Cardistry: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Technique Playing Cards By Chris Severson

Conceptualized by Chris Severson (@chriscseverson) and recently announced during Cardistry-Con, Technique Playing Cards (@techniqueplayingcards) is an innovative deck that will revolutionize the way cardists create and expand flourishes. Here are 5 things you didn't know about the deck:

1. The Technique deck is designed specifically to help you create Cardistry instantly! It has been two years in the making and went through multiple design iterations to get it just right.

2. On the design inspiration, Chris said, "Technique came about when I was talking with a good friend of mine about motion and movement with cards. This conversation is what sparked my interest in trying to find a way to quantify Cardistry in a physical way, (i.e. a card design). About 15 minutes later I came up with the basic design for Technique and put colored dots on single cards and taped them onto some trainers to see if they would work! A few years later we are here!"

3. The deck consists of 5 back designs with a rotating border of color. Each color is parallel to its mate. The location of these colors are based on the most common edge grips in Cardistry.

4. How does it work? "The basic use is to pick one of the five colors on the back and that is your contact point. Each time you break off a new packet, you reveal a new back design and also a new location for your chosen color, forcing you to grab only that color(s) and putting you into random positions every time you break off a new packet!"

5. Available for as low as $12! Take your cardistry to the next level! This innovative deck is now available for pre-order from www.techniqueplayingcards.com!

Indiegogo: Alice in Wonderland Playing Cards by Sasha Dounaevski

Designed by Sasha Dounaevski, the Alice in Wonderland Playing Cards is a fully custom illustrated deck with characters from Lewis Carroll’s iconic children's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The deck is beautifully crafted with love to each character and affection to details, but still, leaves some space for imagination.

As a card collector and a designer, Sasha realized that she wanted to create her own deck of playing cards.

The decision to create a deck based on the "Alice in Wonderland" was accepted for two reasons. First of all, it is still one of my favorite fairy tales, which always excited my imagination with its absurdity - even in my childhood, while studying at an art school, I wanted to draw illustrations for it, but I did not do it. Secondly, I wanted the idea that is directly related to playing cards and allows me to build the internal logic for the arrangement of illustrations.

The work on the deck was long and with interruptions - about two years. According to Sasha,

First, I tried to paint with watercolor and pencils, but I did not like the result because I was never a good painter. Then I drew with a black graphic pen, but I was not happy either. At some point, I scanned my drawings and after several attempts to process them, I got the idea for my style - a linear drawing with fine lines. Almost all the royal cards were reworked many times, from the characters themselves and their location on suits to color schemes. Finally, I came to the version that you see - in my opinion, it is both gentle but sharp, absurd but logical, "primitive" but rich in detail, just like the story itself.

Each suit represents a scene from the story and features iconic characters such as the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the Hatter and the Queen of Hearts. The cards will be printed by Legends Playing Card Company on Diamond Finish.

The Alice in Wonderland Playing Cards is currently raising funds on Indiegogo and is only 3% funded. If you like what you read here and want to support Sasha, head over to the campaign page and claim a perk.

5 Things You Should To Know About MAIDENS Playing Cards

Joker and the Thief is set to launch Maidens Playing Cards next month on Kickstarter. Joker and the Thief playing cards combine functionality, quality, and elegance while offering new decks with beautiful craftsmanship and meticulous details. Here are 5 things you should know about the hauntingly beautiful Maidens Playing Cards.

1. Joker and the Thief has recruited fresh artistic talent for Maidens. Instagram is brimming with talent, but Joker and the Thief always decide to bring on board the very best. Founder James Milaras explains, "Joining the team is Sydney based artist Kentaro Yoshida. He is known for his bold, striking and organic designs. Maidens sports a 100% custom and designed from the ground up over a period of 10 months, and brings the story of the Joker and the Thief into mystical, paranormal territory." 

2. Proudly Printed in America to the Highest Possible Standards. Printed by the United States Playing Card Company under the watchful eye of Dan and Dave Industries and utilizing the signature “Thin Stock” and finish. Maidens are expected to be Joker and the Thief’s very BEST handling deck.

3. Maidens’ tuck case has been meticulously thought out. Joker and the Thief is going for round 2 with Letterpress Studio, Clove St. Press based in San Diego California. "Using an incredible dyed creme colored paper stock, letter pressing techniques and foil stamping inside and out, Maidens is fixing to be the company’s most unique tuck case. All papers, colors and foils were hand selected by Founder James Milaras whilst in San Diego." 

4. The Maidens Kickstarter Trailer is a sight to behold! Founder, James Milaras has flown to meet with Joker and the Thief’s cinematographer, Reuben Nutt in Brisbane, Australia to shoot the Maidens trailer on location. "Expect epic visuals and epic Cardistry!"

5. Getting in early on Kickstarter will snag you $10 decks! "The first to arrive on the Maidens campaign page upon its launch at 6PM PDT on September 1st will have access to killer early bird specials. Single and two deck specials at $10 a deck with Free Shipping within the USA is something you won’t want to miss out on!"

Card Flash: Blue Memento Mori Playing Cards by Murphy's Magic

Released by Murphys Magic, the Blue Memento Mori Playing Cards is a hauntingly beautiful deck that represents the short-lived nature of all things material and a reminder of our mortality. This color variation is based on Chris Ramsay's Memento Mori deck and it created a controversial buzz within the community when it was first teased on social media.

Like the original, the Blue Memento Mori is fully custom and prominently features a unique low-poly design skull on the tuck and the card backs. The Aces, Joker and courts are very stylized and modern-looking, consistent with the low-poly theme of the deck.

There are a number of things to like about this deck, firstly the blue hues are truly contemporary. The unique design combined with the blue hue enhances card flourishes making fans, spreads and cascades look really good. However, the only issue we have with this deck is the color of the suits and pips. They all have similar shades and colors. Nonetheless, it is a gorgeous deck and it handles incredibly well!

The blue color variation gives the deck a darker tone compared to the original Memento Mori. If you are looking for a modern, bold and simplistic deck of playing cards for your performance, this one will definitely help you to make a statement. Available now on murphysmagic.com or at your favorite Murphy’s Magic dealer.