Pictorial Review: Cardistry Calligraphy decks (BOMBMAGIC)

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Pictorial Review: Cardistry Calligraphy decks (BOMBMAGIC)

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*** CARDISTRY CALLIGRAPHY DECKS ***

Tuck boxes

Combining Cardistry with Calligraphy? Why not! That's the concept of Cardistry Calligraphy Playing Cards, a series of stylish decks produced by Hanson Bomb's BOMBMAGIC, a Taiwan based publisher which has also published other solid designs like Casino Royale Playing Cards, and more recently Hidden King Playing Cards. The Cardistry Calligraphy decks were first released at the 2017 Cardistry Con.

The series consists of three decks, a red and blue pair with silver foil lettering on the tuck box, and a more luxurious limited edition deck that has gold accents on the tuck box and on the card backs as well. In each case the graphic design of the boxes emphasizes the calligraphic lettering which gives the deck its name.

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Card backs

The card backs themselves have lovely and consistent narrow borders in white, which stands out beautifully against the solid red and blue that fills the majority of the landscape of the cards.

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The overall design is the same as what appears on the back of the tuck boxes, but with a reversed colour scheme. But there is one further change: the word Cardistry now appears in a stylish calligraphic font in the very center of the cards. This does also mean that the cards have one-way backs. In keeping with the elegant lettering, ornate decorations with a floral design surround the border.

In the case of the limited edition, the card backs are a simple white with all the artwork and lettering with gold foil, for a truly glamorous look.

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Card faces

The card faces on all three decks are identical. They have large over-sized pips, which we have seen in other BOMBMAGIC designs, and this makes them very recognizable, while at the same time giving them a fresh feel. The small indices are still very clear, and ideal for large spreads and fans of cards.

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Court cards

The standout feature of the card faces lies in the customized cards: the Aces, court cards, and Jokers. The court cards just have a single large letter - K, Q or J - done with calligraphy.

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Aces

All four Aces have a large decorative image in the center, which is in the shape of the pip corresponding to its suit, and made up of calligraphic curves and shapes. If you look closely, they appear to incorporate letters from how the suit is spelled.

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Jokers

The Jokers are arguably the nicest of the lot, with the card face beautifully decorated with calligraphic swirls and lines, along with the word Joker, and with red used along with black on one of the cards.

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Handling

All three decks use BOMBMAGIC's Casino Stock and Royal Finish, which was the same combination used for their Casino Royale Bright edition and their pair of Japanese inspired Fujin and Raijin decks. It's less slippery than their Magic Finish and their Legendary Finish, and has a stiffness that is better for card sleights than their very soft Luxury stock, and also offers good control for packeting. The decks fan and spread nicely, and the finish and card stock has worked well for card flourishing, especially once the deck has seen some use and been broken in. Surprisingly the gold accents on the card backs of the limited edition deck don't seem to have much of a negative impact on the handling or performance.

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The graphic design of these decks also favours card flourishing, with a bold colour on the card backs that emphasizes colour and shape. The use of ornate calligraphic letters for the court cards is somewhat unusual, but suits the deck well, especially when used for cardistry, because it means that the card faces have a more consistent look, and don't have pictures on selected cards which can distract when the cards are in motion.

The card stock and finish also works well for cardistry, and these decks have a graphic design that really looks nice in motion when in the hands of an experienced cardist. While the indices are clear, the artwork on the court cards and aces makes these less functional than a normal deck, and so this wouldn't be my deck of choice for a card game or for a magic trick. But this characteristic is also what makes it more ideal for cardistry than a typical deck. The concept of calligraphy with flowing lines and curves also works very well as a thematic concept suited card flourishing well - cardistry and calligraphy are a natural and appropriate combination.

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Collaboration

The attractive Cardistry Calligraphy decks were the result of a collaboration with the world's first international calligraphy school, Ink Academy.

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This is acknowledged on the base of the box with the following credit: Calligraphy by Ink Academy, California.

Ink Academy is a school that aims to bring calligraphy masters and students together, and offers courses and programs to help learn this historically rich art-form.

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Video Trailer

You can watch the official video trailer for the Cardistry Calligraphy decks here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlriRrP7cUc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Recommendation

BOMBMAGIC deserves to be congratulated for contributing another unique concept for the world of cardistry to enjoy. At a very reasonable price of just US$10, the Cardistry Calligraphy decks are excellent value, and can be recommended for all who enjoy card flourishing.

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Want to learn more? Visit BOMBMAGIC:
- Official website
- Facebook, Instagram

Direct links for where some the decks featured in this review can be purchased:
- Hidden King Playing Cards (cost: US$3 each)
- Cardistry Calligraphy Playing Cards (cost: US$10 each)

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The Cardistry Calligraphy decks are also available at your favorite Murphy’s Magic retailer (Red & Blue).

Note: Due to a change in the image-hosting, the original pictures are no longer shown here. A reworked and longer version of this article covering more decks by BombMagic and TWPCC, including all the original images, has been posted here: Playing Card Manufacturer: Taiwan Playing Card Company (TWPCC).
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BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame => Playing Card Reviews <=>Magic Reviews <=> Board Game Reviews <=

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