Ranking the Top 10 Playing Card Designers (and my favorite deck from each)!

Playing cards have exploded in popularity in recent years - and there's no doubt a deck for everyone out there! But this is my personal list of the top 10 designers out there - and a look at my favorite deck from each one. Let me know what you think! Hate it all? Love it? I want to hear from you!
Hope I can inspire you to look more into a creator you have not yet - and I hope to get a lead on someone new too!
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[@60.57.4]

TOP TEN OF PLAYING CARDS DESIGNER FROM THE CARD GUY 10. KEVIN CANTRELL 1:08 09. ELETTRA 3:25 08. UUSI 5:46 07. JODY EKLUND 8:00 06. KINGS WILD PROJECT 10:10 05. STEVE MINTY 13:06 04. STOCKHOLM17 15:08 03. NICOLAI AAROE 17:31 02. JOCU 20:05 01. THIRDWAY INDUSTRIES 23:08

[@damonplay8185]

I've never thought about a top 10 aside from numbers 1 and 2 which for me are also Jocu and TWI respectively. Great list, great choices!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Once you get your few "obvious" ones to your personal list, it gets really hard to finish out a top 10! Who else would be at the top for you??

[@damonplay8185]

@@TheCardGuyReviews That would probably be Jack Penny (whimsicality), Steve Minty, S17, Lotrek (craftsmanship) and maybe Kevin Cantrell. Though unlike with numbers 1 and 2 it's really on a case by case basis with the rest. But at their best they are really great. With Jocu and TWI I just always pick up everything. Though my favorite decks differ slightly from yours. That'd be Cult (Earth) and Eva (Paradise (don't own the red rose variant)) in my case.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Great selections! 1 and 2 were my "easy" choices as well. Jack Penny would be on my list had he made more than the single deck to this point - he is a true artist. And Cult may very well end up at the top of my list once the whole series is complete. Eva is probably my second favorite TWI design - although I'd opt for the original version above any other. the red cards coming out of that mostly white tuck is just such an unexpected contrast!

[@damonplay8185]

@@TheCardGuyReviews I mainly chose Jac Penny due to Sensu. If those decks look even half as good as ok the kickstarter page it's gonna be an amazing set. Probably my Kickstarter Highlight of 2021. I agree with you, the contrast is absolutely stunning in the original Eva. I'm also really excited to see how the fire Cult deck will turn out. I bet it will be very striking.

[@ahchiu9]

As much as I love the entire Tigers deck by KWP, my single favorite part of the deck isn't even a "proper" card in the deck. It's the HD pic of the matches that sit on top when you open up the box that increases the true matchbox feel. It's genius

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Absolutely. Genius card.

[@GoldenKnightsFan_84]

Hey Card Guy, Could you show us at some point how you organize & store your decks.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Oh man - this is a vid I’ve been meaning to make forever! Let me get back on that….

[@jhaneyzz]

Pretty sure he just shreds them after recording...

[@kimmern999]

Hello, Card Guy. 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Hey hey! 👋

[@nurnu349]

Awesome choices

[@stevewiskowski495]

Someone needs to publish an Art of Playing Cards coffee table book. I'm amazed there is nothing like that out there.

[@TheDigitalThreat]

Because to be a worthwhile book that included photos of the artwork (and wasnt just a phone book type text list) the licensing would be insanely costly.

[@josephjones357]

Thirdway #1 for sure but not really fair cause it's the only one with holographic foil throughout. I really, really like the Osiris deck!

[@zephirn]

A few months ago I recently started collecting playing cards and I am always in awe when discorvery new cards, artist, and style. Your list of top 10 was superb and currently checking out some of them for my own purchase. Thank you for your story and inspiration. I can’t wait to share my top 10 later in the year.

[@ThirdwayInd]

This definitely made my day 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Thank you Tim!!!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

So many great designers to sort through…but a Thirdway was my easy choice for #1! Excited to see what you have in store for 2022… 😁

[@feuerstern3001]

Hm I'm not sure if you would count TenHundred as a playing card designer seeing as he only made a single deck so far (well with a few variations but the artwork is the same) but I've you do count him he's my personal favorite. If not then I'd have to go with Stephen O'Neill. The Beyond deck looks nice and I can't wait for the Chillies series to fulfill!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

TenHundred did an amazing job for a first deck - both in funding and art. I can’t wait to get my deck from the campaign too!

[@mattmcmadden1933]

Pagan may be my favorite deck of cards ever, although I do prefer the later iterations with the updated jokers. Keep up the great work, Tim!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Pagan is an absolute masterpiece. Can’t wait to see the circular deck when it arrives!

[@Respawn2Much]

Came back to watch after seeing 2022's top 10 deck list. This list looks more appealing to me overall. Thanks for making such informative videos. I'm surprised you don't have more viewers considering those Kickstarter campaigns are getting so much support.

[@zippocartier]

One of my favourite artist is Chris Ovdiyenko. He did not designed a lot of decks (only 4), and done nothing since 2018. But with his immediatly identifiable style, he created unforgettables masterpieces as "oracle" or "arcana". Sorry if my english sucks... I deeply apologize.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Great pick! For anyone curious, my honorable mention list included Ovdiyenko, Lotrek, 52Ravens, Seasons and Kings and Crooks.

[@zippocartier]

@@TheCardGuyReviews Recently I discovered "Montenzi Design". The "Hello Tiki" series is amazing!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Another great selection! And I agree - Hello Tiki is a phenomenal design…

[@RobertBallMagician]

Wow so nice collection 👍👍

[@jrcartoonz2141]

one of my favorites is tough luck by docs playing card co. not only is the borderless design soooooo cool for things like spreading out the cards in your hand, theres a story to how he was inspired to make the deck, which i think is really cool. the face cards are super neat, each featuring a different "tough luck" scenero, like having your hair catch on fire and having no water, but the deck also performs super well in the hands. my faros are spotless and false cutting, zarro, ect are super eazy with the deck.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

I’ve reviewed Tough Luck on the channel - great pick! Brad is a fantastic artist and definitely one of the many designers that make it hard to make a list like this! 😅

[@17magicchick]

Very nice decks and list. Wish I was related to Kevin but I doubt it lol. Very amazing art love it all. Just love hearing my last name lol haha 😂😆. Amazing content and video overall. Keep it up bro!

[@idiotinhoeterno9915]

Thirdway Industry is also my favourite 😻

[@ThirdwayInd]

Thank you! :-)

[@idiotinhoeterno9915]

@@ThirdwayInd looking forward to getting the POSION decks, Gio

[@magicgns22]

Pretty good list. I've would've added Montenzi personally, but overall it's pretty spot on.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

It was so hard to leave some of these designers off the list! Montenzi's designs - especially the UC decks he did a while back - are so captivating! His creative application of foil with a matte finish on tucks makes for some of the most unique looks/feels out there. An absolutely worthwhile addition to anyone's list.

[@leormaltinski2988]

Love your reviews Tim! You take the time to research, you educate yourself, and you lay it all down so thoughtfully! Thank you! One comment from my perspective: really hard to imagine a serious ranking of top 10 playing card designers without Lotrek at or very near the top 😉

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Thank you so much! And I totally get your comment on Lotrek. If I was trying to come up with an objective measure of the best designers rather than simply my personal favorites, I would be hard pressed to leave Lotrek off that list. His talent is undeniable. So it shouldn’t be taken as an affront to his skills or influence…but his decks don’t resonate as strongly with me largely because I am motivated by fully custom courts and more story driven designs. That said, anyone who wants to argue Lotrek deserves a top spot on their list will get no argument from me!

[@leormaltinski2988]

@@TheCardGuyReviews You ever seen Venexiana Masked & Revealed? Some of the greatest story telling through fully custom courts 😍

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Yes yes yes! Absolutely amazing decks. Honestly, if Lotrek did more decks in the style of Venexiana, his name would have rocketed to the top of my list.

[@ronald3921]

Surely some amazing decks in that collection! Re: Gemini :"There's just almost nothing wrong with this deck.. it is an almost perfect deck of cards" tell me, where does it fall short?! For the Green Man deck, as beautiful as it is, for me the shortcoming is the mix of solid/traditional and custom/outlined pips on the same card, makes it a lot harder to see the card value at a glance

[@nurulalam484]

one thing about this video is clear - Italians dominate when it comes to Art!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

💯 So many good ones in Italy!

[@teodortron8953]

First let me congratulate on the great video with a year delay! You are my TOP 1 :-) KZbin channel, probably the only one where I watch the videos more than once. I was recently doing my top 10, well it extended to top 20, it is really difficult to draw the line. My TOP 2 interchanging on a weekly basis are S17 and TWI, so happy I don't have to make a permanent choice. I personally would have added The Joker and the Thief, as well as Amal Nur Karim

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Always such a tough choice! If I did it today, I’d give different answers too. You’d find TWI anf S17 at the top along with the amazing Jack Brutus Penny.

[@michaelkemp343]

As someone just getting into the hobby this is a really great video to watch! I started with Jocu and so far love all their decks! Any thoughts on doing a 'top 3/5/10 decks of the year' (or w/e number you want to choose)? Thanks!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Yes! I’ve done a top 12 the last two years and plan to do a third!

[@shoultaker]

Try Lorenzo gaggioti the eye of the ocean if you want stories behind them

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

I have - and it is excellent as always from Lorenzo!

[@ifyousays0]

Cool video!

[@benjaminfranklin4149]

Hey Card Guy, new subscriber here. I love your channel. You have the best reviews out there in my opinion. We all know that collecting playing cards can be a spendy hobby. May I ask how you approach funding your collection? Also, are you a magician? Thanks.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Hey Benjamin and thanks for the subscribe! Agreed collecting cards can get a bit crazy. My day job is not in cards or magic at all - just an office job that feeds the addiction. For me, it’s important to make sure you’re going for what you like and not for what seems popular. It’s a huge deal to focus your collection. Early on I was grabbing everything I could find…and it just gets so over the top trying to keep up! Once I focused on my love of full custom decks, there was still plenty to keep me busy, but it helped on the cost and made me much happier with my pickups overall!

[@benjaminfranklin4149]

@@TheCardGuyReviews Thanks!

[@irtjames14]

Respectable choices! No brainer that TWI is your top pick haha. I would have thought you would've ranked S17 and KWP a bit higher on your list though. KWP I understand reading from your below comment about him oversaturating decks and such. Though S17.. come on, I thought he'd deserve higher haha. As always, another great video!!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

I was between 3 and 4 for S17! Honestly, the entire top 5 are ones I pick up pretty much every deck for. So no wrong answers on any of em.

[@irtjames14]

@@TheCardGuyReviews lol good answer my friend!

[@christryker1986]

Im new to the hobby of collecting decks I like medieval stuff like game of thrones or lord of the rings what decks or brand would you recommend to me thanks in advance!

[@snogubbe7677]

Hi Card Guy, I ordered some mystery decks from art of play, will you be opening some as well?

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Three bricks on the way! 😁😁😁

[@josephjones357]

The Jody Eklund box design looks a bit like a Sea Horse.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Ha! Not sure I’ll be able to unsee that now.

[@haynbong]

KWP 😎🤙

[@user-yl5qb8ee1j]

Where can I buy these?

[@JW-pw8ez]

Great video. Lotrek doesn’t feature?!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

Haha - I KNEW that would be the omission that stood out! Lotrek is of course an amazing talent in playing cards. For me, the more standard courts are less memorable - which is why he doesn’t feature on my personal list. But ALL respect to him for what he does!

[@JW-pw8ez]

@@TheCardGuyReviews I guess u put a lot of weight on the story part of it. I really like Lotrek’s cards in general. I wonder if Venexiana from Lotrek would change your mind. The courts are amazing.

[@JW-pw8ez]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGa6gGZ7p9Bmo9E

[@TAROTAI]

Giovanni Maroni - announce his name with some articulation - it's No.1 , right?

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

How did I say it?? 😂😅

[@ThirdwayInd]

@@TheCardGuyReviews lol

[@paulflick5287]

OMG.... You left out Lotrek. Surely an oversight on your part. He is arguably one the greatest designers ever, if not the greatest!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

I completely respect that! Lotrek’s skill and influence as a creator is huge. For me personally, his work doesn’t hit as hard because I’m more moved by the lore behind decks. And that is less of Lotrek’s focus. So not an oversight - but I love his work all the same and can totally get behind anyone who has them at or near the top of their own list!

[@paulflick5287]

@@TheCardGuyReviews ok... I must say, I've learned so much from your reviews and really enjoy watching all of them

[@christophermichaelgil5208]

Gig 'EM AGGIES!

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

👍👍

[@jhaneyzz]

the only thing you got wrong is theAggies shirt...

[@armantonapetyan]

KWP is not even in top 5? C’mon brother, I know that’s your personal opinion and it’s highly respected but I didn’t even expected to see #6. Also, what about Lotrek? He did not make even in top 10?

[@zippocartier]

Lotrek is , in my opinion, an overestimated artist. Since his "Grotesque" second serie, he designated only unambitious decks, only classic theme with golded inks.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

I hear you - and I expect people will disagree with me on both those points. Here’s my take: 1. KWP at his best is at or near the top of ANY list. The Tigers deck is my second favorite deck ever. But to me, Jackson’s prolific design has diluted the pool. Too many decks are remakes or just not to his usual standard. The highs are as high as anyone. But there is way too much these days that doesn’t speak to me. 2. Lotrek is one of the finest producers around. He is a true craftsman. As a designer, though, I wish he would work with more highly customized courts. That’s my personal biggest detractor for Lotrek. His decks are stunning but less memorable for me than I want them to be. That said, I won’t argue with anyone who says Lotrek is in their top 3. His craftsmanship makes him a worthy selection.

[@jhaneyzz]

​@@zippocartier Respectfully... Wait... how is Crypt unambitious? simply, inarguably from a technical perspective, the best, most ambitious, most perfectly executed card project ever. period. in my opinion, by a long margin. I may be a bit biased because i spent the majority of my career in the around the printing industry. but Crypt is absolutely unprecedented. Stunning, in a class by itself. the secrecy thing was a master stroke in itself and definitely work doing. Unfortunately it has made the landmark that it is nearly universally unappreciated. Say what you want about Lotrek, his perfectionism, orerly ambitions, expensive, late delivery etc. but overestimated... I just can't possibly agree with that.

[@jhaneyzz]

@@TheCardGuyReviewsyou...... make some good points... damn...

[@charlesgould8436]

I don't really care for back borders. Sometimes they are cool with a design, but why do people like them?

[@charlesgould8436]

Im guessing for tricks and hide bad fans.

[@TheCardGuyReviews]

I would say historically it’s to account for tolerance in the manufacturing process. So an off center cut could still let the design show on the card in full. In practice, though…it does indeed help with bad fans and several magic tricks.

[@iamacheezit]

Man, this is going to be an expensive hobby...