Collaboration Decks Produced by Art of PlayArt of Play is known for its fine collection of carefully curated decks of high quality playing cards, many of which are optimized for cardistry or for playing card games. Run by cardistry innovators and pioneers Dan and Dave Buck, it is not only a paradise for those who appreciate unique games, puzzles, and playing cards, but it is also the online label under which the Buck twins produce their own brand of playing cards. The Art of Play website has been carrying a wide range of literally hundreds of custom playing cards already since 2013, but in recent years Dan and Dave have more and more been making a unique contribution to the playing card industry by producing their own decks of cards, with many colourful and impressive designs that are especially popular with cardists.
To produce such excellence on a consistent basis, Dan and Dave need help. And that's why they continue to partner with talented artists from around the world, with whom they team up to produce their high quality and novel decks of playing cards. I've covered quite a large number of Art of Play's attractive decks previously, but this time I'd like to cover a number of decks that they have recently released, virtually all of which are collaborations with creative artists and design companies from around the world.
So if you're looking for a quality deck of playing cards - whether it's something classy for your poker night, something impressive for your family game of Hearts or Spades, something sophisticated for your card magic, or something eye-catching for your card flourishing - look no further: Art of Play has you covered with great decks like these.
*** NATURE INSPIRED COLLABORATIONS ***Bloc Playing Cards (Marble Edition)Art of Play has done a number of collaborations, and with The
Bloc deck (Marble Edition) they have produced the third in a series of decks from
Bloc Playing Cards.
The first in the Bloc series was Rosewood, the second was American Pine.
All these decks are carefully designed to have the playing cards look like naturally textured rectangular blocks. The Rosewood and American Pine card backs look fantastic, but it was time to explore a surface other than wood. And so: Marble.
The tuck box immediately impresses with a letterpress-printed wrap-around design, that does look just like marble. This is largely courtesy of well-placed gold foil accents, which really enhance the visual impact, and give the convincing illusion of a marble textured surface. Gold lettering in small print on the front of the tuck box adds to the luxurious look.
The card backs are inspired by the same textured look, but have a unique design that offers a fresh interpretation of the surface, with a different pattern than the tuck box. It's borderless - of course - and given the need to be authentic, it is a one-way design. Without the benefit of the gold accents from the tuck box, the card backs don't look quite as impressive, but that's just because we've been spoiled with gold in our marble when greeting this deck for the first time.
The faces are all standard, with some notable exceptions, starting with the Ace of Spades and Ace of Clubs, both of which have a central pip that has been given a marble-like texture.
The two Joker cards are of special interest as well, with an alternative borderless Marble design. To round things off, there's a double backer and a blank faced card.
These are certainly very unique cards, that stand apart from the frenzied colours and artistry of many other designs. As the Bloc team explains their vision:
"
Why are all playing cards based on graphic design? With Bloc, we challenge the thought that playing cards need to be created with meticulous line work and illustration. We're inspired by nature. Bloc transforms playing cards into borderless, edge-to-edge images of natural texture. After our first two runs of American Pine and Rosewood sold out within days, we're now pushing into stone and beyond. "
They are particularly well suited to cardistry, since the team at Bloc has a collective 20+ years of cardistry experience, and it is a big factor that determines their design. As they themselves explain: "
With no borders to get in your way, these Blocs make all of your fans, cuts, and springs that much bigger and impactful. "
The thin-crush stock from USPCC will ensure that card handling is smooth and satisfying, no matter how these cards are put to use. And with only 1000 copies produced in a limited addition, I can see these quickly being sold out.
Green WheelArt of Play have previously done a collaboration with
DKNG Studios from California, which produced the delightful
DKNG decks. These twin decks in red and blue, named Red Wheel and Blue Wheel respectively, also came inside a beautiful laser engraved wooden case as part of the attractive
DKNG Gaming Set, and were intended as a fresh interpretation of the classic Bicycle rider back, with a bicycle design being prominent.
This popular deck now heads to a new eco-friendly colour scheme as the
Green Wheel deck. The tuck box has a very similar look to the original deck, but has a muted brown paper bag look. The original decks already had a matt finish like this deck, but that effect is amplified here in the Green Wheel deck with the use of brown colours.
A custom seal in vibrant green gives a hint as to what we'll find inside. Anyone familiar with the classic Red Wheel and Blue Wheel decks will immediately recognize the design of the card backs, which are now presented in a stark green. The Bicycle influence is clearly evident, and despite the bold design, the green colour ensures that it still has a natural look.
The card backs may look symmetrical, but if you observe the corners closely, you'll see that all four suits are represented, meaning that it is a very clever and subtle one-way design that will escape notice from most. Like the tuck box and Jokers, small skulls are also featured on the card backs.
One of the things I loved most about the original Red Wheel and Blue Wheel decks were the pips, which were split in half and used metallic gold for the Red deck and metallic silver for the Blue deck.
The split-pip design is the same here, but now has two tones of brown for the Spade/Club pips to keep us close to our roots, down to earth, and environmentally friendly; while there's a lovely combination of green and gold for the Heart/Diamond pips.
Unlike the previous decks, there's no metallic inks to be seen here, however, and it wouldn't be in keeping with the concept of a more natural look either.
One of my favourite cards is the Ace of Spades, with a gorgeous illustration of a bicycle inside the giant two-tone pip. In fact, all the Aces are stunning examples of clean and stylized design.
For the rest the graphic design is inherited entirely from its popular predecessors, but using green and brown as the chief colours.
This deck has a very different feel from the original Red Wheel and Blue Wheel decks, and yet very clearly belongs to the same family, with a unity of design, and the same thin-crush stock for good handling.
Unlike its more classy brothers that preferred to present themselves with gold and silver accessories, however, this is the more down-to-earth and outdoorsy member of the family, that prefers to go on hikes and spend time in nature. Comfortable and casual, it will also feel right at home in the hands of every cardist and card player.
*** CONCLUSION ***I continue to be impressed with
Art of Play and the decks that they are putting out. I use playing cards for a variety of different purposes, including playing card games like poker and other classics, as well as for card magic and card flourishing. With their background in cardistry and magic, Dan and Dave Buck have a lot of expertise with playing cards, and know exactly the kind of quality in looks and handling that a good deck of cards needs. Cardists can be confident that Art of Play's carefully curated collection only includes the very best patterns, colours, and designs that will serve cardists well, and that anything produced under Dan and Dave's own label first has to meet their own exacting standards for visual aesthetics and performance.
By collaborating with world class artists and creative thinkers, Dan and Dave continue to ensure that their growing catalogue includes fresh new designs that are the kind of thing that consumers today are looking for. The decks featured in this review are prime examples of what they are contributing to the playing card industry. And all of these creative decks are matched with high quality materials and tuck boxes, with durable air cushioned cards that ensure durability as well as smooth and consistent performance.
Certainly some designs are already tried and true, like the Green Wheel deck, the Third Man Records deck, and the Bruce Lee deck, all of which build on the success of earlier versions. But there's also some very original and new concepts, particularly my favourite: the effervescent and vibrantly coloured Off The Wall deck. And of course there are artistic decks like the Flying Dog deck, which is effectively a miniature gallery of Ralph Steadman art, and the Art & Machine deck, which largely defies categorization beyond being a sophisticated art project.
RecommendationWhether your interest is in card games, card magic, card flourishing, or even just card collecting, you're almost certain to find some treasures in Art of Play's growing collection, and the decks reviewed here are fine examples of what they offer. If you enjoy quality playing cards, puzzles, or games, then you definitely need to check out whether they can help improve the tools in your hands when you are at play. After all, these guys have turned play into an art!
What to learn more? Check out
Art of Play:
- Official website:
artofplay.com- Social media:
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
Pinterest Direct links for items featured in this review:
Artistic Collaborations:
Flying Dog,
Art & MachinePop Culture Collaborations:
Bruce Lee,
Third Man RecordsNature Inspired Collaborations:
Bloc Marble Edition,
Green WheelOther Collaborations:
Off The Wall,
Cubeline
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