Magic Tricks

TUCK BOX: The Deliciousness series of playing cards from Flaminko Playing Cards is all about delicious food. Burger Playing Cards is the first deck in this great series, and celebrates the almighty burger. The tuck box makes an immediate impression, with a clever wrap-around tuck box design that immediately gives the suggestion of two halves of a bun, complete with sesame seeds. UV spot printing has been used to give these pips and the label a shiny look and raised feel, which creates a very novel and eye-catching effect. But the creativity doesn't stop with the front and back of the tuck box, with the sides depicting the contents of a hamburger, just as they would look on the side of a hamburger bun.

BACK DESIGN: Originally the deck was planned to have a two-way back design, which would make it less ideal for cardistry, and so during the campaign it was decided to go with a more typical symmetrical card back instead. Even so, it still has a look that brings to mind the sesame seed design of the tuck box, and is clearly inspired by a hamburger bun that is partly toasted. The complete package has a hamburger look, that is sure to attract attention of all who see it.

PIPS: The pips deserve special attention, since each suit has been individually customized to depict foods that you'll find on an actual hamburger bun. Spades picture the hamburger patty itself, Clubs the lettuce, Hearts the tomato, and Diamonds the cheese.

ACES: The Aces especially do a good job of showing this, with oversized centre pips full of food deliciousness, and added detail.

COURT CARDS: As for the court cards, each of them is unique, showing a burger with individual artwork. What I especially appreciate is how each burger has an extra helping of the ingredient corresponding to its suit. So for example, the Queen of Hearts has extra tomato, and the King of Diamonds has extra cheese. Having the suit of the pip reproduced on the burger itself also gives an added visual indicator of the suit of that card. There are also a lot of other small details that add "flavour" to each court card, with various burger related accessories such as cutlery, mustard, ketchup, and more, all finding their way into the artwork. This kind of creativity rewards the attentive viewer, and gives extra detail to discover and enjoy, which is very welcome in a collectible deck such as this.

NUMBER CARDS: The number cards also feature the customized pips. While the indices are still functional and clear, having customized pips in the centre of the cards adds to the unique appeal and look of this deck.

JOKERS: Every deck needs some good Jokers to complement it, and with the Burger deck, we get the addition of appropriate relish: Onion and Pickles!

BURGER STACKS GAME: As a special thank you to their backers, the Flaminko team created a card game all about making burgers, called Burger Stacks, which is ideal for this deck. You can download the rules for the game from the Kickstarter page for the deck.

BURGER MAGIC: The Burger decks will especially appeal to collectors, but magicians can find ways to maximize the visual effect of the cards as well. How about some burger themed card tricks, by pulling out this deck after enjoying some burgers and fries with family or friends? The inclusion of two gaff cards increases the possibilities for magic, with a double-backer and a duplicate Joker.

BURGER CARDISTRY: The card backs also make the deck ideal for card flourishing. The vibrant colours of the back design makes them quite suitable for this, and the thin borders and straight forward design of the card backs works very well when doing cuts, fans, and more advanced cardistry moves.

CARD QUALITY: The card quality of all these decks matches the quality of the graphic design. These decks have been printed in Belgium by industry giant Cartamundi, using their 310 gsm stock and B9 Superluxe finish. I've seen a lot of playing cards produced by USPCC and Taiwanese publishers like LPCC and EPCC, and the quality of these Cartamundi cards is certainly on par with those.

HANDLING: The cards have an air cushion style finish. They are super soft, and handle smoothly and beautifully. Cartamundi's B9 Superluxe finish is one that cardists and magicians alike are known to appreciate, so it doesn't disappoint. I was very impressed and satisfied with the overall handling.

SERIES: The Deliciousness series includes a planned four decks: Burger, Watermelon, Lollipop, and Citrus. Each deck has been designed with a very playful and fun design that captures the essence of the subject material, and is a separate design. Yet all four decks are very clearly linked with a similar style and artistic direction, that makes them fit together.

RECOMMENDATION: The playing card industry can feel saturated at times, and it takes something truly special to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. The Burger deck has that special something, and immediately grabs attention and interest. It looks and feels fantastic from the moment you first lay your eyes on it, and doesn't disappoint!

- BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame