The Meaning Behind the Cards in Alice in Borderland: Suits Explained

We know that the entire Alice In Borderland series on Netflix revolves around people that were sent to a parallel version of Tokyo called the Borderlands and are forced to play a series of different games that would determine whether or not they are going to die. The type of games that are played is determined by the suit of card of the corresponding game that they play. Meanwhile, the difficulty level is determined by the number or the “level” of the face card.

So, for example, if the player chooses to take place in a Ten of Hearts game, then they will take part in a Hearts game with a difficulty level of ten. Meanwhile, a Two of Diamonds game should be easier and will involve a different type of game compared to a Hearts game. In that regard, most players determine whether or not they want to play based on the card suit. So, what are the meanings behind the card suits in Alice In Borderland?

What Do The Card Suits Mean In Alice In Borderland?

Alice In Borderland involves different players that were transported to a somewhat sci-fi and parallel world that resembles Tokyo, Japan. They are all forced to play different games that have different genres and difficulty levels that correspond to the card that represents the game. In that regard, the type of game that the players have to play depends on the card suit, and that’s something that we are here to look at.

Club cards

The Club suit in Alice In Borderland is a game that revolves around trust. That means that the players need to be able to trust in one another to be able to win the game. Of course, trusting your fellow players involves having to communicate with them and formulating strategies that would allow you to win. And if a team plays together, they are likely to make it through the game together as well.

A Club game also involves intelligence and strategy because the players need to formulate a winning strategy together so that they would come out of the game alive. That is why Arisu tends to excel in these types of games, as he is great at working together with other people and is actually one of the most intelligent players in the Borderlands. In season 1, Arisu took part in “Dead or Alive” and “It,” which were both Club games.

Heart cards

Heart games tend to be the trickiest out of all of the different suits in Alice In Borderland because they are meant to psychologically and emotionally destroy a player. While Club games revolve around making sure that the player trusts their teammates, the Hearts games destroy trust and will make everyone playing the game suspicious of one another. This is why players that take part in this game have to make sure that they are psychologically and emotionally ready.

Chishiya hates Hearts games out of all of the different games because he would rather play games that require logic and a cunning mind. Of course, Chishiya isn’t the most emotional character in Alice In Borderland, and that’s why he tries to avoid Hearts games as much as possible. The Seven of Hearts game was the first to break Arisu in the storyline because it was what killed his friends after they decided to die for him to live when they couldn’t solve the game. However, Arisu redeemed himself near the end of season 1 when he was the one that solved the Ten of Hearts game that destroyed the entire Beach organization.

Diamond cards

Diamond cards are some of the trickiest games for those who don’t really like using their heads. That’s because Diamond games require critical thinking and analysis. In that regard, this is the least emotional and physical out of all of the four different card suits in Alice In Borderland, but it is still very difficult due to how demanding it is. Players need to think hard and strategize to win such games, and not all players are equipped with critical and logical minds.

The players that tend to excel in such games are Arisu, Chishiya, and Ann because they are some of the smartest characters in the entire storyline. Arisu, a video game enthusiast, learned how to solve puzzles by playing games, whereas Chishiya (a medical doctor) and Ann (a forensics specialist) often used their minds back when they were in the real world. Diamond games, of course, are Chishiya’s favorites because he would rather think his way through a problem and work alone rather than do something that requires teamwork (Club games), emotions (Hearts games), and physicality (Spade games).

Spade cards

Spade cards are the most physically demanding out of all of the different games in Alice In Borderland because they don’t require a lot of strategizing or critical thinking. Instead, these games prioritize a person’s physical abilities above anything else, although these games may also require strategizing and teamwork. Nevertheless, a person needs to be physically fit or capable of fighting to win a Spade game.

The players that tend to excel in these games are the ones that are equipped with fighting skills or are incredibly fit. Usagi, a former mountain climber, excels in such games. Meanwhile, Kuina is also great at Spade games due to her martial arts training, as she partnered up with Chishiya in the past to act as the brawns to his brains.

What Is The Meaning Of The Face Cards In Alice In Borderland?

As mentioned, the different cards have corresponding types of games represented by their suits and difficulty levels that are represented by the numbers on the card. However, what about the Face cards?

You probably already know that all of the suits of a deck of cards have three face cards each (Jack, Queen, and King). That means that there are a total of 12 Face cards in an entire deck. And in Alice In Borderland, the Face cards only appeared after all 40 of the Number cards were collected.

As such, the main enemies in season 2 of Alice In Borderland are the Face cards. But the difference here is that there are actual people that they need to defeat because the Face cards are represented by human beings that were revealed to be players in the past but eventually became citizens of the Borderlands. And the most troublesome out of all of them was the King of Spades, who constantly terrorized the players of the Borderlands without even initiating a game.