The Lord of the Rings Vol. 3 Playing Cards Has Raised Over $315K On Kickstarter

Kings Wild Project’s officially licensed Lord of the Rings Vol. 3 playing cards has hit 1250%+ of its funding goal of $25k on Kickstarter. Launched earlier this week, the project was funded in 6 minutes and has raised $315k so far with 27 days to go.

The much-anticipated Volume 3 of The Lord of the Rings luxury playing cards series, The Return of the King is the final installment in the epic trilogy brings to life J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic characters through beautifully illustrated court cards.

These beautiful decks feature intricately designed court cards that depict key characters from the saga. Characters such as Aragorn and Arwen, Sam carrying Frodo, The King of the Dead, Denethor, Sauron, and many others are vividly illustrated, capturing their essence and significance in the story. Each card serves as a piece of art, designed to transport players into the legendary world of Middle-earth.

Also, available during the campaign is the triple Set, featuring all three volumes with a clean foiled texture treatment. For ultimate collectors, the Legacy Edition offers a black walnut case with a unique foiled and gilded deck inside, including a solid nickel-silver “Aragorn” coin. Pledge starts at $12 on Kickstarter. Don’t miss out!

OCTOFLY X Jocu Street Art Playing Cards

In 2024, Jocu Playing Cards is back with an exciting new deck, featuring a collaboration with the Italian street artist Octofly, also known as Silvia Pezzoti. They collaborated to design adorable sets of playing cards – Octofly X Jocu Street Art Playing Cards on Kickstarter.

Two editions are available during the campaign: Rise & Shine along with Dusk Till Dawn. Each game has its own unique cast of creatures. Rise & Shine showcases a delightful lineup of foxes, unicorns, cats, and birds, while Dusk Till Dawn brings a thrilling array of dinosaurs, zombies, owls, and pumpkins. 

The back design for the deck is a mash-up illustration of characters arranged to become two-way illustrations. The number cards showcase a traditional design complemented by charming character illustrations surrounding the number pips.

The court cards feature big cute characters illustrations. The background for both face and back is colored: Rise & Shine uses yellow tan, while Dusk Till Dawn uses night blue.

Each of the decks has the standard edition as well as the limited edition. The Limited edition will have the deck gilded with metallic foil. The cards will be printed by WJPC and the tuck boxes will be printed by Boschiero & Newton.

Pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter.

Matrix Edition 2 Playing Cards

Matrix Edition 2 Playing Cards, designed by Luke Wadey, are inspired by historic Swiss graphic design experiments, particularly the International Typographic Style’s pioneers like Armin Hofmann. This deck is a follow-up to Matrix Edition 1 and is currently live on Kickstarter.

The second Matrix deck features a two-way back design and a fully customized deck and tuck box. The product features neon Pantone ink, giving it a vibrant and eye-catching appearance. In addition to its striking design, the set includes four bonus cards, including a double backer card from the Matrix Edition 1. The Matrix decks are based on historic graphic design principles, particularly those exploring the fluid matrix of circles. This design experiment focuses on creating dynamic shapes from a grid of circles, resulting in abstract and recognizable forms.

The Matrix Edition 2 deck evolves this concept, featuring new pips and courts on the card faces and a symmetrical (two-way) back design with neon yellow ink contrasting against black and grey sections. The narrow border creates interesting shapes in fans and spreads, with colors designed to captivate spectators. The neon ink used on the cards and tuck box reacts under UV light, making the yellow sections stand out prominently.

The deck includes 13 different card face shapes using the circular grid, combined with custom pips to enhance functionality. The power ace (Ace of Spades) features an enlarged pip graphic made of circles, and picture cards are recreated in a minimalist circle design overlaid with large ‘K, Q, or J’ letters.

The tuck box wraps around with a representation of the card back displayed across three sides, and the neon yellow ink creates a striking visual effect.

Standard editions are printed by WJPC using the linen-finished 300gsm German Black Core Paper, while the Limited Edition 2 features a new full-bleed design and colorway will be printed by MPC, including three additional cards, a hand-numbered sticker seal, and a personalized additional Ace of Spades.

Pledge starts at $18 on Kickstarter.

Undercover Fontaines Available for Pre-Order

Fontaine Cards has just released the Fontaine Undercover Editions for pre-order for pre-order. This new series of playing cards introduces a subtle and understated aesthetic, departing from the bold designs Fontaine has become known for in recent years. At first glance, the cards appear to be simple rectangles of ink, but a closer inspection reveals the hidden Fs, cleverly disguised within the design.

The colorways are available: Red and Black. These decks will be printed by WJPC on 300gsm German black core stock and will feature a soft-touch matte tuck box, ensuring both quality and elegance. Available for pre-order for $12 on Fontaine Cards.