Deck View: Five Ninety-Sevens Playing Cards

Minimal. Refined. Bold. 

Five Ninety-Sevens Playing Cards is Joker and the Thief's FIRST departure from intricate design. The deck is made with the intention for everyday use and for cardists who prefer minimal design language. 

The back design features the JT insignia resting in the center of the design provides weight and presence. The borders are distressed providing an extra edge of detail and are consistent with the brand. The ace of spades is vintage-inspired and accompanied by ARRCO style court cards that have been recolored. 

The letterpressed Five Ninety-Seven tuck box features a vibrant solid yellow interior to contrast with the darker exterior. Printed on Premium Crushed Stock and Finish by the United States Playing Card Company. 

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Kickstarter: EPHEMERID Playing Cards The Private Reserve

The EPHEMERID playing cards by French designer and blogger Fabien Barral is a unique deck series based on Mr. Cup's collection of Ephemera over the years. After the success of the first edition and precious metal edition, Mr. Cup has released the EPHEMERID Private Reserve on Kickstarter.

The private reserve release consists of prototypes and other rare editions from previous releases. According to Mr. Cup on the Kickstarter campaign page,

I keep some of each edition for my own collection and have some leftover from previous campaigns. I also make available for the first time some of the prototypes we did to decide which editions to produce in bigger quantities. All that is my private reserve. I am happy to make available.

As the decks are limited, most of the editions are available as add-ons. At the time of writing, most of the private reserve decks are sold out! The only way to get one of the prototypes of collector editions is if a backer cancels his/her pledge.

Inside the deck features 52 cards and 2 jokers- all fully custom and totally unique! Each card comes with a unique design based on thousands of hand-letters, invoices, bills, tickets, and photos. Each suit has its own contrasting colors on the cards featuring striking metallic ink on the face and card backs: gold, copper, and silver on their respective editions.

Also, the face cards can be easily identified with indices located on all four corners. A word of wisdom will be included on each card to inspire you every day of the year. 

The letterpress tuck case is shielded with hot foil in their respective editions. Editions available during the campaign: Deluxe Black, Silver/Blue, Gold/Burgundy, Standard, Collector Black & White, and Prototypes in various color variations.

The deck will be printed by Noir Arts NPCC. The Private Reserves are available on Kickstarter now from €15. Add-ons such as coins, letterpress coasters, coin bag, and metal dice are available.

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Alpha & Omega (Bible Edition) Playing Cards on Kickstarter

Alpha and Omega Playing Cards: Bible Edition is the second project in the Alpha & Omega Series. After a very successful first launch, the team at Elephant Playing Cards is back with even more unique hand-crafted illustrations beautifully depicting Biblical periods in practical game pieces. 

This Kickstarter campaign includes 4 decks:

1. Creation (the book of Genesis)

2. Law (the rest of the Old Testament)

3. Gospel (The Gospels and Pentecost period)

4. Revelation (The apocalyptic last book of the Bible)

Each design in the Alpha & Omega series has been respectfully and accurately hand-illustrated from the ground up in authentic wood-cut style to faithfully represent significant people and events during these Biblical periods.

All four decks feature metallic inks, tuck box embossing, inner & outer foil, and more! Unlike other decks with supernatural themes, the artwork in this project is true to the Biblical narrative and is something any Christian or collector would be proud to show, share or use.

Printed by the United States Playing Co. and pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter. Incredible artwork, fair pricing, great stretch goals, and free upgrades! You are not going to want to miss this!

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A Collaboration of Man and Machine, Cybernetic Playing Cards

First released last year during the Art of Play's annual mystery deck event, Cybernetic playing cards is a fascinating deck with artwork created through the collaboration of man and machine. 

This fascinating deck is designed by Ivan Moscovich, a designer and commercial developer of puzzles, games, toys, and educational aids. According to the product page on Art of Play,

He has written many books and is internationally recognized in the toys industry as an innovative inventor. He is a survivor of the Holocaust and the founder of Israel's Museum of Science and Technology in Tel Aviv. Ivan is currently 95 years old and still creating new works.

Ivan patented his Harmonograph device in 1967 and soon after his revolutionary approach to drawing was featured in an exhibition titled Cybernetic Serendipity at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Moscovich's work attracted the attention of creative luminaries such as M.C. Escher and Frank Oppenheimer. 

The fully custom Cybernetic playing cards are a curated exhibition of 54 unique Harmongrams printed on the face of each card. Printed by the USPCC and available NOW from artofplay.com for $25.

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Annihilation Playing Cards on Kickstarter

CHSD Playing Cards is back with another great playing cards project by David Frampton. Introducing the Annihilation Playing Cards series - a series of decks that tells a story about an invading of hostile alien life forms from outside the galaxy and the struggles of humankind to fight against the invasion currently on funding on Kickstarter. Each deck represents the phase of the invasion along with the roles of the characters represented as court cards.



The Midnight edition tells about the first phase: when the aliens just nestle right outside Earth and are detected by the global space agency. The plants on Earth begin to die, and the animals that depend on the plants start to get aggressive for survival. The overall color scheme for the deck is blue and it features the animal skull head of a deer. 

The Eclipse edition describes the second phase: There is a solar eclipse, signaling the attack phase from the invading aliens. All animal life on earth succumbs to starvation and all plants have died. Unrecognized plant vines start growing from the decaying animal corpse, with the insects nourished from them. Several humans are targeted and ambushed by the aliens. The overall color scheme for the deck is gold and pale brown and it features the animal skull head of a ram. 

The Red Dawn edition details the final phase of the invasion. Some of the birds have survived the ecosystem attack. When they consumed the insects that had been nourished from the strange vines, the birds were acting erratic and started to attack the dense population. The humans who were attacked by these birds are infected with parasites that deconstruct and damage their DNAs. The overall color scheme of the deck is red and it features the animal skull of a raven. 

Finally, the Invasion edition shows the invading hostile aliens that will invade Earth. They have been corrupting the Earth’s ecosystem so that humankind won’t have enough nourishments and making them weak before they attack. All of the courts for this deck are showing the aliens instead of human resistance on the other three decks. The overall color scheme for the deck is green and it features the skull of the hostile alien. 

The tuck boxes in the series are made by the Liquorice Press - done on premium metallic card stock with a combination of colored holographic and glossy foiling complete with interior foiled patterns. 

The cards will be printed by Cartamundi and Slimline True Linen finish with cold foil on both faces and backs. Pledge starts on Kickstarter from $16 for a single deck, or get the initial 3 decks set for $49. 

The full set of the Annihilation series, which will include all of the 4 decks for $65, includes a booklet that further explains the lore of the series' universe. 

Written by Ruben Gosali.

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Less Than 24 Hours Remaining on Kickstarter, Feel the Music Playing Cards

Only a few hours remaining on Kickstarter, the Feel the Music deck is a union between the world of Playing Cards and Music. Designed by Vitaly Sinkevich and conceptualized by Gabriele and Sara of ARAS, this unique deck finds its origin in the need of isolating oneself from the surrounding world and getting transported by every single note of fantastic melodies. According to the campaign page,

Music is something incredible because it is universal, it knocks down every language and cultural barrier and unites people from every part of the globe with its notes and sounds. Music is like that friend that doesn’t expect you to do something for him, but who will always be there for you and cheer you up in the least expected occasions. Music is feeling, it is anger, it’s pain and sadness but it can also transform into anything we wish will make us escape reality.

Fully custom, each card is designed from a scratch, from the faces, card backs, aces, to the jokers and customized pips. Every image represents a different music genre studied in the smallest details.

The card back depicts the most iconic instruments of the music world in a very POP style. The meticulous artwork is totally symmetrical and is divided by a parchment that accompanies the music engravings along the whole deck. The hand-drawn court cards depict artists, composers, music aficionados with various musical instruments.

The aces are bold and custom with the treble clef prominently featured on the Ace of Spades. The jokers cards transport you into the world of music with gears and accessories.

The deck is packaged in a detailed tuck box with exterior and interior artwork. Be transported by the sound of music, with a pair of headphones that reaches the heart!

Pledge starts at $11 on Kickstarter.

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Deck View: General Admission Playing Cards

Vibrant. Vintage. Nostalgia.

Kings Wild's General Admission playing cards are inspired by designer Jackson Robinson's drawn towards vintage ticket stubs from the early 20th century. Inside, the cards take this deck to the next level of vintage nostalgia, with heavy amounts of texture, a wide range of vibrant and visually interesting patterns, and bold design elements.

The complex back design plays along the same lines, adding design elements resembling some of Kings Wild's currency decks, along with the iconic logo. The court cards feature mirrored, full-body characters- a first for designer, Jackson Robinson.

The deck is kept within a semi-gloss tuck case that resembles the layout of a ticket stub, including the gate number, section, row, and seat, which hide an Easter Egg for those who follow Jackson's design themes closely.

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Now on Patreon! Kardify Magazine Issue #57

 

Issue #57 of Kardfiy Magazine is now available 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-January to mid-February. 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 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 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:

+ The Ultimate Deck: Have a look and Dan and Dave's unique deck with completely different custom-designed artwork edge-to-edge.

+ Red Rising Deck: Midnight Cards' latest deck is based on the first trilogy of Red Rising books from author Pierce Brown.

+ Mantecore V3: The ONLY deck you will ever need for the Lunar New Year of the Tiger. Find out more!

+ Mono-Xero Chroma: A very special edition Mono deck by Luke Wadey. This deck brings minimal elegance with an all-new design.

+ Inception: The first installment in the Creations Trilogy by Runit decks, combining unconventional shapes forming a familiar at of images with dynamic colorway.

+ Yellow Submarine: Take a dive into the wonderful, whimsical world of Yellow Submarine with this special edition deck by Theory11 inspired by the 1969 Beatles animated film.

+ 1987 January Edition: An intriguing retro-inspired deck with custom back design reminiscence of the test pattern you see on the TV back in the '80s.

+ Spiderman: No Way Home: Card Mafia's latest addition to the popular Avengers series. This time, an adventure with Spiderman!

… and more! 58 pages of articles and deck images. Enjoy!

MOS Playing Cards Hits 300% Funding Goal!

MOS Playing Cards are meticulously designed by Deck Idea and produced by Wonder Cards. The intriguing decks are inspired by the visual representation of Morse code.

Fully custom, the MOS playing cards set out to become a minimalistic modern design that is also suitable for cardistry and magic.

Inside, the back design features a simple yet effective marking system. Similar to morse code, the marking on the back design works by showing or hiding certain dots on the back of the deck.

For the face cards, all of the pips are custom designed and the court is illustrated in a modern style to fit the overall look of the deck.

The deck is packaged in an embossed gold foil tuck box with no visible branding, providing a non-intrusive subtle luxury mood. The art and its function should speak for themselves.

Three editions are on offer during the campaign, the red, blue, and the recently released dark MOS. Each edition with its own respective tuck box and card back colors.

The decks are printed by Cartamundi with True Linen B9 Finish. Pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter. 

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Creators: Epic Playing Cards Photography by Peter McKinnon

On our second monthly creators article, we we will have a look at product photography. How do you make playing cards look good? That's what Peter McKinnon (YouTube: Peter McKinnon) is teaching today in "The product photography number two" when he photographs Theory11's Star Wars decks. Let's have a look. 

Secret Tale of King Arthur Playing Cards Relaunched on Kickstarter

The team at the Dutch Card House Company has relaunched the luxurious Secret Tale of King Arthur playing cards on Kickstarter. The deck will be the first in the brand new Secret Tale Playing Cards series with stories about legends that have never been told before.

We are all familiar with the Arthurian Legend of the young son of King Uther Pendragon, raised and educated by the sorcerer Merlin, who ascends to the throne of Great Britain after drawing the magical sword, Excalibur, from a sacred stone. But what if there was another story-a secret story-that told even more about Arthur's fate? 

That is the story the deck explores. The absolutely fascinating storyline and concept idea by Jannieke van Geet and beautiful narrative by Elizabeth Romeril. The deck showcases old folk art combined with antique colors from the Middle Ages making these decks of cards the perfect stage for the Secret Tale of King Arthur: 'Merlins Confession'. The artwork is detailed with a clean modern design on the back, faces, and tuck case. 

The card back features the keyhole that enters the cabinet where Merlin has hidden his admission to keep it a secret. It is richly designed with details from this Secret Tale of King Arthur.

The custom courts are the main characters of this Arthurian story. Some already legendary and some hidden for centuries, from King Arthur, Lady of the Lake to Merlin, Lady Morgause, and Lancelot.

The Ace of Spades plays an important role in the narrative, showing a little peek at Camelot. The custom pips have been redesigned and some are arranged in non-traditional order. 

For tuck box repeats the keyhole design element from the card backs, giving a sense of mystery and intrigue. TWO colorways are available during the Kickstarter campaign- the Black Knight and the White Knight Collector Edition.

Also, the MINI white Knight is recently added to the campaign and an absolutely showstopper. Not only is the tuck of this MINI deck all over print with foil and embossed. The deck is also Blue gilded and closed with a custom numbered seal! A limited print run of 200 decks will make this deck a must-have for Mini deck lovers.

      

A beautifully designed set of decks suitable for every Arthurian legend-lover and Cardician. Also available is the booklet with the back story, Merlin's Confession, the court-card illustrations, along with some background information of each character. 

Printed by Legends Playing Card Co and available for $17 on Kickstarter now.

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Kickstarter: The Awesome Cards by Studio K

The Awesome Cards is a collaborative project between Studio K and Beacon Children's Hospital in South Bend, Indiana now funding on Kickstarter. Every single card in this deck consists of hand-drawn illustrations by patients ages four to sixteen. With the help of these incredible artists, fifty-two unique drawings come together to create a deck like no other. 

The custom face cards showcase the creative interpretation of the fifty-two cards in a deck. According to the campaign page,

Each child was given a pen, paper, and a card assigned to them while at the hospital. The drawings were collected and scanned to remove pencil lines, eraser marks, and smudges for a clean illustration. Four different colors were used for the four suits to enhance recognizability. The deck maintains its hand-drawn aesthetic while remaining functional.

The back design takes inspiration from Bicycle Rider Back Cards. Giving the iconic design a playful twist, it makes for a familiar yet original look that is sure to stand out. Every single element was taken directly from the drawings. 

The deck is packaged in a unique tuck box with a collage of illustrations from different drawings. The colorful front design is accompanied by sides colored in yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink. 

 

The Awesome Cards will be printed by the USPCC and pledge starts at $13 on Kickstarter. Proceeds from this campaign will be donated to the Beacon Children's Hospital of South Bend, Indiana.

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