Introduction 2 
What’s in this document? 3 
Deck Structure 4 
Card Anatomy 5 
Everdeck Systems 6 
Ranks and Suits 7 
Standard 52-Card Deck 8 
Pairing Suits by Color 9 
Suit Groups 9 
Card Letters 1​0 
Card Letter Scores 1​1 
Point Value Distribution 1​2 
Card Names 1​3 
Tarot 1​5 
Sequence Number 1​6 
Colored Digits and Other Digits 1​7 
Unranked and Pyramidal Decks 1​8 
Animal Pictures 19 
Hanafuda 2​2 
Appendix: Summary of Systems 2​6 
Links 3​0 
Credits 3​0 

1 
Introduction 

The Everdeck​ (​Boardgamegeek link here​) is a versatile card game 

system that can be used to play traditional and modern card games. 
It’s a universal proxy deck, portable travel companion, and game 
designer’s prototyping tool all in one. 

This isn’t just a deck with extra ranks and suits​. Its 120 cards can 
map to many distinct game systems: 

● Two ​Standard 54-card decks 

● 78-card ​Tarot 
● 48-card ​Hanafuda 
● Modern “colors and numbers” games with up to 12 suits or 
up to 25 ranks (​Lost Cities​,​ Coloretto​, ​Arboretum​) 
● Games that require multiple or unequal copies of specific 
ranks (​Hanabi​, ​Money​!, ​Mu and More​) 
● Sequential decks (The Mind, Fugitive) 
● Pyramidal decks (​Pairs​) 
● Word games (​Letter Head​) 
● Social games (Ultimate ​Werewolf) 
● Paired-image games (​Noir Detective Game​, ​Memory 
variants) 

After familiarizing yourself with the deck’s features, you can see a 
geeklist of example mappable games here​. 

It’s designed with a ruthless combinatorial efficiency.​ Beneath 

the Everdeck’s minimalist pen-and-ink design lies layers of 
mathematical and linguistic patterns. This isn’t just a deck with 
haphazardly placed extra glyphs. Rather, it aims to be both 
beautiful and practical. 

2 
What’s in this document? 

The next two pages explain the parts of a card and the Everdeck’s 
basic deck structure. 

The rest of the document describes the Everdeck’s multiple 

systems in detail. Take note that none of this advanced knowledge 
is needed to enjoy the deck. A user can simply treat it an 8-suited 
deck with an animal theme and get a lot of enjoyment from it.  

A note on text formats: 

● Game systems are ​colored red​. 
● Hyperlinks are ​colored blue​. 
● Important gaming terms ​are in italics​ when they’re first 
introduced. 
 

As a final note, commercial games are linked here for illustrative 

purposes only. This document in no way endorses replacing them 
with the Everdeck. This isn’t just for legal reasons; a proxy deck 
would always be inferior to the original! 

   

3 
Deck Structure 

The Everdeck has 120 cards in eight ​suits​. Suits are paired by ​color​: 
black clubs and spades, red hearts and diamonds, yellow coins and 
crowns, and blue moons and stars.  

Each suit has 15 ranks: te​n ​number cards ​0 to 9, and five ​face cards 
X, J, Q, K, and A. ​X is usually used as a roman numeral “10”; but as 
the letter is also often used to refer to an unknown variable, it can 
also map to “wilds” or additional ranks as needed. 

   

4 
Card Anatomy 

The Everdeck is an animal-themed deck. Every card is uniquely 

named and numbered, with a picture at its center. Cards are 
asymmetric, but the card's rank and suit is found at two opposite 
corners for ease of play.   

Underneath the card’s suit is its ​point value,​ a pattern of one to five 
dots. Face cards have black borders.   

The shape of the watercolor background pattern has no gameplay 

relevance. The card back is symmetric and continues the theme 
with a menagerie of abstract animal forms. 

5 
Everdeck Systems 

Ranks and Suits 

The Everdeck’s most basic game system is​ 8 suits x 15 ranks. ​ ​This 
can be done by mapping the face cards to the values 10-14, 
something players familiar with standard decks can easily do. 

Face cards can also be mapped to special game actions like​ ​Uno 
special cards, ​Lost Cities​ handshakes, or the "+2s" of ​Coloretto​.  

6 
Standard 52-Card Deck 

The Everdeck can map to a ​Standard 52-card deck​ by taking the 

traditional suits​ (red hearts and diamonds, black spades and clubs) 
and removing ranks 1 and 0.   

The remaining cards can form a​ second copy of a standard deck 

using ​non-traditional suits​.  

Standard decks have flexible construction options. For instance, 0’s 

can be added back for Jokers, or be used instead of X for the 10 
rank. 1 can also be used instead of A for ace-low games. 

Standard decks can not only play great ​classical games​, but also 
modern ones such as those found in ​Thematic Solitaire List​, 
Femtitva​,​ ​Cheapass Poker Suite​, and ​Pagat.com​.   

   

7 
Pairing Suits by Color 

As the Everdeck’s suits are paired by color, it’s possible to ignore 

the suit altogether and instead treat it as a four-color deck. 

This has the effect of doubling the number of copies of each rank, 
but at the expense of halving the number of “suits”.   

For instance, 8 suits x 15 ranks becomes ​4 colors x 15 ranks x 2 

copies​. The two standard decks described in the previous section 
also turns into a ​double standard deck​ for games like Canasta.  

   

8 
Suit Groups 

The Everdeck has two ​suit groups, e ​ ach with four suits of different 
colors. ​Soft suits​ have icons with rounded tops, and use circles for 
their point values. ​Sharp suits h
​ ave pointed tops, with point values 
drawn with diamonds. 

The most practical use of suit groups is to differentiate the two 

suits of the same color. For instance, ​4 colors x 25 ranks​ can be 
mapped by treating the sharp suits as having +10 value. 

9 
Card Letters 

The first letters of each card’s name have a frequency distribution 

compatible with ​English word games​.  

Here’s the distribution of the ​card letters ​compared to ​Scrabble​, 

Words With Friends​, and standard English: 

10 
Card Letter Scores 

A card’s point value can be used for ​word game scoring 

mechanisms​. Most card letters have one or two possible point 
values, with rarer letters having higher average scores. 

11 
Point Value Distribution 
Point values are also distributed equally across suits. Specifically, 
each suit has five 1’s, four 2’s, three 3’s, two 4’s, and one 5 (12345 • 
54321).   

Point values can be used as an alternative rank value for games that 
require an ​uneven number of specific ranks​, like ​Hanabi.   

Like with ranks, point values may also be grouped by color instead 
of suit to double the number of copies of each value. 

   

12 
Card Names 

All cards of the Everdeck follow a strict naming structure. Within a 

suit group, every four cards of the same rank are thematically 
related. 

The thirty black cards represent 30 different ​archetypes​. 

(Twenty-two of these correspond to the ​Major Arcana​ of the ​Tarot​, 
while eight are unique to the Everdeck.) The three other cards are 
interpretations of the archetype, each filtered through a different 
color philosophy​: 

● Red Hearts/Diamonds is the ​SOUL​, with themes of 

spirituality, emotion, art, and nature. 
● Yellow Coins/Crowns is the ​BODY​, representing civilization, 
physicality, and social or military power. 
● Blue Moons/Stars is the ​MIND​, with roles relating to 
intellect, cunning, and the sciences. 

Another way to think about the primary colors is that they are 
biased viewpoints. These symbolic biases are only fixed when 
they’re ​mixed together​, forming the universal color black. 

13 
The ​symbolism of the Tarot Major arcana is well-established​. The 
Everdeck follows this symbolism to name all its cards, providing 
unique role cards for social games​ like ​Werewolf​. 

14 
Tarot 

The standard deck can be converted to a ​78-card Tarot​ by using the 

X as a “Page” rank and adding the 22 Major Arcana.   

Major Arcana get their names from the influential ​Rider-Waite tarot 
deck​. The only exception is ​XX - Judgement​, instead using The 
Aeon from the ​Thoth tarot deck​ (The Everdeck ​can only have one 
word that starts with the letter J​). 

Except for the XX - Aeon and XXI - World, the cards’ major arcana 
number also matches their sequence number. 

15 
Sequence Number 

Cards are uniquely numbered as well as named. ​ Sequence numbers 

range from 0 to 119 and are used for games like ​No Thanks!​ or ​The 
Mind.   

Number cards range from #0 to #79, while face cards are 

numbered #80 to #119.  

16 
Colored Digits and Other Digits  

The sequence can be split into two numbers. The rightmost 

number is the ​colored digit​, which ranges from 0-9. The ​other digits 
are colored black and range from 0 to 11. 

Colored digits and other digits can be used for ​10 suits x 12 ranks​ or 
12 suits x 10 ranks​, depending on which one you treat as the “rank” 
and which one the “suit”.  

17 
Unranked and Pyramidal Decks 

When cards are fanned to the right, it’s easy to focus on the colored 
digit and ignore the others. This gives ​three copies each of (four 
colors x 10 colored digits) 

Ignoring the color altogether gives ​twelve copies each of the 

numbers 0 to 9​, although many games don’t necessarily need these 
many copies. For instance, some games like ​Pairs​ use what’s known 
as a ​pyramidal deck. ​One 1, two 2’s, three 3’s, and so on until ten 
10’s. 

18 
Animal Pictures 

The Everdeck is an animal-themed deck. Each of the 60 unique 

animal pictures​ appear exactly twice, relevant for ​Memory​ variants. 
Paired pictures always have different ranks and different colors.   

Pictures and card names are thematically related, whether through 

symbolism, biology, or even just simple plays on words. The picture 
and name tie together to provide a 'wholeness' to each card that 
goes beyond its assortment of glyphs. 

19 
  

Pictures: Soft Suits 

   

20 
Pictures: Sharp Suits 

   

21 
Hanafuda 

Hanafuda​ (“​flower cards​”) is a traditional deck from Japan, Hawaii 

and Korea (where it’s called Hwatu). Its 48 cards are divided into 12 
"months" of 4 cards each.   

The picture above (source: ​theadhellhawaii​) shows a typical 

hanafuda deck. Cards of the same month don’t have numerical 
indices but have similar flower pictures.   

22 
The Everdeck Hanafuda groups cards of the same month by rank, 
and of the same category by suit. There is no formula to describe 
the distribution of the cards, so it’s best to use the reference shown 
below: 

Two of the card types ("animals" and "brights") have specific names 
for ​scoring combinations​. The pictures of these cards were 
designed to match or visually suggest their Hanafuda equivalent. 
This is illustrated in the charts on the next two pages. 

23 
  

24 
  

25 
Appendix: Summary of Systems 

System  Mapping 

Two  54 cards x 2 copies = 108 cards 

standard  14 ranks (2..9, X “Ten”, J, Q, K, A) x 4 suits (any)  
decks  +  
1 rank (0 “Joker”) x 2 suits (any) 
 
● 1 may be used instead of A for Ace 
● Use X instead of 0 for Ten / 0 instead of X 
for Jokers  

Double  108 cards 

standard  14 ranks (2..9, X “Ten”, J, Q, K, A) x 4 colors x 2 
deck  copies 
  +  
1 rank (0 “Joker”) x 4 suits (any suit) 

8 suits x 15  120 cards 

ranks  15 ranks (0..9, X, J, Q, K, A) x 8 suits.  
● Treat X, J, Q, K, A as 10..14 respectively 
 
Two copies of 4 suits x 15 ranks: 120 cards 
15 ranks (0..9, X, J, Q, K, A) x 4 colors x 2 copies 
● Treat X, J, Q, K, A as 10..14 respectively 

4 suits x 25  108 cards 

ranks  10 ranks (0..9 of traditional suits + 0..9, X, J, Q, K, A 
of non-traditional suits) x 4 colors 
● Treat X, J, Q, K, A as 10..14 respectively 
● Treat all sharp suits as having +10 value  

Tarot  78 cards 
56 Minor Arcana​: ​15 ranks (2..9, 0 “Ten”, X “Page”, 
J, Q, K, A) x 4 suits (reds and blues) 
+ 

26 
 22 Major Arcana​: 
11 ranks (0..9, A) x 2 suits (blacks). Only names 
and sequence numbers are relevant. 

Sequential  120 cards 

numbers  120 sequence numbers (0..119) 

12 ordered  12 ordered suits x 10 ranks: 120 cards 

suits x 10  10 other digits (0..11) x 10 colored digits (0..9) 
ranks   
   
OR   10 ordered suits x 12 ranks: 120 cards 
  12 colored digits (0..9) x 12 other digits (0..11) 
10 ordered   
suits x 12 
ranks 

4 suits x 10  120 cards 

ranks x 3  4 colors x 10 colored digits (0..9) x 3 copies 
copies 

10-level  55 cards 
Pyramidal  1 colored digit (1) x 1 copy 
deck  2 colored digits (2) x 2 copies 
.. 
9 colored digits (9)) x 9 copies 
10 colored digits (0) x 10 copies 

5/4/3/2/1  120 cards 

copies of  [1 point value (1) x 5 copies 
ranks  1 point value (2) x 4 copies 
1/2/3/4/5  1 point value (3) x 3 copies 
1 point value (4) x 2 copies 
1 point value (5) x 1 copy] x 8 suits 
 
Alternate counts of the point values (1..5) 
● 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 copies x 4 colors 

27 
 ● 40, 32, 24, 16, 8 copies unsuited 

Role cards  120 cards 

30 archetypes in 1 color (black) 
+ 
90 roles in 3 colors (blue, red, yellow) 
● All cards of the same color are thematically 
related according to color philosophy. 
● Every set of four cards of the same rank 
and suit group is thematically related. 
● All names are related to the animal picture 

Word Games  120 cards 

120 bottom-left letters 
● Letters distributed to match the English 
language (​distribution here​) 
● Each with 5 possible point values (1..5) 
(​distribution here​) 

Paired  120 cards 

images  60 animal pictures x 2 copies each 
● Paired pictures have different colors 
● Paired pictures have different ranks 

Hanafuda /  Hanafuda: 48 cards 

Hwatu  12 “months” x 4 cards per month. Use reference 
file for mapping. 
● Ranks correspond to the month: 
○ 1..9, X: January to October 
○ J: November 
○ Q/K: December 
● Suit corresponds to the type of card 
○ Black cards: “Junk” 
○ Red Hearts: “Red Poetry Ribbon” 
○ Red Flowers: “Red Ribbon” 
○ Blue Diamonds: “Blue Ribbon” 
○ Yellow Clubs: “Animals” 

28 
 ○ Yellow Crowns: “Brights” 
● Pictures of Animals and Brights match or 
suggest their Hanafuda counterpart. 
 
Hwatu: 48+ cards 
● Same construction/suits as Hanafuda 
● Ranks correspond to month: 
○ 1..9, X: January to October 
○ Q/K: November 
○ J: December 
● Add any number of 0 ranks as needed for 
jokers 

Random  120 cards; draw a card from the deck. Complex 

number  mappings are not included. 
generator   
● Two-sided dice (D2) / coin: suit group; 
odd or even rank 
● D4: color 
● D8: suit 
● D10: colored digits  
● D12: other digits 
● D15: rank 
 

   

29 
Links 

● Drivethrucards purchase page 

● Boardgamegeek file page 
● Homepage 
● Geeklist: Games playable with the Everdeck 

Credits 

● Design: efofecks@gmail.com or on reddit (​efofecks​). 

Boardgamegeek thread here​. 
● Images: Several pieces (bat, boar, chameleon, clam, 
clownfish, crane, crow, duck, elephant, kangaroo, lamb, owl, 
rooster, swan) commissioned for the designer by ​Contr4 via 
99designs​. All other animal art ​CC BY 3.0​ also by Contr4 
(​Saeful Muslim at nounproject​).  
● Card Font: ​Alegreya SC​, modified kerning. ​Google fonts open 
license​. 
● Watercolors: ​https://www.onlygfx.com/​. ​Free for personal 
and commercial use 

30