Deck View: Robocycle (Black Edition) Playing Cards

Robots. Robots. Robots.

Robocycle Playing Cards are inspired by robots. From the Twilight Zone to C-3PO to Cylons, robots are an iconic part of pop culture. This unique fully custom deck features circuit-inspired card backs, an all-robot court cards, robot jokers, mechanise Ace of Spades and an eye-catching tuck. The original artwork are done in red, black, gray, and metallic gold.

Robocycle is printed by the United States Playing Card Company on premium stock with a quality finish and available in blue and black. This deck will sure to add a touch of character to your collection.

For more cool playing card decks, check out JP Games.

First Look: Pinky Count Crimson Playing Cards by Pinky Count

[Update] The Pinky Count Crimson Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter!

This eye-catching deck has been making its round on Instagram for the past week: the Pinky Count Crimson Playing Cards. Pinky Count is a small group of magicians in Los Angeles and New York who love to perform and create original magic.

To celebrate the launch of pinkycount.com, the group wanted to create a unique deck of cards that represented their personalities and magical style.

With the help of Australian designer, Steven Dance, a small run was printed for their own personal use. According to Thomas Neal of Pinky Count,

We posted a photo of the design to our Facebook page on April 1st and got a lot of inquiries about the deck. We received enough requests that we decided we would make the deck available to everyone who wants to be a part of the Pinky Count community and rep these awesome cards!

Printed by the USPCC on their premium Bee stock, the Pinky Count Crimson Playing Cards will launch on Kickstarter on July 31st, 12pm PST.

[Update] The Pinky Count Crimson Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter!

To find out more about the Pinky Count deck and anything Pink Count, visit them at pinkycount.com or follow them on Instagram.

Kickstarter: Hocus Pocus Launches Campaign to Fund 40th Anniversary Playing Cards

In conjunction with their 40th anniversary, Hocus Pocus has just launched a custom designed deck on Kickstarter. Together with designer, Edo Huang, the team at Hocus Pocus came up with a deck that would capture the heritage and feel of the company as well as appeal to all areas of card community. Check out our first look for more information on the design inspiration.

The Hocus Pocus 40th anniversary Playing Cards features a stylish deep purple back design with contrasting gold ink, gorgeous Ace of Spades, light grey wash, and fine line detail on the background of each face cards and recolored USPCC courts consistent with the theme and the vintage feel of the deck.

The deck is neatly packaged in a gorgeous deep purple tuck box paired with sculpted gold printed on Soft Touch Stock for a velvet feel and classy look. The design hearkens back to the days when stage magic utilized contrasting colors and flashy patterns to capture spectators attention.

The Hocus Pocus 40th Anniversary Playing Cards launched on Friday, 29th July and has already raised more than $6k of its goal of $15k. Add-ons such as Gaff pack, invisible deck and the stripper deck by the Hanrahan Gaff Co are available as a reward tier for the working magicians. Pledge starts from as little as $13, with rewards expected to ship by February 2017.

Kickstarter: Medieval Playing Cards Has Launched

Elephant Playing Cards (EPC), the company that brought you Prism: Night Playing Cards and Pipmen Playing Cards, has launched their next project on Kickstarter- Medieval Playing Cards. A collaboration with Anomaly World Studio, the deck is meticulously designed by Ukrainian artist Egor Klyuchnyk. This custom deck is inspired by medieval fearless knights, severe lords and gorgeous queens.

The campaign is running until 24 August and seeking is AUD$12k (~USD$9k). Medieval will be a fully custom hand-drawn deck with one-way courts in the original old style of playing card decks. From the card stock to the construction of the tuck box, Medieval have been created to show all beauty of the Renaissance Age and inspired by the great artist - Diego Velásquez.

Two editions are on offer in the campaign, the Silver (unlimited) Edition and the Gold (Limited) Edition, only unlocked at the AUD$20k (~USD$15k) stretched goal. The limited edition deck is a full-color version of the unlimited edition deck.

Both editions will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co. on Robusto card stock. Now on Kickstarter. Pledge starts from AUD$17 (~USD$13).

Deck View: Archangels Playing Cards

Intricate. Good. Evil.

The Archangels Playing Cards are Inspired by mythology and illustrated by hand. The elegant deck was produced by theory11 and illustrated by Tom Lane in the United Kingdom. The Archangels Deck showcases a juxtaposition of good and evil, darkness and light, night and day, angels and demons.

The deck design required six months of intricate, pen-and-ink illustration. The card back is the crown jewel of the Archangel Deck. A close look at the back design reveals a tale of two opposing forces. The angels on the left, and the demons on the right - locked into an eternal stalemate. The Archangels contains original artwork on the ace of spades, joker, back design, and tuck. On the tuck, debossed ridges provide a unique feel that accent majestic gold foil across each face.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company on premium quality papers, stock, and finish.

Available from JP Games.

News: Penguin Magic Releases Architect Playing Cards

Architect Playing Cards are designed by Jared Hansen and produced by Penguin Magic. Available now from Penguin Magic, this striking deck is truly a head-turner with its eye-catching custom tuck box crafted from a beautiful, heavy-duty deep blue matte paper that's just dripping with intricately applied silver foil.

Inside, the cards have the look of a blueprint, featuring a gorgeous blue and white back design with fine line work. The faces are Expert Standard with a custom Da-Vinci inspired Ace of Spades and identical jokers.

Printed by the Expert Playing Card Co. on their superb Damask finish. Available now on Penguin Magic from $9.95.


Keep up to date with information on everything Penguin Magic on social media. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and of course their main site at Penguin Magic.

First Look: Renaissance Playing Cards by Elephant Playing Cards

A collaboration between Anomaly World Studio and Elephant Playing Cards (EPC), the Renaissance Playing Card deck is meticulously designed by Egor Klyuchnyk. This custom deck is inspired by medieval fearless knights, severe lords, and gorgeous queens.

According to Ben Jones of EPC,

Renaissance is a fully custom hand-drawn deck with one way courts in the original old style of playing card decks. From the card stock to the construction of the tuckbox, Renaissance is designed to transport you back in time with a contemporary twist! Through this deck we want you to feel this epoch, and experience its elegance and grandeur.

Two editions will be offered in the upcoming campaign, the Silver (unlimited) Edition and the Gold (Limited) Edition, unlocked at AUD$20k stretched goal. The limited edition deck is a full-color version of the unlimited edition deck.

The decks are fully custom and hand-illustrated with great attention to detail. The cards have a vintage look and feel to them, from the one-way courts, gorgeous aces to the striking indices and unique subtle coat of arms background for each suit. These new decks have been created to show all beauty of the Renaissance Age and inspired by the great artist - Diego Velásquez.

Both editions will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co on Robusto card stock. The Renaissance Playing Cards will launch on Kickstarter on 26th July 2016 and pledge starts from AUD$17 (~USD$15). There will be Early Bird reward tiers available.


To find out more about the Renaissance Playing Cards, follow EPC on Facebook and Anomaly Studio on Instagram.

Card Gear: Magician's Choice

Card Gear is our monthly feature dedicated to discovering new inventory, setup and accessories used every day by card designers, cardists, magicians and collectors. The concept originated from the popular social media site, Instagram: #passthepockets. Whenever one of these hashtags come up on the social news feed, there's always something new to discover, no matter who that person is.

This month we have the EDC of Kevin Reylek, one of the driving force behind Penguin Magic Playing Cards. The company is well known for their excellent playing cards such as Honeybee, Christmas, White Tally-Ho, Westminster, Architect and Steeplechase Park. Follow them on Instagram for more cool releases: @penguincards.

Kevin has been studying and performing magic for nearly 25 years, and his EDC items have changed drastically in that time. He used to always have sponge balls in his pocket, among other things. Over the years Kevin's EDC has streamlined quite a bit and he still feels like his pockets are too full most days!

Kevin's gear (Italics are Kevin's comments):

+ Coin Shell (Useful for lots of different things).
+ Captain & Coke 2.0 (One of the creations of which I'm most proud. I carry this with me everywhere I go).
+ Bent Quarter & Penny (I use these with the C&C 2.0 for a double coin bend routine).
+ Regular Dime & Penny (Use with the C&C 2.0).
+ Stretched Coin (This is great as a seemingly impromptu effect during those "show me a trick" moments).
+ Car Key, House Key, and Special Rubik's Cube Keychain (I used to carry WAY more keys, but now just try to keep it to the bare essentials. I'd rather not say too much about the Rubik).
+ Blue Choice Playing Cards (Designed by Ben Kolozsi and produced by Penguin Magic. These will be part of the Penguin Magic's August Card Club and they are AWESOME. Beautiful shade of Blue, terrific Stud Tribute design, thin borders, Arrco faces, and Thin Crush stock from USPCC. I absolutely love these cards).
+ Blind Man's Wallet (I use this as my everyday wallet for my credit cards, ID, and a bit of cash. It's also a great business card wallet and allows me to perform a baffling Drawing Duplication routine. Created by Menny Lindenfeld and produced by Penguin Magic).
+ Die (This is for mentalism. That's all I'm gonna say).
+ 2 Special Sharpies (One is by Alan Rorrison (you can tell this has REALLY lived in my pocket) and the 6C Reveal Sharpie from Ellusionist. I get lots of mileage out of both of these).
+ Lip Balm (Even in the humid south, it's possible to get chapped lips. 
+ Swiss Army Knife (Useful in so many ways).
+ Sterling Silver Tiffany & Co Money Clip (I don't generally have lots of cash, but my money clip allows me to know that the cash in my wallet is for tricks, and the cash in my clip is OK to spend. This is one of the few items of sentimental value that I carry with me, it used to belong to my uncle).
+ Tony Clark Close-Up Pad (Produced by Dan & Dave and Tony Clark, this is the pad that I use most often, even though I own about half a dozen different close-up mats. I use this one as a photo background in a ton of my Instagram shots. I don't actually carry this daily, but since it's in the shot, I figured I'd mention it!)


What’s yours? If you would like your card gears to be featured on Kardify, contact us.

Deck View: White Arcane Playing Cards

Mystery. Elegant. Signature.

Released back in 2012, the Arcane Playing Cards deck was the first in Ellusionist's new line of Signature playing cards. Designed by Lee Mckenzie based on an initial idea originally from Jason Brumbalow, the deck exudes mystery, elegance and sophistication.

The deck features an all-new, compelling back design with cryptic glyphs that speak in mysteries, equally matching all-new face cards that match the glyphs, and the easily recognisable traditional courts with a different, Arcane-styled outfit. Let's not forget the incredibly custom-designed Ace of Spades that will sure to turn heads!

The white version was simultaneously released with the black version. Also available in the rare Gold version. Arcane are printed by the USPCC on Aurora stock with an Air Cushion finish.

Card Radar: Incredible Men Playing Cards

Design team Tomski & Polanski from Prague created a limited edition set of illustrated playing cards that tell the stories of incredible men.

This stylish deck features 32 cards plus 1 reserve card, including VII, VIII, IX, X, Under, Over, Kind and Ace (German suited).

Each card tells the story of an incredible man and features a unique illustration, each different from the other.

These impeccably crafted cards are reminiscent of old-school carnival posters. Wonderfully design and super cool if you can get your hands on one.

Images from thecollector.com

Cardistry: The Virts Spring/Summer 2016 Playing Cards Wins the Sybil Deck of the Year Award

Image from @Huronlowhttps://www.instagram.com/huronlow/

The Cardistry Con 2016 Awards have been announced in Berlin and with little surprise to us, the Sybil “Deck of the Year” Award went to the Virtuoso SS16 Playing Cards by the Virts. The deck was nominated by the Cardistry community prior to the Con and gained the top vote by attendees of the Con.

Other decks nominated were, Cardistry-Con 2016 Commemorative deck by Next Exit, Memento Mori by Chris Ramsay, Pink Fontaines by Zach Mueller and Red October Saturns by Franky Morales


In addition, the Virts won the “Video of the Year” award with their AWESOME ‘Liquid Paper’ video. @huronlow posted the following pic on social media thanking all their fans for the support.

Congrats guys!

What an epic final day of #cardistrycon 2016 in Berlin! Extremely honored that @thevirts won the community-voted Sybil awards for "Deck of the Year" and "Video of the Year" amidst the incredible nominees! So so thankful for all the support you guys give us. :) #thevirts #cardistry #cardistrycon2016

A photo posted by Huron Low (@huronlow) on Jul 10, 2016 at 3:43pm PDT

Deck VIew: Split Spades (Silver Edition) Playing Cards

Elegant. Iconic. Silver.

Created by David Blaine and Mark Stutzman, the Split Spades design is iconic - there is an elegance and a level of intricacy among each element of the core design. The Silver Edition is the newest instalment of the Split Spades series.

The Silver Edition tuck features embossing, silver foil stamping, and the same paper used in the tuck cases of the White Lion Series B decks. The cards themselves feature perfectly balanced metallic inks on both sides.

One thing that stands out is that they feel and handle as well as any Split Spade in the series. The card stock is not too thick, not too thin. Designed uncompromisingly for performance and style. We reckon that these are the best Split Spades yet.

Available from JP Games.

Cardistry: Cardistry-Con, Berlin

Image from @mikelbero

Cardists from all around the world have descended on Berlin, Germany for Cardistry’s biggest event this year, the Cardistry-Con 2016. Organised by Dan and Dave, The Virts and Dealersgrip. Cardistry-Con is a three-day conference devoted to the mesmerising art of cardistry. Thanks to James Milaras, from Joker and the Thief, we are able to share some images of the Cardistry-Con with you.

On July 8, cardists from all over the world gather and explore the limitless expressive potential of an ordinary deck of playing cards… and have an absolute blast together! The event includes talks, exclusive video screenings, live performances and Q&As.

Popular magician DYNAMO was there as well!



Here are selected images from Instagram (#cardistrycon)

Day 1 ✅ what a start! #cardistry #cardistrycon

A photo posted by Julian Stiber (@julianstiber) on Jul 8, 2016 at 3:12pm PDT

Bow down to the almighty @dimitriarleri, best moment from the 1st day of CC. #cardistrycon

A video posted by Xacck (@xacck) on Jul 9, 2016 at 4:54am PDT

Headliners for Day 1 includes Chase Duncan, Chris Hestnes, Dave Buck and Dimitri Arleri. Talks such as Crediting in Cardistry were covered on Day 1.

Getting into the panel portion of the afternoon session: Chris Hestnes, Dave Buck & Dimitri Arleri talk about crediting in cardistry.

A photo posted by Cardistry-Con (@cardistrycon) on Jul 8, 2016 at 6:11am PDT

Live streaming (or on demand) is available for cardists who are not able to make it to the event.

Lessons with @danielmbuck. #cardistrycon

A video posted by Cardistry-Con (@cardistrycon) on Jul 8, 2016 at 8:08am PDT

Awesome Day 1 haul by @yannik.strznsky

This day was so awesome! #cardistrycon #cardistry

A photo posted by Yannik Strozinsky (@yannik.strznsky) on Jul 8, 2016 at 12:13pm PDT

Indiegogo: 7 Questions with Khanh of Doong Doong Playing Cards

Just launched on Indiegogo, Doong Doong Playing Cards are designed by Khanh. This exotic deck is inspired by the pattern motifs on the Dong Son bronze drums and Lac Viet culture. From the circles, triangles, Viet bird and deer, the Doong Doong deck is designed according to the characteristics of the ancient culture in Vietnam with a modern twist and brings a touch sophistication.

With this being Khanh's first venture into the custom playing card arena on Indiegogo, we were happy to have a chance to talk to him about his maiden voyage, and concept behind Doong Doong Playing Cards.

For those of us who don’t know, tell us a little about yourself and iV?
My name is Khanh and I’m a cardist from Saigon, Vietnam. I started cardistry about 5 years ago and I’m also an illustrator. I love drawing and create something with all my art. iV is an organization about cardistry based in Saigon, which I founded in 2012.

You are a really good cardist! What motivated you to create your own deck of cards? Thanks, the thing that motivated me to created my own deck of cards is I want a deck of cards exclusively for iV. The other reason is because I like to design playing cards. Here's a fun fact, I want to put the faces of everyone in iV to the face design of playing cards. I realised that I could use all the face and make my own deck of cards.

What is your inspiration behind the Doong Doong Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
I love everything that does not adhere to any rules. The break will create many new and exciting things. Instead of following the norm, why not remove the barrier and make up something different? That is why most of the elements of the back design are not located under a certain circle (for example, Viet birds, deers, etc). The deck is mostly inspired by the Doong Doong pattern motifs on the Dong Son bronze drums and Lac Viet culture. From the circles, triangles to the Viet birds and deers, Doong Doong is designed according to the characteristics of the ancient culture in Vietnam with a modern twist and brings a touch sophistication.

I came up with the idea when I saw the pattern on the Dong Son drum and asked myself, "Why can't I put the pattern of the Dong Son drum and Lac Viet culture and make it more modern?” I then started collecting material on everything related to the Dong Son bronze drums and Lac Viet culture, starting with the smallest pattern details to the characteristic motifs, the design has undergone several updates and now this is what you see on the backs of Doong Doong Playing Cards.

I know you put a lot of time and effort into your work, how much time has gone into the deck? About 2 years from concept to illustrating the patterns. Initially, it is very difficult as I have identified the difference between the various cultures of the bronze drums in Vietnam. After that, arranging the pattern motifs on the back of the design, and then picking the color.

Originally, the backs of Doong Doong playing card did not have the black background and yellow motifs. It was white motifs on the dark blue background. However, I wanted to make it really elegant and classy. So I decided to change the color. This was on my mind a lot when I was conceptualizing the design.

From the project page, what are a few of your favorite perks and why?
My favourite reward is the uncut sheet. I love to see all the cards framed. It looks like all my artwork I've done and then framed. Believe me, you guys will see a beautiful uncut sheet if this campaign is successful.

What’s next? Can we expect to see more card designs in the future from iV?
Yes, sure. You can look forward to more playing cards design and some great cardistry products from iV in the future. We just need more time.

Finally, what are your favourite playing card decks?
There are so many good decks out there now, and it's impossible to pick just one. Having said that, I love Bee Erdnase, Rarebit Copper Edition and all the version of The Virts.

Thank you for your time Khanh and all the best! If you like what you’ve read here and want to support Doong Doong Playing Cards, you can find it on Indiegogo here. 


Printed by Legends Playing Card Co, Doong Doong Playing Cards are designed with card enthusiasts, cardists, sleight of hand artists and poker players in mind. Pledge starts from $14 and add-ons such the uncut sheets are available.

Kickstarter: Legal Tender Playing Cards by Jackson Robinson

The Federal 52 Playing Cards took the community by storm in 2013. It raised over $149k and delivered on time. The follow-up campaign in the same year was for the Reserve Note, Silver Certificate, and the highly sought-after Black Reserve Note. It raised over $188k. Aside from the financial of both campaigns, it opened the crowdfunding floodgates for every aspiring card designer and also set the standard for custom deck design to this day.

Now, Kings Wild is back on Kickstarter with Legal Tender Playing Cards. Legal Tender takes what designer Jackson Robinson have learned from all of the lessons and experiences over the past few years and create the finest deck of playing cards. According to Jackson,

Legal Tender is the natural evolution of my incredible love of currency art and bank note engraving. It is my hope with Legal Tender to create a series of decks that champion the vastly different styles and looks of currency of the world, starting with modern US and Chinese notes. 

There are two editions being offered in this campaign, the US Edition and Chinese Edition. The decks accentuated by meticulous and elegant details throughout with a stunning intricate back design and beautiful background patterns on the face card. Both will be printed by the Expert Playing Card Co.

Legal Tender starts at $14. The campaign has already far surpassed the $18k goal. As of writing, Kings Wild campaign has already passed $44k in less than 24 hours. It still has 29 days to go.

Deck View: Bowl-A-Rama (Red Edition) Playing Cards

Retro. Pins. Lanes.

Initially funded on Kickstarter, the Bowl-A-Rama Playing Cards are a unique and exciting pair of fully-custom Playing Cards designed by Midnight Card Company. Embodied with a cool retro vibe of the '50s and '60s, three editions were made available during the campaign: Red, Black and the Cosmic Lane Edition.

The Red Edition backs features head-to-head design while the Numbers Cards emulate the look of an overhead view of a Bowling Pins setup. The pips are arranged in different scoring leaves. Genius! Each Number Card has a unique Team Name towards the top. The Courts for the Bowl-A-Rama Decks further enhance the fun aspect of the design. Each Court character is dressed up in their favorite Bowling attire!

The Bowl-A-Rama Logo design on the tuck is inspired by Bowling Alley Signs from the '50s and '60s. Each tuck features a premium paper stock with a UV Spot Ink overlay features interior printing of a Bowling Lane. Bowl-A-Rama Playing Cards are printed by Legends Playing Card Co. with their exceptional Classic Finish.

Available from Midnight Cards. Also, for more cool playing cards, check out JP Games.

Kickstarter: Papilio Playing Cards by Kiran Kuruvithadam

Inspired by the beauty of the butterfly, designer Kiran Kuruvithadam has created the Papilio Playing Cards to bring the beauty and elegance of the butterfly to your fingertips.

This fully custom deck features custom pips, illustrated courts, a beautifully crafted Ace of Spades, and an elegantly designed tuck. On the design, Kiran said,

From the beginning, we set for ourselves the goal of coming up with a design that could be both familiar and fresh. Although based on the standard look, we decided to completely redesign the deck to make it more interesting. After a process that took almost a year, we are proud to present to you Papilio Playing Cards.

The deck has been designed with the working magicians in mind. Hence, the cards are crafted to feel and look great in performances. The familiar design of the faces allows the cards to be easily recognizable by spectators, making them very presentable. Two gaff cards are included in the deck.

The deck will be printed on the by the United States Playing Cards Company on their best available stock with air-cushion finish.

Papilio Playing Cards are currently funding on Kickstarter, having raised 40% of its Fr$9,000 goal, with another 20 days left to go. Pledges from Fr$10.