Deck styles that resonate or not with you most

[euripides]

While I don't think of myself as a 'people person', for some reason it's the people in decks that really matter to me. And while I love abstract art, they need to be reasonably realistic; painterly, yes, but not badly drawn; and naturalistic rather than illustrative/animation styles of art.  Kat Black's Touchstone is a favorite - collaged but still true to the original works, and put together with real insight. Though I was a bit shocked to find Bloody Mary as the Queen of Swords.  I'm also drawn to decks like the Gaian for that reason - the real and relatable people. I don't own that deck yet, I think because of its emphasis on pacific/American culture, but its artwork is among the best out there in my opinion. 

 

The Hermit card is important to me, too, and sometimes the Hierophant and Magician. I have issues with the Empress, and she often puts me off a deck. The Devil, too. 

[Guest]

The Light Seer deck is the first one I bought and still a favourite. Classic Llewllyn as well. But my to go deck now is the Radiant RWS deck. I love the symbology on the RWS deck to get to know the cards and study.

[Guest]

Golden Art Nouveau Tarot was the first deck I bought when I started learning to read tarot, and I love just about anything done in Art Nouveau style.  Otherwise, I have no idea what draws me to certain decks, other than really liking the art and way the artist interprets card meanings.  RWS works best for the way I read cards, and I prefer decks that are more focused on people and experiences rather than astrology and ritual magic.

 

It's easier to figure out what I DON'T like: decks with fairies, anthropomorphic animals, excessive cuteness, or sexualized nudity, (also digital art or photography usually doesn't appeal), but sometimes I totally fall in love with a tarot deck and make an exception.  I really like White Sage tarot even though it's a cute animal deck, probably because I like the art style and the colors, and it has a quiet, solemn feeling under all the cuteness.

 

I still haven't figured out what I like best--mostly I just figured out that my shopping problem extends to buying tarot decks.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Guest

[Sar]

I like fun whimsical drawings, but hate photoshop images that are suppose to be goth, dark and mystic.

[nord_drache]

On 1/28/2019 at 5:10 PM, Grandma said:

My taste in decks is eclectic.  I can't define what I like, but I know it when I see it!

Me too!

 

If I look at a deck and it resonates with me it's because I like the artwork.

 

[Chariot]

The older I get, the more I am drawn to decks where the images are clear and distinct from one another, so I don't get confused during a reading, especially if a card is reversed.  Nothing worse than mistaking a Rod for a Sword, or thinking a Page is a Knight (if a Page rides a horse, or a Knight doesn't ride a horse—yikes), or mistaking one of the Queens for the Empress, etc.  By the time I discover my mistake, I've usually put my foot in it.

When I'm reading, I don't want to have to be constantly picking up the cards and peering at them to figure out which ones they are. I suppose what makes it easier is if the figures on the cards are large in relation to the background, and there is a variety of colour in the design, and the borders are either nonexistent or quite plain.

I love working with Druidcraft (modified to borderless), Anna K, Ciro Manchetti's Tarot Grand Luxe, Sharman-Caselli, Robin Wood, Hanson-Roberts, etc—as well as the original Rider Waite Smith deck. What these decks all have in common, besides being RWS-based, and the fact that the images are all of human beings, is that the images are very clear and easy to distinguish from one another during the course of a reading.

Don't get me wrong ...there are many other decks that I love, take out and look at and admire.  But when it comes to actually reading, those ones above are the ones I usually turn to.

I am not a fan of animal-based decks, because I don't relate to animals being stereotyped as having human characteristics, or 'themed decks' which can often feel very contrived.  That being said, I could be persuaded if these kinds of decks had 'something' that made me want them.

[Bodhiseed]

I prefer decks that are painted, sketched, linocut or woodcut prints, etc. rather than those generated by a computer. 

[Misterei]

Dealbreakers

• Photo collage, heavily digitalized, frankenstein photoshop decks
• Cutesy theme decks, especially halloween, anime, etc. The chick in Escaflowne used real Tarot cards fer cryin' out loud.
• The modern "oracle and affirmations" aesthetic. SO BLAND. I mean LightSeers is cool ... but now every new deck wants to be Lightseers. Yawn.
• The art is pretty but it "breaks" the symbolism (I'm looking at YOU PreRafaeilite Tarot)
• Minimalist decks (c'mon. Quit being shallow and lazy and calling it "minimalism", Labrynthos)
• Poorly drawn looks like a 12-year-old's project for art class (and I don't mean a super talented 12-year-old, either)
• The super messy primitive Tarot de Marseille wood cuts and garish colors where the damaged wood blocks and reversed images are "part of the charm". This is why God made Photoshop. Clean it up if you're going to sell it. RESEARCH if the person is supposed to be looking left or right.
• Decks that want Swords to be Fire, or Wands to be Earth, or Cups to be fire or whatever. I like the classic Swords as Air, etc.
• Blair Witch Project decks (Looking at YOU, Wild Unknown)

Dealmakers

• Art Deco and Art Nuveau (I'm looking at YOU Mucha deck)
• Ciro Marchetti's digital art that's really art
• Italian alternatives to TdM - Bolognese, Piedmontese, Eduord Dotti (I love you Il Meneghello and you, too, Patrick Valenza)
• Decks that look like an awesome Science Fiction novel (Tarot of the Cat People, Key Master)
• Decks where someone painstakingly researched the symbolism and wrote an informative LWB to go with it (Rose Tarot)
• Good repros of RWS that give attention to detail and colorization (Pam's vintage, Centennial)
• DECKS IN TINS (Brilliant)

Edited October 30, 2022 by Misterei

[Guest]

No AI-generated art for me. I also don't understand the appeal of photorealistic decks. Animal-themed decks leave me cold. Light and fluffy oracles/Tarots - keep em away. 

 

I like heavily esoteric decks. Also love ancient decks, although the lack of traditional meanings in most cases is a challenge since I prefer to work with my tools. The aesthetics of most Marseilles are too uniform for my taste, but some like the Madenié are arresting. Drawn to decks with deep, gorgeous colors. 

[Misterei]

3 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

No AI-generated art for me.

I forgot that on my dealbreakers list. Yeah. AI + Tarot just seems wrong somehow.

[Little Fang]

I counted at least 3 AI-generated decks on kickstarter the other day. One was by a big tarot group. I was disappointed. 

I like playing with AI art, but for fun not to build a full deck.

 

 

[MuninnMissinHuginn]

On 10/30/2022 at 10:27 PM, Misterei said:

Yeah. AI + Tarot just seems wrong somehow.

 

23 hours ago, Little Fang said:

I like playing with AI art

AI has its place and purpose and looks fun to play with, but, for me, the results really emphasize the A in AI.  It does seem counter intuitive to have a tool for intuition and connectedness to be imaged by something that has none, or if one thinks there are sentient AI, then certainly is not human intuition. 

 

And there is a little dinosaur in my head that feels like it is cheating 😑.

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by MuninnMissinHuginn

[Little Fang]

1 hour ago, MuninnMissinHuginn said:

 

AI has its place and purpose and looks fun to play with, but, for me, the results really emphasize the A in AI.  It does seem counter intuitive to have a tool for intuition and connectedness to be imaged by something that has none, or if one thinks there are sentient AI, then certainly is not human intuition. 

 

And there is a little dinosaur in my head that feels like it is cheating 😑.

 

 

 

I feel like my quote got cut off and misinterprets my sentiment. 😅

I don't want AI art on my decks, but it's fun to make profile pictures and other little things with.  

As an artist though, I have very complex other feelings about AI that are going off topic here. 🙂

[MuninnMissinHuginn]

@Little Fang, I am so sorry, not what was intended.  I have no issue with AI art really and that is what I liked about your comment.  I sometimes forget not everyone lives in my head!🤪

[dancing_moon]

I love old and vintage decks, especially the uncleaned/unrestored versions - to those, I'm willing to forgive almost anything.

 

In modern decks, I'm much pickier - but the "style" I find myself leaning more and more heavily towards is really about the substance: I look for decks with a meaningful system behind them, not just a collection of pretty pictures. It doesn't need to be complex or esoteric, but it does need to reflect a full spectrum of experiences and be based on a rich source of symbols (myths, fairy tales, classic literary works, etc.).

 

For me, if that substance is there, the looks become less important. It could even be badly done photo collage 👀

Edited August 4, 2024 by dancing_moon

[Scandinavianhermit]

Deck styles which attracts me:

• Cleaned-up marseille decks with restored colours
• post-1799 decks which intentionally draw inspiration from Italian, French and Swiss decks before 1800, including inspiration from the Aluette deck
• Italian decks from the 19th century
• Decks in which The Fool is Shin and Le Bateleur is Aleph 
• Decks that doesn't attempt to force any particular system of correspondences on me

 

Deck styles which repels me:

• "Themed" tarot
• Collage
• Cards looking like covers of sword-and-sorcery novels or heavy metal albums
• Decks in which The Fool is Aleph and Le Bateleur is Beth
• Decks overtly attempting to force any particular element correspondences on me

[xTheHermitx]

the RWS deck gives me "warm-fuzzies" of my childhood, when I would see my mom and her friends use it for readings, and it was left out on the table. It became the "root" image of that world for me. So it is the "home base" deck for me. 

 

that being said, I generally stay away from all of the "reboots" of it from over the years. The only one that I would consider getting is the Radiant Rider-Waite deck. I do love the way the images are softened up in that one.

 

I also like historical decks, and regional decks. 

 

I like decks that have an "occultish"/dark secrecy to the way they look. The Lasenikuv Deck is one of my favorites:

 

 

I am lukewarm about most animal decks, but I would get The Tarot of the Owls in a heartbeat

 

I tend to shy away from decks that are "too image-y", or too busy, or don't look like "old school" tarot cards. Decks that look like Pokemon cards, or as some have said "fantasy romance fiction book cover art" looking ones. 

 

Decks that tend to look too "trippy", bizarre, or like they are "trying too hard" also don't make the cut for me. Crowley's Thoth deck is like this. I do own one, mostly for the historical significance, and to learn his system, but I would never do a read with them. 

 

 

 

 

[Nemia]

Great question. I'm quite eclectic in my likes and dislikes as well but there are some things that I can't stand. These cookie-cutter AI decks that appear everywhere right now - oh no. While they may look pretty-pretty and attract buyers, I don't feel anything when I look at them. 

 

Watercolour decks always appeal to me (New Liminal Tarot, White Sage Tarot, Dreaming Way Tarot and all Lisa Hunt decks). Print techniques appeal to me as well (Terra Volatile Tarot, Holy Light Tarot black/white), and I love the lino cut technique in the Light and Shadow Tarot.

 

Collage is more difficult, but if done well, it's thought-provoking and interesting (Stretch Tarot, Quantum Tarot, Cult of WeimarTarot). I can forgive technical weaknesses when the overall theme and atmosphere of the deck are good. (Mythic Tarot has some weird figures, and Inner Child cards have some terrible hands - I find it distracting, but I can still work with those decks). 

 

I find animal decks interesting because I like comparing how each artist picked the animals - it adds dimension to my ideas about tarot archetypes, even though I rarely read with an animal deck. 

 

I can work well with very sparse decks that leave room for the imagination (Wild Unknown, Nova) but also with decks filled with symbolism (Hermetic, Tabula Mundi). If the deck is coherent, I can go along with the art style. Thinking about it - I think it's good for my reading skills to work with different decks. 

 

There are very good commissioned decks; Lo Scarabeo used to do these decks where a tarotist writes the concept for each card and a skilled illustrator turns them into images. This can work well (Atanassov decks work for me) or it can turn into cartoonish nightmare territory (I don't have an example right now, but you know what I mean). In general, I prefer decks made by artists steeped in tarot, even if they are less technically skilled. When I feel that the artist is passionate about tarot and has something to say, I go along with it. Anna K. is a great example of a deck born from passion for tarot, and it's also very well done and expressive. Benebell Wen's decks are another - Benebell is a miracle of nature; whatever she does, she does it supremely well. 

 

As an art historian, I'm always curious about decks that use existing artwork or that are inspired by artists of the past. The Majestic Earth Tarot or Lonely Dreamer Tarot are good examples. Sometimes, the art is competent and beautiful but leaves me a bit cold (Ethereal Visions in the Art Nouveau style). 

 

Collaged decks of existing artwork like Kat Black's decks or the Distant Past Tarot work surprisingly well, although of course I keep thinking about the source artwork. Kat Black was kind enough to give us a list of the artworks she used, but some of the cards in the Distant Past Tarot look at me and say: you know me! what's my name???, which can distract me. What I like about the Distant Past Tarot is that she goes full-on crazy with the artwork and doesn't try to create a totally cohesive image. I like that. 

 

I like decks based on a deep understanding of tarot and astrology, kabbalah, alchemy or mythology - they are like teachers leading me to new insights. 

 

Another thing I realized over time: sometimes, the art is very beautiful and the deck still doesn't read well for me. Other decks that I find not very appealing at first turn out to be very good reading decks. 

 

If you asked me what I think about themed decks or novelty decks, I'd say immediately that I don't like them, and yet - the Housewives Tarot reads very well for me. Ask me what I think about light, optimistic and pretty decks, and I'll tell you they're not for me - but the Lightseekers Tarot and Good Karma Tarot work well for me. 

 

I'm skeptical about collaborative decks but really like the Cosmos Tarot and Oracle and the Ostara Tarot. 

 

Deep down, it's a personal thing. Much as I love the esthetics of Marseilles decks and appreciated Yoav Ben Dov's book when I read it - I never reach for my pip decks for a reading. In theory, I'd love to be a Marseilles person, but in practice, I'm really not. 

 

There has to be a spark somewhere. And the right mix of adherence to the core principles of tarot AND innovation. The right mix of easily recognizable cards that give me a clear message AND challenging cards that puzzle me and tell me to dig a bit deeper. 

 

In short, many things can resonate with me but I want to feel the tarot passion burning somewhere. Yeah, what a rambling way to say: I really couldn't say. 

[lyredragon]

It has taken me a while to get over the lack of imagery in all the cards, but the more I use pip decks the better I like them. I have an Anne Stokes set that I bought because I love her artwork not paying attention to the fact that it was a pip deck until I opened it. but its nice and it has a longer, narrower shape 2.5x 5 rather than the 3x5. 

 

I bought a tiny tarot but i hate it because I can't riffle shuffle it or even hindu shuffle. flood shuffle works best but it's messy. It's good for keeping in my purse though.

 

WIld Unknown by kim krans was my first and still my favorite

 

I just can't with Brotherhood of Light. I bought it because it was an odd deck. I want one of each of those eventually just to get a feel for them. TdM and Thoth decks are still on my wishlist. But Brotherhood of life seems to be a mutual hatred. Everytime I sit with it, the general feeling is like ugh. you again.