Cartamundi has hit it out of the park with the Warrior decks roaring with black and white backs. The Midnight Edition are black backed cards and the Full Moon Edition are white backed. The graphics are set in inverse colors, but they are identical.
Let’s start with the Midnight Edition: You get your standard 52 cards, two jokers, an extra four of clubs and a two of spades an Angle Z gaff printed on the back of the card.
The card backs have a slim white border and a white moth on a black background. The moth has a skull on its back and a club on each wing. The card box has a cardboard paper feel to it and is all black, except for an enlarged moth with the creators own logo. The flap has 7 circles that represent the moon cycle and on the inside of the flap the words “LIKE A MOTH TO A FLAME” are inscribed. The two jokers have the tuckbox design on it with an hourglass and a card inside the hourglass. One Joker has a four of clubs inside it and the other has a nine of clubs.
The clubs and spades are unremarkable until you get to the court cards. You cannot distinguish the number cards from any other deck, but the Ace of Clubs has a massive club in the middle with a very beautiful design taken from the moth. The red cards are slightly different in that the hearts and diamonds are surrounded by black borders. All the court cards are customized with people that you may or may not know.
The description of the Midnight Edition is almost identical to the Full Moon Edition except that the black is white and the white is black. Instead of an Angle Z card, there is a double-backer with identical front of back.
The ad copy of the Full Moon Edition says:
“Warrior Playing Card (WHITE) features:
- 1 double-backed card
- 4 of Clubs duplicate
- Custom court cards by Daniel Schneider
- B9 SlimLine Linen Finish stock
- Manufactured by Cartamundi
Designed in consultation with none other than Daniel Schneider (Black Roses Playing Cards), with some of the biggest names in the industry represented on the court cards.
While the back design might be minimalistic, the deck is packed with hidden revelations and built-in magic tricks.
These are the Warrior Playing Cards by RJ.
The cautionary tale of the moth.
There is wisdom to be gleaned from the tale of the moth. A foreboding story, a warning to us all to employ caution in all matters concerning one’s insatiable desires.
The moth is a symbol of resilience and determination, of the cruel ways of the world and the most obvious example of the devastation that awaits those who desire that which will eventually lead to their destruction.
The moth is relentless in its pursuance of its love: light. There is no length the moth will not go to in order to reach that which it desires. This is the part of the story which begs our admiration, one must wonder at the level of perseverance the moth exhibits. Identical to the inevitability of the way in which darkness envelopes light, so too is the moth’s unrelenting race to its own demise.
Herein lies the lesson we ought to learn, be cautious of the things we seek with blind determination. For in attaining our utmost desires, we may find our reality turn to dust, as quickly as a moth caught up in its beloved flame: and in the moment when we think we have it all, in the split second when the moth and light are one, darkness will be all that it will ever know.
Be cautious of the things that burn too bright, for there is often solace to be sought only in the shade.”
I love these two decks. You really need to have both of them to soak up all their glory. They are mysterious and beautiful.
Special thanks to Murphy’s Magic for asking me to review these decks. They can be found at any Murphy’s dealer. You should find these, they are great.
