Unique's ASCEND has its roots in the XIX century, inspired by many artistic movements like art nouveau and Impressionism that arose during that time, with a few brushstrokes and references to the steampunk subgenre based on that period and a modern minimalistic flat approach that ties up every style into one coherent intricately designed deck of fully customized playing cards. From the pips to the tuck box, this deck shows an astonishing amount of detail filled with references both to the magic and card community.

Featuring TCC's exclusive M23 Finish for the smoothest handling, this brand-new finish was introduced just this year and has shown exceptional performance in our extensive testing. It ensures that the cards provide you with a professional-level smoothness and handling experience, showcasing the utmost quality.

ASCEND XIX’s back evokes the elegancy and mystery of the 19th century. The back design of this deck draws inspiration from the captivating XIX architecture and the intricate elements that defined that era. At the heart of the design lies a rich, unique black background that envelops the cards like a velvety sky at night. This specific black tone was selected exclusively to exude the allure of the 19th century. It's the black of top hats and ballroom gowns, of cobblestone streets and gaslit alleys. It captures the essence of an era marked by romanticism and the birth of modern creativity.

The golden patterns adorning the back of each card are a true homage to XIX architecture. Delicate filigree intertwines with graceful flourishes, forming a tapestry of timeless elegance.

If you have a background in magic, you are likely familiar with "memorized deck magic", where magicians use decks with predetermined card sequences. Among these, Mnemonica is the most widely recognized and popular stack within the magic community.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/uniqueplayingcards/ascend-xix-playing-cards-by-unique

Silent Playing Cards is a series of decks showcasing the amazing works of Korean artist Lee Killust. His illustrations are exhibited in a form of 52 playing cards. The artworks of Lee.K presenting portrait paintings of people without their mouths, symbolizing the silenced words of expressions. Mirage Edition features tuck box made of lenticular lens grating art, in which the artwork changes as you tilted the box. It is a set of 2 decks in a collector's box, also have grating art. The set is made with the technical support from ARK Playing Cards. This is Deck 2 of the Set: the black version of Silent Gray. The faces are modified with black background and wooden frames add-on - designed as if a card represents an art catalog of Lee.K art exhibition.

Silent Playing Cards is a series of decks showcasing the amazing works of Korean artist Lee Killust. His illustrations are exhibited in a form of 52 playing cards. The artworks of Lee.K presenting portrait paintings of people without their mouths, symbolizing the silenced words of expressions. Mirage Edition features tuck box made of lenticular lens grating art, in which the artwork changes as you tilted the box. It is a set of 2 decks in a collector's box, also have grating art. The set is made with the technical support from ARK Playing Cards. This is Deck 1 of the Set: feature full-bleed artworks on both back and face. The back design can create a beautiful fanning artwork. The faces are fragments of Lee.K's illustrations - each portrait drawing is made using four cards of a value. The Jokers create a diptych artwork, and two faces can be made using both cards.

Silent Playing Cards is a series of decks showcasing the amazing works of Korean artist Lee Killust. His illustrations are exhibited in a form of 52 playing cards. The artworks of Lee.K presenting portrait paintings of people without their mouths, symbolizing the silenced words of expressions. Focus Edition is tailored for cardistry, featuring all different backs. Each card features a set of eyes from Lee.K's artworks, highlighting them on the center of the card. The faces design features standard playing cards design, with pips, Ace of Spades, and Courts feature the artist's illustrations. There are five different boxes design - the only slight difference is on one of the side, which is a connecting artwork in the custom half-brick box set.

Sketch Edition:

The Sketch edition is limited to 500 decks, with the entire deck of cards meticulously outlined with intricate hand-drawn lines, devoid of any repetitive filler materials. This deck is in black and white with a deconstructed fashion, showcasing a completely different style of design from the Knight Deluxe.

Kickstarter campaign - King Star Hidden Light Series: Lost Legends Playing Cards

The Lost Legends story takes inspiration from "The Middle Ages" in Europe, also known as the "Dark Ages." This era is characterized by ignorance and superstition, shrouding the world like a never ending nightmare. During this period, the Church initiated the lengthy "witch-hunt" movement, leading to the persecution and suppression of countless innocent women being accused. "Lost Legends" is a series set in this era, drawing from its historical context while incorporating fantasy elements to create an epic series.

Standard Edition "The Witch": The character depictions on the card box is delicate and captivating, presenting an enduring sense of historical weight akin to sculptures. With gold foils, the overall tuckbox stands out as an art piece. The Standard Edition is limited to 2500, individually numbered at the bottom. The overall construction of the tuck box leans towards the solemnity of Papal murals, while incorporating elements reminiscent of the Mughal decorative art style to achieve a harmonious composition. The card back and front designs feature extensive metallic ink throughout, providing just enough shine to enhance the designs of the patterns and characters. Also featuring a looming intricate pattern in the background, it further enhances the luxuriousness of the cards themselves.

Kickstarter campaign - King Star Hidden Light Series: Lost Legends Playing Cards

Collector's Box & Deluxe Edition "The Knight":

• Holographic foil giving the playing cards a true fantastical feel, presenting a dazzling magical radiance.
• Gilded with prismatic blue gilding. The embellishments of gilded edges serve to enhance the noble elegance from every angle.
• Numbered Seals - out of 666, and the only way to acquire these is through the collector's box.
• Featuring beautiful designs with gold foils, the collector's box is a beauty in itself, filled with luxurious designs and intricate elements.

Kickstarter campaign - King Star Hidden Light Series: Lost Legends Playing Cards

Kickstarter

ARK, with its leading-edge traditional Chinese ink painting and innovative card box design, brings forth this richly mythical book and its stories once again to the world.

In the design of ShanHai, traditional Chinese ink painting techniques were employed, resulting in over 100 large-scale hand-drawn illustrations. Even though they may appear as tiny details on the playing cards.

The cards draw inspiration from the "Shan Hai Jing," with the theme centered around the Queen Mother . This shifts the focus to the Kunlun Mountains in the west, painted using traditional Chinese landscape ink painting techniques.

STANDARD DECK

• Based on the 'Shan Hai Jing'
• Chinese ink painting style
• Four-panel folding screen case
• Clever card back design.

ARK CASE

• Four-panel folding screen case
• Shan Hai adopts a new double-layer case design
• The inner four-panel folding screen design organizes the cards by suit, placing them in four separate compartments.
• When the cards are taken out, the folding screen unfolds to reveal four divine birds on one side and the Queen Mother on the other.

BACK DESIGN

• Dynamic effect
• In the bronze mirror, the image of the leopard is depicted as a yin-yang fish.
• When the cards are fanned out, the same image as the folding screen is hidden within the 56 cards.

Kickstarter

ARK, with its leading-edge traditional Chinese ink painting and innovative card box design, brings forth this richly mythical book and its stories once again to the world.

In the design of ShanHai, traditional Chinese ink painting techniques were employed, resulting in over 100 large-scale hand-drawn illustrations. Even though they may appear as tiny details on the playing cards.

The cards draw inspiration from the "Shan Hai Jing," with the theme centered around the Queen Mother . This shifts the focus to the Kunlun Mountains in the west, painted using traditional Chinese landscape ink painting techniques.

Part of the Artist Box Set. Limited to 999 with unique serial numbers. Includes a Classic HOLO Deck with ARK CASE, a Special Deck (Standard Tuck), and a Gift-Box with Folding Album.

CLASSIC HOLO

• Based on the 'Shan Hai Jing'
• Chinese ink painting style
• Four-panel folding screen case
• Clever card back design.
• Dazzling HOLO foil

ARK CASE

• Four-panel folding screen case
• Shan Hai adopts a new double-layer case design
• The inner four-panel folding screen design organizes the cards by suit, placing them in four separate compartments.
• When the cards are taken out, the folding screen unfolds to reveal four divine birds on one side and the Queen Mother on the other.

BACK DESIGN

• Dynamic effect
• In the bronze mirror, the image of the leopard is depicted as a yin-yang fish.
• When the cards are fanned out, the same image as the folding screen is hidden within the 56 cards.

Kickstarter

ARK, with its leading-edge traditional Chinese ink painting and innovative card box design, brings forth this richly mythical book and its stories once again to the world.

In the design of ShanHai, traditional Chinese ink painting techniques were employed, resulting in over 100 large-scale hand-drawn illustrations. Even though they may appear as tiny details on the playing cards.

The cards draw inspiration from the "Shan Hai Jing," with the theme centered around the Queen Mother . This shifts the focus to the Kunlun Mountains in the west, painted using traditional Chinese landscape ink painting techniques.

Part of the Artist Box Set. Limited to 999 with unique serial numbers. Includes a Classic HOLO Deck with ARK CASE, a Special Deck (Standard Tuck), and a Gift-Box with Folding Album.

SPECIAL EDITION

• Based on the 'Shan Hai Jing'
• Chinese ink painting style
• Standard Tuck
• Clever card back design.

BACK DESIGN

• Dynamic effect
• In the bronze mirror, the image of the leopard is depicted as a yin-yang fish.
• When the cards are fanned out, the same image as the folding screen is hidden within the 56 cards.

Kicckstarter

The Black deck was only available in the Classic Box Set, limited to 1000.

Kickstarter

The White deck was only available in the Classic Box Set, limited to 1000.

VERMILION BIRD

Azure Dragon is one of our proudest works and has gained a lot of love. VERMILION BIRD & BLACK TORTOISE followed the brilliant idea of the Azure Dragon.

They are same rare, the same Chinese-style design, Self-elevating collector’s gift boxIndependent research and development of the color foiling process.

VERMILION BIRD is the god of the South, symbolizing fire and rebirth.

• Classic Collection’s Box Set 1 of 1000
• Black Gold Box Set 1 of 500
• Palisander/Cherrywood Collection’s Box Set 1 of 300
• Wooden Frame Collector’s Set 1of 600