Faulty Stars Playing Cards by EmilySleights52

Faulty Stars Playing Cards by EmilySleights52 is a thoughtfully designed deck inspired by the famous line from Julius Caesar—“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Built around this idea of self-determination and personal fate, the deck blends meaning with clean, refined aesthetics.

The design emphasizes elegance and usability, featuring a two-way, minimalistic back design framed by a crisp white border and a thin gold accent. This understated style carries through to the rest of the deck, with fully custom pips and custom court cards that maintain a cohesive, modern look. 

The deck also includes identical jokers for versatility in routines, along with a double backer card—adding practical value for magic and creative applications.

Balancing philosophy, functionality, and visual simplicity, Faulty Stars Playing Cards is a deck that not only performs beautifully in hand but also carries a meaningful message about shaping one’s own destiny.

Created for magicians, cardists, and collectors, the cards are printed by Room One Cards on 290g Afflux stock, offering a soft yet durable feel that handles smoothly for sleight of hand and flourishes. Pledge starts at $13 on Kickstarter.

Ace Fulton's Casino (Bootleg Edition) Playing Cards

Ace Fulton's Casino Bootleg Edition playing cards is a playful and self-aware take on counterfeit culture, reimagining their iconic deck through the lens of imitation and reproduction. Rather than being an actual knockoff, this release is an intentional “bootleg” created by Brad Fulton himself.

Inspired by a real encounter with counterfeit Fulton’s decks found in an Asian night market, the concept leans into the idea of copying by recreating the deck using an old Xerox-style process. 

The result is a facsimile of the original Ace Fulton’s Casino design... intentionally imperfect, raw, and stripped down to a photocopied aesthetic. It even draws from an early version of the deck that never officially went to print, adding an extra layer of rarity and intrigue.

The tuck box continues the theme, designed to look like a simple matte photocopy, reinforcing the underground, bootleg feel. Despite its lo-fi concept, the deck maintains strong visual appeal.

Limited to just 400 decks, and available now on Fulton's Playing Cards for $25.

Unity Volume Two Playing Cards

Unity Playing Cards Volume Two, led by Dexter Amistad, is an ambitious follow-up to the award-winning Unity One, which earned the prestigious 52 Plus Joker Diamond Award. Building on that success, this second volume expands the concept into a large-scale collaborative project, bringing together 28 designers from around the world under a shared theme: music and cards.

Inside, each card in the deck is created by a different artist, resulting in a diverse yet unified collection of styles, all interpreting musical expression through the structure of a standard deck. 

The courts transform into vivid performances, featuring musicians, instruments, and rhythmic compositions, while the number cards experiment with creative layouts that echo sound, motion, and melody. 

The aces serve as standout centerpieces, each one pushing the theme further with bold, imaginative designs.

Despite the wide range of artistic voices, the deck maintains cohesion through its shared concept and carefully designed elements, including a striking tuck box by Andy Kurovets. The tuck beutifully blends musical imagery: turntables, instruments, speakers, and dancers, with layered foiling and embossing... creating a high-end presentation that reflects the energy of the project.

Three main editions are on offer on Kickstarter: Just for Fun, Only for Fun, and To the Sky... are available in both Premium and Ultra formats. The Premium versions are non-gilded, while the Ultra editions feature numbered seals and metallic gilded edges in copper, silver, or gold. 

All versions include holographic foil accents on both the faces and backs, enhancing the visual impact with shifting light and color.

Printed by King Star and pledge starts at $18 on Kickstarter.

Deck View: Mermaid Queen Playing Cards

Mythical. Fluid. Artistic.

Mermaid Queen Playing Cards by John Littleboy of Artiphany dive into a richly illustrated underwater world, where mythology and transformation design meet. As a transformation deck, the standout feature lies in the number cards... each pip is seamlessly integrated into larger illustrations. 

Suits are reimagined with thematic elements, such as fish and shark fins, forming flowing, progressive scenes that feel like snapshots from a continuous ocean narrative. The courts expand on this visual storytelling, introducing mermaids and sea gods that bring personality and depth to the deck.

Blending traditional structure with imaginative artwork, Mermaid Queen offers a distinctive take on transformation decks, one that prioritizes storytelling as much as playability.