Deal of the Week: Ellusionist Sale Event- The Purge

If you don't already know, the cool guys from Ellusionist are having a massive Sale Event: The Purge with deep discounts on 50 Ellusionist products from Playing Cards, Magic to Accessories!

Playing cards including:
Orbit v5: $7
Little Deck of Horrors: $4
Keepers: $5
Confessions series: $5/deck
Disparos Black: $5
Saturn Hyperspace: $6
Rockets: $5
Ignite: $5
Fathom: $3.25
SWE deck: $5
Blue Artifice: $5.99
Pressers: $6
Absinthe v2: $7
Black Arcane: $5

From now until Midnight EST on February 28th, click here!

Discover more deals, coupon codes and offer on tuckcase.com

[post_ad]

Tavern on the Green Playing Cards by Theory11

Theory11's latest deck is an elegant, intricate, limited edition deck of playing cards produced in collaboration with Tavern on the Green, an iconic landmark restaurant. A Central Park staple, the historic Tavern on the Green has been capturing the spirit of New York City since 1934.

Originally designed by Calvert Vaux, Tavern on the Green was built as a sheepfold in the 1880s to house 700 Southdown sheep. The building was transformed into a restaurant in 1934 as part of a park renovation by Robert Moses. Reopened in 2014, the restaurant paid homage to their roots with inviting décor and wood paneling reminiscent of the original sheepfold.

The Tavern on the Green Playing Cards pays homage to this storied history. On the outside, the embossed tuck is shielded in stunning green and gold foil, and feature the most intricate details on a tuck case Theory11's ever produced - inside and out. Exquisite!

Inside, the fully custom deck showcase the breathtaking artwork of Kevin Cantrell, from the gorgeous card backs, intricate aces, jokers, and court cards. Kevin's line work is incredible and the level of detail is very impressive, to say the least.

Available NOW from Theory11 for $9.95.

[post_ad]

News: We Just Dropped Kardify Magazine Issue 21 on Patreon

Issue 21 is here! The latest issue of Kardify Magazine is now on Patreon for our Patrons who pledge $3 or more on our Patreon page. The issue compiles selected articles we’ve published from mid-January to mid-February. Our goal is to help you stay on top of the latest playing card news, releases and previews.

Also, don't forget to check out our new reward tiers on Patreon! The new tiers include monthly desktop and smartphone wallpapers, mystery deck shipped to you every 4 months of ongoing contribution, 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 bringing new quality content to you. Our aim is to support designers by backing on crowd-funded 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:

+ Monolith: Learn more about Thirdway Industries' sci-fi themed Monolith playing cards currently funding on Kickstarter.

+ Abandoned Room: Designed by Rick Davidson for world-renowned magician, Dynamo’s Abandoned Room show, an “underground speakeasy” for magic.

+ Labyrinth: 5 things you should know about the latest deck from Kings Wild Shorts.

+ Error: The popular cardistry group, Dealersgrip continue to experiment with art-inspired design and push the boundaries of a cardistry deck and this deck is no different. Find out more...

+ Paisley: Find out what we think about Paisley Playing Cards, a classic looking deck inspired by the timeless Paisley design by the Dutch Card House Company.

+ Playing Arts Zero: A deck of playing cards illustrated and animated in Augmented Reality by international artists crowd-funding on Kickstarter now.

+ 1st v2: Check out the stunning follow-up to the popular 1st Playing Cards in elegant black-gold colorway.

+ Division Playing Cards: These fascinating cards are a geometric collection of shapes celebrating the artist, Escher, and his concepts of cubic space division. Have a look!

… and more! 47 pages of articles and deck images. Enjoy!

Mahdi The Magician's Emanations Playing Cards Already Funded On Kickstarter

Emanations are a deck of custom playing cards drawn and designed by magician Mahdi Gilbert for his unique style of magic and cardistry. The deck is currently on Kickstarter and, with 3 days remaining, is already funded. Only 2 spots remain to pick up the deck at the early bird price of CAD$16 (USD$12).

Emanations is a subversive exploration of early magic. These playing cards are but part of the overall project. According to Mahdi on the project page,

As I penetrate more deeply into my quest, I am compelled to share the treasures that I've uncovered. Wonders and secrets that have been discovered and lost countless times.

This pack allows you to perform magic and play card games the way they were more than 100 years ago. Mahdi continues,

It is my personal belief, based on my knowledge and experience, that we have lost much more in magic through carelessness than we can ever dream of gaining through creativity. My goal with these playing cards is to elevate magic by reintroducing high quality tools to magicians worldwide.

Emanations is a study of early magic that was spread around the pre-civilized world and Mahdi loved the idea of using an art deco style tribal mask in the artwork. He remembered Charles T. Jordan's books and realized what he saw as a mask was really 3 letters.

Emanations is a project where explores the evidence of the unknown so Mahdi thought it only appropriate to appropriate something that he saw that wasn't actually there. The same tribal mask design is featured on the one-way card backs as well.

The face cards are similar to Mahdi's first deck, Hidden Leaves and feature no indexes just like playing cards used to be made, based on a very old and classic Goodall design. They produced some of the most artistic playing cards of their time and have inspired many trends, icons, and motifs you see in standard playing cards today.

Emanations will be printed to the highest quality possible by the United States Playing Card Company. The cards are made from the same Premium Bee Stock used in world class casinos for durability and flexibility. Pledge starts at CAD$16 (~USD$12) on Kickstarter.

[post_ad]

Deck View: Crystal Cobra Playing Cards

Low-Poly. Magic. Intriguing.

Funded on Kickstarter by TCC Playing Cards Co., Crystal Cobra is an intriguing deck of playing cards prominently featuring a unique low-poly design cobra on the tuck and the card backs. The deck sports a cranberry-purple colorway throughout from the low-poly design of the Aces, Joker to the pips and courts, making is look stylized and modern-looking.

The deck is crafted for the magician in mind, with 2 gaff cards included, a tuck box reveal and cards are in Mnemonica order. Printed by the United States Playing Card Co. and available from tccplayingcard.com for $12. For other cool decks, check out jpgames.co.uk.

[post_ad]

Cardistry: Fontaine's LAMBO is a Fun Cardistry Video from 2018

Whoah! Zach Mueller's LAMBO is his best vid in a while. This fun video was released during the Guess and Wine Fontaine launch last year. The video is 13 minutes long and features some notable cardists such as Leo Flores, Brendan Conner, James Chesmore, Franco Pascali, Buddhabellykids, and Michael Stern and many more surprises. Check it out!

Detailed Look at Division Playing Cards

There have been numerous decks inspired by optical illusions, predominantly cardistry decks. I personally find the idea of using optical illusion on back designs a very interesting concept. Hence when I received Division Playing Cards, I was intrigued by 3D the maze-like design element on the tuck.

Inside, the mirrored card backs feature a geometric collection of shapes celebrating the artist, Escher, and his concepts of cubic space division, hence the name of the deck.

The Ace of Spades is custom and the standard court cards and suits have been recolored to match the overall color palette of the deck.

The soft pastel color palette of the deck is a very nice touch. It gives the deck a cool and fresh look, giving a sense "airiness" and an illusion of effortless motion for card flourishes and spreads. For the magician, extra gaff cards have been incorporated into this deck for magic routines.

Designed by the talented Nick Vlow, produced by Danny Weiser and Murphy's Magic and printed by the U.S. Playing Card Company. Available NOW from your favorite Murphys Magic retailers.

[post_ad]

Card Radar: Pack of Dogs Playing Cards by John Littleboy

We've seen many unique and interesting decks over the years and none are as charming as the Pack of Dogs playing cards by Artiphany. They aren’t like your typical deck, which is exactly why we are so delighted by them.

Designed and hand-illustrated by John Littleboy in 2006, the deck is filled with humor and personality. You may have probably seen this deck on your social feeds back in 2017. The deck post went viral on subreddit and the story was picked up by Bored Panda, ArtFido and several media sites.

The transformation deck is fully custom a features original illustrations depicting adorable dogs. What makes this deck so unique is that each card of each suit tells an engaging, pup-centric story, which unfolds from each ace through 10.

Meanwhile, the Royals are dogs dressed up as a pirate, a prima ballerina, and other colorful characters.

The Pack of Dogs playing cards are infused with charm and humor courtesy of original illustrations of adorable dogs. While you certainly don’t have to be a pet lover to appreciate these playing cards, a deck makes a great gift for a dog lover who appreciates something truly original.

Printed in the USA by the United States Playing Card Company. Available for $15 from Artiphany.com

Card Flash: Paisley Playing Cards

Currently, in the fulfillment stage, Paisley Playing Cards is a classic looking deck inspired by the timeless Paisley design. The team at Dutch Card House Company showed their versatility by developing a new deck design, totally different from the first three cardistry-centric playing cards they've produced.

This time, the team created a worker's deck for everyday use and performance. On the outside, the simplistic deep black tuck with mesmerizing paisley design, giving a rich and elegant look to the tuck.

Inside, the 52 cards combine elegance with function. The nature-inspired design lends itself perfectly for a clean yet mesmerizing back design.

The eye-catching court cards appear in their traditional designs but with a slight paisley design embedded in the garments. A nice touch to unify the overall theme.

Also, included in this deck is a well hidden, two ways, marking system integrated into the back design. At first glance, it is invisible to the eye but once you know where it is, it is relatively easy to read. This allows you to focus your attention purely on connecting with the audience.

The deck was printed by the USPCC on crushed grade stock with the Air Cushion Finish and traditionally cut. Available now from dutchcardhousecompany.com for €10.

[post_ad]

Shin Lim Wins America's Got Talent: The Champions! Watch The Incredible Final Performance

“America’s Got Talent: The Champions” brought together 50 competitors from past seasons and editions around the world. In the finale, the two competitors vying for the title were 2017 “AGT” champ, ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer, and 2018’s winner, sleight-of-hand artist Shin Lim.

After the field of 12 finalists was winnowed during the last 20 minutes of Monday's two-hour finale,. Watch the Shin Lim's EPIC finale performance below:



In the end.. Lim claimed the trophy and the $25,000 winner’s prize! “It was awesome and such a fun run,” Lim said of his victory, which was punctuated by a fall to the ground when host Terry Crews announced his name. Watch the announcement below:



[post_ad]

Card Game: Unlock! The Nautilus' Traps by Asmodee

After the enjoyable Unlock! Squeek & Sausage from Asmodee, we wanted to try something more thematic and decided to go with the moderately difficult Unlock! The Nautilus' Traps. This scenario is set underwater, with your submarine under attack by a tentacled sea monster. You have to make your way through the depths and escape to the surface… before your oxygen runs out.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Unlock! series is a cooperative card game inspired by escape rooms that use a simple system which allows you to search scenes, combine objects, and solve puzzles. Yup, all with a deck of cards! Unlock! utilize only cards and a companion app that provides clues, check codes, monitor time remaining, etc.

SETUP

The card backs feature (at first glance) random numbers and the face cards are color-coded: yellow cards have four-digit unlock code, grey cards are informational, blue and red cards combine to open/discover new things. The basic idea is, you pair the blue card and red card, add their numbers together and reveal that card if it’s in the deck (hence the number on the card backs).

I would recommend a calculator handy to help with the addition if you are playing with kids. Also, the deck order out of the box is random. Considering you have 60 minutes on the clock, I would re-order the cards sequentially (numerical and alphabetical) to save on time when looking for cards as you discover new clues.

GAMEPLAY

The scenario starts off with a bang! Instead of the expected 60 minutes, you begin with a much smaller amount of time ticking away. This is probably the most innovative idea of the game and we were completely caught off guard. This definitely upped the urgency on the get-go and brilliantly sets the scene of the impending peril.

The game mechanics are relatively simple- on each room, you search for clues, hidden objects, and information. Pair them up by combining the blue and red cards and reveal the next card for more clues/information and progressively moving on to the next room.

After finding clues and hidden oxygen canisters to add time to the clock, you get the feeling that the designers are doing something different for this scenario. The puzzles are really creative with some really clever ideas and Unlike Squeek & Sausage, there is a noticeably fewer object to pair with- which isn't a bad thing as each incorrect combination results in time (2 to 3 minutes) penalties

Like Escape rooms in the real world, there are some machines that you need to manipulate using the app. The ones in this scenario are reasonably difficult due to the nautical language used. If you get stuck, you can call for hints to keep you moving. As each card is associated with a number, type that number into the app to get help with the card. The hint system is very well done. It has 3 levels of reveal without giving too much away initially.

Once you get to a yellow card and obtain the hidden 4-digit code, you type the code in the app to progress (or not) to the next room.

OVERALL

The Nautilus' Traps is an interesting one. Beautifully illustrated cards with an evocative theme and some really creative puzzle. However, we found that the puzzles are inconsistent and felt at loss several times as we aren't sure what or where to focus on as new scenes kept opening up. This left us a little overwhelmed with all the different clues and information scattered around. We managed to complete the game 3 minutes over the given time limit. For us, it is definitely worth playing and we are looking forward to our next adventure.

Monolith Playing Cards Now on Kickstarter! Funded in 50 minutes!

Monolith is Giovanni Meroni's first release of 2019. The deck was first teased on Thirdway Industries newsletter in January. Currently on Kickstarter, the decks successfully hit its funding goal in 50 minutes and are already 170% funded with 13 days to go!

This fascinating deck series has more sci-fi feel to it and a sinister and darker look to it. The neon inks certainly bring up a Sci-Fi feel to it. On the theme, Giovanni explained,

The theme of this deck should have been Sci-Fi, but since there are many "space decks" out there, I wanted to do something a little more unique and personal. So I've added a little Mythology.

The courts features the Gods of Space, that left us after creating the Universe. Spades are the Gods of Void, Clubs the Gods of Materia, Diamonds the Gods of Energy and Hearts the Gods of Life.

The deck will be printed by Cartamundi, will have cold holographic foil on the front and back of the cards. The Aces and pips, in particular, will use plenty of cold foil. Giovanni said,

I wanted to design a deck where every card would have been spectacular to see.

Pledge starts at €16 and NOW on Kickstarter.

[post_ad]

Card Chat #5

Welcome to Card Chat! It's a place to hang out, chat about cards, cardistry, games, movies, comics, anything you want, every Monday. It's the unofficial forum for Kardify. Comment below:

Deck View: Fury Knight Playing Cards

Spinoff. Chainmail. Fantasy.

Midnight Card Company released the KNIGHTS Playing Cards together with the Draconian Wildfire on Kickstarter last year. Inspired by Fantasy literature the KNIGHT Decks is a spinoff design of the Draconians. They're the brave Knights that risk life and limb to protect their lands from the dangerous Dragons!

The Fury Knight card backs feature a Chainmail background and a mirrored layout of the Fury Knight's shield, Stag Head crest, and Medieval Axe. The Face Cards have a metal texture with green full-bleed coloring. The pips sport a silver metallic look and are inlaid with Rivets- the Spades and Clubs have full coverage of green throughout and the Hearts and Diamonds have large center areas with amber coloring. The color palette of the standard courts has been updated, consistent with the overall look and feel of the deck.

The deck is housed in an eye-catching premium holographic tuck box incorporating a Chainmail background with green accented shield and a Stag Head crest. The Fury Knight deck is printed by Legends Playing Card Co. on their Classic Finish. For more cool decks, check out midnightcards.com

[post_ad]

Cardistry: Entry 04 - Suns Playing Cards Released!

The team at Entry has just released ‘Suns’ the 4th deck in the series, on their online store entry.us.com. 200 lucky random orders received one free Entry 04 deck ahead of release during the released of Entry 03- ‘Peppers’.

Crafted for cardistry in mind, the deck sports a blue colorway and is the most detailed deck to date. The card backs feature a mirrored panel design that is truly unique and yet impactful for card flourishing... subtle yet impactful.

Like their previous three decks, the face cards are pretty much standard with the exception of the Ace of Spades and Jokers. The deck is packaged in a custom tuck with a number system that identifies the deck and the card back design featured on the tuck box.

‘Suns’ are available now on entry.us.com for $15 per deck. Only 2000 printed.

[post_ad]

First Look at Six Strings Playing Cards

A collaboration between Kardify and Murphy's Magic, Six Strings is a fully custom deck of playing cards inspired by the most majestic and fascinating musical instrument- the guitar.

This limited edition deck is designed by Ade Suryana and features fully custom design, reimagined courts, and a beautifully crafted letter-pressed tuck case. Six Strings is as beautiful as it is functional – versatile for themed magic, game nights or to have in the collection.

Inside, the deck looks amazingly beautiful and unique! It is visually appealing and designed around familiarity. The pips on Six Strings have been given an update with themed custom suits and classic font for the lettering and numbers.

The court cards are gorgeous and each card has a different face with its own uniquely designed wardrobe with classic ornament details and guitar instrument, giving a good balance of having a custom design while keeping the integrity of a standard deck of playing cards.

The Ace of Spades showcases a beautiful intricate design that is classic yet stylish. The featured virtuoso guitarist adds to the identity of the deck. The No.052 came from a string gauge size which coincidentally matches the number of cards in a standard deck.

Six Strings features an intricate, mirrored card back design inspired by the stringed instrument. The attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship makes this deck one of a kind.



The stunning tuck box is adorned with copper foil titling which is especially striking. Letter-pressed by Clove St Press on textured paper to give it a classic look and feel. The deck combines distinctive design with the peerless quality of the United States Playing Card Co.

[post_ad]