SneakerHeadz YZ7 Playing Cards is a brand new release from Penguin Magic, billed as "Sneakerheadz - Decks to match your kicks!"

It's a cardistry-style custom deck inspired by sneakers.





Here's some of the ad copy:

"You can't always wear your favorite sneakers, but now you can always have them in your pocket!

SneakerHeadz playing cards are devoted to everyone who can't get enough kicks. Based on a concept by Dalton Wayne and expertly designed by Drew Hughes, the SneakerHeadz YZ7 feature 100% custom artwork throughout.

"Expressing a striking mix of Solid Grey/Chalk White/Core Black, the YZ7 edition is inspired by the 90s chunky aesthetic that took over and recently became the new wave again!

The custom side-opening tuck box is made from kraft paper with black printing, and looks just like a mini shoebox. The cards inside have a colorful, geometric back design inspired by sneakers. The faces feature enlarged index corners for increased visibility, while the pips have a subtle sneaker texture. The courts have sunglasses, sneakers, and microphones, and the Jokers have a custom shoe sole design. Double-back and blank-face gaffs cards are included."













Some of my thoughts: This custom deck is clearly inspired by the contemporary love for sneakers, so it may even have crossover appeal to folks in that community. I like how numerous aspects of the design pay homage to shoes, including the tuck box, which mimics a shoe box, complete with a brown cardboard look, and an unorthodox opening mechanism that corresponds to how you'd open a shoe box.

I personally like the blue and orange colourway of the back design, since that colour combination of colours has long been a personal favourite. And even though it's a one-way design, the diagonal orange still makes it work for cardistry. The black/red of the pips does clash a little with the blue/orange colour scheme throughout the deck, but that's the cost of ensuring it is also functional and playable.

I also continue to like Penguin's Ultralux stock a lot. One small mis-step IMHO: the Jokers are both right foot soles, and I would have expected a left and a right foot. But that's just personal taste and a minor nitpick. While this deck won't be everyone's cup of tea, it's nice to see creativity and diversity in the custom playing card market, and so a novelty custom deck like this is a welcome addition to today's range.