Dystopia Playing Cards

Enter a scorched world of engines, dust, and survival.

Dystopia Playing Cards by Joker and the Thief are a disturbed tribute to Mad Max, muscle car culture, and the Australian film industry that shaped the modern wasteland aesthetic. Developed over 12 months, this deck fully embraces a brutal, high-octane vision of a world where civilisation has collapsed and survival belongs to the relentless.

Set against a lawless wasteland backdrop, the deck channels the raw energy of post-apocalyptic cinema, roaring engines, scavenged metal, and a culture forged in heat and chaos. This is not subtle design. Everything is dialled up, intentionally, pushing the imagery, tone, and atmosphere as far as it will go.

Dystopia is a 100% custom illustrated deck, with original artwork across the card backs, court cards, Ace of Spades, and Jokers. The illustrations are cohesive and cinematic, weaving themes of decay, defiance, and motion throughout the deck rather than isolating them to a few feature cards.

The tuck case matches the intensity of the cards inside, finished with heavy embossing and foil detailing, inside and out. Even the packaging reinforces the deck’s bleak humour and fatalism, carrying a stark message hidden within the design: “Good Luck. Good Bye.”

Printed in the USA on premium stock with a smooth finish, Dystopia was released in limited quantities and has long since sold out at source. Remaining copies are increasingly difficult to find, making this one of Joker and the Thief’s most uncompromising and sought-after releases.