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EndersGame Inner circle Reviewer EndersGame 2196 Posts |
Will Roya and PlayingCardDecks.com
In this current series of reviews, I'm covering several decks produced by Will Roya for his company PlayingCardDecks.com. PlayingCardDecks is a growing online retail operation that sells a large inventory of custom playing cards, with literally 10,000s of decks in stock at any given moment, and 1500 different decks as part of their remarkable range. But Will Roya is also very ambitious, and not only has he undertaken the challenge of building up a successful online sales platform, he's also applied his passion for playing cards by being involved in producing playing cards himself, with the help of crowdfunding. This requires huge commitment and effort, as anyone who has been involved in Kickstarter will know, especially if you're simultaneously trying to grow a business at the same time, but so far he's been able to do this with great success. I'm covering some of the newest additions to the ranks of the PlayingCardDecks produced stable, and over the course of three articles we'll see three new and novel decks, and meet armoured knights, classic monsters, and a whole lot of gold foil bling! Monster deck The Monster deck is described as "a new spooky deck of your favorite classic monsters in a fun cartoon style." This deck was designed by Arizona illustrator and artist Joe Ruiz, who was trained at the San Francisco Art Institute of California, and has been involved with artwork for projects that include children's books, logos, medical manuals, product packaging, humorous literature, and textbook art. This is his first playing card design, and if this debut is any indication, he's has real promise! Halloween has always generated a legion of associated products, and the Monster Deck is geared to fit within that stereotypical mould. Trick or Treat? In this case, the tricks are a treat, because the artwork is inspired by classic monsters from popular stories and myths, while still retaining a cartoon look that prevents it from feeling too dark. The tuck box features the artwork from the Ace of Spades on the front, while the reverse side showcases the artwork from the card backs. The card backs incorporate the kinds of objects that you'd typically associate with Halloween, such as skulls and bat-wings, and there's considerable detail here to study and enjoy. All the Aces feature a detailed oversized image in the shape corresponding to the suit pip. Besides the skulls shown here that have been arranged in the shape of a Club pip, there's also an eye-ball Spade pip, and a heart shaped Heart, for example. But the court cards are really the highlight of the deck, since they feature the monsters that this deck is named after. Instead of the usual royal characters we've come to expect on court cards, a selection of monsters, creatures, and mythical beings have crawled out of books, films and nightmares. Each card depicts a different classic monster. Here's a complete list of what has been included on the Kings, Queens and Jacks, with each suit representing different monster types: Spades = Shape Shifters (Werewolf, Selkie, Vampire) Clubs = Water Dwellers (Kraken, Siren, Swamp Creature) Hearts = Undead (Frankenstein's Monster, Bride of Frankenstein, Zombie) Diamonds = Not of This World (Demon, Gorgon, Alien) The pips are heavily customized, reprising the oversized and more detailed image on the corresponding Aces, but in miniature. They especially look good against the backdrop of the grey stone-like artwork used on the faces of the cards. But where there are Monsters, there are also Monster Hunters, and these are depicted on the two Jokers. Since this is a USPCC printed deck, there are two additional cards, which are both additional King of Spades. These depict the two stages of a human transitioning towards the Werewolf that is the official King of Spades in the deck. This is a nice idea and can be used for some clever colour changes - see here for a hilarious video by Yoav Yardeny with a fun performance that was inspired by and uses these gaffs. A deck with this kind of artwork won't be to everyone's taste, but it has already proved a winner to those who enjoy Halloween associated artwork. It's particularly ideal for use in magic tricks with a spooky theme. As you'd expect from a Bicycle deck, the cards handle smoothly and cleanly, so it lives up to the kind of quality we'd insist on for a custom deck like this. Recommendation Once again Will Roya and PlayingCardDecks have churned out some creative custom decks. In this instance these decks aren't likely to have a universal appeal, but will especially be appreciated by select groups. For example, the Monsters deck will be enjoyed particularly by those who are looking for something spooky or Halloween related, while the Knights deck will be a deck of choice for those who are intrigued by the medieval world of knights and armour. The Royal Vortex deck is a bit of an unusual beast, due to the classic faces on one side of the deck, and the exorbitant show of bling on the other - but certainly there are many who will find all that gold foil irresistible! Will Roya has some more custom decks in the works, and I look forward to seeing what he produces next under the PlayingCardDecks.com banner! Want to learn more? Check out PlayingCardDecks.com - Online Store: playingcarddecks.com - Related links: Blog, Kickstarter projects, Loyalty Rewards Program, Pip Box Club - Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Direct links for the decks featured in this review series: - Knights deck ($9.99) - Monster deck ($9.99) - Royal Vortex deck ($19.99) |
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