Searching for a dark deck

[Page of Ghosts]

Hi everyone,

 

it's been a long time since I've visited this forum. I find myself wanting to read the cards again, but most of my decks are more of the quirky, fairytale variety and I'm longing for something darker in imagery, possibly also in actual readings. I'm turning 30 this year and my inner emo/goth kid is desperate to come out after years of negligence, so I think this is an aspect of that desire 😁

 

I like vampires, skeletons, horror movies & books and generally spooky stuff so something featuring unsettling artwork should be right up my alley. I prefer the RWS system and anything commercially available, but if you know of any amazing indies or oracles I'm open to hearing about them. the deck list in my profile is probably very outdated so I don't think it counts as much of a reference for what I have or what I'm into. I haven't been very active in the tarot community since 2018 or so, so i'm not very up to date with what decks are popular or new.

 

Thank you in advance, and also hi! if any of my old friends should stumble upon this post 😊

[cosita]

One of my favourite decks is the Stretch Tarot. It's an indie collage deck that looks rather dark to me, but ymmv. Great cardstock and reads wonderfully. I hope that helps!

[katrinka]

1 hour ago, Page of Ghosts said:

Hi everyone,

 

it's been a long time since I've visited this forum. I find myself wanting to read the cards again, but most of my decks are more of the quirky, fairytale variety and I'm longing for something darker in imagery, possibly also in actual readings. I'm turning 30 this year and my inner emo/goth kid is desperate to come out after years of negligence, so I think this is an aspect of that desire 😁

 

I like vampires, skeletons, horror movies & books and generally spooky stuff so something featuring unsettling artwork should be right up my alley. I prefer the RWS system and anything commercially available, but if you know of any amazing indies or oracles I'm open to hearing about them. the deck list in my profile is probably very outdated so I don't think it counts as much of a reference for what I have or what I'm into. I haven't been very active in the tarot community since 2018 or so, so i'm not very up to date with what decks are popular or new.

 

Thank you in advance, and also hi! if any of my old friends should stumble upon this post 😊

 

Drat. 
Drat drat drat drat DRAT.
Baba had Bohemian Gothic minis available for the longest time, but they're sold out now.
It's PERFECT - it's got Le Fanu's Carmilla, it's got Nosferatu, Mary Shelley...literary and film references all over this thing, and very RWS based - what's not to love? All kind of shawdowy and atmospheric - it's one of my top five Tarots, I love this thing: 
https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/bohemian-gothic/

It would be well worth putting in a saved search on ebay and snagging a copy. It's absolutely the best.

 

 

[Page of Ghosts]

43 minutes ago, katrinka said:

 

Drat. 
Drat drat drat drat DRAT.
Baba had Bohemian Gothic minis available for the longest time, but they're sold out now.
It's PERFECT - it's got Le Fanu's Carmilla, it's got Nosferatu, Mary Shelley...literary and film references all over this thing, and very RWS based - what's not to love? All kind of shawdowy and atmospheric - it's one of my top five Tarots, I love this thing: 
https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/bohemian-gothic/

It would be well worth putting in a saved search on ebay and snagging a copy. It's absolutely the best.

 

 

Just like a good tarot reading, you gave me the answer I dreaded yet knew to be true. The Bohemian Gothic would be perfect! Too bad it's OOP and it's currently priced somewhere between a bit higher than my electricity bill in winter and my rent 😭 I'm trying not to think of this deck as an option, haha. the search continues, but I have added it to my list of contenders.

[Page of Ghosts]

1 hour ago, cosita said:

One of my favourite decks is the Stretch Tarot. It's an indie collage deck that looks rather dark to me, but ymmv. Great cardstock and reads wonderfully. I hope that helps!

I had a look at it - not sure if it's quite the vibe I'm looking for but I appreciate your suggestion nonetheless 😊

[TheFeeLion]

@Page of Ghosts this thread will probably be helpful 😊 I know there's also Murder of Crows Tarot,  Dark Wood Tarot, Terror Tarot.

 

I've just done a quick etsy search that's brought up a few too... Cursed Auguries Tarot, The Bones Arcana, Tarot of Curiosities, Lost Hollow Tarot just to name a few. I don't have any of them but they look like some of them could be up your alley 😁

[katrinka]

21 minutes ago, Page of Ghosts said:

Just like a good tarot reading, you gave me the answer I dreaded yet knew to be true. The Bohemian Gothic would be perfect! Too bad it's OOP and it's currently priced somewhere between a bit higher than my electricity bill in winter and my rent 😭 I'm trying not to think of this deck as an option, haha. the search continues, but I have added it to my list of contenders.

 

There's an app from Oceanside Media that comes and goes on amazon. It has a lot of pertinent information from the guidebook, and the cards look stunning backlit - evn better than the physical deck. It's also quite affordable. 

It isn't there currently, but I have a feeling it will be back. It's come back before.  It's worth watching for. 

[Page of Ghosts]

On 3/10/2021 at 7:00 AM, TheFeeLion said:

@Page of Ghosts this thread will probably be helpful 😊 I know there's also Murder of Crows Tarot,  Dark Wood Tarot, Terror Tarot.

 

I've just done a quick etsy search that's brought up a few too... Cursed Auguries Tarot, The Bones Arcana, Tarot of Curiosities, Lost Hollow Tarot just to name a few. I don't have any of them but they look like some of them could be up your alley 😁

thank you @TheFeeLion

I've seen the Lost Hollow Tarot before and it's the most interesting of the bunch you mentioned. the thread was also very helpful for my research. I forget I can search the forum!

 

I ended up deep into a research hole and I have so many interesting decks on my list. I think the Bohemian Gothic would be perfect, but as it's unavailable to me I've ended up with the app version of the Tarot of Vampyres. it's maybe not as elegant and sophisticated as the BG (feels kinda rude to type this out, poor ToV), but it has that 90's goth vibe I adore, reminding me of media such as The Crow from 1994 and my beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer so I shall give it a chance 😈 if I like the app I might go for the physical set at a later time, but it's a fairly inexpensive way of trying out a deck that I was a bit skeptical of - the art is more realistic than what I usually go for and the people are very attractive and hot 🔥. I don't have a lot of that either in my little collection 😁

 

I also went shopping in my collection and realised my Froud Fairies Oracle has a sort of intimidating vibe to it, so I shall make sure to use it more and see what it's actually like. for the most part is has been kind to me in my readings. there are some decks I haven't used all that much yet that might pack a stronger punch than what they look like. the Wild Unknown is always surprisingly intuitive and deep when I use it, for example. since my great decluttering effort of 2018 I have managed to keep my collection small at around 20 decks, with only 5 or less new decks bought since then. I prefer to keep it small so I wouldn't want to cycle through a large amount of decks to find one that is right for me, but a few new ones now that I'm ready to pass on some old decks sounds reasonable to me 😇 I'll post about what I decide on later when I make up my mind.

[Page of Ghosts]

On 3/10/2021 at 7:04 AM, katrinka said:

 

There's an app from Oceanside Media that comes and goes on amazon. It has a lot of pertinent information from the guidebook, and the cards look stunning backlit - evn better than the physical deck. It's also quite affordable. 

It isn't there currently, but I have a feeling it will be back. It's come back before.  It's worth watching for. 

I'll try to remember this, thanks for the suggestion. I prefer physical cards, but an app is much, much better than nothing, especially when the real thing is so expensive.

[Carlo]

There's an excellent description and review of the Dark Angels tarot on Aeclectic: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/dark-angels/

It's the one dark deck that I own, in part because it's not about traditional horror and fear, rather emphasizing the shadow and darkness that's possible, while also holding on to some of the light.

[legendaryelement]

I checked to see if the book was still available ...

https://baba-store.com/products/the-bohemian-gothic-tarot-companion-book

 

Snag it while you can during your wait/search for the physical deck!

 

edit: looks like it is sold out

Edited March 15, 2021 by legendaryelement

[Page of Ghosts]

4 hours ago, Carlo said:

There's an excellent description and review of the Dark Angels tarot on Aeclectic: https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/dark-angels/

It's the one dark deck that I own, in part because it's not about traditional horror and fear, rather emphasizing the shadow and darkness that's possible, while also holding on to some of the light.

Thank you for this suggestion, adding it to the research pile 😊

[Page of Ghosts]

1 hour ago, legendaryelement said:

I checked to see if the book was still available ...

https://baba-store.com/products/the-bohemian-gothic-tarot-companion-book

 

Snag it while you can during your wait/search for the physical deck!

oh, thanks! I didn't think to look for the book. if it's still there by the end of next week, aka payday, it's snagging time 😁

[AlbaTross]

I have this one, and I think it's great: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/489018693/gothic-horror-tarot-deck

It also includes some Lovecraftian inspired monsters, alongside the obligatory vampires and witches, with a suit dedicated to monster hunters.  There is a werewolf featured on The Moon card.

 

Depending on whether you're looking for scary or just somber, I'm also pretty fond of Lo Scarabeo's Ghost Tarot: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Tarot-Davide-Corsi/dp/0738743534/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ghost+tarot&qid=1615577704&sr=8-1

[Niobium]

Hm, thinking over what you've said about the style you're looking for, there's Yasmine Abed's Tarot, which although the pre-orders came and went she might have spares of to sell: https://yaaart.com/store/inktobertarotdeck

 

There's also Emily Lubanko's Tarot, which is about to begin shipping, and so should have some copies available soonish: http://www.emilylubanko.com/tarot

 

And then Darkness of Light, for something a little more modernish: https://darknesstarot.com/

[TheFeeLion]

8 hours ago, Page of Ghosts said:

 

I also went shopping in my collection and realised my Froud Fairies Oracle has a sort of intimidating vibe to it, so I shall make sure to use it more and see what it's actually like. for the most part is has been kind to me in my readings. there are some decks I haven't used all that much yet that might pack a stronger punch than what they look like.

I have Froud's Faeries too, I find its usually more like a brick through a window though 😂 and can tell some hard truths. I love it 😁

 

Ooo I just remembered Tarot Del Toro! It's a pip deck that draws from Guillermo del Toro's creature creations. I'm pretty sure he is the Magician too! Definitely has a dark, old feel to it though

[LogicalHue]

Well if you're looking for hot-topic-kid nostalgia there's Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot. I have this one; there are quite a few pip-minor cards but not only. Also The Gothic Tarot by Joseph Vargo (I had a calendar by the same artist when I was in high school).

 

There are quite a few skeleton decks. Flux Arcana. The Marigold Tarot. Tarot of the Dead. Santa Muerte Tarot. Skeleton Tarot (on etsy).

 

Another Etsy tarot artist is PixelOccult, they've made several decks that are all pretty dark. (Oh right, someone already mentioned Lost Hollow which I'm seeing on their Etsy page and putting that together that that's the same person.)

 

Dark Grimoire Tarot. Shadowland Tarot (kinda dark, but also cute). The Hieronymus Bosch Tarot (indie deck not to be confused with the Bosch tarot). Little bit of a creep factor to much of the Nicoletta Ceccoli tarot but in a different kind of way from skeletons and vampires. Azathoth Tarot Deck. I don't know that I would call the Wooden Tarot "dark" but it could be worth a look (one of the suits is bones, and some of the animals are kinda creepy).

[Page of Ghosts]

On 3/13/2021 at 12:03 AM, TheFeeLion said:

I have Froud's Faeries too, I find its usually more like a brick through a window though 😂 and can tell some hard truths. I love it 😁

 

Ooo I just remembered Tarot Del Toro! It's a pip deck that draws from Guillermo del Toro's creature creations. I'm pretty sure he is the Magician too! Definitely has a dark, old feel to it though

It´s been a while since I last took it out to play with, so it might be more of a heavy hitter than I remember. This last reading it was pretty gentle, I think, but I plan on using it more so who knows - maybe the bricks will start flying through my window soon 😁

 

I´m quite fond of what I´ve seen from Guillermo del Toro, but I´m not a fan of pip decks, unfortunately. The closest I own is a gifted Medieval Cats Tarot and that one still has tiny little pictures on it.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Page of Ghosts

[Page of Ghosts]

On 3/12/2021 at 8:35 PM, AlbaTross said:

I have this one, and I think it's great: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/489018693/gothic-horror-tarot-deck

It also includes some Lovecraftian inspired monsters, alongside the obligatory vampires and witches, with a suit dedicated to monster hunters.  There is a werewolf featured on The Moon card.

 

Depending on whether you're looking for scary or just somber, I'm also pretty fond of Lo Scarabeo's Ghost Tarot: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Tarot-Davide-Corsi/dp/0738743534/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ghost+tarot&qid=1615577704&sr=8-1

Thank you for your suggestions. Not sure if either of those are for me - I´ve become so picky about decks the last few years - but I appreciate it. I forget I can actually search the forum so if anyone else stumbles across this thread at some later time it´s great to have a lot of decks to look up 😄

[Page of Ghosts]

On 3/12/2021 at 9:18 PM, Niobium said:

Hm, thinking over what you've said about the style you're looking for, there's Yasmine Abed's Tarot, which although the pre-orders came and went she might have spares of to sell: https://yaaart.com/store/inktobertarotdeck

 

There's also Emily Lubanko's Tarot, which is about to begin shipping, and so should have some copies available soonish: http://www.emilylubanko.com/tarot

 

And then Darkness of Light, for something a little more modernish: https://darknesstarot.com/

Heh, the Lubanko deck had some art I associated with my hard limit for gruesome imagery - it´s too dark for me actually 😅 otherwise it´s a beautiful deck, and perhaps the most interesting of the bunch you mentioned, but I can´t see myself with a deck that brings up such bad emotions. Sigh. Really like the inktober deck too but it´s a bit too pricy for me, sadly, so the quest continues.

[Page of Ghosts]

On 3/13/2021 at 12:49 AM, LogicalHue said:

Well if you're looking for hot-topic-kid nostalgia there's Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot. I have this one; there are quite a few pip-minor cards but not only. Also The Gothic Tarot by Joseph Vargo (I had a calendar by the same artist when I was in high school).

 

There are quite a few skeleton decks. Flux Arcana. The Marigold Tarot. Tarot of the Dead. Santa Muerte Tarot. Skeleton Tarot (on etsy).

 

Another Etsy tarot artist is PixelOccult, they've made several decks that are all pretty dark. (Oh right, someone already mentioned Lost Hollow which I'm seeing on their Etsy page and putting that together that that's the same person.)

 

Dark Grimoire Tarot. Shadowland Tarot (kinda dark, but also cute). The Hieronymus Bosch Tarot (indie deck not to be confused with the Bosch tarot). Little bit of a creep factor to much of the Nicoletta Ceccoli tarot but in a different kind of way from skeletons and vampires. Azathoth Tarot Deck. I don't know that I would call the Wooden Tarot "dark" but it could be worth a look (one of the suits is bones, and some of the animals are kinda creepy).

 

The Shadowland Tarot is one that I'm instinctively drawn to, being a fan of quirky traditional art. I will look more closely into it. The Marigold Tarot I remember seeing ages ago and I really liked it then, but I haven't seen it in so long that I might have changed my opinion. The Ceccoli Tarot has been on various wishlists since I first started getting into tarot in 2014 or 2015, but somehow I've never picked it up.

 

Lots of good suggestions here that I haven't thought of myself or found on Aeclectic's tarot deck pages.

[Page of Ghosts]

I've extended my search to include decks that would be good for shadow work. There might be some overlap with the darker aestethic I'm looking for, or there might not be, but I figured this will give me some more options since I'm also open for decks that don't sugarcoat their messages. I might edit my opening post to include this change, as well as the decks suggested so far for archival purposes - it's nice to have them all in one tidy place, I think 🙂

 

I'm kind of picky when it comes to art. After the great Deck Declutter of 2018 I've found a better sense of what kind of decks and art styles I'm into and I only wish to bring in things that I'm fairly certain of. Apologies about shutting down so many suggestions. Finding a deck you think you will love is hard work, especially after so many duds over the years, and I know I might risk bringing in another so I'm trying my best not to be enarmoured by pretty pictures and instead doing my research, honing in on aspects I believe could be a problem for me personally. I have some good candidates in mind that I'll look more into, so everyone's suggestions have not been wasted as they've focused my search a bit more.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Page of Ghosts

[Mokona]

@Page of Ghosts You should check out the Tarot of Curiosities in case it's up your alley. Another deck I suggest you check out has a dark medieval thing going with imps and monsters, it's the Serpent and Peacock Tarot. Mass-market decks I can think of are the Hush Tarot and Lisa Hunt's Ghosts and Spirits Tarot. 

 

[LogicalHue]

9 hours ago, Page of Ghosts said:

The Shadowland Tarot is one that I'm instinctively drawn to, being a fan of quirky traditional art.

 

I think if it weren't Schiffer publishing I would already have it. I have a couple of Schiffer decks and I can't shuffle them, the cards are thick and glossy and edge-gilded and they're all scuffed up from what little I do use them. Plus the box is gigantic and that annoys me. I tried to get many copies of Ostara Tarot and not one was without significant physical flaws (nor were the sizes consistent so I couldn't mix and match). Not a Schiffer fan. End mini-rant  

 

I do have Nicoletta Ceccoli and I like it a lot. The artworks weren't made as a tarot deck but I think it's done very well and I read well with it.

[Queen of Nothing]

If you're looking for spooky and creepy childhood nostalgia, may I recommend the Ritual Abuse tarot? The artwork is based on Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark, so definitely spooky and nostalgic, and a little unsettling too, if you read those as a kid. You can look at the artwork here (https://ryansheffieldart.com/tarot/) and there's a link to buy. I absolutely adore this deck.