Card Gear: Eddycava

Card Gear is our monthly feature dedicated to discovering new inventory, setup, and accessories used every day by card designers, cardists, magicians and collectors. The concept originated from the popular social media site, Instagram: #passthepockets. Whenever one of these hashtags come up on the social news feed, there's always something new to discover, no matter who that person is.

This month, we feature the EDC of Edoardo Cavalieri from Turin, Italy. Edoardo's Instagram account (@eddycava_) is one of the most inspiring and creative we follow on the platform. Check out his account for some amazing digitally manipulated images of playing cards.

Edoardo has been doing magic for close to 5 years, and photography about 2 and a half years. Besides cards, Edoardo is studying Communication Design in a University in Turin. He aspires to be in the advertising and communication industry once he graduates. Edoardo's gear (Italics are Edoardo's comments):

+ Skater Shield backpack by Dollynoire (an Italian street wear brand. It fits everything)
+ Primaphoto tripod (an incredible tripod which I carry with me always)
+ Yongnuo yn300 (a powerful LED spotlight)
+ Olympus omd em-10 mark II (my first camera. A mirrorless with a micro 4/3 sensor. Incredible camera with awesome features)
+ Olympus kit lens (14-150 f4-5.6)
+ Canon 50mm 1.8 (vintage lense I've found at home)
+ Canon 28mm 2.8 (another vintage lens. All the photos I'm taking since November have been with the beautiful lens. Love it!)
+ AEY Catcher v2 (the deck I carry with me always and everywhere. Cartamundi B9 finish)
+ Wood stick (I use it for the 'floating cardistry' series and for all the floating photos)
+ iMac 21.5" early 2015 (not pictured. A little old but still gives me a lot)


If you would like your card gears to be featured on Kardify, feel free to contact us.

Card Flash: The Guard Playing Cards by PlayingCardDecks

Currently in fulfillment by PlayingCardDecks, the Guard playing cards is a classic vintage-inspired deck for the modern player, collector, cardist or magician. Designed by Polish designer Artur Rajch and produced by Will Roya of PlayingCardDecks, the decks were funded on Kickstarter late December 2017. I continue to be impressed by Will's incredible work rate and how quickly the Guard were delivered to backers.

Both the Oak and Slate edition of the Guard are very well done! For me, the Oak edition stands out more due to the use of a brighter and lighter color tone. Both decks feature fully custom and matching face designs but with contrasting card backs.

The card backs beautifully designed with a floral motif, complementing the vintage-style of the deck. The artwork of the courts are gorgeous. The vintage-inspired design has delicate embellishments to charm and delight. Definitely the highlight of the deck for me.

For the magicians, 2 gaff cards were included in each edition. The Oak Deck comes with a double back and double face, while the Slate Deck includes the Contrasting Double Back and Blank Face. Also, a card reveal has been printed on the inside flaps of each of the tuck.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Co. with embossed finish, these decks handles superbly as expected.

Cardistry: 7 Questions with Paul Robaia of Casual v2 Playing Cards

Sleek, modern and stylish. Casual v2 is the second edition of Casual Playing Cards designed by Paul Robaia. Crafted for the magicians and cardists in mind, the deck feature a clean geometric back-design with a spectrum of true Pantone and spot colors: mint green, metallic gold, black, and white.

The simplified face cards and recolored courts beautifully complement the minimal back design. Handcrafted by Clove Street Press, the tuck box has been offset printed and embossed on alternating triangles, giving a sense of dimension and depth.

Just prior to the release, we were able to catch-up with Paul for a quick Q&A about himself, the inspiration & design process behind the Casual v2 and his future deck releases.

For those of us who don’t know, tell us a little about yourself?
Hi. I’m Paul Robaia. I am 22 years old, from San Diego, and am a senior at The University of California San Diego. I work for Mellenbogen, Art of Play, and Art of Magic. For Mellenbogen, a San Diego based filming company, I am the video editor. For Art of Play and Art of Magic, I am a video editor, social media manager, and shipper. I also perform a close-up magic show every other weekend at The Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Can you describe Casuals v2 Playing Cards? and why you are passionate about it?
Casual V2’s are a geometric, modern design. It features an ideal, two-way back design with popping Pantone colors, including mint green and metallic gold. The deck also features minimal court cards, paying homage to the classic Smoke and Mirrors courts. The tuck case has been printed by a San Diego Letterpress company called, Clove Street Press; there are embossing and blind embossing on the tuck. I am passionate about Casual V2 Playing Cards because they are the successor to my first ever printed deck of cards, Casual V1. It has evolved so much over time, and now, I have a product that I feel is as good as can be.

Talk to us a bit about going from the Casuals v1 to Casuals v2. How did you get to this finished product?
Casual V2 Playing Cards are the successor to Casual V1’s, which came out in June of 2016. However, I came up with the initial prototype in late 2015; the prototype had a slightly different design, but more so, it had a less appealing color palette than the first edition print. The second edition is the culmination of experience and growth as a playing card designer. The design has improved immensely, and instead of abandoning my initial idea or limiting Casuals to a one edition print, I invested more time into the product to refine it tenfold and to offer a now, greatly improved product.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
I don’t know if I would classify it as brilliant, but a noticeable change that I made to the second edition design that I was not able to achieve in the first edition is a seamless back design. Unlike the first edition, the second edition back cannot be split with a straight, horizontal line at the halfway point. It, instead, is seamless.

We first noticed Casuals v2 on Instagram. What do you think of the playing card community in terms of the feedback and support that you’ve been getting so far on the social media platform?
The community has been very kind and receptive to my posts and BCA’s post about my cards on Instagram. There has been plentiful support from people throughout the entire world, and this instills thankfulness and appreciation with inside me.

Casuals, Flora and now Casuals v2… What’s next? Can we expect more deck designs in the future?
Of course, you can expect more decks from me in the future! I am coming out with Black Floras next, but in the future, I will put out new designs too.

Finally, what are your favorite playing cards?
My favorite playing cards are Blue Seal, Tally Ho Circle-backs, printed in Ohio. The cards not only look amazing but, also, feel amazing.

I want to give a huge thank you to Paul for taking the time to talk with us. Hope to see more cool decks from you in the future.


Casuals v2 Playing Cards are printed by the USPCC with embossed finish (Casino Quality) and are available now from .paperclubs.com for $14.

Images by Mellenbogen, Sean Olsen, and Adam Borderline. Provided and used with permission from Paul Robaia.

Deck View: Victorian Room Playing Cards

Elegant. Victorian-era. Stunning.

From the Blue Crown, the Victorian Room is an elegant deck is inspired by Victorian-era design and features custom aces, backs and jokers. The standard courts have been recoloured to fit the overall theme of the deck. The stunning tuck adorned with striking red foil and a die-cut viewing window on the back. Beautifully printed by the Expert Playing Card Co.

Available now from JP Playing Cards.