ShanHai v2 by Ark

[KGthePrince]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ca ... rds-by-ark

Launching March 1st

[KGthePrince]

Artist box set. On the fence about this one so far

[laitostarr777]

Since they have make it a series, and on previous one, I go for the Artist Set and Standard

I have to keep in line for this one and the next two versions in the future.
Oh the curse of being a collector: try not to leave gaps

[KGthePrince]

Here is the preview link for anyone curious:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ca ... n=ce79ea11

[Dplay]

I found ShanHai 1 to be one of their worse, recent decks so I'm still on the fence about this one.

[Evilgamer]

I found ShanHai 1 to be one of their worse, recent decks so I'm still on the fence about this one.

I agree, no details showing, the renders/samples here look better.

[wonderfulfacts]

For some obscure reason these abstract illustrations remind me of pizza slices.
Strangely the card values are designed to be completely unreadable.
Hopefully they will change that before launch or it will be an easy pass.
What a pity.

[Disenchanted_11]

They told me ShanHai V1 is completely sold out, so I'm sure there's no problem with the design.

[EndersGame]

This project is now live on Kickstarter.



Here's a write-up I did about it:

ShanHai V2 Playing Cards by ARK Playing Cards (Kickstarter)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ca ... rds-by-ark

A sequel to ARK's Shan Hai that unlocks new artwork, plus an unfolding tuck case and flip-book animation

Current funding level: already funded
Kickstarter ends: Saturday, March 15, 2025



At the end of 2023, luxury playing card creator ARK Playing Cards launched their project for ShanHai Playing Cards, which raised over US$100,000 with the help of almost 800 backers. It was a huge success, like many of their other projects. If you browse the comments from happy backers, you'll find gushing compliments like these: "These cards are amazing!" "Fantastic", "Amazing looking cards", "Really beautiful, I love it", "Such gorgeous art and quality", "Amazing deck, Ark's best so far", "Definitely very mindblowing on all the artworks of the deck", "Really nice design and quality.", and "Everything far exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't be happier".

Now, more than a year later, again with the help of Kickstarter, they're producing a sequel: ShanHai V2 Playing Cards. This new release has everything that was beautiful about the first project, drawing on the same inspirations but with new creatures and artwork, and implementing the same amazing design features. There are three things that make this deck stand out from the crowd:

1. The artwork

Like the previous deck, this is inspired by Chinese mythology, specifically the Shan Hai Jing. Also known as the Classic of Mountains and Seas, this classic Chinese book originates from more than 2000 years ago, and is a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. The new deck further explores and expands this fantastic world and includes more mysterious creatures, featuring all new artwork. The illustrations utilize techniques from Chinese ink paintings, with the illustrations of new beasts on the court cards being a highlight.





2. The tuck box

The tuck box has an unfolding double layer. The inner layer consists of four separate compartments, each used to store the cards from a different suit, and these unfold into four panels, producing a single panoramic image. This is inspired by Chinese screens, and the unfolded polyptych pictures the mighty leader Lord Dongwang on the front, and the Four Divine Beasts on the back.





3. The card backs

The card backs also combine to create a single expansive image when the entire deck is spread. In addition, there's a flipbook animation on the card backs, so when you thumb through them at high speed it generates a movie effect, with the two tigers on the back design rotating rapidly against a changing background.





As with previous ARK projects, the ShanHai V2 Playing Cards are available with four different levels and styles of luxury packaging, and the main decks are as follows:
● Standard Deck (limited edition of 3333): single deck (US$30)
● Artist Boxset (limited edition of 999): holographic foil deck & monochromatic deck (US$75)
● Rosewood Boxset (limited edition of 333): holographic foil deck with gilded edges, plus a collectible coin (US$185)
● Luxury Black (limited edition of 99): black and white deck, plus an embossed metal plate (~US$125, only available as part of the "All-In" reward)
Extra add-ons like uncut sheets and coins are also available.



1. Standard Deck

The standard deck comes with all the features that make this project unique, including the flip-back animation and panoramic image of the card backs, and the special tuck case with the four-panel unfolding design.



The Aces on all the decks picture four divine beasts which are also featured on the unfolded tuck box panorama: the turtle Bi Xi, the unicorn-like Qi Lin, the winged snake Ming Snake, and the majestic White Tiger.



The court cards depict some of the rarer and more exotic creatures from the Shan Hai Jing classic.



The number cards use a style that matches the ink painting design evident on the rest of the cards.



The Jokers combine to make a diptych.



2. Artist Box set

The Artist Box set has a beautiful presentation.



The holographic foil deck

The Artist Box set includes two decks, the first being a deck with holographic foil.



The card faces feature similar artwork as the standard deck, but colors are added to the background to give a more vibrant look.







The monochromatic deck

The other deck in the Artist Box set is a special deck with a monochromatic design.







The album

The Artist Boxset comes in a gift box that can be pulled apart and changed into a folding album that displays large pictures with the ink painting artwork from the deck itself.



3. Rosewood Box set

A beautiful feature of this box set is the wooden box.





This deck has the added luxury of gilded edges.



The cards feature holographic foil for extra luxury.



The wooden box can be displayed in four different ways, including one which showcases a special collector's coin that comes with this set



4. Luxury Black set

This special deck is only available to collectors opting for the "All In" reward.



It has fully black edges that are individually signed in silver paint.



The cards feature the ink drawings in white set against a jet black background.



An individually numbered embossed metal plate is another special feature of this reward.

Head over to the project page for more images of these extravagant and gorgeous collectors pieces.

Kickstarter link

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ca ... rds-by-ark

[hsbc]

Way too close to V1 IMO -- if the standard tuck were notably different I'd be interested but they are pretty similar...

[Honeybee]

For some obscure reason these abstract illustrations remind me of pizza slices.
Strangely the card values are designed to be completely unreadable.
Hopefully they will change that before launch or it will be an easy pass.
What a pity.

I had missed this post - what a great description
I too find them to be a busy mess - what you want your pizza topping to be/not your cards

[laitostarr777]

Way too close to V1 IMO -- if the standard tuck were notably different I'd be interested but they are pretty similar...

That’s the point?
It’s a series, so all the editions have to have consistency in art style and deck’s innovation? If there are changes, it’s just minimal - like colors and card features

[KGthePrince]

Ark's pricing structure is still more egregious than their muddy art. Pied Piper has a deck with gilding and cold foil (and not to mention superior art) for less than ShanHai's standard edition.

I actually like the holo foil edition of v2 but you can only purchase it with that awful monochrome deck

[Evilgamer]

Ark's pricing structure is still more egregious than their muddy art. Pied Piper has a deck with gilding and cold foil (and not to mention superior art) for less than ShanHai's standard edition.

I actually like the holo foil edition of v2 but you can only purchase it with that awful monochrome deck

Its been said (right or wrong) that they don't do this in Asia or at least in China itself, so they are doing it because they know they can get away with it with the western market.

I do agree that for what you get, their prices aren't justified.

[DeepCard]

selling FOMO.
Not a fan of both three - v2, price & blurry art

[kevork]

From Laito, they're already teasing V3:

485150749_10229036342917282_4655027885504688860_n.jpg (147.51 KiB) Viewed 328 times

[laitostarr777]

Adding to Kevork's post:
I was hinted by ARK team that once I got ShanHai V2 on my hands, try to have it stand side by side. I assume they meant, that every Volumes in the series have connecting artworks.

And this teaser, PROOFS IT! So V3 will be connected to V1, and later V4 will be connected with V2. And for the very big picture, it's going to present one grand illustration of Shan Hai.