* * *  Cybertech Playing Cards * * *

Originally called the Cyberpunk deck, the Cybertech Playing Cards are the handiwork of artist Jamie Meza.

This deck was inspired by the Cyberpunk literary genre.  The creator describes the world of these playing cards as follows: "a dystopian society where humans are mixed with machines and also physically plugin to something that today we call the internet. In this chaotic world full of conspirators and oppression many gangs are rising,  trying to survive for the crumbs left by the mega corporations. This deck shows you four of those gangs and we will leave the rest of the story to your imagination."



Produced in a limited run of 2500, finished with individually numbered seals, this deck has a fully custom tuck box with artwork that matches the cardbacks on the reverse side, and an intriguing image corresponding to the Ace of Spades on the front.



Everything about the faces of the cards is fully custom, with a muted grey background and border, a stylish dirty white panel, plus fully custom fonts and pip arrangements.  Everything that can be customized has been, and the direction of the artwork has all been steered by the dystopian theme.  Jamie has been a long time fan of the sci-fi fiction genre, as he describes, "especially cyberpunk that blends between man and machine, the matrix concept and a crashed society."

Clearly Jamie has put a lot of thought into the background story that he's captured in these cards.  "In the process I wrote a short story of each gang and character, also I wrote shorts text about the society of that world with many common topics in this story; like mega-corporation, mars, technocracy and dystopia."



The card-backs are far from ordinary, so there's no mistaking the fact that we are entering an unusual and apocalyptic type world, with a machine like face staring back at us from the cards.  The borderless design actually works surprisingly well given the lined patterns on the sides of the cards, which produce attractive fans and spreads.



In line with the dystopian narrative and setting, each of the four suits corresponds to one of the four gangs depicted by the deck, as follows:

Clubs: The Brotherhood - "Vestiges of the Rastafarian culture these guys are crazy!! They have created a cult that worships the ganya goddess who they have found in a far section of the matrix and according to them she controls the whole cyberspace."

Hearts: Pirates - "The first human colonies in Mars did not take long to declare independence, triggering a ruthless civil war, the earth government, as part of plan to retake the Mars, canceled the oxygen supplies to the planet, now the pirates traffic with the precious element that they sell to poor communities and although they seem to be like Robin Hood, they aren't."



Spades: Good Boys - "Do you need a cyber implant? Pirate access points to the matrix? Analog or digital drugs? Or maybe weapons? These guys are your best ally if you have a way to pay them or your worst enemies if somebody else already paid them."

Diamonds: Yaxuka - "To keep power, the corporations need their detractors to suffer "unfortunate accidents" and what better way to cause this than a bloody and silent elite unit, nobody has seen them, they are an urban myth, if you do see one, it will be the last thing you see."



Meanwhile the Jokers feature some more light-hearted characters in masks. 

There's also some real creativity evident in the two bonus gaff cards, one which looks like a spinning Queen of Hearts, and the other which offers a unique "your card" reveal.



Recommendation

Some might think that there is a glut of custom playing cards on the market, but I'm personally appreciative of the large diversity that is available.  There's a variety of tastes, and the growing number of decks meets this need.  Card gamers who love cyberpunk fiction will appreciate the Cybertech deck, while collectors who are fans of ladybugs will snap up this insect-themed deck.  Almost everyone will appreciate the novelty of the whimsical Circus deck.  And while the Faro deck may suit a smaller niche of magicians, even some card gamers will appreciate the fresh and "pure" feel that these cards give.

It's also worth mentioning that all of these decks have been produced by the United States Playing Card Company.  That means that they all have an embossed air cushion finish, will handle smoothly and consistently, and have been printed to last.  Props to PlayingcardDecks for continue to deliver the goods with some great new decks of playing cards, that fans of card games and collectors around the world can enjoy!

​Want to learn more? You can find these decks on PlayingCardDecks.com here:
- Circus Nostalgic Playing Cards
- Ladybug Playing Cards
- Cybertech Playing Cards
- Faro Edition Bicycle Playing Cards