Cardistry: 3 Questions with Lunzi of Grace & Gentle Playing Card

The Grace & Gentle Playing Cards is the first deck based on Lunzi's brand 'Grace & Gentle'. Lunzi is a popular cardist from China who started cardistry 10 years ago. With the help of the community, he was able to progress and became one of the cardist in China. He is well known for his smooth and aesthetically pleasing style of flourish. Lunzi has released lecture notes and a series of tutorials such as Smooth Writing, which can be found on Art Of Magic.

We had a quick chat to Lunzi about the inspiration behind the Grace & Gentle deck, the community, and his favorite flourish and deck.

What is your inspiration behind the Grace & Gentle deck? How did you come up with the idea?
I like black and white color art, with the combination of sword pattern and Grace & Gentle brand. That's where I got the idea. The visual effect of the card back is a knife through a set of diagonal lines, which is my favorite part of the design. I added two sets of diagonal designs to the face cards to make the deck visually pleasing and give it some character.

What do you think of the cardistry community in terms of the feedback and support that you’ve been getting so far?
I think the most fascinating part of cardistry is that you can use a deck of cards to convey your thoughts and share memories with others. It's interesting to be able to communicate with friends from all over the world who love the art. It is amazing that all this come from our love for a deck of playing cards.

Finally, what are your favorite flourish and playing card decks?
My favorite is the Trilogy By Dan & Dave. Each of the flourishes has given me a lot of help and inspiration. My favorite playing card is Bee Dark Diamond, a playing card that my friend produced back in 2014, which was a very important time for me.

Thanks, Lunzi and congratulations for hitting the funding goal!


Produced by TCC Playing Cards, the Grace & Gentle deck is available NOW on Kickstarter for $12. It will be printed by the USPCC.

Check Out Smooth Writing's Debut Deck, Room52

Lunzi, known for his impressive performances in cardistry competitions and as the lead illustrator at ARK, introduces his latest venture- Smooth Writing. The brand’s inception owes much to the stalwart support and collaboration from TCC.

Lunzi expressed enthusiasm about leveraging cards as a tangible canvas to articulate thoughts and visions. Now funding on Kickstarter, Room52 is the debut deck by Smooth Writing with two distinct versions – Red and Silver (limited to 300).

Themed around “Room & Space,” Lunzi’s designs cleverly encapsulate the essence of “room” through the symbolic portrayal of “doors.” The Red edition, inspired by motifs from motels and road movie key cards, echoes the hues of Lunzi’s initial deck.

Lunzi’s illustrations pay homage to vintage designs, using early water-based pens for an authentic classical touch, rather than mere emulation. The series aims to share narratives from playing card history, drawing inspiration from classic forms such as the Dexter indexes, known for combining spatial feeling with efficiency.

Crafted specifically for cardistry, the cards boast large color blocks that stabilize visual effects during manipulation. Each door dynamically moves in tandem with motion, adding an immersive dynamism to the cardistry experience. They feature an embossed tuck case, deluxe specialty paper, gold foil interiors, and a linen finish, ensuring a tactile and premium feel.

The decks are manufactured by TCC in China and available now for $9.5 on Kickstarter.

First Look at Lunzi's Sensory Playing Cards

[Update] Sensory Playing Cards is now LIVE on Kickstarter and 120% funded in less than 24 hours!

Sensory Playing Cards is the follow-up to Grace & Gentle Playing Cards, a brand by Lunzi, a popular cardist from China. Lunzi is well known for his smooth, aesthetically pleasing style of flourish. Lunzi has released lecture notes and a series of tutorials such as Smooth Writing, which can be found on Art Of Magic.

The eye-catching deck is the result of combining the design elements of bold lines, perspectives and shadows. The deck is fully custom and every single card is unique.

The card backs feature a black-and-white contrasting colorway which gives the cards an illusion of motion when flourishing. The thin border provides more possibility to the back design, and different movements and displays will create different combinations of lines- changeable but unified!

The Aces are decorated with bold lines and shadow, the pips have been redesigned and rearranged, and the court cards use the same design elements of that of the card backs, depicting the scene of inspiration. Lunzi crafted the deck with lines and extensions in all directions, giving it personality yet keeping it stylish and elegant.

Produced by TCC Playing Cards and printed by USPCC on high-quality paper with Crushed stock, which gives the decks a thin, light, and smooth handling. Only 1000 decks were printed, and only 760 will be available. Each deck includes 56 cards.

[Update] Sensory Playing Cards is now LIVE on Kickstarter and 120% funded in less than 24 hours!

Also available on the Kickstarter campaign is the Sensory leather clip. The clip is crafted with aviation grade aluminum and features a matte texture. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they feel good as well! Available in Black, Red, and Gold.

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Sleep Walk Playing Cards by TCC & Lunzi

TCC's Sleep Walk Playing Cards showcase the artistry of Lunzi, blending elegant hand-drawn illustrations with a vintage-inspired design. Each card is meticulously crafted with dip pen illustrations, creating delicate lines that embody a retro charm and maintaining a playful and modern aesthetic. 

Inside, the deck’s light yellow background mirrors the natural tone of aged paper, enhancing its nostalgic appeal with each use. The illustrations are deeply connected to the dream theme, featuring symbolic elements like “zzz” for peaceful rest, teddy bears for childhood comfort, and even a hidden wolf among the flock of sheep on the card backs—a clever twist on the classic imagery of counting sheep. 

 
The cards also incorporate Lunzi’s signature style with cornerless designs and Dexter-inspired indices, making suits and symbols easily recognizable while adding a unique touch to the number cards. 

The special edition flips the color scheme, introducing inverted hues and adorable sheep-themed suits. The Ace of Hearts features a creative alarm clock design, disrupting the tradition of the Ace of Spades as the highlight and reinforcing the dream theme with a sense of fun and whimsy. 

Both editions are housed in embossed tuck boxes, featuring semi-gloss finishes and intricate illustrations that echo the artistic depth of the cards inside. The special half-brick box set, limited to 300, contains a gilded deck with a sparkling blue and black design reminiscent of a starry night sky—perfect for collectors. 

Pledge starts from $12 on Kickstarter.

Kickstarter: White Sensory Playing Cards

White Sensory Playing Cards by Lunzi is the latest offering by TCC Playing Cards on Kickstarter. Lunzi, a popular cardist from China, is well known for his smooth, aesthetically pleasing style of flourish.

The White Sensory deck visually comnpliment his smooth moves with contrasting white/black colorway. Unlike the first edition Black Sensory, this deck has more white space and emphasized more on the bold linework.

For the faces, the suits and the pips have been redesigned and rearranged. The linework design element are used on the card backs, courts and tuck box.

Lunzi crafted the deck with lines and extensions in all directions, giving it personality yet keeping it simple and powerful. Hence, different movements and displays such as fans or spreads will create different combinations of lines- changeable but unified!



Produced by TCC Playing Cards and printed by USPCC on high-quality paper with Crushed stock, which gives the decks a thin, light, and smooth handling. Limited to 2500 decks.

Find it now on Kickstarter.

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The Circle-YANG CHAN vs LUNZI, Hosted by MyTurn

Check out this cool head-to-head performance video featuring Yang Chan and Lunzi, filmed by the cool guys from Cardistry Touch at this year's Cardistry-Con. The video showcased some of Yang and Lunzi's incredibly smooth flourishes, all done with a single take effect. Check it out below:

Deck featured: Cardistry Touch PULSE.
 

Original article posted on crdstry.com


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Deck View: Sensory (White Edition) Playing Cards

Bold. Visual. Stylish.

White Sensory Playing Cards is a collaborative deck between Lunzi and TCC Playing Cards. Lunzi, a popular cardist from China, well known for his smooth and aesthetically pleasing style of flourish. The White Sensory deck visually compliment his smooth moves with contrasting white/black colorway. Fully custom, the faces, the suits, and the pips have been redesigned and rearranged. The linework design elements are used on the card backs, courts and tuck box.

The negative space is emphasized by the bold linework. Lunzi crafted the deck with lines and extensions in all directions, giving it personality yet keeping it simple and powerful. Hence, different movements and displays such as fans or spreads will create different combinations of lines- changeable but unified!

Printed by USPCC on high-quality paper with Crushed stock, which gives the decks a thin, light, and smooth handling. .

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TCC and Lunzi Present SHOP52 Playing Cards

TCC and artist Lunzi have unveiled SHOP52 Playing Cards, a fully illustrated deck that transforms an everyday shopping street into a miniature world of shops, characters, and stories. Following Lunzi’s signature vintage hand-drawn style, SHOP52 moves away from fantasy settings and instead focuses on the familiar charm of urban life. 

Each card represents a different storefront, capturing scenes from bakeries, cafés, flower shops, bookstores, antique stores, clothing studios, and more. The collection features 54 unique shops, each designed with detailed dip-pen illustrations and its own atmosphere. Together, they form a complete miniature commercial street contained within a single deck.

The tuck box enhances the experience with a unique drawer-style design, allowing collectors to slide open the deck like discovering a small shop hidden inside a shopping bag.

SHOP52 is available in several editions, including a Coming Soon Edition featuring storefronts before opening day, a Mystery Deck series with randomly selected shops, and the Street Collection Deck containing the full illustrated shopping street.

Collectors can also choose from various bundles, including half-brick and all-in sets featuring multiple Mystery Decks, display items, and exclusive artwork.

With its nostalgic illustration style and focus on everyday moments, SHOP52 turns a simple deck of playing cards into a charming paper city waiting to be explored. Pledge starts at $18 on Kickstarter.

Room 52×52 Playing Cards

Now on Kickstarter! Room 52×52 Playing Cards by Lunzi & TCC is a hand-illustrated deck that transforms everyday doors into portals of imagination. Featuring 54 uniquely designed "doors," each card invites you to envision the world behind it- an unknown room, a story untold, a mystery waiting to unfold.

This latest release in Lunzi's Smooth Writing series returns to the iconic motif that started it all: the door. With a vintage, playful art style created using traditional dip pens, Lunzi brings personal flair and timeless charm to each illustration. 

Inside, the card backs mirror the box design- weathered, detailed doors marked by bright police tape, symbolizing secrets and stories behind closed spaces. From the nostalgic reference to The Shining on the Joker card to the haunting phrase “It’s not a Door but a Room” on the Ace of Spades, this deck is both art and narrative. 

The quad pips and refined typography add a fresh aesthetic to gameplay, while the entire experience becomes a journey of curiosity and wonder.

Sold in mystery box packaging, each deck is randomly selected from 54 possible designs—plus a hidden Line Art Collection Deck that unifies all the backs into a minimalist masterpiece. 

Limited to ONLY 52 per design, every deck is individually numbered, offering collectors a rare and imaginative experience that celebrates curiosity, creativity, and the magic behind every door. 

Pledge starts at $10 on Kickstarter

ZOO 52 Playing Cards by Lunzi & TCC Now on Kickstarter

TCC's ZOO 52 continues the world first introduced in Room 52×52, preserving Lunzi’s warm, hand-drawn style while expanding it into a richer and more imaginative landscape. Born from the idea of mystery and discovery, each deck feels like opening a door to an unknown world, an evolution of the blind-box concept that made Room 52×52 so beloved among collectors.

The journey moves from the abstract space of Room 52×52 into a lush natural paradise. ZOO 52 features 54 animal portraits that magnify the textures of fur, feathers, scales and skin, transforming the details of life into expressive visual language. 

Each illustration is drawn entirely by hand with a dip pen, capturing the animals in their most authentic state... their habits, environments, and the rhythm of their existence, imbued with the artist’s breath and warmth.

A subtle fence motif appears throughout the deck, shifting the viewpoint from human observer to animal perspective, introducing boundaries that shape the world quietly and deliberately. The tuck box and card back design echo each other, creating a cohesive miniature art piece from the moment it’s opened.

The Kickstarter project also continues a playful tradition of hidden stories. Before ZOO 52’s full reveal, an Easter-egg panda appeared at Cardistry-Con China 2025 as a preview of Panda 52, offering an early look at the whimsical energy of the series. 

That same spirit lives on in the various editions, from the Pre-Release deck with gold-foiled interiors to the beloved Panda 52, whose relaxed charm and gentle personality have made it a worldwide favorite. The Gilded Edition adds layered detail with bamboo-inspired green elements, gold accents, and dual-tone edges, limited to just 300 copies.

Pledge starts at $9 on Kickstarter.

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!

New Year 52 Playing Cards by Smooth Writing

Now on Kickstarter, New Year 52 Playing Cards by Lunzi & TCC transform the the Lunar New Year into a collectible experience built around one powerful idea: the door. In Chinese tradition, the door is where blessings arrive... and New Year 52 uses it as both a visual motif and a functional design element.

Inside the deck, storytelling unfolds across the cards. Firecrackers evolve through the number cards, shifting from full strings to drifting smoke as values increase, while koi fish and gold ingots carved into the door motifs symbolize smooth journeys and prosperity. 

Court cards replace spoken greetings with visual exchanges of couplets, quietly expressing New Year blessings. 

The deck’s standout feature is its magnetic tuck box, which includes removable New Year couplets that can be arranged directly on the box, inviting hands-on participation in the ritual of welcoming good fortune. 

A magnetic “Fu (福)” character can be placed upright or upside down, symbolizing happiness arriving when inverted—a familiar cultural gesture turned tactile and playful. The tuck is finished with embossing and paired with Spring Festival–themed, hand-drawn illustrations.

For collectors, the New Year 52 Collector’s Set expands the concept into a complete festive narrative. Limited to 1,000 numbered sets, it includes a special cold-foil deck, red envelope accessories, a full set of magnetic components, and an exquisite gift box. 

Printed by TCC on black-core paper with a linen finish, the deck balances elegant handling with durability. Pledge starts at $18 on Kickstarter.