Harry Potter Playing Cards by T11 (ill. Russ Gray)

[HFMJ]

Just posted on their IG

[hsbc]

IG comments are guessing it's Harry Potter for its 20th anniversary

Caption is "That one we've all been waiting for"

[hikeeba]

IG comments are guessing it's Harry Potter for its 20th anniversary

Caption is "That one we've all been waiting for"

Very good. I award 10 points to Hufflepuff!

[hsbc]

[hsbc]

Something secret. Something magical. Black Friday.

Got to be Harry Potter....

[Harvonsgard]

Now doubt about that.

[laitostarr777]

More photos of the printing plates - definitely confirmed it is INDEED Harry Potter

And this is the reveal of the color scheme - possibly is bluish color based on the Patronus charm

[rousselle]

I'm totally on board for this one and for the Beatles series. (Like others, I'll pick up the different colorways, but not the uber box o' Beatles decks.) If this is done well, like the Beatles appear to be, it should be a blast. Or, if it's done like T11's James Bond deck... hmmm. Maybe I should wait to see some courts first.

[Harvonsgard]

There is no way they go with modified standard courts like in the OO7 deck. I'm not the greatest Harry Potter fan but did read the books so nostalgia will make me pick up one or two for sure. I would have expected one of the 4 house colours but blue and gold works for me just fine, meaning even better than what I was expecting.

[laitostarr777]

Wow, theory11 is really on fire!
First, the Beatles have four colors, and now Harry Potter gets four color as well!!!

Blue shown before is Ravenclaw
Red is Gryffindor
Green is Slytherin
Yellow is Hupplepuff

[Strag]

Hupplepuff

[Harvonsgard]

Isn't Ravenclaw purple? But I guess they simply didn't want to use it since the Avengers deck already took that off yhe board. Shame from an art/variety aspect, that it'll be a save bet that except for the colour this will be four times the same deck; but positive from a wallet perspective.

[Cardamon]

It’s funny how in my mind it’s purple as well. But when I google they are full blue. So it’s in the right colors.

[Bikefanatic]

I'll pick up just the blue and red decks since I'm a mixture of both personalities, mostly Ravenclaw on the side.

[hikeeba]

What happened to the King of Club's nose? (I'm guessing it was an unfortunate accident he had as a child. He probably caught his head in a mechanical rice picker. But fortunately, there was an American missionary living close by who was actually a skilled plastic surgeon in civilian life.)

They made Hufflepuff yellow.

[MagikFingerz]

FFS, are T11 allergic to color? Single-color backs and black/white courts, much disappoint. Again.

[hsbc]

[Harvonsgard]

Picked the blue up for the reasons mentioned. Monochrome backs are cool with me for line art stuff like this or most TXI backs. If I wanna multi colour I pick up e.g. Morésque or anyone decks. My only complaint would be the weirdness of the two-way back. If a design lends itself to be one-way just have the balls to do it imho. Looks weird with the letters doubled and like Gryffindor and Hufflepuff kinda having the spotlight. Courts are fine with me as well. Ace of spades is very nice.
It's comparibly cheap and I still get deck quality that otherwise I would have to pay $15+ for.

[hsbc]

[laitostarr777]

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of stories revolves around the world of magic and wizardly. This magical world full of wonders and magical creatures and unbelievable events co-exist with the world of Muggles (basically ordinary people). People who are born as wizards or witches are invited to enroll in the school of magic called Hogwartz - this invitation is sent by owl. The new students are asked to head for "Diagon Alley", a street full of business of the magical world to buy books and necessities for the stay and learn in the school. They also need to stop by the "Olivanders" to get their wands, where the wands get to choose the wizards/witches who will hold them. To get to the school, they need to go through a specific pillar in London's King Cross station where it sends them to a secret train platform called "Platform 9 3/4". Once they hopped onto the train, enjoy the scenery until they arrived at the destination.

Hogwartz is the most pretigious school of magic. Many of the succesfull alumnis are coming from there. The new students who enrolled into the school are then sorted into their houses. To sort them, a talking hat called "The Sorting Hat" is placed on their head to analyze their personalities and traits. These houses are: GRYFFINFOR - SLYTHERIN - HUPPLEPUFF - RAVENCLAW. Once sorted into a House, they will remain there until they completed their education. They will learn how to control their magic, learn some of magical creatures, brew potions, and many things.

The Life Adventures of Harry Potter
The series of stories revolves around the wizard by the name of Harry Potter. He is nicknamed "The Boy Who Lived", because he survived the attack of the most feared Dark Wizard, the attack which killed his parents. Orphaned, he is left under the care of the only family member he has, the Dursleys. They were mean to him, having Harry to live in the cupboard under the stairs. His life changes when he received a letter from Hogwartz, calling him to enrolled to the school of magic. There, he made friends with Hermoine and Ron, and the trio remained as best friends throughout the years of learning magic together. While studying, Harry got entangled with a series of events, which are chronicled in seven books.

Books and Film Adaptation Series
This magical fantasy story series is created by British author J.K. Rowling. When the first part of the book series was published in 1997, it became a bestselling novel and found an immense popularity and positive reviews. In 2001, Warner Bros created the film adaptation series directed by four different directors yet three main stars (which remains the same and had been there from young age to adulthood!). The book series was completed in 2007, whilst the film series was completed in 2011.

• Philosopher's Stone (1997/2001) = The story of Harry Potter begins here. His first year in Hogwartz grants him two best friends, Ron Weasly and Hermoine Granger. Also, he becomes the wonder of the school, but soon found himself investigating the fabled Philosopher Stone, a piece of rock said to bring eternal life.
• Chamber of Secrets (1998/2002) = A house elf named Dobby is trying so hard to prevent Harry to return to Hogwartz for the second year. After managing to come back, he soon got entagled with the school's long lost secret, one that is going to threatened the safety of the students.
• Prisoner of Azkaban (1999/2004) = Harry's third year is clouded with fear, as a notorious villain had escaped from the Azkaban prison and planned to kill Harry. Yet, Harry will learn the truth about the death of his parents.
• Goblet of Fire (2000/2005) = The tournament of wizards named the Triwizard Tournament is hosted at Hogwartz, and three magic schools are competing. But, there was someone tampering with the Goblet, which makes Harry entered the tournament despite being underaged. What will be the endgame of the tourney?
• Order of the Phoenix (2003/2007) = Lord Voldermort is back, yet the Ministry of Magic is trying to cover the story up. The ministry send one of their member to sabotage the "Defense Against the Dark Arts" lessons to be only theory and no practical learning. As a retaliation, Harry and his friends form a group to learn the practical spells in secret. Also, Harry learns of the prophecy between him and the Dark Wizard.
• Half-Blood Prince (2005/2009) = Harry tries to befriend with the new Potions teacher Horace Slughorn to try learn about the history and secrets of Tom Riddle, a wizard who become Lord Voldermort. During that, he learned that there were several attempts in assasinating Dumbledore, as instructed by the Dark Wizard.
• Deadly Hallows (2007/2010-2011) = Skipping the final year of Hogwartz, Harry and his best friends are trying to hunt down all the Hocruxes in hopes to defeating Lord Voldermort. During the hunt, they learned of the Deadly Hallows, the group of three items that will make one become the powerful wizard of all. Harry is determined to the Dark Wizard once and for all.

The Legacy of the Franchise
The books and the film adaptations become a huge success, and the world of Harry Potter is further more explored and elaborated. There are books that explored several lores of the world, such as the wizard's broomstick sport called Quidditch, a collection of magic tales called "Tales of Beedle the Bard" (which includes the origin story of the Deadly Hallows), and the almanac of magical beasts titled "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" written by a magiczoologist Newt Scamander. Eventually, the magical creatures almanac book becomes a series of film adaptations, following the story of Newt Scamander as he got entangled with the fight with the good side againsts Gellert Grindelwald. In 2022, the casts of Harry Potter film series are reunited, in which this reunion party is documented as a full-lenght movie.


Harry Potter Playing Cards
The deck itself compiles almost every important aspects of the beloved story series telling about magic and wizardy. It is proudly design by Russel Gray. There are four different color variants of the deck - based on the four Houses in Hogwartz School of Magic and Wizardly.

• GRYFFINDOR = The great and popular house in the school. The mascot is a lion. The trio protagonist of the story are from this house: brave and loyal. It is founded by Godric Gryffindor.
• SLYTHERIN = The infamous house in the school, rumored that all of the bad wizards and witches are all from this house. Most of the story's antagonists are from this house: cunning and vile. Although not all are bad. The mascot is a snake. It is founded by Salazar Slytherin
• HUFFLEPUFF = The house for the just and kind. The mascot is a badger. It is founded by Helga Hufflepuff.
• RAVENCLAW = The house for the creative and resourcefulness. The mascot is an eagle. It is founded by Rowena Ravenclaw.

All the cards design are the same, with the difference only on the color of the backs and the extra cards. You may get the deck that is based on your House (or favorite color) OR you can get them all to complete the set.

Tuck Box
There are a lof of details poured onto the design of the box. It is made on premium matte stock with metallic foil and embossing.

• Front = There are a lot of easter eggs can be found within the front part of the box:
  • Title as shown in the book covers/movie openings - notice the iconic jagged fonts with the letter "P" has a lighting zig-zag shape.
  • The Headmaster Chair, a seating where the headmaster sits in the Grand Hall of the school
  • Platform 9 3/4 - A hidden train platform within King's Cross Train Station in London, a platform where it is only known for the students of Hogwartz. To enter, one has to run through the hidden entrance on the pillar with the number 9 and 10.
  • Golden Snitch - A golden small ball with flying wings. It flies so fast that it is very tricky to catch, although if you managed to catch this ball in the Game of Quidditch (wizard's very own soccer match), you win instantly as it worths hundreds of points.
  • 4 small animal sillhoutes - references to the creatures appear in the story
    • Werewolf : Third-year professor of "Defense Against the Dark Arts" Remus Lupin is cursed to turn into a werewolf on full moon.
    • Rat : Scabbers the Rat is Ron's pet, which turns out to be a criminal in disguise.
    • Stag : The animal shape of the "Expecto Patronum" spell casted by Harry Potter.
    • Black Dog : The animal form of the innocent man
  • 4 Houses mascots - Lion, Snake, Badger, Eagle
  • 4 Houses relics - Sword, Locket, Cup, Diadem
  • 4 Banners showing the names of the Houses
  • 4 Houses initials
• Sides = The Wands, used by the main protagonist Harry Potter and the main antagonist Lord Voldemort: the top is Harry's, the bottom is Voldemort's
  • Left = "Expecto Patronum" - The spell to produce protective energy to counter the Dementors. It channels the spellcaster's good memories, and the more of it, the more powerful the spell.
  • Right = "Wingardium Leviosa" - The spell to make objects fly. A simple levitation spell, yet it can be a tongue twister.
• Back = The mirror image of the card back design of the deck
• Top = "Expelliarmus" - The spell to disarm others. It is simply a spell that will toss the wand of others, like a parry in swordfight. The most common spell used in the story.
• Tuckflap = A few more easter eggs can be found
  • The round glasses and the lightning scar - Harry Potter's reference
  • "Obliviate" - The spell to erase memories. When a person gets hit by this spell, certain parts of their memory will be erased.
  • "Alohomora" - The spell to unlock locked things. You simply don't need to find the key to the lock, just cast the spell and voila!

The box is complete with a custom perforated seal with golden foil details. It is the initials of "Harry Potter" in two-way illustration. There is an owl behind the letters.

Cards
The cards feature customized design. It is a set of illustrations full of easter eggs of the magical story series.
Back Design
The elements of the Harry Potter series are poured within the heavily detailed two-way illustration:

• Four animals composed on the top and bottom side.
• The Houses's respective items (minus the cup)
• The initials of the Houses
• Hogwartz initial on the very center
• A banner shows the "Expecto Patronum" spell
• The round glasses and the lightning scar - a reference to Harry Potter
• Deadly Hallows - Three most powerful magical items that exist in the wizarding world. They are The Elder Wand - The Ressurection Stone - Cloak of Invisibility. These items are drawn as symbols, combining them into one: line - circle - triangle, respectively. Owning all these three items would make one Master of Death.

---

Suits
The deck has customized suits - the standard design of the suits will have an illustration on the center. The four suits in the deck represents the four relics of Hogwartz Houses

• Spades - Sword of Gryffindor, the sword which once wielded by Godric Gryffindor. It is a strong steel blade with fancy pommel - made by the goblins. It is said that this sword will appear to whoever need thems. The only relic that is pure of dark magic and it is used to destroy Hocruxes, items that keep part of a wizard's soul.
• Hearts - Cup of Hufflepuff, the cup which owned by Helga Hufflepuff. It is antique gold cup with two handles and a badger engraving on the cup. This fancy cup is stored inside Bellatrix Lestrange's treasure vault. It is one of the Hocruxes.
• Clubs - Locket of Slytherin, the locker which made by Salazar Slytherin. It is a heavy gold locket with a big 'S' engraving. The locket can be opened by someone who can do Parselmouth, the ability to speak to snakes. It is one of the Hocruxes, and it's the one that is very hard to destroy due to its powerful dark magic.
• Diamonds - Diadem of Ravenclaw, the diadem which once worn by Rowena Ravenclaw. This silver crown-like accesory has the framework of an eagle with a sapphire stone on the center. It is said to grant the wearer a great amount of knowledge, hence Rowena's daughter Helena stole it. It is one of the Hocruxes.

---

Ace of Spades
The enlarged Spade pip is composed with a LOT of easter eggs that refers to the story of Harry Potter.

• Hedwig - Owls are used in the wizarding world as a mean to delivering letters. Harry decides to have an owl as a pet in Hogwartz, and he named the white owl Hedwig.
• Hogwartz - The school of magic and wizardly, one of the most prestigious school of magic. Many alumnis are from here. There you can see the grand castle complex as well as the iconic twin winged boars.
• Sword of Gryffindor
• Golden Snitch - A golden flying ball that worths 400 points in the game of Quidditch. Whoever Seekers from the respective team catches it, that team wins.
• Buckbeak the Hippogryph - The hippogryph is a magic creature that combines an eagle with a horse. Hagrid has one and he named him Buckbeak. On the first day of "Care for Magical Creatures" class, Harry gains the respect of the beast and took fly with him. But, the taunting of Malfoy causes a scene in which the beast is condemned for death sentence. Yet, with the help of the Time-Turner, Harry and Hermoine save him.
• Floating candles - The Great Hall of the school has a very big space - long spanned wooden chairs and tables. Above on the ceiling, there is an array of floating candles. It's the source of light of the Great Hall.
• Basilisk - A serpent creature who nests inside the Chamber of Secrets in Hogwartz. This chamber is made by Salazar Slytherin, and it contains this creature. Basilisk is known to kill whoever it stares, although if victims see it through reflection, they will be petrified.
• Crookshanks the Cat - The cat with ginger color fur is Hermoine's pet cat.
• Scabbers the Rat - The rat which is Ron's pet. Later, it is revealed to be the animal form of Peter Pettigrew, the snitch who sold Harry's parents to the Dark Lord.
• Platform 9 3/4 - A secret train platform in King's Cross Station which train is taking students to the magic school.
• Deadly Hallows - There is the Tale of the Beedle Bard about three magical brothers, who each got an item after outsmarting Death. It is no longer just a tale, since these items are real.
• Two of the most-used spells in Harry Potter series: "Expelliarmus" and "Expecto Patronum"

---

Jokers
Both Jokers show two of prominent characters in Harry Potter series:

• Joker A - Dobby, The House Elf who is kind and helpful. He was used to serve the Malfoys, yet after seeing him getting harsh treatment, Harry devised a way to get Dobby free - slipping a sock to make it looked like the master given him clothes. He is responsible for trying to prevent Harry to return for the second year, yet he relents after seeing how capable Harry is.
  • "Bad Dobby" - the phrase that he keeps on repeating as he hits himself.
  • "Dobby is Free" - the phrase he said as he cluthes onto Harry's sock, knowing he is free of enslavement, as a house elf can only be free if the master give them clothes.
• Joker B - Rubeus Hagrid, The Keeper of Keys and Ground of Hogwarts. He is a very big guy with a bushy black beard around his face. He takes care of Harry on his first year, taking him to Diagon Alley to buy for school supplies, wand, and pet.
  • Fang the Hound, his pet black dog. He is the guard of Hagrid's hut near the Forbidden Forest.
  • Buckbeak the Hippogryph, the creature first introduced on his first day. He takes Harry for a ride around the school's lake on the creature - Harry who gains respect of the beast.

---

Courts
The courts feature iconic characters from the Harry Potter series, both the protagonists and the antagonists. The pips that accompanied them have animals or symbols interior artwork instead of the Houses' relics. In case of animals: they are the shape of the character's Patronus charms.

• Jack of Spades - Neville Longbottom, one of the seemingly underdog student in Hogwartz, yet he is brave and strong. One time, he tried to stood up to Harry and his friends for breaking the House rules, and he is rewarded. A bit of a nervous guy, yet he is helpful.
  • Trevor the frog, the pet he decides to take to Hogwartz.
  • Neville has a passion in Herbology, and he helped Harry with his second task of the Triwizard Tournament - giving him Gillyweed, herb which transform the consumer into a merman for a short time.
• Queen of Spades - Luna Lovegood, a puzzling girl with antics. She might looked like a nerd, yet she is resourceful and kind-hearted. She introduced the Thestrals to Harry - an undead winged horse which can only be seen by someone who had seen dead people.
  • Luna's Patronus Charm is a HARE.
  • She is the collector of Quibbler magazine - notice the iconic filter sunglasses.
• King of Spades - Severus Snape, the Potions teacher of Hogwartz. He has some sort of resentment to Harry, yet soon to be revealed that there is a deep reason for that. Later, he is revealed to be the "Half-Blood Prince", whose textbook containes helpful notes as well as a dangerous spell.
  • Snape's Patronus Charm is a DOE.
• Jack of Hearts - Ronald "Ron" Weasley, the helpful friend of Harry. Ron first met with Harry on their way to Hogwartz and becomes best friend quickly. His family might be poor, yet they make ends meet and lived happily - as pure-blood wizard family and all are Gryffindor.
  • Ron;s Patronus Charm is a JACK RUSSEL TERRIER DOG.
  • Scabbers is Ron's pet rat. For two years, the rat is just being nibble and squeaky, until it is later revealed and exposed to be an animal shapeshifter - it is Peter Pettigrew, the guy who sold out Harry Potter's parents to the Dark Lord.
• Queen of Hearts - Hermoine Granger, the know-it-all girl and the second best friend of Harry. At first, she looked like just you typical snob student, being the top of the class and such. But, that one night when Harry and Ron managed to stop a troll wrecking the school, she befriended them. Despite being a Mud-Blood, she knows about the magic world.
  • Hermoine's Patronus Charm is an OTTER.
  • Time Turner - it's a time travelling device that can take its wearer back in time. Hermoine had been using it to excel in class by being in multiple classes at the same time. She and Harry uses it to save Buckbeak, flushing away a group of Dementors, and bust out Sirius Black from Azkaban Prison.
• King of Hearts - Harry Potter, "The Boy Who Lived", the main protagonist of the whole story series. He is widely known in the wizarding world as the boy who had survived the wrath and horrot of the Dark Lord, "You Know Who". Since his first year, he had several magical adventures. Harry is destined to be the savior of the wizarding community, as he will be the one who defeated the Dark Lord and vanquish evil.
  • Nimbus 2000 - the latest broom at the time of Harry's first year at School. Professor McGonagall gifted Harry with this broom for his "sheer dumb luck" of defeating the troll in school.
  • After Harry's feat was seen, Professor McGonagall recommended Harry as the Gryffindor Quidditch Team's Seeker, player who need to seek and catch the Golden Snitch.
• Jack of Clubs - Draco Malfoy, the main rival of Harry in Hogwartz. Coming from the rich family of the Malfoys, he boasts himself around school, acting all might and priveleaged around. He and his family are all Slytherins.
  • Malfoy's Patronus Charm is a DRAGON.
• Queen of Clubs - Bellatrix Lestrange, unhinged witch who murdered the parents of Neville Longbottom. She escaped the prison and join the evil group called the "Death Eaters". Gothic, always with the curly messy hair, she is someone not to mess with.
  • The Dark Mark - it is a skull with a slithering snake. The symbol is casted on the sky as a wayfinder/callsign to the other members to regroup and bring havoc.
• King of Clubs - Lord Voldemort, the main antagonist of the whole story series. He didn't appear for the first three years, until he got resurrected after an evil plan to lure Harry to the graveyard succeeded. He is totally feared by the wizarding world, as his goal was to bring end to the Muggles (non-magic humans) and bring magic reign supreme by spreading terror.
  • Dementors are creatures of dark void. They only appear as ghoulish floating black cape, hiding the monstrosity of the figure. This creature is used as a guard around Azkaban Prison, and used as executioner.
  • "TOM RIDDLE" - that was Lord Voldermort's real name. He was a gifted student in Hogwartz, until his desire to be immortal brings out the evil of him. He then succeded into diving his souls and placed them in objects - called "Hocruxes".
• Jack of Diamonds - Sirius Black, the godfather of Harry Potter. He is like a father figure to Harry. But sadly, he got wrongfully accused and sent to Azkaban Prison for a crime he never commited.
  • He is an Animagus - the person who can shapeshift into an animal. He turned into a black dog, called Padfoot.
  • He holds his prison tag for the live mug shot posters hanged all around when he escaped.
• Queen of Diamonds - Minerva McGonagall, the professor of Transfiguration and the Headroom Teacher for the House of Gryffindor.
  • Her Patronus Charm is a CAT.
  • As the Professor of Transfiguration herself, she can turn into a cat.
• King of Diamonds - Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwartz School of Wizardy. He is the optimistic wizard as he shares a few wise words to the students in the Great Hall. He is in possession of the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in history of wizardly.
  • His Patronus Charm is a PHOENIX.
  • He has a pet bird, an actual Phoenix he named Fawkes. Fawkes would burn to ashes when he reaches his end life, and will be reborn from the ashes. It is said, a phoenix would come to the Dumbledore in need.

[manu]

New box set coming this Friday. Looks like there might possibly be a new deck/variant in the middle?

[STLBluesNut]

someone please add the bill murray mem where he just has the disappointed look and walks out the door. t11 isnt worth my time to find it, link, paste whatever.

[kevork]

I could see the average consumer may go for a box like this for the holidays, especially if they don't collect playing cards. As a collector who likes Harry Potter, these decks were some of the first ones I bought, so to have to buy a likely $100 box just to get a 5th deck does not appeal to me.

I'm all for T11 exposing more people to the playing card collecting world, so more power to them.

[laitostarr777]

I DON’t think that’s a fifth deck, just simply a placard placed on the middle

And…. JUST WHY they have to wait till now instead of releasing them on first day Harry Potter deck released? Jeez, what a hassle

Those who already have the decks, should they are hardcore collectors, are going to be pissed a little

[Harvonsgard]

JUST WHY they have to wait till now instead of releasing them on first day Harry Potter deck released? Jeez, what a hassle.

Simple econ. Always keep the machinery rolling.

[Harvonsgard]

someone please add the bill murray mem where he just has the disappointed look and walks out the door.

They took it down on giphy...

[antifaro]

I DON’t think that’s a fifth deck, just simply a placard placed on the middle

And…. JUST WHY they have to wait till now instead of releasing them on first day Harry Potter deck released? Jeez, what a hassle

Those who already have the decks, should they are hardcore collectors, are going to be pissed a little

The latest photo they just posted would prove otherwise. Also, box sets aren't something that can just be thrown together. Based on their description, this box also does something as a functional piece, so that probably took a lot of R&D and manufacturing time, let alone approvals by Warner Bros. and JK Rowling's teams in the process. Also doesn't look to be made of the same materials as their LOTR or Beatles sets, looks more premium more in line with the Derren Brown set based on that texture on the book, which is really nice to see. Would be impressed if this was $100 like the others. If so, let's say the value of 5 decks inside is 12.95 each at a minimum. That would leave $35.25 at most extra for a really cool display box that has a magical function. That's not a bad value proposition at all.

Knowing that theory11 is still very much a magic company behind the scenes, have to imagine they did something really cool with this set to give it a magical twist as opposed to just something that sits on a shelf. This is perfectly in their wheelhouse, they have some of the best magical consultants and creators on their team that know what they're doing.

[hsbc]

I DON’t think that’s a fifth deck, just simply a placard placed on the middle

I won't mind being wrong but I think this is the case as well

[kevork]

There will be a fifth deck in the box set. The box unlocks and opens by itself.

[hsbc]

Happy to be wrong