchcraft. 

Each court card carries its own mythology, complete with familiars, titles, and elemental powers, turning every hand of cards into a chapter of an unfolding epic. Even the Aces and Jokers are brought to life as mythical beasts and legendary figures, adding layers of storytelling to the gameplay experience.

The tuck boxes, produced in Italy by Boschiero & Newton, are adorned with embossing and hot foils, creating packaging as dazzling as the cards inside. 

Printed by KingStar on German Black Core paper with a linen finish, the decks boast both durability and elegance. 

Pledge starts at $12 on Kickstarter.

Kardify Magazine Issue 80 Now on Patreon!

We’ve just released Kardify Magazine Issue 80 on Patreon!  Patrons who pledged $3 or more will be able to download the latest issue from our Patreon page. This issue compiles selected articles published from mid-December to mid-January. Deck images, articles, and news to keep you informed and up-to-date with the latest playing card news, releases, and previews. If you love playing cards, you will love Kardify Magazine!

Also, don’t forget to check out our other cool reward tiers on Patreon! The tiers include monthly desktop and smartphone wallpapers, a mystery deck shipped to you every 4 months of ongoing contributions, social media shout-outs, and multiple sponsorship tiers! Check it out!

Funds received from the magazine will help us keep the site running and growing, and bring new quality content to you. Our aim is to support designers by backing crowdfunded projects and supporting magic and playing cards retailers with their new releases. If you want to support us, please head over to our Patreon page. If you have an idea for an article you would like us to pursue, do get in contact with us. We hope you enjoy the read. In this issue:   

+ The Cross Admiral Angels: Designed by Peter Voth, The Cross Playing Cards tells the story and influences of Christianity through cards. Find out more!

+ Deck of the Year 2023: After concluding our annual review and reflecting on the industry’s events of the past year, find out who won our biggest recognition for 2023.

+ Room52: Themed around “Room & Space”, Room52 is the debut deck by cardist Lunzi’s Smooth Writing with two distinct versions. Check it out!

+ Wonka: The latest deck by Theory11 unveils a world of bespoke illustrations of beloved characters from the film, elegantly adorned within a luxurious matte-purple box accented with shimmering gold foil.

+ Paisley Poker Series: Responding to popular requests, the Dutch Card House Co. introduced a borderless Paisley Poker deck with a white decor accentuating vivid colors for a visually stunning edition.

+ The Fez: Kings Wild Vintage Reimagined deck draws inspiration from the classic Shriner’s deck. Check it out!

 + Secrets of the Sea: In an eagerly anticipated follow-up to their previous successful deck, “The Elves Deck” FRIS Cards launched their latest Kickstarter project about pirates and the ocean. Have a look!

+ Craps: Mechanical Industries expands its casino-themed collection with their latest deck featuring an innovative 3D flip-book animation of dice rolling along a Craps table and serving as a marked deck!

… and more! 48 pages of articles and deck images. Enjoy!

NOW on Kickstarter, Secrets of the Sea by FRIS Cards

In an eagerly anticipated follow-up to their previous successful Kickstarter campaign, “The Elves Deck” FRIS Cards launched their latest Kickstarter project titled “The Secret of the Sea.” Embracing the allure of pirates, treasures, and uncharted mysteries of the ocean, this deluxe playing card set aims to immerse enthusiasts in an elaborate world of high-seas adventures.

Inside, each card is a testament to intricate artistry, showcasing hand-drawn, completely unique illustrations of Aces, Jokers, Pips, and Courts cards. The artistic finesse extends to the gold foil adorning the playing cards, providing an opulent touch to the entire set. The deck boasts over a year of dedicated effort, numerous iterations, and countless hours of craftsmanship to ensure every detail is a masterpiece in its own right. According to FRIS Cards,

Everything in this project has been carefully thought and all our cards are custom and hand drawn. Every detail of our playing cards has been studied and revised until we have reached the final design that we are proud to show you today.

The deck’s narrative is set within the Realm of the Elves introduced in the creators’ first deck. Drawing from centuries of sea tales shared in old taverns and recounted by sailors, the creators weave a tapestry of mysterious forces, unknown creatures, and the high stakes of life at sea. The cards portray characters straddling the thin line between life and death, capturing the essence of the sea’s unforgiving nature.

The Pirates, depicted through Spades and Clubs, and Sailors, represented by Hearts and Diamonds, introduce factions such as the Tenshidean Pirates, The Vale Navy, Duiburn Pirates, and The Zrienard Navy. Each group boasts its unique stories, leaders, and relationships with the mystical sea creatures inhabiting their territories.

From the formidable Kraken, Giant Octopus, Sea Dragon, to the menacing Skeletal Snake Monster, the Aces of the deck give form to these awe-inspiring sea creatures, enriching the saga of maritime legends.

The deck comes packaged in a deluxe tuck box, exquisitely crafted with embossing and hot foils, all meticulously designed on premium paper with exclusive hot foils.

Distinctive editions like the Morgan Gold Edition, John Silver Edition, and the exclusive Blackbeard Edition offer varied tuck boxes, foil enhancements, and gilded edges, each promising a unique and captivating visual experience.

This remarkable set will be brought to life through collaboration with WJPC for printing the playing cards, and Boschiero & Newton for tuck box production. Pledge starts at $11 on Kickstarter

On Kickstarter, The Elves Playing Cards

A beautiful fantasy-themed deck by Fris Cards (Instagram: @friscards) headed by Federico and Lene. The deck features hand-illustrated artwork and eye-catching tuck box that will stand out in your collection.

A lot of hard work has gone into this Kickstarter project. Elves playing cards took 2 years from the first prototype of the originally designed deck manufactured by MPC to the final design we see now on Kickstarter.

There complete rework of all the graphics, the tuck box, the typography, the pips, and the court cards, which needed some adjustments… and the result is simply stunning. On the origin of the deck, Federico told Kardify,

As a kid, I used to collect playing cards and still do, and it was just in recent years that I discovered modernly produced decks. It was thanks to Giovanni of Thirdway Industries that everything was set in motion. I had the chance of meeting him some years ago since we are both Italians, to buy some of his decks. Since then, I regularly met with him to purchase all of his creations and he was a true inspiration and motivated me to start working on something. Together with my partner Lene, we decided to work on a fantasy-themed project, as we both liked the setting and theme around it and chose the Elves as the main theme.

A lot of time and energy have been invested in this project. the Fris Cards team chose to work with Boschiero & Newton for the tuck box, and the results were nothing short of amazing.

We worked on the tuck for 6 months straight and tried different solutions for the foil until we finally found the sweet spot with some special foils manufactured only in the UK, giving it a bit of exclusivity. We had some great advices both from Giovanni and from the amazing Tim The Card Guy and we would love to acknowledge how important that has been for us.

Inside the deck is fully custom, from the beautiful mirrored card back, and gorgeous Ace of Spades to the hand-illustrated elves’ court cards and Jokers.

The decks will be printed by the United States Playing Cards Company and pledge starts at $10 on Kickstarter.