diff --git a/deck.asy b/deck.asy
index d09ba1f..d6bc467 100644
--- a/deck.asy
+++ b/deck.asy
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ for (int suit = 0; suit <= 5; ++suit) {
       // due to exponential growth, with the larger suit icon on the 1
       // card, the endpoint of the recursion is a *lot* more visible
       fill(recursive_card(value, suit, 6), evenodd+red);
+    } else if (suit == CARDS && value > 6) {
+      // conversely, face cards don't need as much recursion depth
+      // because the only icons present are significantly smaller
+      fill(recursive_card(value, suit, 3), evenodd+red);
     } else {
       fill(recursive_card(value, suit), evenodd+red);
     }