How to Choose Refill Packs for Butterfly Playing Cards
By Marked Playing Cards for Magicians | Butterfly Playing Cards ... | Published: 2026-10-13
Category: Buying Guides
Work out how many refill decks you actually wear out, whether red or blue refills suit your sets, and when a discounted bundle beats buying singles.
Quick answer
Buy refills to match the Butterfly decks you already perform with, and size the pack to your realistic wear rate: most working magicians get through a few decks a month, so a six-deck refill covers a season of practice and gigs. Choose red refills if your working decks are red, and only buy a discounted multi-deck bundle when you are confident you will use the decks before they sit unused.
Start with the decks you already own
Refills only make sense as a top-up for a deck you already like. Check which Butterfly deck is actually in your pocket, then match the refill to that edition and colour. If your working deck is red, red refills keep your set visually consistent; if you perform with blue decks, buy blue refills instead of mixing colours and confusing your own handling. Refills exist because a deck wears out after countless performances, not because you need a second system to learn.
Estimate how many decks you actually wear out
Count the decks you have retired in the last three months. If you practise daily and perform weekly, that number is usually higher than you expect, and a six-deck refill is a sensible baseline. If you only perform occasionally, a six-pack may last long enough that freshness becomes the bigger issue. The honest test is not how many decks you would like to own, but how many you will open, break in, and retire within a year.
Red or blue: match your working set
Colour is a practical decision, not a cosmetic one. Buy refills in the colour of the deck you already handle, because switching colours mid-season resets your familiarity with the backs and can make your own marked reads feel unfamiliar. If you keep both colours in rotation, split your refill budget between them rather than buying a large single-colour pack you will only half use.
When a discounted bundle is worth it
Multi-deck bundles lower the per-deck cost, which matters if you treat cards as a consumable. The trade-off is storage and freshness: cards that sit for a long time before their first use are not doing you any favours. Buy the bundle size that matches your next few months of use, not the biggest discount on the page.
Decision rules for buying refills
- Match the refill to your current deck: Identify the exact Butterfly edition and colour you perform with, then buy refills in that same edition and colour. If you cannot name the edition, check the deck before ordering.
- Size the pack to your wear rate: Count decks retired in the last three months and multiply by four for a rough annual figure; buy a pack that covers the next few months, not the next few years. Six decks is a reasonable starting point for regular performers.
- Treat discounts as a storage decision: A lower per-deck price only helps if you will open and use the decks while they are still fresh. Skip the largest bundle if your usage is light.
Refill and bundle options in the catalog
- Butterfly Playing Cards 3rd Edition 6 Refills (Red): Six red decks of Butterfly Playing Cards Third Edition, sold as refills for performers whose decks wear out after repeated use. This is the straightforward top-up route if you already perform with the Third Edition in red and want to replace decks as they retire.
- Butterfly Playing Cards Workers Edition V2 (6 Red Decks): A set of six red Butterfly Playing Cards Workers Edition V2 decks, discounted by 10% versus buying them individually. Useful if the Workers Edition V2 is your working deck and you want a season's worth of red decks at a lower per-deck cost.
- Marked Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards 2nd Ed. (12 Red Decks): A discounted bundle of twelve red Marked Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards 2nd Ed. decks, described as paying for ten decks and getting two free. Only worth it if you perform regularly with marked Bicycle Rider Backs and will actually get through twelve decks before they age on the shelf.
Who should buy refill packs
Best for
- Magicians who already perform with a specific Butterfly deck and replace it as it wears out
- Regular performers who want a lower per-deck cost on decks they will genuinely use
Not for
- Buyers still deciding which Butterfly deck suits them, who should choose a single deck first
- Collectors who want to keep decks sealed rather than use them
