Worst Deck Purchase of 2018?

[Whisper]

I never thought I would regret buying any deck, but I regret having paid what I paid for this:

 

 

The cards and the booklet are good quality. The cards are big, but I really think this was a waste of money.

 

Have you regretted any purchases this year?

[Jewel]

No regrets so far, but again I had not purchased anything tarot or oracle for a few years and I am being really picky as I add new things.  I am way passed the catch-all phase of my collecting days.  But oh there was a time ... and I still have decks to prove that.  That is one of the reasons I started my deck a month project.  To make me really sit down and work with my decks and when I get a few I will make trade thread in hopes of rehoming them for some other decks I might want to try out.

[Carojulie]

Hello !

 

I have not made enough purchases in 2018 to regret a single one.... and as years passed, I have become more cautious about wich new deck I really want, so I have not had deceptions in a few years.

 

I think my last deception was the Modern Spellcaster tarot. Was it two years ago already ? I am not sure.

At the time, I bought into the buzz that this deck was "inclusive" and that is why I got it. But when I got it, it appeared very bland to me, both in art and in contents.... I found it very "politically correct" but not genuinly inclusive as I has hoped. To me it seemed like someone had concocted a recipe to make a tarot deck that would be popular in the 21st century,  and that recipe called for a pinch of POC, a pinch of bad ass chicks, a pinch of same sex couples.... but theend result seemed very "fake", or artificial, to me. So it was a disapointment, but I got over it.

 

My worse deck purchase of all time must be the Decameron. I wanted a deck that did not shy from showing love and sex, and I read that this one also contained all sorts of people of all size, shapes and age range. That sounded good to me, a welcome change from the stereotyped "sex symbols" of eternally young thin full-chested females and young muscular man. But when I received the deck, I was appaled. I am not offended by crude and graphic representations of love. But in the Decameron, I found nothing sensual in the deck, no love, just porn ; and some of the sex scenes look like rape to me. And the sexist vibe of this deck ! Argh, horrid. Add to that that the art is quite bland, and that the illustrations have nothing to do with card meaning.... you have a deck that doesnt look like tarot but just a random collection of crude scenes, some of them offending. And the deck has the horrible multilanguage borders à la Scarabeo. Horrid, but I cant even rehome it because it is so bad. At the end, I think I eventually kept it because it is so bad that it sort of earned a special place for me : definitively the worst deck of my entire collection !

 

Luckily this was a long time ago, and for the last few years I have only aquired decks that I like !

[Page of Ghosts]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

[Whisper]

No regrets so far, but again I had not purchased anything tarot or oracle for a few years and I am being really picky as I add new things.  I am way passed the catch-all phase of my collecting days.  But oh there was a time ... and I still have decks to prove that.  That is one of the reasons I started my deck a month project.  To make me really sit down and work with my decks and when I get a few I will make trade thread in hopes of rehoming them for some other decks I might want to try out.

 

Wise.  <3 I have one that I could never connect with and would like to rehome, the MerryDay. I collect decks not just to read with or consult, but as a collector for the beauty of their artwork. This one, though, was a mistake.

[Whisper]

Hello !

 

I have not made enough purchases in 2018 to regret a single one.... and as years passed, I have become more cautious about wich new deck I really want, so I have not had deceptions in a few years.

 

I think my last deception was the Modern Spellcaster tarot. Was it two years ago already ? I am not sure.

At the time, I bought into the buzz that this deck was "inclusive" and that is why I got it. But when I got it, it appeared very bland to me, both in art and in contents.... I found it very "politically correct" but not genuinly inclusive as I has hoped. To me it seemed like someone had concocted a recipe to make a tarot deck that would be popular in the 21st century,  and that recipe called for a pinch of POC, a pinch of bad ass chicks, a pinch of same sex couples.... but theend result seemed very "fake", or artificial, to me. So it was a disapointment, but I got over it.

 

My worse deck purchase of all time must be the Decameron. I wanted a deck that did not shy from showing love and sex, and I read that this one also contained all sorts of people of all size, shapes and age range. That sounded good to me, a welcome change from the stereotyped "sex symbols" of eternally young thin full-chested females and young muscular man. But when I received the deck, I was appaled. I am not offended by crude and graphic representations of love. But in the Decameron, I found nothing sensual in the deck, no love, just porn ; and some of the sex scenes look like rape to me. And the sexist vibe of this deck ! Argh, horrid. Add to that that the art is quite bland, and that the illustrations have nothing to do with card meaning.... you have a deck that doesnt look like tarot but just a random collection of crude scenes, some of them offending. And the deck has the horrible multilanguage borders à la Scarabeo. Horrid, but I cant even rehome it because it is so bad. At the end, I think I eventually kept it because it is so bad that it sort of earned a special place for me : definitively the worst deck of my entire collection !

 

Luckily this was a long time ago, and for the last few years I have only aquired decks that I like !

 

I can totally see that! Not a pleasant, but still interesting experience. :D

 

I try to be careful, and, so far, have done quite well. For years, I didn't buy any tarots or oracles. It's only this year that I started again. I think I won't be able to resist The True Black Tarot. I've never seen anything like this.

[Whisper]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

There's an interesting childlike quality about one of the ones that are winging their way towards you. Am I correct in thinking that you prefer indie decks?

[Page of Ghosts]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

There's an interesting childlike quality about one of the ones that are winging their way towards you. Am I correct in thinking that you prefer indie decks?

 

I like a lot of indie decks but I haven't really purchased many since they are usually more expensive than the mass market ones and I've worried about what if I don't like a deck I spend so much money on :'( Last year I felt like I really got a grasp on what I like or don't like in tarot decks and I don't think I had any deck I bought that I hated (at worst I'm lukewarm towards one or two) so I trust myself a lot more. Thus I've vowed to buy more indie decks this year ^-^ Some are out of my budget forever but luckily there are a lot of nice mass market ones that I'd like to buy as well as many indies who are well within what I can afford.

[Whisper]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

There's an interesting childlike quality about one of the ones that are winging their way towards you. Am I correct in thinking that you prefer indie decks?

 

I like a lot of indie decks but I haven't really purchased many since they are usually more expensive than the mass market ones and I've worried about what if I don't like a deck I spend so much money on :'( Last year I felt like I really got a grasp on what I like or don't like in tarot decks and I don't think I had any deck I bought that I hated (at worst I'm lukewarm towards one or two) so I trust myself a lot more. Thus I've vowed to buy more indie decks this year ^-^ Some are out of my budget forever but luckily there are a lot of nice mass market ones that I'd like to buy as well as many indies who are well within what I can afford.

 

Yes, thank goodness. As for the more expensive ones, I find myself saving for them because some are truly beautiful. :)

[Page of Ghosts]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

There's an interesting childlike quality about one of the ones that are winging their way towards you. Am I correct in thinking that you prefer indie decks?

 

I like a lot of indie decks but I haven't really purchased many since they are usually more expensive than the mass market ones and I've worried about what if I don't like a deck I spend so much money on :'( Last year I felt like I really got a grasp on what I like or don't like in tarot decks and I don't think I had any deck I bought that I hated (at worst I'm lukewarm towards one or two) so I trust myself a lot more. Thus I've vowed to buy more indie decks this year ^-^ Some are out of my budget forever but luckily there are a lot of nice mass market ones that I'd like to buy as well as many indies who are well within what I can afford.

 

Yes, thank goodness. As for the more expensive ones, I find myself saving for them because some are truly beautiful. :)

 

I'll have to consider that too if my tastes should become more expensive. Il Meneghello does a lot of lovely historical decks but they are quite pricy... probably well worth it for the work that goes into creating their decks, but I try to not look at their stock too often O:-)

[Whisper]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

There's an interesting childlike quality about one of the ones that are winging their way towards you. Am I correct in thinking that you prefer indie decks?

 

I like a lot of indie decks but I haven't really purchased many since they are usually more expensive than the mass market ones and I've worried about what if I don't like a deck I spend so much money on :'( Last year I felt like I really got a grasp on what I like or don't like in tarot decks and I don't think I had any deck I bought that I hated (at worst I'm lukewarm towards one or two) so I trust myself a lot more. Thus I've vowed to buy more indie decks this year ^-^ Some are out of my budget forever but luckily there are a lot of nice mass market ones that I'd like to buy as well as many indies who are well within what I can afford.

 

Yes, thank goodness. As for the more expensive ones, I find myself saving for them because some are truly beautiful. :)

 

I'll have to consider that too if my tastes should become more expensive. Il Meneghello does a lot of lovely historical decks but they are quite pricy... probably well worth it for the work that goes into creating their decks, but I try to not look at their stock too often O:-)

 

Now, you've made me curious.  ;D

[Page of Ghosts]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

There's an interesting childlike quality about one of the ones that are winging their way towards you. Am I correct in thinking that you prefer indie decks?

 

I like a lot of indie decks but I haven't really purchased many since they are usually more expensive than the mass market ones and I've worried about what if I don't like a deck I spend so much money on :'( Last year I felt like I really got a grasp on what I like or don't like in tarot decks and I don't think I had any deck I bought that I hated (at worst I'm lukewarm towards one or two) so I trust myself a lot more. Thus I've vowed to buy more indie decks this year ^-^ Some are out of my budget forever but luckily there are a lot of nice mass market ones that I'd like to buy as well as many indies who are well within what I can afford.

 

Yes, thank goodness. As for the more expensive ones, I find myself saving for them because some are truly beautiful. :)

 

I'll have to consider that too if my tastes should become more expensive. Il Meneghello does a lot of lovely historical decks but they are quite pricy... probably well worth it for the work that goes into creating their decks, but I try to not look at their stock too often O:-)

 

Now, you've made me curious.  ;D

 

Had a look and not all are too expensive - this 70's deck looks really cool to me and it's 35 EUR which I don't think is too bad: http://tarotbg.eu/en/il-meneghello-decks/333-ferdinando-crippa-tarocchi.html

 

But then again they have a set of Sola Busca Majors only which are close to 90 EUR. I guess everyone could find something they like in their selection then ;)

[gregory]

I already posted about mine in some other thread. The Coffee Tarot. Just ugh.

 

http://www.janetboyer.com/Coffee-Tarot.html

 

Enjoy. If you can.

 

I liked her Snowland; that was why I backed it.

[Whisper]

I already posted about mine in some other thread. The Coffee Tarot. Just ugh.

 

http://www.janetboyer.com/Coffee-Tarot.html

 

Enjoy. If you can.

 

I liked her Snowland; that was why I backed it.

 

I see exactly what you mean, gregory. LOLOL I watched the Snowland video and those cards are a different story.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I haven't bought anything this year yet so my self-imposed moratorium must be working! Let's see later tho.

 

That said, I bought a ton of decks last year, and I never regretted buying any of them.

[Raggydoll]

Hello !

 

I have not made enough purchases in 2018 to regret a single one.... and as years passed, I have become more cautious about wich new deck I really want, so I have not had deceptions in a few years.

 

I think my last deception was the Modern Spellcaster tarot. Was it two years ago already ? I am not sure.

At the time, I bought into the buzz that this deck was "inclusive" and that is why I got it. But when I got it, it appeared very bland to me, both in art and in contents.... I found it very "politically correct" but not genuinly inclusive as I has hoped. To me it seemed like someone had concocted a recipe to make a tarot deck that would be popular in the 21st century,  and that recipe called for a pinch of POC, a pinch of bad ass chicks, a pinch of same sex couples.... but theend result seemed very "fake", or artificial, to me. So it was a disapointment, but I got over it.

 

My worse deck purchase of all time must be the Decameron. I wanted a deck that did not shy from showing love and sex, and I read that this one also contained all sorts of people of all size, shapes and age range. That sounded good to me, a welcome change from the stereotyped "sex symbols" of eternally young thin full-chested females and young muscular man. But when I received the deck, I was appaled. I am not offended by crude and graphic representations of love. But in the Decameron, I found nothing sensual in the deck, no love, just porn ; and some of the sex scenes look like rape to me. And the sexist vibe of this deck ! Argh, horrid. Add to that that the art is quite bland, and that the illustrations have nothing to do with card meaning.... you have a deck that doesnt look like tarot but just a random collection of crude scenes, some of them offending. And the deck has the horrible multilanguage borders à la Scarabeo. Horrid, but I cant even rehome it because it is so bad. At the end, I think I eventually kept it because it is so bad that it sort of earned a special place for me : definitively the worst deck of my entire collection !

 

Luckily this was a longy time ago, and for the last few years I have only aquired decks that I like !

 

I so agree with you on the Decameron! I bought a small collection of decks a couple of years ago and this deck was among them. I looked at it and I saw exactly the things that you described. This is actually the only deck I have ever thrown away, but I just could not pass that on to anyone else. It was so deeply disturbing  :-\

[Jewel]

Carojulie[/member] thanks for expanding on your issues with the Modern Spellcaster, I was actually added it to my recent wishlist but thanks to you I am taking it right off.  There is enough PC floating around I do not need it in my tarot collection.

[Whisper]

Carojulie[/member]

 

Yes, thank you re. the M Spellcaster. Off my list, too.  :)

[Carojulie]

Hi Jewel, Shivani,

 

Well I would not want to speak ill of the Modern Spellcaster, nor hurt the creators feelings, you know.... I found it very bland, but that's just me and I've also heard that many people like the deck, so who knows, it might work for you ? Actually it is because I had read several good reviews, that I bought it in the first place.

 

I find that inclusivity is difficult to find in a deck, but for me it is much more than what is shown in this deck.

 

I understand that the genders male and female can be used to represent masculine and feminine archetypes in tarot, ying and yang ; and I also understand that age can represent an archetype too, and that the choice to represent a child or an older person on a card, may carry a meaning in itself.

 

But real life is made of many different poeple, many different skin and hair colors, many different body shapes and sizes, many ways of being "feminine" or "masculine" and a whole lot of subtleties in between, many different ages, many different ways of being "attractive" or not .....

 

In the Modern Spellcaster (and in A WHOLE LOT of decks, actually), I feel like there are so many limitations : the characters in the cards are all conventionally thin and attractive. They all look to be young sexy young adults, exept when the card specifically calls for a child or a "wise old person".

 

I appreciate that in this deck there is some variety in melanine, and that there is representation of same sex couple, and it is true that it's is a start, after all these decades !

 

The reason I was disapointed is that I only got the deck for it's "inclusiveness", and while I agree that it is more inclusive than many other decks, it still fell short of my expectations - but my expectations were high ! If I had not known beforehand that the deck was supposed to be "inclusive" , I probably would not have been disapointed that way (but the art still feels bland to me..... that's another matter, though). What let me down is that I felt that this deck pretented to be something that it was not.

 

I find this deck so conventional, so politically correct ! Like the creators thought "ok, there is this hashtag tarotsowhite going on in tarot circles, let's surf on it and create a deck that will please this new trend, that way it will sell well. But let's not take the trend too far by drawing characters that look fat or old or disabled, because that could shock sensitivities and could hurt the sales"

 

That is why I was disapointed when I got the deck, it is because I was expecting inclusivity, and I found limitations ; and also because I strongly feel that inclusivity was treated as a trend, the "fashion of the moment", in a way, and that really grates on my feelings.

 

But, I also realise that I am being very picky. I realise that it's a good thing that at least some inclusivity starts to creep into massmarketed tarot decks.

 

So take what I am saying about this deck with a grain of salt, because the Modern Spellcaster is not a bad deck, by all means ! Many people like it and it might very well work for you !

[Page of Ghosts]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

I realised I lied - I was gifted the Medieval Cats Tarot via the December gift swap we had and it came to me in January! I really like this deck too - I haven't worked super much with it but it's very to the point and direct, which I enjoy.

[Alta]

I have only purchased one deck so far this year, The Fairy Ring.  But as that is still in the mail I can’t comment on it.  This will be the first deck that I purchased since AT closed in July, because I have not been listening to deck talk.

 

 

All time?  The Enochian freaked me right out, I couldn’t get rid of if fast enough, creepy.

[Jewel]

Carojulie[/member] I really appreciate your honesty about the Modern Spellcasters.  I do not see your opinion as offensive but as personal, and I just happen to share your issues with PC being put in a deck just for the sake of meeting modern trends.  I do not mean any disrespect to anyone (including the deck creators) but I think PC has gone overboard in this day and age and if the inclusion does not feel natural then I, like you, am not interested.  Like I said I am way passed the catch-all phase of collecting, and I have more decks than I know what to do with, so being able to weed some off my wishlist is actually a good thing for me lol.

 

Alta[/member] I look forward to seeing what you think of the Fairy Ring.  I have the deck, it belongs to my Froud Faeries, they wanted it LOL.  It is different, and I love that it is seasonally based so you get a real vibe for the elements and seasons, and I love the Fairy Lore.  I have to use the book for context when I use mine, but I still get really good readings.  I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

[Whisper]

I've only gotten one deck to play with so far and I'm waiting for two on the way so I've yet to make any worst purchases yet... but we'll see how it goes later in the year. 2017 started very slow and got very intense on the deck-buying around summer/fall  :o

 

I realised I lied - I was gifted the Medieval Cats Tarot via the December gift swap we had and it came to me in January! I really like this deck too - I haven't worked super much with it but it's very to the point and direct, which I enjoy.

 

I must say that I'm surprised how many cat Tarots and Oracles there are, some of which are really quite nice. Even the Tarot Familiars have lovely images.

[Whisper]

Carojulie[/member] I really appreciate your honesty about the Modern Spellcasters.  I do not see your opinion as offensive but as personal, and I just happen to share your issues with PC being put in a deck just for the sake of meeting modern trends.  I do not mean any disrespect to anyone (including the deck creators) but I think PC has gone overboard in this day and age and if the inclusion does not feel natural then I, like you, am not interested.  ... Being able to weed some off my wishlist is actually a good thing for me lol.

 

Alta[/member] I look forward to seeing what you think of the Fairy Ring.

 

I feel the same way Jewel does (quoted).  :)

 

Would love to hear what you have to say about the Fairy Ring, Alta.

[Flaxen]

All time?  The Enochian freaked me right out, I couldn’t get rid of if fast enough, creepy.

 

Yes! I still have mine but it's hidden away in a cupboard.

 

Not had any regrets as such this year, just a couple which were slightly different to expectations - the LS Universal Fantasy and the Pam's Vintage RWS.