Noel Heath First Solo Deck, Heath Back Playing Cards Sold Out!

Heath Back Playing Cards, released for pre-order yesterday was cardistry headliner, Noel Heath's first solo deck after parting ways with Anyone Worldwide last year. The deck was sold out in less than 6 hours! 

Crafted for cardistry, Heath Back is designed by Noel Heath and Scott Black and comes with a red/white/black colorway. The card backs in particular features a one-way design with a red/white square vortex and prominently features the word HEATH. 

With the exception of the Ace of Spades and Jokers, the face cards are pretty much standard. The deck will be printed by the USPCC on high-quality crushed stock. Pre-order was priced at $18 for a single deck. 

This story first appeared on crdstry.com and is republished with permission. 

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Cardistry: The Cardistry-Con Awards 2018 Nominees Announced

Each year, cardists from around the globe come together on the last day of Cardistry-Con to celebrate and honor the major achievements in cardistry each year. The Awards Ceremony bestows accolades in five fields: Deck of the Year, Move of the Year, Video of the Year, Breakout Cardist of the Year, and Cardistry-Con Champion.

Last week, the organizers put out an open call for nominations in the first four categories. Below are this year’s official nominees, based on followers votes.

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Congratulations to all nominees! The House of Cardistry members will be voting on the first four categories, and the results of those and the CCC will be announced live at Cardistry-Con on Sunday, September 23rd.

DECK OF THE YEAR
Chinatown Fontaines by Zach Mueller x Chinatown Market
Dots by Anyone Worldwide
Somnium Playing Cards by Matthias Berger and Hai Do
The Orbit Deck: Fifth Edition by Chris Brown
Virtuoso Fall/Winter 2017 Deck by Virtuoso

MOVE OF THE YEAR
2JZ by Leo Flores
Flappy by David Beancurd
Hothead 2 by Tobias Levin
Kama Sutra by Noel Heath
Waterbend by Joe Feldpausch

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Blitz by Lotusinhand
Last Minute by Anyone Worldwide
Mix 08 by Tobias Levin
The Orbit Jam 4 by Chris Brown & Co.
Turbo by Noel Heath

BREAKOUT CARDIST OF THE YEAR
Dabi H.A. 
Joe Feldpausch 
Joe Ninomiya 
Luis Mecalco 
Salvador González 

CARDISTRY-CON CHAMPIONSHIP FINALISTS
Dabi H.A.
Luis Mecalco 

The Cardistry-Con Awards Ceremony will be taking place in Hong Kong on Sunday, September 23rd at 11am (Hong Kong Time), and will also be broadcast live via social media (@cardistrycon).

Cardistry: Top 5 Videos on YouTube for 2016

The year almost over, which means it’s time to start looking back at what made 2016 special for cardistry. We’re starting things off with a look back at the Top 5 cardistry videos people have watched on YouTube this year.

5. Waterwheel (variation) tutorial (180k+ views)

Seems like there are a lot of interest in this beautiful card flourish made popular by Darren Yeow. Tutorial by W.A.V Cards.

4. Gothenburg Shuffle by Noel Heath (190k+ views)

Compilation of Noel Heath's incredible cardistry skills.

3. Pastel Paper by Zach Mueller (450k+ views)

Pre-launch video from Fontaine cards promoting the Pink Fontaines.

2. Epic Cardistry Compilation Video #1 (664k+ views)

Like the title says... Epic compilation of cardistry videos by Epic Viral Vids, mostly from the CCC 2015.

1. Liquid Paper by Virtuoso (971k+ views)

Another year, another awesome vid from Virtuoso in conjunction with the launch of the SS16 deck.

2018 Cardistry-Con Award Winners List: Anyone Worldwide Dominates

Each year, on the last day of Cardistry-Con, cardists from around the world celebrate and honor the major achievements in cardistry with the Cardistry-Con Awards. Five categories are up for grabs: Deck of the Year, Move of the Year, Video of the Year, Breakout Cardist of the Year, and Cardistry-Con Champion.

Here's how the House of Cardistry members voted:

DECK OF THE YEAR
Chinatown Fontaines by Zach Mueller x Chinatown Market
Dots by Anyone Worldwide (Winner)
Somnium Playing Cards by Matthias Berger and Hai Do
The Orbit Deck: Fifth Edition by Chris Brown
Virtuoso Fall/Winter 2017 Deck by Virtuoso

MOVE OF THE YEAR
2JZ by Leo Flores
Flappy by David Beancurd
Hothead 2 by Tobias Levin
Kama Sutra by Noel Heath (Winner)
Waterbend by Joe Feldpausch

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Blitz by Lotusinhand
Last Minute by Anyone Worldwide
Mix 08 by Tobias Levin
The Orbit Jam 4 by Chris Brown & Co.
Turbo by Noel Heath (Winner)

BREAKOUT CARDIST OF THE YEAR
Dabi H.A. (Winner)
Joe Feldpausch 
Joe Ninomiya 
Luis Mecalco 
Salvador González 

CARDISTRY-CON CHAMPIONSHIP FINALISTS
Dabi H.A.
Luis Mecalco (Champion)

Cardistry: 3 Questions with Nejc Sušec of the Shodou Deck

Crafted specifically for cardistry, the Shodou deck is the brainchild of Nejc Sušec currently seeking funds on Kickstarter. Nejc is from Slovenia, a small country in Europe where he studied Japanese, where he incorporated the calligraphy to the Shodou deck.

Nejc was introduced to cardistry about 12 years ago, around the time of Decknique. Nejc told Kardify,

At the time I was 12 years old and I didn't understand the value of cardistry yet. I though of it as cool tricks to show at card games, so I didn't stick with it. Then about year and a half ago I went through my youtube subscriptions and found so many amazing cardistry videos, which made me pick up my cards again and I haven't put them down ever since. It has come to the point, that I feel uncomfortable if I don't have a deck of cards with me. :)

Cardistry became a passion for Nejc and changed his life. Nejc explained,

On a more serious note, I am not a very sociable person (not the best characteristic for social media, I know) and cardistry has changed that drastically. Talking about it and sharing ideas enabled me to make new friends and I'm truly grateful I found my passion in such a cool thing as cardistry!

Earlier this week, we had a chat with Nejc about the inspiration behind Shodou playing cards, the community, and his favorite flourish and deck.

1. What is your inspiration behind the Shodou Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
At first, the cards were something I made for myself. I was planning to buy new cards and in the end decided to make a custom deck just for myself. With my love for Japanese language and culture in general, I didn't have to think long about what I wanted. Later on, I saw the Isometrics V2 by Kenneth Aidan Foo and I thought the face borders are the best idea I have seen in a while, so I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate that in some way into my cards as well. After that it was just a matter of working out the details, which is what takes up most of the time.



2. How did you end up collaborating with Hanson Chien and what do you think of the support that you’ve been getting so far on the social media?
It is truly humbling when someone expresses interest in an idea you made out of passion, so when people showed interest in my cards, I felt I needed to repay that support. So I decided to put in the work and time to make the deck available to all of those people. I reached out to the card printing companies and in the end decided to work together with Hanson Chien Production Co. There are many USPCC decks out there, so I wanted to try something different. Also since the characters used on the deck are also from Chinese culture, I had the opportunity to get great advice from them. I am definitely happy with the decision I made.

3. Finally, what are your favorite flourish and playing card decks?
I really like fans, but with the amount of talented and creative cardists out there, I probably have a new favorite flourish every week or so. Most recently that has been Ebb by Noel Heath, and Moyses by Edgar Isaac has been a favorite of mine for a while now. Basically, if there is a fan or spread involved, you can sign me up!

Since I'm not an avid collector, I don't own that many decks, but I really like a deck, that has a story behind it, like the Playing Arts. Art of Play also has many such decks. Among cardistry decks I like the Virts (especially FW17), Isometrics by Kenneth and the School of Cardistry decks. I am also very excited for the upcoming Ventus by Lotus in Hand.

Cool! Thanks Nejc and all the best! Pledge starts at and Shodou Playing Cards will be printed by Hanson Chien Production Company.

Kickstarter: 3 Questions with Carbon Creations Card Company

Oink Oink playing cards is the first deck designed by the Carbon Creations Card Company team. The team wanted to create a fun and simple deck of cards and decided on a simplistic but rather cute and funny pig design in eye-catching pink.

Carbon Creations Card Company (CCCC) consists of two people, Daniel Martensson who is a cardist, and magician/cardist Curtis Lee. They both share a passion and love for playing cards and as cardists and magician, they both feel that a deck is an everyday carry and an essential for performance.

With Oink Oink, the team wanted to create an eye-catching deck with minimalist design. Hence, contrasting light/dark pink colorway and the centre design element on the card back makes displays, spins and isolations look exceptionally well! The face cards are pretty much standard with updated color palette to match the theme. This is suitable for the magician who wants to maintain familiarity when performing.

We had a chat with the CCCC team about the inspiration behind Oink Oink Playing Cards, support from the community and his favorite flourish and cardistry deck.

What is your inspiration behind the Oink Oink Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea? How did you end up collaborating with Hanson Chien Production Co.?
Curtis: It was actually Daniel who came up with the idea. He was eating a protein bar and the wrapper happened to be pink. And guess what has protein and is pink? Pigs! As for our choice of printing with Hanson Chien, they produce some of the cheapest and best feeling decks ever. They also have a fulfillment service of their own, so that cuts down on the costs of our Kickstarter a bit.

We first noticed Oink Oink Playing Cards on Instagram. What do you think of the community in terms of the feedback and support that you’ve been getting so far?
Curtis: We think that the community has been very supportive so far. They've been willing to take pictures, do renders and share our posts without hesitation.

Finally, what are your favorite flourish and/or playing card decks?
Daniel: My favorite flourish to perform Mantra and Phaesed, while my favorite flourish to watch is the Turbo Ring by Noel Heath and Mocking God. My favorite deck has to either be the Jaspas deck Primeval edition or the Oink Oink playing cards, now available on Kickstarter.

Curtis: My favorite flourish would happen to be Golden Eagle Snatches Kid, it's a relatively simple flourish, but it still looks so good. My favorite deck? Oof, that's a hard question, I like a lot of decks, but for now, the Hanamis by Hunkydory and Vice by Occupied x Takyon.

If you liked what you read here and would like to support the Oink Oink Playing Cards, head to Kickstarter here! Pledge starts at $15 and the deck will be printed by Hanson Chien Production Co,. Classic stock with Legendary finish.

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Cardistry: Cardistry-Con, New York Day 1

Twitter: @cardistrycon

The inaugural Cardistry-Con is underway in Brooklyn, New York. Organised by Dan and Dave, Zach Mueller of Fontaine Cards, The Virts and Dealersgrip, Cardistry-Con is a three-day conference devoted to the blossoming art of cardistry. Thanks to Simon Bruno, designer of the upcoming Glassback Playing Cards on Kickstarter, April 14th, we are able to share some images of the Cardistry-Con with you.

On April 10, cardists from all over the world gathered to share, inspire, learn and collaborate, and have an absolute blast together. The event includes talks, panel discussions, live performances, exclusive video screenings, Q&As, workshops, contests and giveaways.

Art of Play Pop-Up Shop

Headliners for Day 1 includes Dimitri, Aviv, Andrew, Alejandro, Spencer, Chase, Franky Morales, Kevin Ho, Zach Mueller, Tobias, Oliver, Nikolaj, Birger Karlsson, Eliot Slevin, Huron, Daren, Noel Heath.

Cardistry Con-versations such as Two-Handed Cuts (image above) and Practice and workshop for the popular flourish Curly Cue were covered on Day 1.

Live streaming (or on demand) is available for cardists who are not able to make it to the event. In addition, anyone with the online pass will be able to engage with everyone attending the event in Brooklyn. There is a comments stream below the video for questions, requests, or have a discussion. These comments are projected onto a wall at the event for everyone present to see and interact with. Available on Indiegogo.


Images of the Cardistry-Con was provided by Simon Bruno designer of the upcoming Glassback Playing Cards on Kickstarter, April 14th. No part of this article or images can be reproduced without written permission from the Simon and Kardify.

Cardistry: The Fontaine Trials 2021

Fontaine Cards has just launched the second Fontaine Trials earlier this week. Similar to last year, the Trials is a 4-round elimination-style cardistry championship. Open call submissions started on June 1st. Cardists will have to submit one move for each entry video using Fontaine cards only. Videos will have to be tagged with #thefontainetrials. The open call ends on 15th June.

Here are the details: 

• Round 1 (June 17th-July 1st): Top 24- 30 seconds video on a tripod.
• Round 2 (July 4th- July 18th): Top 12- 45 seconds video on a tripod. 
• Round 3 (July 21st- August 4th): Top 6- 60 seconds video on a tripod.
• Round 4 (August 8th- August 29th): Top 3- No rules. 

The judging panel includes Lewis Caldwell, Kyle Tran, Carter Macdiarmid, Birger Karlsson, Zach Mueller, Leo Flores, Noel Heath, Oliver Sogard, and James Chesmore. Like last year, the prize is huge! $15,000 and a trip to Cardistry-Con 2022.

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Cardistry: Anyone Worldwide's New Cardistry VIdeo TURBO is Insane!

Last month, the guys at Anyone Worldwide released this INSANE cardistry video featuring the mad flourishing skills of Noel Heath! TURBO is not only mesmerizing but mind-boggling and visually captivating. We reckon that this will be the best cardistry video of the year!

Check out the video below:

Cardistry: Check Out Di.cardistry's INSANE New Cardistry Video!

Earlier this week, the team at Di.cardistry released an incredible cardistry video dubbed 'Cardistry: Inspiration', the first collaborative video with all the team members. From Vietnam, Di.cardistry consists of Duy Nguyen, Cong Le, Quan Tran and Duong Nguyen.

The sleek video showcases the team's cardistry skills. There are lots of cool inspiring ideas, insane moves, and amazing spin and cuts combo! If this an indication of what is to come from Di.cardistry, great things will be expected of them.

Check out the video below.



... and Zach Mueller and Noel Heath's reaction:

This is @zachmonky and @noelheath reacted to @di.cardistry 's video follow us if u dont want to miss it✌🏿✌🏿✌🏿✌🏿

A post shared by Nguyễn Hoàng Duy (@nguyen.hoang.duy) on Mar 6, 2017 at 2:33am PST