Similar decks to the Playing Card Oracle?

Rhinemaiden

My PCO book arrived yesterday, started reading last night... this morning did a one card draw (again using a favorite Bicycle deck to shuffle as my US Games PCO deck hasn't arrived yet, then pulling the corresponding card from the vintage PCO deck)... my draw? 5 Diamonds... the Peddler's Ace... here's the irony... at the time I was on the fence about a potential ebay purchase. PCO to the rescue! Saved from my own folly!

I think I'm going to love this oracle! :D
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ETA... Sat AM I did my daily draw... thorough shuffle...and what came up AGAIN??? 5 diamonds. The Peddler's ace. This happens to me with other decks on a regular basis... thorough shuffle, draw same card. I'm now referring to it as "a head bonk from the universe."
 

Bhavana

well, I have them both as of today - and YES, the book is very good!! I usually don't bother with the books that come with decks, but I think this one has a lot to teach me.

I am not sure about the difference between the official PCO system and playing card fortune telling. I actually learned on playing cards before ever getting a tarot deck, but the person who got me started used the playing cards with TAROT meanings, and that is what i learned too....so it was very easy for me to move on to tarot.

As for the decks, I prefer the USGames version. The coloring differences are very subtle, too subtle to be an issue for me. Some cards look better in the vintage, some look better in the USG version. The main thing I like about the vintage deck is the backs, but the cards are just too thin for my liking. I'm very careful and gentle with my decks, but I still just like thicker cardstock. And the glossiness of the USG version doesn't bother me. I'll use both, though, because there are some things I like about the vintage deck!

I was on the AnaCortez.com website today, and she has a PCO forum if anyone is interested. It's free to join. Looks like it has lots of interesting topics, but I haven't had a chance to really look it over yet.

Well, I am again enabled and off to browse the Ellusionist website - can't wait to see the pics of Bag of Bones, Kalliope! And whatever else you think might be interesting!

ETA - spent some time playing around with both decks last night - I really do love the vintage deck - how awesome it would be if the cardstock was just a little thicker!
 

kalliope

Bhavana, you're right that the differences are subtle except for the cardstock and hardbacks. I'll keep and use both, but mostly because I couldn't decide which to keep!

I've poked around a little bit on the AnaCortez forums, and there do seem to be some interesting discussions. It's not super active, but still worthwhile, especially if you're trying to get to know the deck and method.

Since you learned to read playing cards with tarot minor meanings, will you abandon those meanings if you plan to adopt the PCO method? Or will you keep them for when you're reading a regular playing card deck, and use Ana's method when you use hers? I guess I'm wondering if anyone could use two methods successfully in this way.

So I've received all of the decks I ordered, and I have pictures! The Bag of Bones was the first I received, and it's pretty goofily gruesome! I have the most pictures of this deck, since it has the most varied and unusual art. I can't imagine using it to read, except maybe for teenagers on Halloween or something. ;)

The Pippoglyph deck is really pretty. I love the scrollwork type designs inside the suit symbols. I'm glad I finally bought it.

(I'll put pictures of the other decks in separate posts.)

Edited to: add a picture of the free "Masters" deck I received with my Ellusionist order. It's just a regular sort of deck. (I didn't want to add another post just to add this pic, so I stuck it here.)
 

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kalliope

I'm very happy with my Ellusionist decks. Both this company and Theory11 seem to cater to magicians, and the cardstock for these decks is excellent, and different than any normal playing cards I've bought before. They're nicely matte and slippery, and most have a linen texture.

My favorites of the Ellusionist decks are the Arcane White and the Infinity. The smoky swirls are really beautiful on the Arcane, and I love the monochromatic courts. I love the Infinity deck because of the unusual drawings and borders on the courts, borders on the suit symbols, and the colors. I typically don't love the court cards of PC decks because of the colors, so I focused my purchases on decks that had attractive and inventive courts with muted palettes.

The Arcane Black are just kind of cool and fun, and I thought I'd just like to have them to have them. I like mini decks, so I got the Ghost Mini. This deck would make you look pretty closely when reading since the hearts and diamonds are mostly black -- it would be easy to mistake the hearts and spades if you were scanning quickly!
 

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kalliope

And finally, here are the cards from Theory11. Again, the cardstock is great, like the Ellusionist decks. Although looking at them now, I could see how someone could think they were plastic-y compared to tarot cards. Since they're for magic, this is just how they are. But what saves them from looking or feeling cheap in the plastic-y sense is the the textured finish and beautiful color printing.

I think my favorite of all the decks I just purchased is the DeckONE. The courts are gorgeous to me, with their faded, almost stencil-like coloring in muted taupe and teal. (See the close-up pic!) I might have to order a couple of back-ups of this one.

The Monarchs deck is really great because it's traditional except for the rich and muted court coloring. And the backs are really beautiful.

The Sentinels decks has the most unusual drawings on the court cards. Very modern and spare looking. The corner suit symbols are quirkily small, and on the cards that have extra centered symbols (like the 10 or 9), only those have a small border.

So all in all, I'm very happy with my purchases! Everyone shipped very quickly, too. I hope I've enabled some of you! :p ;)

Edited to add: I took the pictures of these decks with my phone instead of my camera, so a couple of them are just slightly out of focus. Whoops, sorry!
 

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Rhinemaiden

:bugeyed:
:bugeyed: :bugeyed:
:bugeyed: :bugeyed: :bugeyed:

Wow, Kalliope! THAT's quite a haul... almost like early Christmas! Great pix... thanks for sharing your obvious delight in your new purchases. I love playing cards... reasonsable prices, great card stock, lots of variety. Enjoy!!
 

Bhavana

Thanks for taking the time to post all of your pictures - you got a lot of great decks! I love the one with the muted colors, and the Sentinel, and Bag of Bones, of course.

...I have nothing new to report except for this odd little Iraqi War Criminal deck I picked up for a quarter at a yard sale yesterday. Regular playing cards, but each one has a picture of a most wanted Iraqi from the Saddam Hussein regime. Saddam is the Ace of Spades, by the way....

As for your comment about my way of reading playing cards and will it change with the learning of the PCO system, I am not sure. Maybe it will be a new mix for me. I will let you know. I do know one thing, now that I have both PCO decks, and I said that the USG one was the one I prefer, why is it that I am pretty much only using the vintage? It just handles nicer, feels more earthy...
 

garmonbozia

My 'Key to the Kingdom' deck finally arrived today. Only took three weeks to get to me across the pond from the UK (UK to US shipping is so random, sometimes I get stuff in a week).

I love the deck. I hate the card stock. It seems to be plagued by the same sticky glossy laminate that my Renaissance Tarot is diseased with. Hopefully the cards will get better with use and not stick so much. The cards themselves were still sealed.

This really is a cool little deck and book set. Even cooler that I paid $11 and change including shipping from the UK.
 

Rhinemaiden

USG Playing Card Oracle deck arrived... I was delighted to discover the cards are the same size as the vintage. The vintage has been re-wrapped in its lovely black ribbon and tucked away. I'll be using the USG PCO deck on a daily basis because it's indestructible.

Went on a playing card buying spree and have 3 new decks coming: Portable Fortitude (thanks, Belinda!), Night Skies (card are black, each features a different constellation) and Bicycle Spectrum... I'm a sucker for Bicycle rainbow decks... this will be my 3rd of that type.
 

garmonbozia

USG Playing Card Oracle deck arrived

Are these still readily available? When I last went searching for a deck, I couldn't find any affordable ones so decided to wait for the reprint (supposedly coming later this year) since I have the vintage.