At the Table: 7 Question with Lance T. Miller

Its been some time since Lance T. Miller has been "Visible" in the community. The man who brought us the Actuators and Gargoyle decks was assumed to have taken a break from playing cards and designing by many, but the fact of the matter is that Lance has been very busy and involved in the playing card community, just not in his usual way. He's taken a behind the scenes roll in many projects as well as being involved in events like the 1st Annual International Cardistry Open.

I'm sure I'm not alone in being pleasantly surprised when Lance Miller's name attached itself to the Murphy's Magic "At the Table" deck, commemorating Murphy's At the Table On Line lecture series.

So it goes without saying that this new development got me very curious to find out what else Lance has been up to that we may not know about and what's around the corner for him. One quick message and in true Lance T. Miller form he was more than happy to accommodate us with a little of his time to catch up a bit.

Enjoy

You've been a bit "out of the spotlight" in the community for some time, what have you been up to?
I've been working behind the scenes, with some of the best designers and artists, consulting and developing new and exciting projects that the community is sure to love. I also got to work hand in hand with Kardify to bring about the International Cardistry Open. I've collaborated, planned, and executed more than 5 deck projects (yet to release). I've also been studying fiercely. Everything from illustration technique to graphic design, to Spanish language and even a bit of computer programming. I've been way more active in the card scene than a lot of people realize and even if I'm not in the spotlight, I'm always there.

I think many people were pleasantly surprised to find out your involvement with Murphy's Magic "At the Table" deck, could you share how that came to be?
Jason Brumbalow and I have been talking about collaborating for a long time. Last year, we sat down and dreamed up some ideas and went to work. It's been an amazing experience and I'm thankful I get to work with such amazing people.

While the deck is inspired by the Murphy's Magic feature by the same name, what inspired the concept and design?
We wanted to harken back to a simpler era and capture some of the feel of classic casino decks. Workers, ones that could be used readily to perform magic but would also be classy enough to sit down and enjoy some poker. It needed to fit Murphy's aesthetic goals for the At the Table lecture series and have a sleek professional appeal. A clean diamond back pattern utilizing the logo in a typographic pattern and a slight fade on the edges was just the ticket!

The "At the Table" deck is a bit of a departure from the style we're used to seeing, do you find yourself pushing your talent in new directions?
I'm being challenged constantly to push my talent in crazy ways. I'm learning new ways of concepting projects and creating art, design techniques that will blow your mind, and mostly I'm learning to trust my instinct. All of which is really helping to create some really cool projects.

With the success of the Actuators and Gargoyle decks, and now the At the Table deck, has your creative process changed of evolved over time?
It certainly has! I used to sit and fret over whether the community would accept me if I changed a style or tried something different. So I'd almost always find myself creating the same way or getting upset that it didn't feel as full as one of my previous decks art-wise. Now I know that's part of the process and typically avoid the steps of trying to make things too complicated or feeling like I have to make my art a certain way.

What concepts and designs have you enjoyed from the playing card industry as of late?
Shout out to Jason there. The Run decks are magnificent! I remember seeing a little bit of the concept art for it early on and then when they launched, I was floored!

Can we expect any other surprises in the near future from Lance Miller?
Most definitely! I've learned that keeping a few tricks in my hat is exactly what every good magician and designer should do.

We want to thank Lance for his time and are truly excited to see what's next for him in the industry, one thing is for certain, whatever Lance produces is sure to be unique. Keep up to date on what's gong on in Lance's creative mind by following him on Facebook as well as his cardistry page at  Lance Miller's Cardistry and of course on his main site lancemillerdecks.com

News: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Lance T. Miller's Fox Targets Playing Cards

The Fox Targets Playing Cards by Murphy’s Magic Playing Card Company are an exquisite new deck of cards masterfully hand illustrated and digitally remastered by the one and only: Lance T. Miller. Teaming up with art direction from Jason Brumbalow of Murphys Magic, the Fox Targets spring to life with an exciting array of icons and clever minimalism that’s really anything but ordinary. Here’s 5 things you didn’t know about the Fox Targets.

1. The Fox Targets feature over 250 hours of illustration work. Each court card has about 25 hours of illustration and was hand illustrated and then digitally remastered by Lance T. Miller to scale perfectly to the size of the cards.

Here's a glimpse at the process of the art for the Fox Targets. Each court card had over 25 hours with of illustration work and then I digitally remaster each one.

A post shared by Lance T. Miller (@lancetmiller) on Jun 15, 2017 at 9:40pm PDT

2. The decks were printed by Expert Playing Card Company, but were supposed to have been printed by USPCC. Originally the decks and tucks were all designed to be printed out using the standard US Playing Card format. The designs were all sent in and ready to go and at the last minute Lance got a call to change the packaging and card template over to EPCC standards.

3. There is a puzzle built right into the deck! It may take forever to figure it out but Lance says he’s not worried. He says: “I won’t be upset if people don’t figure it out right away or ever for that matter. I wanted to create something that would last throughout time; that people might pick up 25 years from now and still be trying to solve. There are clues buried throughout all of the artwork and the entire deck itself is the puzzle. I almost hope no one ever solves it and that it brings many years of adventure to those endeavor to work on it.”

4. The design is simple yet deceptively magical. Nothing was left to chance in this deck. Some people have reported spotting one-way elements in the design and Lance says that’s the point. “Magicians will know what they can use in this deck. Lay people won’t even suspect the magical devices being used. The deck is not marked, but is designed so that it can easily be marked in a most devious manner. We (Jason and Lance) wanted to put something in a magician’s hands that could be easy to master but devastatingly awesome to witness in action. I can’t wait to see all the things people do with this deck.”

5. This may not be just a one-off production run. Based on the response from the community, there may be other editions with other wicked puzzles and built in magical elements. The courts may even vary slightly as well as the deck color. Whatever happens, it’s exciting to hear that Lance is back in action as one of the world’s premier deck designers.

Available right now from your favorite Murphy’s Magic retailer or from Lance T. Miller’s Website.

Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Andrew Dodds of Diffractor Playing Cards

Currently funding on Kickstarter, the London Diffractor Playing Cards is a mesmerizing deck by VXD International in collaboration with Lance T Miller, Vrijdag Premium Printing and Cartamundi. This is the second edition in Diffractor city series, which will comprise of 10 cities, to be released one edition per year. What makes this deck series so unique is the patented transparent holographic on the face cards and the eye-catching luxurious metal cases.

Diffractor Playing Cards incorporate transparent holographic that are normally only seen on security and identity documents, such as passport or driver's license. The technology allows an additional layer of eye-catching custom holographic artwork over and above the standard playing card ink artwork, via carefully aligned and detailed transparent holographic foils, stamped with heat and pressure into the card front and back faces. With that, four new detailed artworks have been designed for the transparent holographic that are stamped into all the pips in this London edition.

Last week, we had a chat with Andrew Dodds, co-founder of VXD International, about his design background, inspiration and design process behind the Diffractor Playing Cards series.

For those of us who don’t know, can you tell us about yourself and how did VXD International come to be?
My name’s Andrew Dodds and I’m the co-founder of VXD International and the inventor of ‘Diffractor’ playing cards. Prior to founding the company, I worked for 17 years professionally as a bridge design engineer in the UK, having graduated from Sheffield University in the UK with a Masters Degree in Structural Engineering and Architecture.

The concept, which led to the eventual foundation of VXD International came about in 2009, while sat on an airplane. Across the airplane aisle, I was watching someone play Solitaire on their laptop and thought ‘why are playing cards always so bland’. Bearing in mind, I wasn’t aware of the (relatively fledgling) custom playing cards industry at this point, so I’m not taking anything away from the designers who were pushing the boundaries back then. I had grown up collecting sports trading cards (Michael Jordan cards specifically) in Germany, so I knew a thing or two about flashy cards already. A few weeks later I was sat in a restaurant, under some bright lighting on our table, with my then-girlfriend and she passed me her new UK Driving License to ask me a question about it. It had new transparent holographics built into the card, over the personal information and pictures. Seeing those detailed transparent holographics and how they can basically float above the existing printed part of an ID, I instantly thought that seemed like something new. That was the light-bulb moment for the business and eventually led to the development of Diffractor playing cards and the foundation of VXD International.

I am a co-founder of the business, with my brother’s best friend at school, a Dutch national named Joris van Wees (who also happened to collect basketball trading cards back in the day). He was always a very creative person and we complement each other very well, with our mix of creative and technical skills.

Can you describe the London Diffractor deck and why you’re passionate about it?
The ‘London Diffractor’ deck is the second in a series of 10 decks that we have planned. Once per year, for 10 years, we will release an edition of the ‘Diffractor City Series’. Last year that began, with the ‘Vegas Diffractor’ edition and this year (currently) we have the London Diffractor edition released to the public. I’m passionate about it for a many reasons, including the amount of time we have taken to bring this new playing card technology to market and incredible efforts that have required, the fact that London / the UK is a place close to my heart, the fact that this product has come about due to my invention, etc.

Walk us through the process you took to design the deck. How did you come out with the idea and how did you get to this finished product?
Firstly we plan a timetable to make sure we deliver the last city edition to our loyal backers before we launch the next. We’ll always do that. Leading up to launch, we design for approx. 9 months or so. It starts with a concept, which comes from Joris and myself and then we communicate this to Lance. Lance and I then set out a timetable for the design work and set up weekly design progress meetings, done via Skype, so we can steer the artwork together. In the meantime, I am working with our factories on the technical details of how we actually get the ideas we are having manufactured. That involves me traveling quite a lot to Holland, where our specialist printer, ‘Vrijdag Premium Printing’ is located and to China, where we manufacture our metal cases. We’ve recently also formed a partnership with Cartamundi, who sort and cello-wrap the decks for us and also produce our tuck boxes. That all culminates in deliveries to our warehouse in Germany, from where we fulfill our backers worldwide.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
Absolutely no doubt, the biggest breakthrough driving each deck was and will always be the invention of the tech itself.

How did you and Lance Miller end up collaborating together?
Joris and I were not originally playing card designers, but when the idea came about for Diffractor playing cards, we of course set about researching playing card history and design. We were looking at examples of playing card backs that we liked online and came across a card drawn by Lance Miller (his business card it was, in fact) and we used it for inspiration for many months/years, referring to it always as the ‘Miller Card’. This was around 2011/12/13 before we had even got the patent granted for the technology. After another 3 or 4 years of trying to find a factory that was willing to take a chance in the development and printing of the first deck (the ‘Vertex Deck’) and the production of that deck (designed by Joris and I), we reached out to Lance (via Instagram I think) and asked him if he’d like to collaborate with us on the first edition of the planned city series, which gave rise to the Vegas Diffractor.

With so many playing card projects competing for funding, why should potential backers choose your deck?
We value our customers tremendously. I spend a lot of time speaking to anyone who contacts me, no matter what the query, wish or criticism. We clearly offer something truly unique as well, as is evident from the patent that was granted to us.

Finally, what are your favorite playing cards?
Lotrek’s playing cards. Golden Oath – it has to be.

Thank you for your time Andrew and all the best! At the time of writing, the London Diffractors are only 67% funded with 21 days to go. If you like what you've read here and want to support Andrew you can find it on Kickstarter Here!

The London Diffractors Playing Cards will be available in two editions: Emerald and Ice Blue. Pledge starts at $29 and the decks will be printed by Cartamundi. Don't miss out! Add flair to your collection, game nights, magic routines, or cardistry!

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Lance Mountain Doughboy Skateboard Playing Cards

Another collab playing cards between Fulton's Playing Cards and skateboarding legend and artist Lance Mountain. Lance brings his iconic Doughboy character to life in this unique deck celebrating skateboard art history.

Known for designing his own board graphics since the 1980s, Lance reimagines legendary skaters like Tony Hawk, Jeremy Klein, Ray Barbee, John Lucero, Matt Hensley, and Natas Kaupas in his distinctive style across every custom court card.

The back design is an all-new illustration inspired by Lance’s first pro model for Variflex (1980), created in honor of his 60th birthday.

The deck packaging features an embossed tuck box with UV gloss elements and is printed in China on cardistry-grade stock. Available for $20 from Fulton's Playing Cards.

Lance Mountain Skating Skeletons Playing Cards

Fulton's Playing Cards latest deck release features hand-drawn illustrations by skateboarding legend and artist Lance Mountain.

Using rapidograph pens, Lance recreated skeletal renditions of iconic skateboard photos of himself, transforming them into captivating works of art. Each custom court card is uniquely illustrated, with hand-crafted suits that have been meticulously aged for authenticity.

The tuck box, printed on textured paper, is inspired by a vintage British motorcycle booklet from Lance’s personal archives, adding a touch of nostalgia to the design. 

This deck is printed on premium cardistry playing card stock in China and available NOW from Fulton's Playing Cards for $20.

Cardistry: International Cardistry Open Season 2

Introduction

Welcome to Season 2 of the International Cardistry Open (#ICO)! After the success of the inaugural ICO and the Off-Season team tournaments, the new season of #ICO is back with bigger prize pool featuring cardists from around the globe to show-off their talents and skills.

The goal is to determine the cardist who excel in all aspects of cardistry. This tournament is organised by theflush.com.au, Kardify, supported by The New Deck Order (NDO) and Lance T. Miller. The tournament will begin in 31st July. Registrations opens on the 27th July.

Rules and Terms & Conditions

Please head over to theflush.com.au to read the full term and conditions of the tournament.

Tournament Format

#ICO Season 2 is a knockout tournament. Consisting of two classes: Novice and Veteran. Each cardists in the Novice class will compete in 2 rounds (preliminary and finals) and the Veteran class, 4 rounds (preliminary, round 2, semi finals and finals). Unsuccessful cardists will be eliminated from the competition while winning cardists advance to the next round. The winners of the final round will be the #ICO Season 2 Champion! Cardists will be asked to produce a 60sec video for each round. The format or content of the video will be announce on the first day of each round.

+ Veteran 
July 31: Preliminary
August 14: Round 2
August 29: Semi-Finals
September 12: Finals

+ Novice 
August 14: Preliminary
August 29: Finals

Judges 

The judging panel for this inaugural tournament consists of:
+ Jaspas Deck, Wold Kardistry Champion 13/14 and founder of NDO.
+ Lance T. Miller, playing card designer and founder of Lance Miller Cardistry
+ Joey Heininger, owner of theflush.com.au
+ Claudia Seow, popular Singaporean cardist (YouTube: Claudia Seow)
+ Ivan Choe, founder of kardify

Veteran Class is judged on best demonstrated overall mastery of all aspects of cardistry, which includes Videography (presentation), Difficulty, Control, Use of Theme (creativity), Overall Enjoyment (execution).

Novice Class is judged on demonstrated basic aspects of cardistry, which includes Videography (presentation), Use of Theme (creativity), and Enjoyment (execution).

Sponsors

We have the biggest prize pool of any cardistry tournament to date and this does not happen without the generosity of our sponsors.

+ Expert Playing Card Co.
+ JP Playing Cards
+ Metropol Cards
+ Cardvolution
+ Kairos Playing Cards
+ Choice Playing Cards
+ theflush.com.au
+ New Deck Order
+ Kardify

Prizes

+ Veteran
Champion: Half gross (72 decks) from Expert Playing Card Co. Mixed decks selected by Kardify and Expert Playing Card Co.
1st Runner-up: 2 Bricks (24 decks) of LUXX Playing Cards from JP Playing Cards. 4 decks of Revelations from Kairos Playing Cards. 2 Black & 1 Red Choice Playing Card decks.
2nd Runner-up: 1 Brick (12 decks) of Luxx Playing Cards.

+ Novice
Champion: 1 Brick (12 decks) from Cardvolution. Mixed decks selected by Cardvolution. 1 Brick (12 decks) of LUXX Playing Cards from JP Playing Cards. Half Brick (6 decks) of School of Cardistry deck from NDO.
1st Runner-up: 1 Brick (12 decks) of LUXX Playing Cards from JP Playing Cards. Half Brick (6 decks) of School of Cardistry deck from NDO.

+ Most Voted Cardist
1 mixed Brick (12 decks) of Metropol Playing Cards.

+ Viewer Giveaways
Total of 1 Brick (12 decks) of Metropol and 1 Brick (12 decks) from the Flush to be given away.

Prizes will be delivered to the nominated address of the respective winners.

Can't do cardistry? Head on over to the #ICO group page and enjoy: leave comments and feedbacks on videos to support your favourite cardists. Participate in the giveaways each round! So, don't miss out! Join us and cardists from around the world over to compete, share ideas, and become the very next ICO team champion.

Collections: Gargoyles by Lance T. Miller

The Gargoyles deck by Lance Miller has a bit of history to it. The decks concept made its debut in 2010 at the Label Expo Americas show in Chicago. The deck was 100% plastic and came in a fully illustrated cellophane wrapper. The “Expo” deck had standard courts and was actually produced to test the capabilities of the flexography printing press. The Expo deck had a few more features and secrets and has become quite scarce. With only 300 decks available for purchase and the rest of the remaining 2200 given away to the people attending the Expo, they seem to have dried up over time. That “Expo” deck did accomplish one more thing, it drew a lot of attention to the design and the artist behind it from the playing card community, and people wanted a Gargoyles deck of their own.

In 2011 Lance T. Miller took the original Gargoyle Expo design and gave it a bit of “Re-Tooling”. The design of the deck is dark and rooted in “Gargoyle” mythology and numerology. There’s a paragraph on the Gargoyle ad card that I’ve always liked, and it reads as follow:

“The card is a reminder that evil is all around us and that the very nature of humans and their “silver tongues of deceit” are what often challenges us most. Believe it or not I am actually a Christian Artist. I simply choose to showcase the beauty of the struggle between good and evil rather than focus heavily in one direction or another” 

The deck is just beautiful, it’s well designed and has some cool features that I’ll discuss, but, once I read the “Artists” intentions behind the deck, I liked it even more. You look at it with a different perspective and the elements and design not only make sense, but fit together so well.  There are decks that are cool for the sake of being cool, and then there are decks that just embrace their own concept. Gargoyle’s color pallet is for the most part void of any vibrant color, the deck and tuck is done in shades of grey, black and white. The only splash of color you’ll find in this deck is the color red, which stays intact for the Hearts and Diamonds, but also appears on the Gaff card as well as the eyes of the Gargoyle’s featured on the back design, Jokers and tuck case. 

Within the deck, silver metallic inks replace pretty much everything else; minus some hard black accents in the court design that just pop when the card is held at an angle. The court design itself is pretty much standard, but the inks and that bold black work well with the overall look of the deck. The custom Ace of Spades has a nice “Classic” feel, with just enough customization to make it unique to the deck. Gargoyle’s also features 2 Jokers, both with identical metallic Gargoyle’s images, complete with bright red eyes. The only difference between the two is size; one Joker has a slightly smaller image size than the other. The deck also includes a Gaff card as well as an ad card explaining the concept, mythology and numerology used in the deck……probably the best ad card ever. 

The back design is beautifully designed and balanced, not only in terms of symmetry of the elements, but also the concept of the struggle between good and evil. The outstretched wings of the opposing Gargoyles protecting the center “Emblems” along with a small cross in the center of the back really work well together. The framework of the back design also features stylized skulls in each corner and some intricate design work to tie it all together. The grey tone continues on the back design, as well as the red eyes of the Gargoyle’s and the use of stark white on the emblem cross and center elements really add that bust of contrast that’s appealing to the eye.   

The tuck case mirrors the imagery and design elements of the back design, and continues the use of the stark white to add some contrast to the look. It is Bicycle branded and features the words “Artists Edition” at the top. The Artist’s Edition indicating the "re-working" of the Expo version.   

The Bicycle Gargoyle’s had a print run of 2500, but this deck was one of the first crop of “Custom Playing Cards” and one of the first to use metallic inks. Both decks are collectable, and while the Expo deck is the harder to find and will put a bigger dent in your wallet; I still like the Artists Edition of the Gargoyles better. Now, that being said, both of these decks will test your patience if you add them to your list of decks to look for. Hardly ever seen on eBay and when they are they do command quite a premium. Gargoyle’s definitely gets a spot on my “Must Have”, if your a true collector, at leas one of these should be on yours.

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 and work please visit sparkzphoto.com .  

News: FREE Second Issue of Kardify Magazine Now Available!

We just released the second FREE issue of Kardify Magazine. We will be moving to a subscription-based model on Patreon from Issue 3 onwards. If you find value in this monthly magazine, please head over to Patreon and help support us.

With the funds, we would like to be able to support the site, keep it running and growing, with new quality content, features and deck reviews each month. Also, support designers by backing crowd-funded projects and magic & playing cards retailers with new releases.

We aim to help you stay on top of playing card news. The monthly magazine will be a compilation of selected articles we’ve published. 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:

+ Lance T. Miller: 5 things you didn't know about Lance's Fox Targets Playing Cards.

+ Sybil Deck of the Year: Find out who won the annual Sybil Deck of the Year was announced in Los Angeles.

+ Kings Wild: Busy month for Kings Wild. Legal Tender shipped and new project, Intaglio Playing Cards now funding on Kickstarter.

+ Cardistry-Con: Images from the biggest cardistry ever held in Los Angeles, July 7th-9th.

+ The Burger Playing Cards: First look at Australian designer Nick Zaitoun's new fun and dynamic deck.

… and more! 30 pages of articles, deck images and more!

Now on Patreon, Kardify Magazine Issue 92

Kardify Magazine Issue 92 is now 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-December to mid-January. 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:   

+ Tavern on the Green Red Edition: This fully custom limited Red Edition of Tavern on the Green designed by Kevin Cantrell features a rich red back adorned with regal gold foil. Find out more!

+ Deck of the Year 2024: Another exciting year in the playing cards industry! We’ve wrapped up our annual review, find out who won our biggest recognition ‘Deck of the Year’ award. 

+ Sleep Walk: This vintage-inspired deck showcase the artistry of Lunzi, blending elegant hand-drawn illustrations meticulously crafted with dip pen illustrations.

+ No Borders 2nd Edition: Joker and the Thief celebrates 10 years of innovation with a collection of 6 playing cards inspired by decks from their back catalog. 

+ Star Wars: Year of the Dark Side: Theory11’s latest Star Wars deck is designed for those ready to embrace their inner Sith. This fully custom deck bring legendary Dark Side characters to life with stunning, custom artwork. 

+ Detective Conan 25th Anniversary: These commemorative cards by TCC are a heartfelt tribute to the series, bringing its beloved characters and unforgettable scenes to life in exquisite detail. Check it out!

+ Lance Mountain Skating Skeletons: Have a look at Fulton’s latest deck featuring hand-drawn illustrations by skateboarding legend and artist Lance Mountain. 

… and more! 40 pages of articles and deck images. Enjoy!

Cardistry: The Inaugural International Cardistry Open

Introduction

The International Cardistry Open (#ico) is a global individual cardistry tournament. The goal is to determine the cardist who excel in all aspects of cardistry. This inaugural tournament is organised by theflush.com.au and supported by New Deck Order (NDO), Three of Clubs and Kardify. The tournament will begin in August and finish in September. Registrations opens on the 26th July.

Rules and Terms & Conditions

Please head over to theflush.com.au to read the full term and conditions of the tournament.

Tournament Format

#ico is a knockout tournament. Consisting of two classes: Beginner and Veteran. Each cardists in the Beginner class will compete in 2 rounds (preliminary and finals) and the Veteran class, 4 rounds (preliminary, round 2, semi finals and finals). Unsuccessful cardists are eliminated from the competition while winning cardists advance to the next round. The winners of the final round will be the #ico champion! Cardists will be asked to produce a 30sec video for each round. The format or content of the video will be announce on the first day of each round.

+ Veteran
August 1: Preliminary
August 15: Round 2
August 30: Semi-Finals
September 13: Finals

+ Beginner 
August 15: Preliminary
August 30: Finals

Judges 

The judging panel for this inaugural tournament consists of:
+ Jaspas Deck, Wold Kardistry Champion 13/14 and founder of NDO.
+ Lance Miller, playing card designer and founder of Lance Miller Cardistry
+ Joey Heininger, owner of theflush.com.au
+ Eli Retschlag, playing card designer and cardist on RetschlagMagician
+ Ivan Choe, founder of kardify

Veteran Class is judged on best demonstrated overall mastery of all aspects of cardistry, which includes execution, difficulty, creativity and presentation. Beginner Class is judged on demonstrated basic aspects of cardistry, which includes execution and creativity.

Sponsors

We have the biggest prize pool of any cardistry tournament to date and this does not happen without the generosity of our sponsors.

Richies Card Store
Card Launcher
Dead on Paper
Kings & Crooks
Design Killer
Tomlinson Cards
Half Moon Playing Cards
Max Playing Cards
Dan and Dave
Also a big thank you to Josh Kuperstein a trusted collector and trader.

Again, a big thanks to our sponsors!

Prizes

Can't do cardistry? Head on over to the #ico group page and participate: leaving comments on posts and feedbacks on videos to win yourself a few rare playing card deck from our giveaways when the tournament kicks off.

So, don't miss out! Join us and cardists of all skill levels from around the world over to compete, share ideas, and become the very first ICO champion.

Analytics: Kickstarter's Biggest Playing Card Backer

While doing some research for an analytics article on how many playing card projects does an average Kickstarter backer pledge, I went through quite a number of projects from early 2012 to December 2013. I encountered a few backers who had pledged quite a few, but one stood out because he had pledged for a lot more playing card projects than any other backers I had encountered.

For my recent articles, I emailed and interviewed lots of project creators but it recently occurred to me that it might be helpful for other project creators to know what a backer thinks about Kickstarter. Not just any backer, but someone who has the passion for playing cards and has backed almost 200 project. (Approximately 194 projects as at December 2013... that's 59% of all listed playing card projects on Kickstarter!)

Better known as Sharpie in the forums,  he is a very well liked member of the community and you would have probably seen him around. I reached out to him and he graciously accepted my offer to interview him. I hope you enjoy Sharpie's insights.

Oh.. please do not use this as an excuse to spam him with requests to back your project. Sharpie has been really generous responding to these questions, so let’s show him some respect in return.

The first playing card project you ever backed was the Lance T. Miller Steampunk playing cards in November 2011. How did you first discover playing card projects on Kickstarter? 
I believe it was while searching for Lance Miller's "Gargoyles Deck", that I found out about this one. Which has since led me down a long, sometimes dark road of Kickstarting. I'd collected decks for many years, but I jumped back in in a big way at the end of 2011.

As of December 2013, you have backed approximately 194 playing card projects on Kickstarter. What makes you keep coming back? 
Wow. That's a lot. In the beginning it was the desire to back people working in a hobby that I enjoyed so much. A little payback, or pay-it-forward. Despite some questionable designs, I would try to back for at least one deck to support them.

Then when Kickstarter became a little crowded, and my tastes more refined, it just seemed the best way to ensure that I got the  Kickstarter decks as they happen, instead of waiting and regretting it after the fact. 90% of the projects I back that are funded, end up fulfilled. So even though there have been a few disappointments (Founding Fathers, anyone?), it hasn't been enough to warn me off... although opinions vary.

On average, what reward tier do you back (e.g. single deck, a pair...)? Do you usually increase your pledge for add-ons? If so, why? 
Currently, if I like the design, I tend to back for at least 3 (1 to open, 1 to keep and 1 to trade). But if the design is really appealing (Uusi, Empire, Federal 52), I'll pick up at least 4-6. Sometimes just 1 is enough for the decks that are questionable but still interesting to me.

As for add-ons, I usually do it when there's a coin or it's the only way to get the number of decks I want. And I'm a sucker for a well designed "whatever".

How do you discover new Playing Card Projects? Do you log on to Kickstarter every day for interesting projects, or do you have a 'secret system' to discover projects?
Occasionally I check in with Kickstarter, though that is difficult lately with all the other things keeping me busy. And as for a secret system, it's called Unitedcardists. It is an easy one stop shop for playing card project info. Not all of them Kickstarters.

Without this particular community forum, I would have missed out on most of the projects I've backed. There are other blogs and forums, but none are as easy to navigate and keep track of, as the UC.

Given the number of playing card projects you’ve backed over the years, in your opinion what are the top things that every creator should do?
Well, keep in mind I've never run a Kickstarter, though I have considered it. I think the main thing is communication. When people back your idea, you're both entering into a relationship of sorts. And as with any good relationship, communication is key. Let them know the details of the project as it goes along. The good and the bad. Holding onto bad news that you eventually must tell, is a good way to lose a person's trust. But on the same note, don't kill your backers' inboxes with endless and needless updates. It can come off as desperate, and that can ruin a relationship quick too.

Next, and almost as important, is to have your design as close to finished before launching your campaign. All your ducks in a row, so to speak. This includes getting design approval and a quote from the USPCC or whoever you intend to use.

Consider using a fulfillment center for shipping out your rewards, and try timing your add-ons to be ready to ship out with the decks. Most backers don't want to wait for the dice you ordered to arrive before they can get their decks. Especially when they start seeing them pop up on eBay.

All of this will help a great deal with the projects funding and shipping goals. And that's not to say that the design can't change. It's always good to listen to the community for pointers and detail changes. There's nothing like public opinion to help one conceive a better deck. So...

Do it, if you have an idea you want to make a reality. You may not get anywhere, but you'll learn a lot in the process.
Do listen and be willing to adapt your campaign as you go, without compromising you goals.
Don't promise unless you're sure you can fulfill. You do not want to be on that list of campaigns that took money and delivered nothing. Even if you refund it, your reputation is stained forever.
Don't get discouraged if your project doesn't fund, but also don't be too stubborn to realize why it didn't happen. Life is a lesson. Learn it.

What are some of the things a playing card project creator can do to make you cancel your pledge or not get your pledge at all? 
No updates or communication is big. 
Unwillingness to listen or adapt to feedback or suggestions.
Funding goal too low to create the project (essentially misleading your backers).
The number one thing for me is a poorly thought out or executed design. I think the playing card community has wide spectrum of tastes when it comes to card design, but if you look at most of the Kickstarters that didn't get funding, you'll see that a poor design is a pretty common theme.

Looking back over the last 2 years on Kickstarter, what are a few of the playing card projects you enjoyed the most and why? 
I thought Skallops was an amazing idea. Opening up a whole new avenue to explore with a deck of cards. So happy to have gone in on the original Blue Bloods, and have never regretted throwing money at Uusi, since. Loved the Draw Like A Boss campaign because it came out of nowhere. An amazing custom deck that many wrote off as a novelty. Now people are begging for it.

Generally, what do you think of the quality of delivered playing card projects? Have you ever been disappointed with any? 
I'm usually more than satisfied with the quality and design of the decks. There are sometimes a few that are manufactured very poorly, but you can usually tell that's going to happen, if you pay attention to the project.

The only times I'm really disappointed are when I back for too many decks, and one would have been enough. Or when I receive only one or two of a deck that I really like, but forgot to add on more to my pledge.

I have the same problem! Finally, do you have anything you’d like to say to creators or backers?
Thank you for putting yourselves out there for the world to see and support, or disdain. Too many people hold back their creativity for fear of ridicule. I say put it out there, and learn and grow. Whether you're successful or not, it will teach you a lot about the world you obviously want to be a part of, and the experience will be invaluable. Not succeeding is just as, if not more, important than success. Think about it. If you succeeded every time you tried something, what would you learn? What would you take from the experience?

To quote my favorite author in a recent speech:
"...go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art." 

I for one, don't mind that there are a lot of Kickstarter Projects out there. It just means that our hobby is growing, and more artists from all over the world are joining in to create more unique, amazing and interesting stuff... along with some disasters. I think that's a good thing. But as you may have noticed... I'm an easy sell.  ;)

Thank you for taking time off to talk to us Sharpie.

Deck View: The (Black Edition) Actuators Playing Cards

Industrial. Victorian. Steampunk.

Designed and hand illustrated by Lance T Miller, the Black Edition Actuators is a Steampunk themed playing card deck with a touch of Victorian flair. This unique deck is 100% custom. For example, the courts have been re-imagined as a sub-militant family regime as the head of each suit. The Queens boast of intelligence and power and are clearly the stars in this fantasy art playing card deck.

Printed by the USPCC, each deck is individually serialized with hand-stamped gold ink to authenticate it's rarity and uses stark contrast and striking metallic ink to command attention.

Find more awesome decks at JP Games. Use the code KARDIFY10 during check-out to get 10% off for orders over £50.

Cardistry: Season 3 of the International Cardistry Open is Back!

Introduction

Welcome to Season 3 of the International Cardistry Open (#ICO)! The highly anticipated tournament is back, bigger and better featuring cardists from around the globe showcasing their talents and skills.

This tournament is jointly organised by theflush, Kardify, supported by The New Deck Order (NDO) and Lance T. Miller.  The ultimate goal is to determine the cardist who excel in all aspects of cardistry. The tournament will begin in 18th September. Registrations open on the 5th September.

Rules and Terms & Conditions

Please head over to the ICO page to read the full term and conditions of the tournament.

Tournament Format

#ICO Season 3 is a knockout tournament. Each will compete in 5 rounds (preliminary, round 2, round 3, semi-finals and finals). Unsuccessful cardists will be eliminated from the tournament while winning cardists advance to the next round.

Head-to-head elimination (1v1) will be the new format for the semi-finals and finals. The winner of the final round will be the #ICO Season 3 Champion! Cardists will be asked to produce a 60sec video for each round. The format or content of the video will be announced on the first day of each round.

September 18: Preliminary
October 1: Round 2
October 14: Round 3
October 26: Semi-Finals
November 6: Finals

ICO 2014 Champion Eliot Slevin's video

Judges 

The judging panel for the 2016 tournament consists of:
+ Jaspas Deck, World Kardistry Champion 13/14 and founder of NDO.
+ Eliot Slevin, Creator of viral hit Run Rabbit and winner of the inaugural International Cardistry Open, 2014.
+ Nguyen Hoang Duy, Spingod and Inagural Cardistry-Con Champion, 2016.
+ Andrew Avila, Assorted Works and World Kardistry Runner-Up 13/14

Contestants will be judged on best demonstrated overall mastery of all aspects of cardistry, which includes Smoothness & Control (Execution), Difficulty, Originality and Presentation.

Sponsors

We have the biggest prize pool of any cardistry tournament to date and this does not happen without our very generous sponsors.

+ Expert Playing Card Co.
+ Thirdway Industries
+ Cardvolution
+ Joker and the Thief
+ Jetsetter Playing Cards
+ JP Playing Cards
+ Metropol Cards
+ theflush.com.au
+ New Deck Order
+ Kardify

ICO 2015 Champion Matt Beaudouin's video

Prizes

Champion: Half gross (72 decks) of the Limited Edition ICO deck from Expert Playing Card Co., 1 Brick (12 decks) of J&T Playing Cards from Joker and the Thief and 1 Brick (12 mixed decks) from Cardvolution.
1st Runner-up: 1 Brick (12 decks) of from JP Playing Cards and 1 Brick (12 decks) of from Jetsetter Playing Cards.

+ Most Voted Cardist (Sponsored by Thirdway Industries)
1 mixed Brick (12 decks) of Thirdway Industries Playing Cards and a chance to be Thirdway Ambassador.

+ Viewer Giveaway
1 mixed Brick (12 decks) of Metropol Playing Cards.

Prizes will be delivered to the nominated address of the respective winners directly from the sponsors. Join us and cardists from around the world over to compete, share ideas, and become the Season 3 ICO champion.

Can't do cardistry? Head on over to the ICO group page and enjoy: leave comments and feedbacks on videos to support your favourite cardists. Participate in the giveaways! So, don't miss out!

First Look at Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise Playing Cards

After the huge success of the Azure Dragon, the team from ARK playing cards has released the equally stunning follow-up, the VERMILION BIRD and BLACK TORTOISE playing cards.

Both decks draw inspiration from one of the mythical guardians of the East. Taking shape in a uniquely designed tuck box, which magically doubles as storage and display of art.

The Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise are two of the Four Devine Beasts with a long history in China, and it is also the most representative theme of Eastern culture. The design of the decks pays tribute to and reproduces the classic image of the mythical beasts.

From the tuck box to the playing cards, and other design elements of the beasts and the Warriors on the court cards. 

The court cards portray generals and officers of different military ranks, wielding traditional Chinese weapons: Spades- Spear, Lance, Sword, Diamonds- Halberd, Bow, Axe, Clubs- Warhammer, Glaive, Trident, and Hearts: Dagger-axe, Dual Swords, Crescent Blade.

The design of the Aces is an extension of the vines and frame patterns on the back design and combines delicate armor and weapons according to the color and shape of the suits. The Joker takes the Chinese Yin Yang Tai Chi model, combining the shapes of the sun and moon with armor-like designs.

3 versions are available for both editions, Classic Collector’s Box Set (Limited to 1000), Black Gold Box Set (Limited to 500), and Walnut Box Set (Limited to 300).

Pre-orders are available at tccplayingcard.com on 24 October and a collector set starts at $59. Also, more incredible images are on the online store. Check it out!