What do you look for in a deck?

I'm curious. There's such a wide variety of decks, something to suit just about every imaginable taste. So what does you guys look for when choosing a new deck? What do the decks that you find really great and usable have in common? What, for you, makes a deck stand out from the crowd?

cheers,
pyrogyne

pyrogyne said:

I'm curious. There's such a wide variety of decks, something to suit just about every imaginable taste. So what does you guys look for when choosing a new deck? What do the decks that you find really great and usable have in common? What, for you, makes a deck stand out from the crowd?

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I really don't know. And I'm a bit superstitious - I'm a little afraid that if I analyse the attraction, it will go away (in my personal experience, once I completely know a sexual partner, the sexual part of the attraction goes away).

When I buy, I am drawn to decks by history, by place, by creator, by look, by feel. I am also *not* drawn to other decks with similar historical, creator, appearance and tactile values. I know myself immediately whether I'd buy the deck given a budget or whether I wouldn't - but that knowledge is not something I can pass on to anyone else because I don't understand it myself.

Decks already in my collection that stand out - hmmm. I have some decks by acknowledged luminaries in the Tarot world which are well-constructed and have stunning artwork - and are ho-hum decks. I have some poorer-drawn decks or decks by lesser-known people, that really, really work splendidly. Again, it is something visceral, something inchoate, something not associated with the language-areas of the brain but precise and well-defined for all that.

For me, it's almost totally emotional. I buy because a card evokes some kind of strong feeling. I look at the entire deck when I get it, and if the deck as a whole evokes feeling I keep it. Otherwise, I mark it with an asterisk for trade. And the feelings don't have to be all sunshine and light. I love melancholia, longing, nostalgia, anger, frustration, gratitude, etc.

A REALLY good death card.

Connection, but that can come in different shapes and forms just like we connect with people for different reasons.

Originality also. If I am going to have 100 decks, which I very nearly do, I don't want 100 different versions of identical things. I need each to have a unique viewpoint and way of seeing the world. Not a fan of "clones" RS or otherwise. I like something new and innovative that will force me to see thins and life in new ways.

I DO absolutely need scenic pips though as I read mainly bt analysing the card imagery. I like artwork that appeals to me but on occasion I have found decks where I did no like the artwork and they still read well for me

I like fairly busy images as I get most of my answers from the card images, so the busier, the more detailed answers I will get.

I personally do enjoy keywords on the cards, although I don't need them, but if I find a deck that has them it's a welcome edition.

I like it when they're well printed and laminated. I've gotten decks before, more than once, where when I first got the deck gone of the cards were "glued" together and prying them apart removed sonevof the paint on the card(s). BIG pet peeve there.

That's about all I can think of. The size doesn't bother me at all as my hands are big enough, but I'm not a fan of minu decks as its too hard to see the image details. And I do prefer decks that photograph well ( some with tiny detail or metallic foil don't) as when I read for others o tend to include photos of the cards.

Band

When I use a tarot deck, I have certain feelings associated with each card. Feeling's not really the right word. It's kind of hard to explain, but in all my decks, each card has a sort of 'iron string' that resounds in my spirit and then I have to grapple that into words when I do a reading for someone. The words are a pale reflection of the understanding inside, most of the time, but that's because I'm a novice (been reading nearly 9 months). If I look at a deck and most of the cards give me the right feeling, then I am attracted to the deck. I can't put it any better than that. If I look at the cards and I don't get anything, I don't go for the deck. It's not got much to do with art work or any of that, that I can tell. I have decks of many different styles, so far.

pyrogyne said:

I'm curious. There's such a wide variety of decks, something to suit just about every imaginable taste. So what does you guys look for when choosing a new deck? What do the decks that you find really great and usable have in common? What, for you, makes a deck stand out from the crowd?

cheers,
pyrogyne

Click to expand...

I used to go primarily on attraction of the artwork, but that lead me to a few decks that I didn't connect with on a reading level. "ohhh, that's so pretty" is now replaced with "oohhh, those colors are intense, a few cards are really expressive and indepth.. AND I like the artwork too!.... mine mine mine".

Books

If there are a lot of pictures of books in the deck I'm probably a goner, but other than that I don't know. I've only been really drawn to three of the decks that I own all the others I bought just because I wanted something new.

i tend to go for decks that have artwork that is pleasing to me. that said, I also enjoy reading - occasionally - with playing cards. no artwork, save the number and the suit. so artwork isn't always the final word for me, but I would have to say is a very strong part of it!

I look for originality and artwork. I usually prefer modern artwork over historic artwork. The coloring, cardstock, size and lamination are also important.
The images should convey the meaning well... although I'm also working on learning to read non-illustrated pips and playing cards so it wouldn't apply in that case. Generally I prefer more detailed images over very plain ones.