First Look: Silent Playing Cards

From Alpha Playing Cards (Instagram: @alpha_playingcard), Silent Playing Cards features stunning illustrations by artist Lee.K (Instagram: @leekillus) featuring grayscale portraits rendered in a combination of oil paint, charcoal, pencil, and ink. 

The Seoul-based artist builds up layers of contour lines over a charcoal base to define facial features in a remarkably expressive and emotional style. The illustrative works have made the artist an Instagram star, propelled by widely shared images such as a portrait of BTS member Jimin, whom the artist has cited as a muse.

Four unique designs are on offer during the Kickstarter campaign: Silent Gray, Silent Focus, Silent Mirage, and Silent Deluxe, each with custom illustrations on all card faces. The cards are made with professional-level attention to detail and come in luxurious piano lacquer collector’s boxes.

Silent Gray is a collection of Lee.K’s artwork, with each card face featuring a striking illustration. The cards are made with graphite, charcoal, pens, markers, and oil pastels and come in a beautiful pearl paper card box.

Silent Focus is inspired by the artistry of cardistry and imbued with professional-level touch. The face cards retain the conventional suit and value, while the backs feature larger color blocks to better capture the trajectory of the cards. The character portrait’s eyes are used in the illustration, making each back unique.

The set comes with six card boxes that can be arranged to form a complete picture, and a special red version with red golden edges is limited to 1000 decks.

Silent Mirage uses grating techniques to create a magical effect, thanks to technical support from ARK Playing Cards. The exclusive collector’s box includes a collection certificate and two decks of playing cards, which are not sold separately. 

One deck features a black border inspired by the frames in art exhibitions, giving the feeling of a gallery experience and drawing focus to the stunning illustrations. The other deck breaks the performance limit of the original size of a playing card by combining four cards to showcase Lee.K’s illustration in stunning detail.

Silent Deluxe is a luxurious piano lacquer collector’s box that is dedicated to collectors with the ultimate pursuit. This is a limited edition collection box of only 300 sets. These cards and the box itself feature gold foil and gold edges, making them collector items of the highest level.

What sets this fascinating deck apart is the use of grating art, a blend of digital and traditional printing technology. The technique creates an incredible change effect in the card box, such as slides, where a special film displays multiple pictures on a single plane. The illustrations transcend the limitation of a single plane, making Silent Playing Cards unique and different from other playing cards.

Silent Playing Cards will launch on Kickstarter on 7th March 2023. The decks will be printed by APCC in China.

First Look: Sardines Playing Cards by Squiddle Ink

Here’s the first look at Sardines Playing Cards designed by Stacey Jay Kelly at Squiddle Ink. With this deck, Stacey wanted to walk the line between clean, modern art and vintage detailing to create a deck that could be mistaken for an artisanal product packaged in a Spanish sardines canning factory.

The tuck box will have a nautical theme using anchors, rope, and marine vegetation with the back of the tuck being reminiscent of traditional sailor’s tattoos. The deck will include a custom seal on the flap of the tuck box. The tuck stock is a pearlescent card stock which will really give this deck a nice shimmer. The details on the Tuck will be embossed to really elevate the level of texture and beauty. The tuck box interior will be printed with a yellow background and a wave pattern to give a nice pop of color when opening the deck.

This is where the theme really comes into play. The card back is a two-way design depicting a sardines tin with the lid being peeled back to reveal four little sardines inside. The area where the tin is peeled back will be hot foil stamped as though revealing the silvery metallic qualities on the inside of the tin lid. The placement of the Sardines is perfect for the fish to peep out of the card fans. Stacey is excited to see what Cardists can do with this fan and believes this detail will bring some joy to a flourish.

The Kings celebrate the hard-working sea fishermen with waves crashing around their boats. The Queens are a collection of every fisherman’s favorite, open-water-mirage… mermaids. They are wearing roped robes and marine crowns and their tails can be seen amid the waves. The Jacks are a collection of young skippers-in-training accompanied by seabirds such as pelicans and seagulls.

The custom pip features nautical elements such as Sailor’s knots, seaweed, shells and anchors. Meanwhile, Ace of Spades is embellished with nautical details and, of course, features a sardine tail. The Jokers feature one of the most endearing mammalian ocean predators… the gentleman sea otter. They will be holding ace cards in their paws.

The deck will be printed by Legends Playing Card Company on the durable Viper Finish. This is a hard-wearing card stock that can withstand high levels of humidity, making it the perfect sea-fishing travel deck.

Sardines playing cards will be available to back on Kickstarter from the 10th of November 2022 18:00 PM GMT. Don’t miss out!

Deck View: Mirage V4 (Midnight Blue Edition) Playing Cards

Magicians. Custom. Elegance.

Late last year, Patrick Kun has released V4 of Mirage in Midnight Blue colorway. The new deck has the same iconic look as the previous editions with every court cards completely custom along with the jokers, and the signature Mirage Ace of Spades. Also, the red suits have been given an update with a more vibrant red color palette. The face cards are printed with metallic ink to give it a touch of elegance.

For the tuck case, V4 features an embossed blue dye tuck case stamped with white foil. The overall design has been simplified and minimized for a modern aesthetic look. For Mirage V4, the deck is printed by the USPCC on premium Bee crush stock.

Available NOW from patrickkun.com for $12. The deck comes in Juan Tamariz’s Mnemonica stack.

Patrick Kun's Mirage Playing Cards is Back with Midnight Blue Edition

Patrick Kun’s Mirage Playing Cards is back! After two years, Patrick has released V4 of Mirage in Midnight Blue. The new deck has the same iconic look as the previous editions, but this time around, the deck will be printed by the USPCC on premium Bee crush stock.

Just like before, every court cards are completely custom along with the jokers, and the signature Mirage Ace of Spades. The red suits have been given an update with a more vibrant red color palette. The face cards are printed with metallic ink to give it a touch of elegance.

For the tuck case, V4 features an embossed blue dye tuck case stamped with white foil. The overall design has been simplified and minimized for a modern aesthetic look.

Since USPCC offers two extra cards, Patrick decided to include a double facer for magic routine and bring back the original Mirage Hyper Card that was originally introduced in the 1st edition of Mirage.

The Hyper Card plot has been around for many years but nothing comes close to this version designed by Patrick Kun. According to the product page,

The Mirage Hyper Card can be shown completely on both sides and even given out as an impossible souvenir for your friends.

 

Available NOW from patrickkun.com for $12. The deck comes in Juan Tamariz’s Mnemonica stack.

Deck View: Mirage (Eclipse Edition) Playing Cards

Magicians. Elegant. Black.

Last month, magician Patrick Kun released the third deck in the Mirage Playing Cards series. The Eclipse Edition exudes elegance and features a black colorway, which has always been the first choice during the conception of Mirage.

The court cards are fully custom. Magicians such as Laura London, Calen Morelli, Eric Jones, and of course, Patrick are featured. The Mirage Eclipse Edition has the same iconic look as the previous decks. The tuck case features a thick black dyed paper with an accent of silver foil stamp along sealed with a red metallic stamp. The deck is now marked.

The deck is printed by Legends Playing Card Co and are now available on patrickkun.com.

News: Issue Seven of Kardify Magazine Now Available!

The December issue (#7) of Kardify magazine is now available to Patrons who pledge $3 or more on our Patreon page. The monthly magazine will be a compilation of selected articles we’ve published over mid-November to mid-December. Our goal is to help you stay on top of playing card news.

Funds received from the magazine will help us keep the site running and growing, and bringing new quality content to you. Our aim is to support designers by backing on crowd-funded 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:

+ Black Friday: A look at all the new deck releases from Ellusionist, Theory11, D&D, HOPC and The Blue Crown.

+ @TheDoc318's EDC: Check out Mike's EDC. By far one of the coolest we've seen in a long time!

+ Holiday Gift Guide 2017: Find the perfect holiday gift for the card enthusiast, magician or cardist.

+ The FW17 Virtuoso Deck Revealed: Popular cardistry group, The Virts just revealed their new deck.

+ Shin Lim's new deck: Find out more about the stunning Regalia deck.

+ Winterberry Playing Cards: A fully custom deck meticulously hand-illustrated from the ground up.

+ Mirage Eclipse Edition Playing Cards: Magician Patrick Kun's iconic deck is back in black!

… and more! 47 pages of articles and deck images. Our biggest issue yet!

Card Radar: Patrick Kun's Mirage Playing Cards is Back with Eclipse Edition

This year, Patrick Kun’s Mirage Playing Cards is back in black! During the conception stage of the first Mirage deck, black color was always an option. On the product page, Patrick said,

Back in 2013 when Mirage was first designed, black color has always been our first choice. as some of you may have seen from our previous prototype of Mirage. This year, we are extremely excited to bring this color back with new upgraded feature. 

 

The Mirage Eclipse Edition has the same iconic look as the previous decks. The tuck case features a thick black dyed paper with an accent of silver foil stamp along sealed with a red metallic stamp.

Inside, the court cards are now fully custom. Magicians such as Laura London, Calen Morelli, Eric Jones, and of course, Patrick are featured. The new version is now marked! According to Patrick,

The secret marking system can be read on all four corners. The marking is easy to spot and yet still pass the riffle test! No need to worry about anyone finding out the secrets. It was very important for this marking system to be as practical as possible, and I think we nailed it! 

 

The Mirage Eclipse Edition is printed by the Legends Playing Card Company on the brand new Stud finish, a super soft and 'papery' feeling stock which requires no break-in period. Comes in Juan Tamariz’s Mnemonica stack.

Available now from patrickkun.com for $10.

Top 12 Best Marked Deck of Playing Cards for Magic

The custom playing cards market has boomed over the past year, investment in crowd-funded decks have surged and new designs and concepts are pushing the boundaries of the simple constraints of one tuck x four suits x thirteen cards. Marked decks are used in card and mentalism effects and allow for the magician to focus their attention purely on connecting with the people they are performing for. Here are our top 12 picks.

Note that the selection expressed in this top 12 are solely those of the author.

Kings

From Ellusionist, the Kings Playing Cards is the ultimate representation of Daniel Madison and Peter McKinnon joint creative forces. Readily stacked in Mnemonica and fully marked. Also included. a double-backer and two unique and personalized jokers, and on top of that, an Angle Z Gaff card.

MINT Limited Edition

Designed for the workers by 52Kards, the stunning Mint Limited Edition playing cards feature elegant borderless back with beautiful tri-color design, gold line accents, and masks an incredibly intuitive marking system for the clever magician to take advantage of. Printed by the United States Playing Card Company and coated with the legendary Air Cushion Finish.

Brooklyn Red Edition

The Brooklyn 101 Back Playing Cards are brought to you by the Brookyln Playing Card Co. The company's vision was to create a functional deck of cards for the working magician, performing direct and impossible magic. The result is a timeless blend of tradition and innovation. The deck features a custom vintage design, reimagined Jokers, custom Ace of Spades bearing the silhouette of the Brooklyn bridge. Printed by the Expert Playing Card Company on their improved Classic Finish stock,

Mirage Dawn Edition

Patrick Kun's Mirage Dawn Edition features a crimson/gold colorway, which compliments the original Mirage Dusk edition perfectly. The court cards are fully custom. The eye-catching tuck case was printed with stunning gold foil on a brand new premium pearlescent paper and gold champagne ink covers the interior of the box, and closed-off with a matching gold perforated seal. Also, the deck includes a subtle marking system. Printed by Legends Playing Card Co. and comes in Juan Tamariz’s Mnemonica stack.

The Code

Smart and intuitive. Theory11's the Code is more than a method. From the mind of Andy Nyman, instantly divine the name and location of a selected card - with no forces, no sleights, no memorization, and without even looking at the chosen card. Easy to read, multiple applications and most important of all, Bicycle Mandolin back that looks almost identical to standard Bicycles. Official Winner of The Thurston Spirit of Magic Award 2014.

Keepers Red Edition

Conceived by Adam Wilber and illustrated by Oban Jones, the Red Edition Keepers are a follow-up to the original Blue Keepers released by Ellusionist early in 2016. Designed for the worker in mind, the new deep red colorway has been specifically chosen to invite trust, and go unnoticed by the audiences. As such, the deck features recognizable pips and faces of a standard deck.

Rouge

The DMC ELITES: ROUGE is simply the best deck DMC has ever produced. The immediate feature of the deck, and the thing that makes it most exciting to every magician who handles one is also the most cunningly hidden: the unique world-class optical marking system. The markings can be read from up to six feet away - and yet under intense scrutiny remain invisible until the secret marking is revealed. Printed by Cartamundi.

Butterfly

Conceptualised by Ondrej Psenicka and designed by Swedish graphic designer and magician Stefan Eriksson, this groundbreaking deck features a unique marking system hidden in its beautiful back design. It has standard faces as it is intended mainly for magicians who prefer standard faces as they are familiar and easily recognizable by the audience. The cards are printed in Belgium by Cartamundi on their brand new card stock.

Aquila Standard Edition

A collaboration between Three of Clubs and Kardify Projects, Aquila Standard Edition Playing Cards are meticulously designed by Indonesian graphic artist, Ade Suryana. This exotic deck features fully custom back design, eye-catching Ace of Spades, diptych Jokers and stunning courts. The Standard Edition comes with unique Marking System, the tuck is embossed and adorned with a touch of gold foil. Printed by Legends Playing Card Company.

Marksmen

Meticulously developed by acclaimed mentalist Luke Jermay, the Marksman Deck has been designed with the professional performer in mind. It’s not just a marked deck: with one glance at the back, you’ll know the card’s identity, the one after it, how far away the mate is, and FIVE other hidden features. It features an array of information expertly hidden in its Mandolin Back design.

Ultimate Marked Deck

Yes, the Ultimate is the marked deck you have been dreaming of! Manufactured in the recognizable "Rider Back 808-R" Bicycle Cards by the United States Playing Cards Company. That means you don't have to mark the standard Bicycle decks yourself and you can hand out the deck without fear of detection. Available in red and blue.

Cadenza

Designed by Hong Kong magician NKW with the working magicians in mind, the deck features a classic, timeless floral back design. Cadenza comes with 3 different marking systems, each with its own features and functions. Available in two colors: blue and red, giving it a vintage feel to the deck. Printed by Legends Playing Card Co. on diamond finish, the deck comes in Mnemonica order out of the box.

Honorable mention: GT Speedreader, Madison Dealers by Ellusionist, Phoenix Deck, NOC v3 by House of Playing Cards, and While Lions by David Blaine.

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Deck View: Mirage (Dawn Edition) Playing Cards

Magicians. Stunning. Crimson.

Magician Patrick Kun released the follow-up to the original Mirage Playing Cards. The Dawn Edition is arguably more eye-catching than its predecessor and features a crimson colorway. The Dawn Edition includes a subtle marking system.

The court cards are fully custom. Magicians such as Laura London, Calen Morelli, Eric Jones, and of course, Patrick are featured. The eye-catching tuck case was printed with stunning gold foil on a brand new premium pearlescent paper and gold champagne ink covers the interior of the tuck box, and closed-off with a matching gold perforated seal.

The deck is printed by Legends Playing Card Co and are now available on patrickkun.com.

News: Patrick Kun Releases New Mirage Playing Cards Dawn Edition

Magician Patrick Kun’s Mirage Playing Cards deck is back, and arguably looking better than ever! The new Dawn Edition features with the new crimson color, which compliments the Dusk edition perfectly.

The court cards are now fully custom. Magicians such as Laura London, Calen Morelli, Eric Jones, and of course, Patrick are featured.

The eye-catching tuck case was printed with stunning gold foil on a brand new premium pearlescent paper and gold champagne ink covers the interior of the box, and closed-off with a matching gold perforated seal. Also, the deck includes a subtle marking system.

Originally available exclusively on his Asia lecture tour last month, the deck is printed by Legends Playing Card Co and are now available on patrickkun.com for $9.95.

News: Patrick Kun Teases New Version of Mirage Playing Cards on Instagram

Magician Patrick Kun posted an unboxing video of the new version of Mirage (Dawn Edition) Playing Cards this week in advance of his Asia lecture tour in July. The new version will be available exclusively on tour first before the official launch in August 2016.

A video posted by Patrick Kun (แพททริค คุณ) (@patrickkun) on Jun 21, 2016 at 8:08pm PDT

The Dawn Edition features a predominantly Maroon Red colourway with a touch of champaign gold weaved throughout the deck, giving it an elegant look. The deck includes a subtle marking system.

The eye-catching deck is finished off with matching gold perforated seal and stunning gold foil on a pearlescent Maroon red tuck.

Be sure to head over to PatrickKun.com and subscribe to the mailing list for updates.

Deck View: MIRAGE Playing Cards

Magic. Modern. Elegant.

Conceptualized by magician Patrick Kun with assistance from Simon Black/Toby, MIRAGE is a modern elegant deck of playing cards specially crafted for both magic and cardistry. The back features an optical spiral illusion when spins which is great for Cardistry. Also, the interior design for the tuck case has a nice 3D looking pattern to match the theme.

In terms of the design, the back features a dark blue hue reminiscent of the night sky, with four corners resembling epaulets on a uniform. The crosshatched pattern on either end of the deck showcases a crystalline, multifaceted pinstripe garb that serves as a quasi-3-dimensional illusion within the background of the card. The Ace of Spades and Jokers are custom while the standard courts are used to hold the traditional functionality of the cards. The deck also comes with a specially designed Hyper card that can be given away as a souvenir.

Printed by the Legends Playing Card Company, the Mirage deck features LPCC's Classic Finish card stock, a soft and 'papery' feeling stock which requires no break-in period. Perfect for any card enthusiasts, sleight of hand artists, cardist or poker nights. Available from Patrickkun.com and JP Games.

#kardtalk: What do you think of Mirage Playing Cards?

Social network such as Twitter and Instagram provides a platform for breaking news and instant reactions. Card aficionados are often opinionated and rarely pass up an opportunity to show off their card skills when new releases hits the timeline. Social networks are fast-moving and there are good amount of posts that don't get the recognition they deserve.

To change that, we've rounded up some of the best Tweets and Instagram posts from the past week on the latest releases. We start off with @patrickkun's #mirageplayingcards. Scroll through, enjoy the images and give a follow to anyone you think deserves it.

Unboxing

Beautiful unboxing video with elegant cardistry by Chris Severson. #Mirageplayingcards https://t.co/ErqTZzKlik

— Patrick Kun (@PatrickKunMagic) September 6, 2015

New favourites!

My new favorite #mirageplayingcards by @patrickkun #playingcards #playingcardart

A photo posted by Toomas Pintson (@pint5on) on Sep 9, 2015 at 9:49am PDT

Just came in the mail. Love the way this deck feels! #playingcard #playingcards #mirageplayingcards #mirage #dusk #edition #artofplay #deckofcards #cards #deck @patrickkun

A photo posted by @card.addict on Aug 28, 2015 at 7:01pm PDT

Mirage Playing Cards by @patrickkun. These cards are some of the closest to the perfect stock/finish/design for me and my style of magic. Fantastic job to Patrick and @legendsplayingcardco #cards #cardporn #cardistry #magician #magic #mirageplayingcards #legendsplayingcardco #patrickkun

A photo posted by Benjamin Reynolds (@benjamin__reynolds) on Sep 10, 2015 at 5:47pm PDT

Incredible Tuck

Great job on the box ! @patrickkun #mirageplayingcards

A video posted by francopascali (@francopascali) on Aug 31, 2015 at 4:23pm PDT

Box design 🔥 Mirage Playing Cards by #patrickkun @patrickkun. #cardporn #mirageplayingcards

A photo posted by Talon Vo (@talon_vo) on Sep 3, 2015 at 12:01am PDT

Sunset mirage #mirage #mirageplayingcards #patrickkun #magic #sunset #summer #cardistry #cardporn #playingcards

A photo posted by Kyle Choy (@kccuber) on Sep 1, 2015 at 3:25pm PDT

 

Feels great!

😏 @patrickkun #mirageplayingcards They fan amazingly👌

A photo posted by @flying_rectangles on Sep 3, 2015 at 2:38am PDT

Just came in the mail. Love the way this deck feels! #playingcard #playingcards #mirageplayingcards #mirage #dusk #edition #artofplay #deckofcards #cards #deck @patrickkun

A photo posted by @card.addict on Aug 28, 2015 at 7:01pm PDT

Hyper Card

TWīSTED #dailymagic Mirage Playing Cards by @PatrickKunMagic Purchase these amazing cards at http://t.co/hKGdOXgIiN pic.twitter.com/CUyWml8rqq

— Blake Vogt (@BlakeVogtMagic) August 30, 2015

All Grown Up!

My homeboi pei pei all grownt up got his own cards go cop 👌 link in @patrickkun's bio ✌️ #mirageplayingcards #fontainecards

A photo posted by Zach Mueller (@zachmonky) on Aug 28, 2015 at 10:34am PDT

News: MIRAGE - New Playing Cards by Magician Patrick Kun

Magician Patrick Kun just released a new deck of playing cards called MIRAGE. This modern elegant deck of playing cards was conceptualized by Patrick himself with assistance from Simon Black/Toby. Over a year in the making, these playing cards have seen constant aesthetic changes influenced and elegantly refined by multiple artists.

Specially crafted for both magic and cardistry, the back features an optical spiral illusion when spins which is great for Cardistry. Also, the interior design for the tuck case has a nice 3D looking pattern to match the theme.

In terms of the design, the back features a dark blue hue reminiscent of the night sky, with four corners resembling epaulets on a uniform. The crosshatched pattern on either end of the deck showcases a crystalline, multifaceted pinstripe garb that serves as a quasi-3-dimensional illusion within the background of the card. The Ace of Spades and Jokers are custom while the standard courts are used to hold the traditional functionality of the cards.

When asked about the inspiration behind the design, Patrick said,

The back design was inspired by the impossible shape that I designed for my logo "P". I wanted to find a theme that everyone can relate to and that is mystery. This deck all have illusion aspect built in. The deck also comes with a specially designed Hyper card that can be given away as a souvenir. You can actually show both sides of this gaff card. I haven't seen anyone who does this to Hyper card yet.

 

Printed by the Legends Playing Card Company, the Mirage deck features LPCC's Classic Finish card stock, a soft and 'papery' feeling stock which requires no break-in period. MIRAGE is perfect for any card enthusiasts, sleight of hand artists, cardist or poker nights.

Available at patrickkun.com Don't forget to check out the EPIC trailer below: