Decks of The Decade

[Flaxen]

We’re nearing the end of another decade and it got me thinking of the decks published during it. 

 

2010-2019 was the decade where I did the bulk of my collection buying. It seems to have been a decade of real explosion in the amount of new decks on offer. 

 

With that in mind, are there any decks from this decade which you think are the new classics? Any which will date quickly? 

 

Some of the more innovative decks which spring to mind are Tarot of the Holy Light and Tarot of the Silicon Dawn - both changed the structure of what we think of as ‘tarot’ and brought interesting new elements. No-one really talks about them now though. 

 

Wild Unknown feels like it’s a defining deck of this decade - very popular while allowing freedom to approach from a non-RWS perspective. 

 

The ones which will date quickly are the ones which tap into a particular pop-culture vibe e.g. zombies, Game of Thrones. 

 

Here are a few of the decks published in this decade to give some food for thought. It is definitely not an exhaustive list!

Tyldwick

Anna K

Daniloff

Mary-El (Schiffer)

Tarot of the Sidhe

Wildwood

Rosetta

Tabula Mundi

Spirit Keeper’s

Shadowscapes

Gaian

Bonefire

Pagan Otherworlds

Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery

Tarot Illuminati

Tarot of the Hidden Realm

 

 

[Decan]

Spontaneously I think as well of the Wild Unknown Tarot because it has a distinct personality and met an important success (but I don't own it though).

 

For the same reasons I think about the Deviant Moon Tarot.

Edit: for this one I checked on AT and they say "US Games 2008 - US Games 2014", so possibly we are a bit outside the time frame...

Edited December 8, 2019 by Decan

[Mi-Shell]

Wild Unknown for sure!

On others I will have to think a little..... and come back 🙂

[katrinka]

The Alice, hands down. This thing is a magnum opus:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-alice-tarot-more-than_b_6025214

 

Another one I'm really impressed with is the Vamp. It didn't make a huge splash, but it's impressive because it resurrects an old set of interpretations, and even though every card is a photo of Theda Bara, which sounds kind of ditzy and shallow on the surface, she emoted so effectively that the photos convey the meanings quite well. (The people in the silents were masters at this. You could make a similar Tarot using just Clara Bow or Lon Chaney Sr., or any number of others. As Gloria Swanson quipped in Sunset Boulevard: "And no dialogue. We didn't need dialogue. We had faces.")
https://fennario.wordpress.com/2019/04/12/vamp-the-theda-bara-tarot-from-jook-art/

I second the Bonefire. It reads well, and Gabi is one of the few out there who will sit down, draw, and paint entire decks. I wish it wasn't glossy, but you can't have everything and it's my fault for procrastinating until the mass market version was the only one available. It's still an exceptional deck.

The Mary-El is another important one. And alas, it's glossy, too. But it's very well thought-out and executed.

I love the look of the Holy Light, and the wonderful linen cardstock, and all the work that went into it. But to get the full benefit of it, I'd have to study it in depth and I just can't commit to that, since I don't really buy Payne-Towler's theories.
 

TBH, I passed on the Wild Unknown. Not because of any perceived flaw in the deck itself, but because I remember the big bandwagon over the Druid Animal Oracle. Everybody had it, everybody was using it, and everybody raved about it (even though everybody knew it wasn't really "Druid".) I finally got one and it was gorgeous, but I just never used it very much. Now I don't see anyone using it. It was just a trend. So I'm waiting to see if the Wild Unknown has any staying power.

 

[Flaxen]

@Decan, yes the Deviant Moon falls just outside the time frame. It came to mind for me too initially - it’s a very unique looking deck. 

 

@katrinka, the Alice is an amazing deck too. The work that went into it is incredible. 

Thanks for bringing my attention to the Vamp tarot - how could I have missed this?

 

 

[katrinka]

34 minutes ago, Flaxen said:

The Alice is an amazing deck too. The work that went into it is incredible. 
 

The work, the thought, the planning... ❤️

34 minutes ago, Flaxen said:

Thanks for bringing my attention to the Vamp tarot - how could I have missed this?

You haven't *quite* missed it yet. 😈
https://www.etsy.com/listing/694810115/vamp-the-theda-bara-tarot-self-published?ref=shop_home_active_1&crt=1

[reall]

Ok, until there is *official list We Need Categories! ;D

 

Epic;

Starman Deluxe Tarot Kit

 

Art;

Dreams of Gaia Tarot

The Star Tarot Deck by Cathy McClelland

Asherah Tarot by Sarah Wheatley 

The Ellis decK

Forest of Enchantment Tarot

Wheel of the Year Tarot

The Everyday Enchantment Tarot: Finding Magic in the Midst of Life

The Green Witch Tarot

Victorian Fairy Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone, Gary A. Lippincott

Crystal Visions Tarot

Joie de Vivre Tarot

Beautiful Creatures Tarot by Jasmine Becket-Griffith

 

social media Buzz;

Light Seer’s for *contraversy & topics it raised

Dark Mansion Tarot

The Modern Witch Tarot

This Might Hurt Tarot

Santa Muerte Tarot Deck

 

BEST MERMAID DECK EVER;

Mermaid Tarot by leeza robertson & julie dillon

https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738751092

 

 

fav Artists;

ENCORE TAROT & others by Ciro Marchetti; https://www.ciromarchetti.com/encore

Anna K Tarot

 

True Black Tarot UV & cardstock & art & movement!

 

classic;

The Last Unicorn

Tarot of the Little Prince because it's classic literature everyone knows!^^ lol same goes for

Tarot in Wonderland by B Moore &Eugene Smith AND

Alice Tarot & other decks by Baba Studio & BECAUSE QUALITY!^^ lol

Tarot Mucha Because it's classic & my fav!^^ lol

Golden Art Nouveau Tarot

Rackham Tarot

 

Etheral Visions Tarot by Matt H

Influence Of The Angels Tarot

 

 

RWS Spin off;

Vice Versa Tarot Kit

Tarot of New Vision

Before Tarot & After & In Between Tarot Kit!xD (hopefully i'm not forgetting anything here! lol

Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot

Winter Waite& more by James Battersby https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/winter-waite-tarot#/

*humble cough* Pam's Vintage & Pam's Original Art Only!^^ lol

Smith-Waite Centennial Deck in Tin!^^ btw we got lot's of tin decks this year!^^ lol also tarot app!^^ ;D

Golden Universal Tarot

Millennium Thoth Tarot thoth makeover!^^ lol

 

*Alchemical;

The Raziel Tarot: the Secret Book of Adam and Eve & others by R Place

Spirit Keeper’s Tarot by Benebell Wen's

the Angel Evoking Tarot by Travis McHenry

Tarot of Magical Correspondences byEugene Vinitski

The Unified Esoteric Tarot by Attila Blága,

Modern Spellcasters Tarot

 

Animals;

The Oriens Tarot Deck

The Brady Tarot by Emi Brady

Cat Tarot by Megan Lynn Kott

CatTarot by Carol-Anne Eschenazi

Mystical Cats Tarot

Tarot of Pagan Cats

Black Cats Tarot

Marseille Cat Tarot

Crow Tarot & Grimalkin Tarot by MJ Cullinane—

Magical Dogs Tarot animals based & beautiful art!;D

Way of the Panda Tarot &

Way of the Panda Tarot

Animal Totem Tarot

 

 

cute;

Monstarot,

Happy Tarot

Wizard's Pets Tarot by Pamela Steele

Cosmic Cycles Tarot

Food Fortunes

Tarot of the Magical Forest

 

cultural;

The Venetian Tarot by Eugene Vinitski

The Urban Tarot Deck

Women of Science Tarot Deck

Shaman Tarot by Sabrina Ariganello , Massimiliano Filadoro , Alessia Pastorello

The Steampunk Tarot by B Moore & Aly Fell & there will be mini!;D

Tarot of Brass & Steam by http://www.brassandsteam.com/

 

Tarotbot by Michael Murdock

 

 

Historic;

Visconti Modrone Tarot by LSLarge cards size gold silver Gilded my fav deck & book set!^^

TAROT DE MARIA CELIA & Tarocchi di Marcelo Inciso https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/tarocchi-di-marcelo-inciso-a-tarot-deck-

Dinosaures de Marseille Tarot Deck

Marshmallow Marseille

 

The Deck of the Bastard & other by tarotbyseven

 

 

collective;

https://www.78tarot.cards/ &

Button Soup Tarot https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cultoftarot/button-soup-tarot

 

original game tarot design;

Yggdrasil Norse Divination Cards

A Card Game The Tarot of Loka

Dungeon Solitaire: Labyrinth of Souls - Tarot Deck

 

p.s here are some of my fav feel free to disagree & judge *Best & fade trends by yourself!^^ not sure about *top essential list but imo as long as you have +3 decks mentioned here in total of 3 categories you are Well Set for this decade!;)

 

p.p.s Iknow this list would be much better with links but i'm lazy to add!:D same with *Why, if you see it you see it you'll know or won't depending how it works for you!;D

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by reall

[Flaxen]

There are some great decks on your list, @reall! 

This last decade has seen such an explosion in tarot production that there are almost too many to choose from. This makes it really hard for me to see which ones will still be in use and ‘classic’ 20 years from now. 

[Guest]

For me it would be the Wild Unknown and the Fountain Tarot. These days, I rarely buy new tarots but these two stood out to me. They are so beautiful.

 

I did enjoy the Mary-El on its release. But I couldn’t bond with it in the long term. 

[reall]

@Flaxen Exactly my point!;D We Are Lucky Tarot Deck Blossom Era generation It's hard to keep track of new decks & resist temptation!;D

but for *20yrs forecast imo it's personal & probably same you use today for whatever reason you prefer specific decks it's most likely it'll stay your fav to use regardless novelties & *social media craze so i would not worry about that!;D( &i probably forgot to list big number of someones fav!;D)

[Wheel of Fantastic]

For me, Deck of The Decade would have to be one that has had a lasting impact plus become a modern classic. That excludes the limited edition and indie decks; many are amazing but they're here today and gone tomorrow.

 

That limits the choices. The Wild Unknown is absolutely a deck of the decade - love it or loathe it this one is the breakout, you see it everywhere. Another might be the Fountain tarot, perhaps not as popular but it's definitely had an impact. The Light Seer's Tarot might take the same path if quality control can be tightened up. Other than that I'm struggling to think of other decks that fit this criteria - the RWS is probably the deck of this decade and every decade it's been in print.

[Rose Lalonde]

Tabula Mundi

 

(For me personally, historic decks are TdM, GD, Waite-Smith, Thoth, & Tabula Mundi... but only one of those fits the decade you mentioned. 😛)

 

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Rose Lalonde

[Saturn Celeste]

Oh this looks fun!  I'm only putting decks published during those dates.  I'm hoping some of these decks become the new classics!  So, let's see!

Collaborative decks

78 Astral this is my only collaborate deck.  I do feel all collaborative decks made a general impact for these types of decks. Nov. 2017

 

Happy Squirrel - I love my happy squirrel decks!! 🐿️

Animism Tarot 2013

Mibramig Magical  2013

 

 

Healing Decks

Healing Light Tarot  2017

Influence of the Angels   2018

Sacred India Tarot   2011

The Healing Tarot   2012

 

I have more to add but this is a start. 😉

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

For me, Deck of The Decade would have to be one that has had a lasting impact plus become a modern classic. That excludes the limited edition and indie decks; many are amazing but they're here today and gone tomorrow.

A lot of them are picked up by the major publishers, like the Ethereal Visions.
And it was almost a given that Ciro's indie decks would be picked up by USG.

 

But I wouldn't exclude indie and limited edition decks, as the better quality is often found there. Compare a limited edition Baba deck to a slipshod LS artist-for-hire one!

 

[bastetly]

Trionfi della Luna by Deviant Moon.  I have a "paradoxical" version and it's wonderful!

 

And I'm saving up for that VAMP Tarot  😈 2nd ed. @katrinka

[katrinka]

30 minutes ago, bastetly said:

Trionfi della Luna by Deviant Moon.  I have a "paradoxical" version and it's wonderful!

I have the blue one. I love it.

30 minutes ago, bastetly said:

And I'm saving up for that VAMP Tarot  😈 2nd ed. @katrinka

Bespoke satin baaaaag,,, *drools*

[bastetly]

"Bespoke satin"  haha.  I hope that means "lined".  But yes it sounds quite nice,  The most bee-utiful cardbacks,  The whole thing looks quality and timeless.   Just took me a minute to get on board 🙂

Edited December 14, 2019 by bastetly

[Wheel of Fantastic]

2 hours ago, katrinka said:

A lot of them are picked up by the major publishers, like the Ethereal Visions.
And it was almost a given that Ciro's indie decks would be picked up by USG.

 

But I wouldn't exclude indie and limited edition decks, as the better quality is often found there. Compare a limited edition Baba deck to a slipshod LS artist-for-hire one!

 

Yes, indie and ltd editions are good quality but unless they get picked up for the mass market they tend to go OOP and forgotten. If they are OOP they can't be deck of the decade! That very definition means the deck has endured and made a major impact in the tarot community. Of all the indie decks I can think of maybe the Pagan Other Worlds; Starchild; and Tarot de St Croix have been around for more than a few years but these haven't had the impact of the Wild Unknown. The Wild Unknown has set the bench mark for a breakthrough deck.

[katrinka]

6 hours ago, Wheel of Fantastic said:

Yes, indie and ltd editions are good quality but unless they get picked up for the mass market they tend to go OOP and forgotten.

Not forgotten. Highly sought after year after year. Fetching quite a bit of money on ebay.

 

Additionally, a lot of indie publishers do multiple editions over the years. There is always a demand.

 

[katrinka]

6 hours ago, bastetly said:

"Bespoke satin"  haha.  I hope that means "lined".  But yes it sounds quite nice,  The most bee-utiful cardbacks,  The whole thing looks quality and timeless.   Just took me a minute to get on board 🙂

Write Steve on etsy and ask him. He's very good about answering mail!

[Rose Lalonde]

28 minutes ago, katrinka said:

Not forgotten. Highly sought after year after year. Fetching quite a bit of money on ebay.

 

Additionally, a lot of indie publishers do multiple editions over the years. There is always a demand.

 

Agreed. Some are on sale for longer than mass markets I've owned when you count editions... Tarot of Prague first published in 2003 is currently on sale, as are the Rosetta (first ed 2011) and the Prisma Visions (2013).  The Tyldwick was on sale for 6 years straight, I believe, and my favorite indie has been in print continuously since 2016.  (Not that print status was what I was basing my own idea of a deck of the decade on.)

[Flaxen]

1 minute ago, Rose Lalonde said:

Agreed. Some are on sale for longer than mass markets I've owned when you count editions... Tarot of Prague first published in 2003 is currently on sale, as are the Rosetta (first ed 2011) and the Prisma Visions (2013).  The Tyldwick was on sale for 6 years straight, I believe, and my favorite indie has been in print continuously since 2016.  (Not that print status was what I was basing my own idea of a deck of the decade on.)

Absolutely, these may not be ‘bestsellers’ with the same reach as a mass-market decks but they are still sought after by readers. 

 

It would be fascinating to see how many copies are sold each year of decks published by the likes of USG and LS. There must be some on their listings which actually don’t sell huge volumes. 

 

[katrinka]

Yes. And you have to consider that a lot of the people buying from the big publishers are most likely "casual fans". People who decide for whatever reason that they want a Tarot (I'm sure there's a faction that doesn't even intend to use it, they just want a prop for a Halloween party, or maybe some quirky images for a decoupage project), pop into their local bookstore, and purchase one of the small selection available there. That translates to little or no impact.

Edited December 14, 2019 by katrinka

[Wheel of Fantastic]

9 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said:

Agreed. Some are on sale for longer than mass markets I've owned when you count editions... Tarot of Prague first published in 2003 is currently on sale, as are the Rosetta (first ed 2011) and the Prisma Visions (2013).  The Tyldwick was on sale for 6 years straight, I believe, and my favorite indie has been in print continuously since 2016.  (Not that print status was what I was basing my own idea of a deck of the decade on.)

I bought the Tarot of Prague 2nd edition in 2005 when it was still available; as much as I enjoy that deck I would never consider it a Deck of that decade as it was OOP for 11 years and was very soon unobtainable due to the ridiculous prices. I don't see how an OOP deck can have a lasting and major influence if no one can get hold of it. There are only two exceptions to that; the 1910 Pam A and 1971 Second Edition RWS decks. These two decks have had a lasting impact.

 

Indie decks that get repeatedly re-printed have a chance to have a major influence in the tarot community. Print status very much determines lasting impact - if you can't get it then it doesn't get used. If you don't use it people don't learn about it. The Wild Unknown is used by casual users - that is influence right there. Any decks with a similar status? The Druidcraft is very much the Deck of the previous decade and it also made the leap into the casual reader realm.

[PathWalker]

My vote would go for Tyldwick.

It's a haunting deck, atmospheric and with a voice you need to be still to listen to.  Many folks will look at it but not so many will find they can read with it, but they will speak enthusiastically about it. It will also become harder to find since the very sad loss of it's creator.

In some ways then  it reminds me of the Greenwood - beautiful to many but impenetrable unless you're prepared to give it a lot of time ad attention, and with the feeling modern day myth beginning to swirl round it.

 

I could be wrong of course - but I think it will develop the kind of following that will make it a  "classic"