On Kickstarter, The Secret Playing Cards

What a good-looking deck! The Secret Playing Cards is the first release from the Chamber of Wonder- inviting you into a world full of wonders and mysteries. Conceptualized by Tom Hsiung, a magician based in Toronto, Canada the deck is beautifully designed by Alba Zapata. The Secret Playing Cards is inspired by the stories of the Illuminati with multiple references and symbols illustrated throughout the deck. 

The deck is 100% custom and available in TWO editions- Scarlet Edition and Virescent Edition. The custom card backs prominently feature the enormous serpent, with an eye peeking from the body of the snake. The All-Seeing Eye is considered a famous symbol of the Illuminati while the serpent is often represented as a potent guardian of sacred places. 

The court cards are composed of angular shapes such that it carries out a rigid ambiance. Throughout the court cards, there are many secret symbols for you to discover. Alba has done a wonderful job combining her unique art style with the multiple inspirations of the Illuminati. Loving the modern twist to the traditional courts. 

The bold Ace of Spades has an owl on the design with the all-seeing eye hanging above him. Within the shade of spade, there are also several roses scattered around. 

While the court cards and ace of spades each have unique custom designs, the pips have been enhanced. If you look at each suit closely, you can find detailed patterns infused in it. The number cards are designed with a lot of eye-catching colors- deep red, gold, green and black. Giving it a sense of mystery. 

The deck is packaged in a stunning tuck box adorned with Gold foil. The tuck features two snakes tangled together, with an owl flying on top of them.

In ancient times, owls are a symbol of wisdom. Alba also illustrated a beautiful artwork on the inner tuck case. The entire design of the box is meant to represent characters of bravery, wisdom, mystery, and the contrary. 

Printed by Taiwan Playing Cards Company on the Legendary Luxury Card Finish. Limited Edition of 2000 Decks with Foil-Numbered Seal. Available for $12 on Kickstarter NOW.

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On Kickstarter, Empire City Playing Cards

Chamber of Wonder is back with another exciting project. Canada-based magician, Tom Hsiung had released a few successful playing cards projects, and he returns with a very interesting one by partnering up with designer Alba Zapata. Introducing Empire City Playing Cards, decks based on the famous New York City in the United States.

There are two main editions of Empire City Playing Cards: Manhattan Sunrise and Brooklyn Twilight. Manhattan Sunrise in red colorway, while Brooklyn Twilight is green.

The tuck box is made with premium matte finish paper with gold metallic foil and embossing. The front side of the box shows the illustration of the high skyscrapers and some of New York City’s iconic buildings along with the deck’s title.

The card back design features a two-way illustration of graphic artwork of everything related to the city that never sleeps. You can find the artwork of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge. The central element of the card features the name of the deck. It has an illustrious border surrounding graphic art.

There is an eagle spreading its wings can be found below the deck’s name. The top side of the box shows the initials of New York City – “NYC”. There is an interior artwork of the city’s beautiful landscape, and Brooklyn Bridge can be found on the inside flap of the box. The small side flaps have the iconic message of “I Love New York”.

Both Jokers feature big signage promoting New York City. One is showing the welcome sign of the city, the other is showing the trademark phrase of New York: “The City That Never Sleeps”.

The Ace of Spades features the enlarged pip showing the Statue of Liberty. The number cards feature customized pips alongside customized pip arrangements. Court cards feature people from the city who are doing daily business: from enjoying a cup of coffee to enjoying the scenery of the busy city.

The cards will be printed by Taiwan Playing Card Company on Legendary Luxury Finish. Pledge starts from $12 for a single deck OR $25 for both editions of the deck on Kickstarter.

Deck View: Sin City Playing Cards

Lights. Roulette. Stunning.

A stunning deck by Riffle Shuffle in collaboration with designer Alba Zapata. Sin City Playing Cards takes inspiration from Las Vegas, a place that never sleeps, the city of thousands of lights and millions of fates, the place of endless thrill and bottomless pockets.

Inside, the card backs come with a red-and-gold pattern, made up of two adjoining roulette wheels lined by diamonds, martini glasses, and other quintessential Las Vegas elements. The court cards feature different types of characters one can encounter in Sin City. From cowboys, magicians, singers to contortionists, fortune tellers, and intoxicated bar patrons. The designer drew all of these characters in a lovely geometrical style, which surprises with many hidden details.

The tuck box is hot-stamped with gold and red foil on black paper evokes a starry evening on the famous strip. The front of the box features large red letters saying “Sin City” placed in the middle of a golden diamond, while the back and the sides are completely covered in a symmetrical design.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company, AIR CUSHION Finish with the legendary BEE CASINO STOCK. 

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Gourmet Playing Cards, Less Than 3 Days on Kickstarter!

Another beautiful deck from Alba Zapata in collaboration with Riffle Shuffle. Gourmet Playing Cards takes you on a delicious journey through Europe to find your favorite dish, from Portugal, Spain, Italy to Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, and England.



The fully custom deck features a mirrored card back showcasing the lovely sights of Europe and a pot of Paella in the center with shrimps and fish. The bold linework truly sets the narrative of the deck.



The gastro journey continues with the court cards with royals from various European countries. Each featuring local delicacies and specialties. For example, the King of Spades features Spanish Artist with bake fish skewers and Jack of Hearts, the charming gondolier from Venice showcasing Italian Pizza, Pasta, and Gelato.



The pips on the number of cards have been meticulously transformed into a lovely art nouveau style with decorative elements. Good balance especially with the details of the court cards. The Ace of Spades sports a luxurious design incorporating the starts of the European Union and the fork and knife icon to remind you of the gastro journey.



The deck is kept secure in a stunning black matte tuck box with pink and copper foil, embossed, and interior print. The artwork of the tuck is incredibly detailed with a mountain skyline, the skyline of a town square, bottle, wine glasses, sea waves, and much more for you to discover!



The deck starts at $14 on Kickstarter. Bon Appetite!

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Sin City Playing Cards, Less Than a Week on Kickstarter!

Another stunning deck by the team at Riffle Shuffle funding on Kickstarter. Sin City Playing Cards takes inspiration from Las Vegas, a place that never sleeps, the city of thousands of lights and millions of fates, the place of endless thrill and bottomless pockets. Designer Alba Zapata (Instagram: @albazapata.design) invites you into the decadent realm of fancy cocktails, smoky rooms, and sultry jazz music with this fully custom deck of playing cards.

The atmosphere of the shiny city that comes alive by night is obvious right from the stunning tuck box. The hot-stamped gold and red foil on black paper evoke a starry evening on the famous strip. The front of the box features large red letters saying “Sin City” placed in the middle of a golden diamond, while the back and the sides are completely covered in a symmetrical design, which is repeated throughout the whole deck.



Inside, the card backs follow the design elements found on the box with a red-and-gold pattern, made up of two adjoining roulette wheels lined by diamonds, martini glasses, and other quintessential Las Vegas elements. Brilliant!

The court cards feature different types of characters one can encounter in Sin City. From cowboys, magicians, singers to contortionists, fortune tellers and intoxicated bar patron. The designer drew these all of these characters in a lovely geometrical style, which surprises with many hidden details. Each of the court cards has an indication of the suit in two corners, each of the shapes filled in with an elegant pattern.

The ace of spades is proudly dominated by a stylized spade with a lovely red rose detail in the middle. It is encircled by golden leaves, just like the ones that used to make up the crowns of Roman Emperors. At the very top of the card is a golden ribbon with black lettering letting you know, that you have officially entered the Sin City.

The Jokers are very special cards due to their use of the notoriously well-known road sign announcing: “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas”.

Sin City Playing Card will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company, AIR CUSHION Finish with the legendary BEE CASINO STOCK. Limited Edition of 2500 Decks.

Don't miss out! Pledge starts at $13 on Kickstarter for a single deck.

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Deck View: Golden Sunrise Playing Cards

Retro. Diner. Charming.

Produced by Art of Play, Golden Sunrise playing cards are inspired by the classic American diner. The deck is designed by Antonio Martinez and Alba Zapata and sports a vibrant retro color and gorgeous artwork. The deck is fully custom, from the charming aces, jokers to the card backs showcasing jukebox, sundae, and milkshakes with bold and clean linework.

Also, the colorful court cards feature cool characters you may find in a classic diner when you drive down Route 66. I love how the theme, artwork, and elements came together perfectly in a neat little package. The deck comes with a vibrant letterpress-printed tuck case and sealed with a vintage-style tax stamp.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company and available from artofplay.com for $15. Golden Sunrise is guaranteed to bring a bit of nostalgia to your game nights.

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Kardify Magazine Issue 73 Released

We have just released Kardify Magazine issue 73 on Patreon!  Patrons who pledged $3 or more will be able to download the latest issue from our Patreon page. This issue compiles selected articles published from mid-May to mid-June. Deck images, articles, and news to keep you informed and up-to-date with the latest playing card news, releases, and previews. If you love playing cards, you will love Kardify Magazine!

Also, don’t forget to check out our other cool reward tiers on Patreon! The tiers include monthly desktop and smartphone wallpapers, a mystery deck shipped to you every 4 months of ongoing contributions, social media shout-outs, and multiple sponsorship tiers! Check it out!

Funds received from the magazine will help us keep the site running and growing, and bring new quality content to you. Our aim is to support designers by backing crowdfunded projects and supporting magic and playing cards retailers with their new releases. If you want to support us, please head over to our Patreon page. If you have an idea for an article you would like us to pursue, do get in contact with us. We hope you enjoy the read. In this issue:   

+ The Goldsmith: The first deck in the Cantrell A Priori playing card series is an homage to the father of modern printing, Johannes Gutenberg. Find out more!

+ Empire City: Chamber of Wonder is back with an exciting deck of playing cards based on the famous New York City in the United States beautifully designed by Alba Zapata.

+ Cibola: The third and final deck in Kings Wild Project‘s “Lost Cities” series with design elements based of the original El Dorado Playing Cards from the late 1800s.

+ Ramen Heads: Discover the delightful world with this limited edition deck by Art of Play featuring custom illustrations inspired by vintage Japanese graphic design.

+ Cherry Pi: Check out the latest deck in Kings Wild Project‘s Pi Series! The deck is truly eye-catching with a complimentary pink, maroon, red and green color palette.

+ Bicycle Factory52: This sold-out limited edition custom Bicycle deck was designed in partnership with AGAR. Find out more!

 + Blind Tiger Delayed: In a recent development, the Blind Tiger playing cards, a highly anticipated deck from Seasons, have faced unexpected delays, leaving card enthusiasts’ & customers waiting and frustrated.

+ Grid Series 5: A Typographic deck by UK-based designer Luke Wadey who wanted the latest deck to have maximum impact, with oversized typography at the heart of its design. Check it out!

… and more! 48 pages of articles and deck images. Enjoy!

Deck View: Gourmet Playing Cards

Food. Europe. Bold.

Gourmet Playing Cards is a beautiful deck by Alba Zapata in collaboration with Riffle Shuffle. The deck takes you on a delicious journey through Europe to find your favorite dish, from Portugal, Spain, Italy to Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, and England.

The fully custom deck features a mirrored card back showcasing the lovely sights of Europe and a pot of Paella in the center with shrimps and fish. The bold linework truly sets the narrative of the deck. The gastro journey continues with the court cards with royals from various European countries. Each featuring local delicacies and specialties.

The pips on the number of cards have been meticulously transformed into a lovely art nouveau style with decorative elements. Good balance especially with the details of the court cards. The Ace of Spades sports a luxurious design incorporating the starts of the European Union and the fork and knife icon to remind you of the gastro journey.

The deck is kept secure in a stunning black matte tuck box with pink and copper foil, embossed, and interior print. Available now from vanishingincmagic.com.

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Art of Play Releases the Golden Sunrise Playing Cards

Of all the new decks released by Art of Play on Black Friday, the Golden Sunrise playing cards are probably my favorite. Inspired by American classic American diner, the deck is designed by Antonio Martinez and Alba Zapata (Instagram: @albazapata.design).

With its vibrant retro colors and gorgeous artwork, the deck is guaranteed to bring a bit of nostalgia to your game nights.

The deck is fully custom, from the charming aces, jokers to the card backs showcasing jukebox, sundae, and milkshakes. Also, the colorful court cards feature cool characters you may find in a classic diner when you drive down Route 66.

I love how the theme, artwork, and elements came together perfectly in a neat little package. The deck comes with a vibrant letterpress printed tuck case and sealed with a vintage-style tax stamp.

Printed by The United States Playing Card Company and currently available from artofplay.com for $15. Images provided by antno. Find more of his cool images on Instagram (@antno_).

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Top 12 Playing Cards of 2021

What a year for playing cards! We are incredibly fortunate to be part of such an inspired community of artists, designers, cardists, magicians, and collectors! We've compiled our favorite decks for 2021 right here. This will be the third of four articles counting down to our Deck of the Year reveal next week.

Top 5 Cardistry Decks

Top 5 Collector Playing Cards

Top 12 Playing Cards of 2021

Deck of the Year 2021

If you think we've missed your favorite deck, let us know in the comment section below. Note that the selection expressed in this top 5 are solely those of the author and the list is in no particular order.

Kingdom & Kinghood

The KINGDOM & KINGHOOD decks are based on the royal theme of the Middle Ages and its illustrations are drawn from the luxurious style of the Renaissance period. Throughout history, the royal element has always been the most luxurious and noble symbol. The decks are fully custom, from the Aces, Jokers, and the Court Cards. The illustrations are drawn using the classic Sgraffito painted technique. Each illustration was first drawn and colored carefully on the paper and then using high-precision scanning transferred into digital images, the whole process over 3 months to complete. 

Harry Potter

Theory11's stunning decks showcase all of your favorite Harry Potter characters in four spellbinding color editions, representing the four houses. Theory11 features completely custom artwork in every aspect of the design, with the Aces, Jokers, box design, and court cards inspired directly by fan-favorite characters and events in the Wizarding World.  

Wayfarers 

Joker and the Thief's Wayfarer embodies the spirit of travel and adventure with a bold, and commanding design. Inside, the Wayfarers courts are gorgeous and fit the overall theme beautifully. Each suit of the Wayfarer’s court cards represents nature’s elements, with each royal having dominion over that aspect of reality. Packaged in an incredibly luxurious tuck box, Wayfarers showcase an incredible bronze embossed foil with white pigment foil impressed into the premium black paper stock. 

Black Market

This Thirdway Industries' Black Market can only be purchased with a password. The deck is the official deck of a fictional secret trade society, whose target is to make a lot of money selling extraordinary items to members. Beautiful artwork, incredible details, and a cool narrative! Like all Thirdway decks, there are secrets to discover! 

Blue Jay 

Blue Jay Playing Cards is the second installment in Meadowlark's custom playing card series. This beautiful deck is designed in collaboration with Elettra Deganello. Fully custom, the back design took some of the core features from the Meadowlark Deck and redesigned it to maintain its uniqueness. The Dentistry sub-theme was also incorporated in a fun yet sophisticated way. For the face cards, the Blue Jay was drawn in a fashion to be cohesive with the rest of the deck including the court cards, Aces, and Jokers. 

Pioneers

The Pioneers deck by Ellusionist is a celebration of exploration, scientific discovery, and innocent curiosity from a bygone era. These beautiful decks are fully custom, inside and out... from the distinctive deck seal to the impeccable pips. Every detail and line on the tuck, backs, aces, and jokers was painstakingly hand-drawn by renowned playing card artist Oban Jones.

Alice in Wonderland

Take a trip down the Rabbit Hole in Wonderland with Alice and the wildly unusual and whimsical characters of the beloved story, 'Alice in Wonderland'. Each card in Kings Wild's Alice playing cards is meticulously designed in exquisite detail by Jackson Robinson. With intricate borders and colors throughout the deck.

Royales

From Kings & Crooks comes a fully custom-designed deck of cards inspired by an unforgettable night of glitz, glamour, and fortune at an iconic, fictional casino. The luxurious deck is fit for the elite high-roller tables of vintage-era Monte Carlo, an intoxicating place of grandeur that attracts the beautiful, billionaires, and the crème de la crème of high society. Elegantly playful but ultra-sophisticated, the Royales celebrate a fine line between modern-minimal and old-world-classic style. 

52 Plus Joker Club Deck 2021

This limited edition deck is a fantastic representation of the world’s greatest playing card collector’s club, 52 Plus Joker. Designed by Stockholm17, the deck features a meticulously crafted tuck with two-piece tuck construction. You will notice a special Spade die-cut on the front of the tuck. Gold hot foil on the tuck and a numbered custom-shaped label make this deck look incredible! Inside, the deck comes with fully customized courts and jokers. Gold cold foil has been used on both sides of the cards, making them look absolutely stunning!

Atlantis

Atlantis Playing Cards is a gorgeous deck by Riffle Shuffle inspired by the mysterious and majestic lost city of Atlantis. Insides, the intricate card backs are divided into symmetrical sectors. They are presided over by two big triangles featuring the head of Zeus surrounded by heavenly light shining upon the rest of the scene. The custom court cards offer us a rare look into what the people of Atlantis might have looked like. The royals are dressed in sophisticated, richly decorated clothes in blue and gold. The bold Ace of Spades sports a blue and silver colorway consistent with the color palette of the deck.

Marvelous Hummingbird

The Marvelous decks are inspired by the marvelous Hummingbird feathers. The deck is conceptualized by Kellar O'Neil and masterfully created by designer Chris Tipton. The tuck box of the deck is extremely striking with sculpted embossing, and multiple holographic foils beautifully mimicking the iridescence of the hummingbird feathers. Inside, the borderless card backs feature holographic foil feathers and face cards come in a recognizable classic style but refined and customized for the theme and feature highlights of holographic foil as well. 

Republic

UUSI's REPUBLIC Playing Cards is a custom playing card deck based on Finnish/Nordic folk art and design. The deck sports a predominant beige/black colorway with a seamless pattern inspired by traditional Finnish design on the card back. The court cards, Ace of Spades and Jokers are fully custom yet at the same time very familiar and immediately recognizable. 

Honorable mention:  Gourmet by Alba Zapata, Wizard of Oz by Kings Wild Project, Avengers by Theory11, Pinocchio Vermillion by Elletra Deganello, Fulton's Day of the Dead by Fulton's Playing Cards, Galaxia by Thirdway Industries, Fontaine Fever Dreams by Fontaine Cards, ARW V2 by Luke Wadey, The Grand by Riffle Shuffle, Room 237 by Penguin Magic, Butterfly Seasons by Butterfly, The Cut by Kings Wild Project and Lepidopterist Patina by Art of Play.

Note that the selection expressed in this top 12 are solely those of the author and the list is in no particular order.

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