Data from yearly deck polls, ranking based on all four.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

C.N.	08 May 2003
I was bored and decided to analyze the data from the yearly poll to see which decks I should look at next. I did the analysis in the following manner: I added a score from each year based on placement 1st = 10 pts, 2nd = 9 pts, ... I then divided this score by 4 to get an average per year. This was the result (+/- = significant change (>=0.5) in average from year before): 1. Robin Wood - 9.25 2. Aleister Crowley Thoth - 9 3. Sacred Circle - 7.25 (-) 4. Osho Zen - 6.75 5. Rider-Waite - 5 6. Legend: The Arthurian - 4.5 (-) 7. Goddess - 3 (-) 8. Victoria Regina - 2 (+) World Spirit - 2 (+) 10. Haindl - 1.75 11. Dragon - 1.25 12. Vampire - 1 13. Celtic Dragon - 0.75 Spiral - 0.75 (+) 15. Universal Waite - 0.25 Mythic - 0.25 Cosmic Tribe - 0.25

Cocobird55	08 May 2003
Interesting. So which one are you going to get next? If you don't have the Robin Wood, I suppose your research would take you in that direction. But do you like the Robin Wood? Sue

C.N.	09 May 2003
Oh, I have the Robin Wood, Thoth, Rider-Waite and Osho Zen decks. So I consider getting Sacred Circle, Legend: The Arthurian, Goddess or World Spirit. Sacred Circle, I'm a bit sceptical that I would like a deck with photos, but people like it. Legend, this one have the switched suit elements that could get in the way of my enjoyment of the deck. Goddess, well, I don't know, I have heard good things about it, but I'm concerned about it having a Yin-Yang imbalance. World Spirit, this one is just so new to me that I lack the information to decide upon. If I go after my feelings just now, I would probably get the Goddess or Legend deck. I burned myself last year getting Vampire based on the poll, so that is also a reason that I made an average score to avoid fad decks like that one. Victoria Regina gives me bad associations from the name and has only been on Top Ten a year. Haindl I suspect is too dark for my tastes. The rest have scored too low for me to consider.

Mimers	09 May 2003
Hi CN, Thanks for the data! I have gone back and forth on the Sacred Circle, but if I am remembering correctly, it totally renamed Majors so I hesitate. I did own the Arthurian Legend however traded it because I did not know the story well enough to appreciate the cards. If you do not like the story PIPs, you may not like this deck. The whole deck is based on the story of King Arthur. World Spirit is a very beautiful RW clone. Very nicely done. Do let us know what you end up choosing. Mimers

C.N.	30 May 2003
Since people asked for my decision, so here is it: I bought ... Victoria Regina. It wasn't even on the list of decks I considered, but something said on these forums (I don't remember what) caught my notice and I did some research and read some reviews. After this I decided to buy it and study it. (I also got the Tarot of Casanova at the same time to counterbalance any anti-sexual energy the VR might have.) So far I think that the deck belongs in my collection and it is intresting to study, but the size of the cards make it unlikely it will become used much in readings. I would probably have gotten the World Spirit otherwise, but that deck felt too earthy to me.

tatsi	05 Dec 2004
C.N. wrote: I was bored and decided to analyze the data from the yearly poll to see which decks I should look at next. I did the analysis in the following manner: I added a score from each year based on placement 1st = 10 pts, 2nd = 9 pts, ... I then divided this score by 4 to get an average per year. This was the result (+/- = significant change (>=0.5) in average from year before): 1. Robin Wood - 9.25 2. Aleister Crowley Thoth - 9 3. Sacred Circle - 7.25 (-) 4. Osho Zen - 6.75 5. Rider-Waite - 5 6. Legend: The Arthurian - 4.5 (-) 7. Goddess - 3 (-) 8. Victoria Regina - 2 (+) World Spirit - 2 (+) 10. Haindl - 1.75 11. Dragon - 1.25 12. Vampire - 1 13. Celtic Dragon - 0.75 Spiral - 0.75 (+) 15. Universal Waite - 0.25 Mythic - 0.25 Cosmic Tribe - 0.25 Thanks for doing the work for me. :) tatsi

HearthCricket	06 Dec 2004
Thank you for the list! I love lists! I really want to purchase the Haindl and give it a try. I find it very original, and a nice deck to round out my collection. I can't wait to see what everyone votes for this year. So many great decks came out. Always interesting to see what people are attracted to.

shadowdancer	06 Dec 2004
Is there usually an end of year poll or vote? I am intrigued by this. I would guess that there would be different categories, as each deck is different in style, theme etc. To be honest my favourite tends to change slightly depending on my mood and what I want to gleam. The Fey makes me feel warm and I always smile when I use them. I love the Dragons release this year, but can't put my finger on why! I am sure if I was asked the same question in 4 months time, I would still be rearranging my collection in a different order of favour. Davina

Emily	06 Dec 2004
I've just checked through the list and couldn't see the Morgan Greer on it - but I've just remembered that last year was the first time the Morgan Greer, my favourite, appeared on the Top Ten list. :)

The Data from yearly deck polls, ranking based on all four. thread was originally posted on 08 May 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.