Deck View: Metropol LUX Playing Cards

Modern. Colors. Stunning.

The Metropol LUX is the companion deck to last years' surprise hit- the Metropol NOX deck. Created by Mike Lambert, the Metropol decks are inspired by current trends in digital design- clean, easy-to-read, and a unique take on the classic playing card design.

The bold deck design has been popular with cardists. The unique 4-colour back design and colour suits enhances displays and card flourishes making fans, spreads, spins and cascades look absolutely stunning!

Printed by LPCC on their diamond finish card stock. Also available in Red and Blue. For more cool playing cards, check out JP Games.

Kickstarter: Wasteland Playing Cards by Kings Wild Project Funded Within 2 Hours

Having only gone live 2 days ago, the Kickstarter campaign for Kings Wild's Wasteland Playing Cards, has reached its $25,000 funding goal. Illustrated by Jackson Robinson, the deck impressed with its striking colors, art style and well defined lines.

The first stretch goal is at $50,000 and unlocks a custom, die cut, full color, vinyl sticker featuring the "Big Baby" joker. Given that the campaign only launched two days ago and still has 28 days to go, it’s not hard to believe that a number of stretch goals will be smashed by then.

Wasteland Playing Cards will be printed by Expert Playing Card Co. and based on InXile Entertainment's Wasteland 2 video game. It is currently standing at $51,932 from 858 backers.

Don't miss out!

Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Billy French of Bloodlines Playing Cards

Bloodlines Playing Cards is created by first time Kickstarter, Billy French. This eye-catching deck derives it's name from the tradition of playing cards - the royal families. The court cards are unique in that rather than the traditional courts, these cards are represented by the kings, queens, knights and weapons, each with their own traits and personalities. Bloodlines features 56 gorgeously illustrated deck with custom Faces, Ace, Jokers and Tuck.

We caught up with Billy to talk about his design background, the inspiration behind Bloodlines and the design evolution of the deck.

Can you tell us about yourself and what is your design background?
Sure! I studied graphic design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating in 2011. My work has taken me across the globe, spanning a range of projects from massive-multiplayer games to the published documentation of Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. I currently live and work in Durham, NC as a designer and illustrator at Viget. In my free time I like to work on projects like Bloodlines, collect records, and travel.

This is your first playing card project on Kickstarter. Why Kickstarter?
I’ve been a huge fan of Kickstarter for a long time, having backed a good deal of projects. There’s something really wonderful to me about the ability to put an idea or product out there and see a community rally around it! I’ve toyed with bringing these cards to the market in a variety of ways, but ultimately Kickstarter will give me the most control over the end product.

What is your inspiration behind Bloodlines Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
My inspiration was really rooted in the classical tradition/nature of playing cards with a desire to bring a fresh look to the face cards. Bloodlines derives it's name from the tradition of playing cards - and the 4 royal families. Each "family" has their own traits and personalities - something I hope people find delightful in this set. What you expect to see in a card set - kings, queens, weapons, the reflected design - it’s all there. But if you look closer, they’re not your typical characters, something I hope supporters will appreciate.

Talk to us a bit about going from the first draft to the final version of Bloodlines. How did you get to this finished product?
The cards went through many revisions. Mostly around color, the deck was much duller when I began. I spent nearly every evening for a year working on this deck, so change was bound to happen! The biggest adjustment was adding texture - the cards were originally designed with straight, solid clean lines. The texture brought so much more to the cards though, and I knew I had to update everything! That took awhile.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
I really feel like the back design was the hardest element to design - and it took many, many permutations to get it to where it is now. Finding a way to get the line work just right, make something I felt that both hobbyists and card professionals would be proud to use, that was probably the closest feeling to a breakthrough for me! Once the back and the tuck box were complete, everything felt right - cohesive.

With so many playing card projects competing for funding, why should potential backers choose your deck?
I realize there’s many, many other choices out there! I’ve poured a lot of my time, energy and self into this deck, and I hope the artwork reflects that. I’d want backers to choose my deck purely because they like it - because they want to see it exist as much as I do!

Finally, what are your favourite playing card decks?
Hands down, the Animal Kingdom Cards are some of my all time favorites! They’re fun, beautifully illustrated, and for a great cause! I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tyler Deeb’s “Misc Co.” or Neighborhood Studio’s “Monarchs” - both inspiring, quality designs.

Thank you for your time, Billy and all the best! To support Bloodlines Playing Cards, head to Kickstarter. 


Pledge starts from $15 and the deck will be printed by USPCC. Uncut sheet is also as an add-on.

Collections: First Look at Hive 2 by Brendan Hong & Kings Wild Project

Let me start by thanking both Brendan Hong and Jackson Robinson for the opportunity to be the 1st to get a close look at Hive 2. These are the sample decks, and there are no others, so I’m honored that they think enough of my work to have me present them to all of you.
I’ll be honest, when I first got these in the mail and opened the package it was one of those OMG moments. Both the “Standard” and Limited deck in my opinion surpassed my expectations. Let’s start with the Standard Edition.

The Standard Edition does a wonderful job in picking up where the original Hive decks left off. The style and design connects them without being the same. The deck features all new custom courts in Brendan’s signature style as well as custom pips, Jokers and Ace of Spades. The deck was produced on EPCC’s Classic Finish which is growing in popularity among magicians and cardists as well as collectors. The tuck and back design brings familiar elements from The Hive, but in a new and unique presentation. The tuck is a nice emerald green color on a matte paper stock, embellished with silver foil and embossing as well as a repeating interior tuck design of the “Flower Buds” featured in the corners of the back design. This unlimited Edition is a fantastic usable deck with all the custom features you would expect from Kings Wild Projects and was an absolute bargain at its initial $8.00 price tag. 

The Hive 2 Limited Edition is just stunning! I think the thing that appealed to me most outside of the eye-candy that this deck is, is that it really depicts the decks name and concept in such an amazing way, it just fits the decks look and presentation flawlessly. Only 750 of the Limited Edition were produced, with only 694 available to backers with the remainder serving as a backup for any replacements. So these will not be easy to come by in the secondary market. The Limited Edition is fully embossed with Gold Foil accents as well as individually numbered seals. The tuck is a nice, heavier (Premium) matte paper stock and the interior features a gold foil, repeating, “Honeycomb” design that’s very striking. I think my favorite design element of this deck is the embossed, honeycomb pattern on the tuck exterior design, it’s subtle, but it’s not, it just makes the tuck box pop when you look at it. The back design matches the standard deck, but is printed in a gold metallic ink. 

The differences between the two decks don’t stop there. The Limited Edition has its own unique Jokers, Ace of Spades and fully illustrated Aces for the other suites. The court cards share the same design, but are presented in a more pastel color pallet as opposed to the vibrant colors of the standard edition. 

Standard Edition

Standard Edition

Limited Edition

I’m a big fan of Brendan’s style, it’s unique and there is no mistaken who the artist is. The Hive 2 decks are just beautiful, the standard for its 100% customization on a deck I can open, use and admire it for the work that was put into it. The Limited Edition for its striking “Wow” factor and the amazing details that just stand out and make it one of the most beautiful tuck cases I’ve ever seen. The decks as a set fit well together, but also offer enough key differences between them to make collectors and aficionados rejoice that It’s not just another tuck swap. Kings Wild has a proven track record, and I think Hive 2 does a stellar job solidifying Brendan Hongs talent and creativity. There isn’t one thing I dislike about these decks, and Brendan’s Hive Jokers always make me smile. If you were fortunate enough to have backed this project, I can guarantee you will be thrilled you did. 

For those of you who missed out on the campaign, numbers on this project were very tight and there may be a very limited offering available after fulfillment is completed and replacements taken care of. So fingers crossed and keep an eye out. 

Once again I want to thank Brendan and Jackson for letting us share the Hive 2 project with you, very honored and I'm thrilled for those of you who'll be enjoying these decks very soon. 

You can keep up to date with all things Kings Wild Projects related by following them on their Facebook page, and please take a moment to check out their latest project Wastelands, now LIVE on Kickstarter. 

The Collection segment is produced by Anthony Ingrassia of Kardify. No part of this article, images or video can be reproduced without written permission from the author and Kardify.com. To see more of Anthony's (Sparkz) collection please visit sparkzcollector.com .