Mantis Playing Cards (Marked)

Welcome to our new collaboration project! We are excited to introduce the Mantis Playing Cards, an original deck of cards developed by Sean Devine and designed by Manel.

Mantis Playing Cards is our first venture into the world of reader-style marked decks. We were immediately hooked when Sean first approached us with the idea for this deck. The vintage feels mixed with the modern mantis twist stood out for us.

Why mantis? An urban legend says: "When you see a mantis, beware of smoke and mirrors." How fitting for a magic deck!

Yes, the Mantis Playing Cards were created for magic. They are a fully marked deck with a reader-style marking system. The cleverly designed markings let you identify the value of any card with a quick glance at its back. Sean, Manel, and our team went over several iterations of the marking system, adjusting it along the way to achieve a balance between deceptiveness and usability. Eventually, we moved the markings to the long side of the cards and next to the border, making them readable in spreads.

From the first sketches, Sean and Manel changed the backs to a subtle one-way design. This feature is well-hidden, but once you find it, it will always be there, allowing you to perform amazing magic tricks using the one-way principle.

We went with 1885 Bicycle faces, redrawn and perfected by Daniel Schneider to complete the deck's vintage feel. We adjusted the court cards' scheme by substituting the usual blue for the same green on the backs.

Manel designed a simple and elegant praying mantis Ace of Spades and a pair of identical Jokers. Thanks to the Jokers, you have duplicates straight out of the box.