Subcategory report · 6.5K projects
Custom decks, art-driven playing cards, magic and cardistry sets. A surprisingly large niche — and the most-backed sub of Games after Tabletop.
n = 6.5K · subcategory of Games · 2009–2026
What makes this subcategory different
Playing Cards close at 54.8% — strong, with 6,453 historical campaigns. The category exists because of a small but intense collector community: cardists, magicians, and design enthusiasts who own dozens or hundreds of decks. Median goal is $5,000, but flagship designs from established publishers (Theory11, Art of Play, Bicycle collaborations) regularly cross $200K. The economics: a custom deck costs $1–$3 to produce and sells for $10–$30. The margins, combined with a tribe willing to buy 5–20 decks per year, generate consistent campaign success. Most backers are not playing card games; they are collecting cards.
Finding 01 · Goal analysis
Playing Cards projects under $10K succeed at 57.6%. Projects asking $100K+ close at 5.6% — a 12.7× drop. The middle range, $30K–$100K, lands at 19.5%.
Finding 02 · Geography
Of the eight largest creator countries by volume in this subcategory, Hong Kong sits at the top with a 76.9% success rate — 22.1pp above the subcategory average. Geography proxies for the local ecosystem of suppliers, distributors, and audience networks that compound campaign credibility.
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