History Main / CardsOfPower

** The Wonders of the Multiverse Unearthed Arcana contains the Cartomancer feat which, among other features allows the character to use a deck of cards as a spellcasting focus.

** In ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', the Rider Cards let Decade [[PowerCopying use the forms and abilities of the nine previous Kamen Riders]], [[ForcedTransfomation transform them into giant weapons]] or, you guessed it, perform finishing moves.

** In ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', the Rider Cards let Decade [[PowerCopying use the forms and abilities of the nine previous Kamen Riders]], [[BalefulPolymorph transform them into giant weapons]] or, you guessed it, perform finishing moves.

* The Clow cards in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' contain magical spirits and each card allows the main character to have access to various types of powers such as PlayingWithFire or MakingASplash. Arguably are one of the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]] due the series popularity and memorability.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* This trope naturally occurs in ''Roleplay/NothingIsSacred'', what with it being a ''Manga/YuGiOh'' Quest and all. In contrast to any of the show's standard protagonists, however, Stella Atlas is able to make use of her cards both in and out of battle. By expending a portion of her spiritual energy while using her [[AmplifierArtifact Shadow Charm]], she is able to manifest her cards in either world. This ability gives her access to a variety of useful spells, such as Swords of Revealing Light and [[Memes/YuGiOh Pot of Greed]].
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* ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'': The villain Von Kreist [[SoulJar sealed a piece of his soul in a deck of cards]] and had his descendant Von Kreist trasnfer that piece into Vampirella's friend Sofia.

* The King of ''VideoGame/Armello'' arrived in the land with a deck of mysterious cards capable of devastating power. The deck Players use during the course of the game is a copy of unknown origin, while the King continues wielding his own cards to summon Banes and riddle the land with Perils.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'': Hucksters are The Weird West equivalent of mages; their 'spells' are based around poker hands, in keeping with the significance of poker cards and hands throughout the game rules.

* This trope naturally occurs in ''Roleplay/NothingIsSacred'', what with it being a ''Manga/YuGiOh'' Quest and all. In contrast to any of the show's standard protagonists, however, Stella Atlas is able to make use of her cards both in and out of battle. By expending a portion of her spiritual energy while using her [[AmplifierArtifact Shadow Charm]], she is able to manifest her cards in either world. This method gives her access to a variety of useful spells, such as Swords of Revealing Light and [[Memes/YuGiOh Pot of Greed]].

* This trope naturally occurs in ''Roleplay/NothingIsSacred'', what with it being a ''Manga/YuGiOh'' Quest and all. In contrast to any of the show's standard protagonists, however, Stella Atlas is able to make use of her cards both in and out of battle. By expending a portion of her spiritual energy while using her [[AmplifierArtifact Shadow Charm]] she is able to manifest her cards in either world, giving her access to a variety of useful spells, such as Swords of Revealing Light and [[Memes/YuGiOh Pot of Greed]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': As a human, Luz can't cast magic the same way that [[WitchSpecies witches]] do and instead relies on drawing glyphs onto things to cast spells. Late in Season 1, she starts carrying around several premade paper slips for this purpose, frequently holding these slips like a fan of cards.

** Module X2 ''Castle Amber''. In one room, the {{PC}}s can turn over special cards from a Tarot deck. Each card has a specific magical effect on the person who turns it over, such as The Moon (going insane), Death (make a Saving Throw or die), or The Fool (Feeblemind spell cast on character).

* This is how ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' adapts [[Franchise/YuGiOh Yugi and Kaiba]] as a fighting game characters, by using Duel Monsters cards as a form of SummonMagic.

* This is how ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' adapts [[Franchise/YuGiOh Yugi]] as a fighting game character, by using Duel Monsters cards as a form of SummonMagic.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': the Midnight Crew's have playing cards that become weapons (and vice versa). In some cases, both individual and combinations of cards can becomes different things, with the whole deck becoming some kind of container that holds all the items.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': the Midnight Crew's have playing cards that become weapons (and vice versa).

* Triple Triad cards from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' can be magically turned into magic items and spells. Monsters drop them, and you can polymorph a critter to a card bearing its likeness. The most common use for these miraculous cards, however, is [[MundaneUtility playing the collectible card game of the same name]].

* Part of the [[{{Astrologer}} Astrologian's]] equipment in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' are a set of six [[TarotMotifs tarot inspired]] cards linked to FictionalConstellations which can grant a StatusBuff depending on the card.

-->--'''Dr. Facilier''', ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''

* Part of the [[{{Astrologer}} Astrologian's]] equipment in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' are a set of six [[TarotMotifs tarot inspired]] cards linked to fictional {{Constellations}} which can grant a StatusBuff depending on the card.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': When a mage and his partner form a Pactio, the partner receives a card that allows them to summon a powerful artifact, such as Asuna's [[AntiMagic fan/sword]] and Nodoka's [[MindProbe magic diary]].

* ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}'': The Basanos; a magical set of tarot cards with the power of prophecy (amongst other things), created by the angel Meleos. Not merely magical, but also sentient. The Basanos also have a few more Arcana than a standard Tarot deck, including several cards representing major angels such as Lucifer (as The Lightbringer, not The Devil).

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' works such as ''Literature/TheLastChancers'' and ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' often make mention of the Emperor's Tarot, a special tarot deck used by psychically-attuned Imperial agents believed to have genuine precognitive powers thanks to a link with the God-Emperor himself. In Ian Watson's ''Inquisition War'' trilogy we see how it works - each card is a screen featuring images that alter based on the one using them and the situation. When Draco does a reading in ''Inquisitor'', the Daemon card took the form of a Hydra and the Harlequin card took that of Zephro Carnelian.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Deadlands}}'': Hucksters are The Weird West equivalent of mages; their 'spells' are based around poker hands, in keeping with the significance of poker cards and hands throughout the game rules.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Shadowrun}}'' has the Sixth World Tarot, which has a physical real-world version available as well. In addition to fortunetelling usage, individual cards have powers that can be activated that range from granting temporary technomancer powers to a favor from Lofwyr.

* Triple Triad cards from ''Videogame/FinalFantasyVIII'' can be magically turned into magic items and spells. Monsters drop them, and you can polymorph a critter to a card bearing its likeness. The most common use for these miraculous cards, however, is [[MundaneUtility playing the collectible card game of the same name]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' makes use of {{Ofuda}} as per Japanese tradition, but the premise of the games fits more with this general trope. In [[FantasticNatureReserve Gensokyo]], humans and {{youkai}} have agreed to settle disputes with non-lethal duels, using Spell Cards to create dazzling displays of [[BulletHell danmaku]] for their opponent to deal with. Thus everyone maintains a healthy antagonism without anyone dying, youkai get a fair fight without having to worry about killing the {{Miko}} [[BarrierMaiden necessary for Gensokyo's continued existence]], and spectators get one hell of a show.

* ''VideoGame/{{Septerra Core}}'' features these as the primary magic system. Each card is a spell unto itself, but you can have up to three party members use different cards all at the same time for a variety of [[CombinationAttack Combination Attacks]]. The cards' four suits are each connected to one of the four gods in the game's backstory, and tend to have powers based on the gods' abilities in their myths.

* ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawl'' plays this straight: One item type is magical card decks with different themes such as destruction or escape.

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