* * * Ladybug Playing Cards * * *

Next up are the two decks of Ladybug Playing Cards.

These are available as a two deck set, or individually as a black deck or red deck. The two tuck boxes look quite similar, with the same overall design, but feature a slightly different colour scheme.



The tuck boxes match the two different styles of card backs, both of which have white borders, but one has black edges as part of the ornate design on the inside panel.

The card back artwork is a mirrored two-way design that revolves around two lady bugs. I especially love the small touches, such as the miniature ladybugs on each corner of the design. These also appear on several places on the tuck box as well.



Aside from the different card backs, the red and black decks are identical. The red and black theme continues on the faces of the cards, with no other colours used besides these two. Will Roya is himself passionate about ladybugs, and even has a ladybug tattoo, while his daughter's nursery was all ladybug themed. So he knows a thing or two about having them crawling all over the place, including his body and his house. In this case, the friendly ladybugs have come to inhabit our playing cards.

The artwork was done by Polish artist Artur Rajch, and some will recognize his distinct style from the Guard decks. Artur has made full use of the card canvas, and this is especially evident on the lovely court cards. Although they build on traditional features expected in court cards, like the King of Hearts suicide king, the artwork is otherwise far from traditional, and has a very lavish and stylish feel about it.



The spotted design is applied to all the pips throughout the deck, including the indices. The indices use a somewhat unusual font, and are further decorated by a miniature ladybug for added fun. All this means that the number cards also look heavily customized.



All the Aces have oversized pips decorated with a black and red spotted design, and are touched with a leafy floral pattern.



There are two customized Jokers, with a style reminiscent of what we've seen previously in the Guard decks. Both decks also come with two gaff cards, a double-backer, and either a blank face card (black deck) or double-backer (red deck).



These are certainly attractive novelty decks, that will appeal especially to collectors, and of course lovers of ladybugs. Some added extras are available for these decks as well, including uncut sheets, ladybug decals, and even a luxurious gilded version with either red or rainbow gilding.



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