Trying to decide between decks

Bscotty38

Hi I'm new here. I currently have the Doreen Virtue Angel and Fairy Tarot as well as the Thoth. I'm on the hunt for an edgy, modern deck. I have it narrowed down to three or four. Of the Linestrider, Fountain and the Wild Unknown which do you like best and why? Sort of wondering about Shadowscapes as well. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
 

gregory

That's a fairly remarkable mix you have there :bugeyed:

Of the four you mention, I'd run with the Fountain. I might have said Linestrider - but the card stock is so vile, I cannot recommend it. (LUCKILY I also have the original limited edition - but even to use the Llewellyn one I finally had to cave and buy fanning powder. THAT bad !
 

Moonpaw

Out of those, I definitely like the Wild Unknown best. It definitely feels more "edgy" than the others (to me, anyhow) and I like that it has a simple, contrasty palette.
 

Awkward.turtle91

The pictures aren't very good here on this link, so sorry about that.

But if you want a darker/edgy deck my most favourite is the tarot of the vampyre
1) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/vampyres/

2) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/wild-unknown/
Wild unknown, the card stock is quite thick mind you other then that it's a good deck.

3) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/victorian-fairy/
You seem to like fairys And this deck is stunning!

That's all I've got at the moment! <3
I'm after shadowscapea my self! X
 

Nemia

I like the Wild Unknown best, too.

The Fountain is very intelligent and beautiful, but pale and cool - it's difficult to build a relationship to the cards. One of the reasons may be that some cards are obvious portraits - that makes it difficult to "generalize" while reading. There are decks where the portrait approach works; in the Fountain, there are some cards where for me, it doesn't. Nevertheless, it's a modern and well thought-out deck.

Shadowscapes - it's about the most un-edgy deck I can think of, or maybe I don't understand what edgy means? It's very very beautiful, dream-like, full of details, a fantasy world of magical beauty. The BUTs have been repeated often: the cards are too small for their beauty and details, and they're a bit same-y. Depending on the reading, you may end up with a lot of purple spirals... and now try to sort them out.

Nevertheless, it's a great deck for meditation, card study and shorter readings where you can give each card a lot of attention.

I don't know the Linestrider.

So why the Wild Unknown? The WU touches my gut when I read with it, something that neither Fountain nor Shadowscapes do. I love the art, it's honest, simple and precise. I love the animal depictions and even more so, the geometrical cards. If you like the Thoth, I think you will like the WU, too.
 

Bscotty38

Thank you all for your replies. I know...Doreen Virtue and Thoth is a pretty strange combination. Polar opposites. I actually find her Fairy Tarot quite accurate though. I am leading towards The Wild Unknown. The Fountain still intrigues me. Shadowscapes seems too feminine. Trying to get away from that style.
 

Carojulie

I might play the devil advocate here... but if I were you I think I would get the Fountain tarot AND the Wild Unknown.

The Wild Unknown is quite unique, and I think the most "edgy" of your list. I find the imagery beautiful, and it reads beautifuly, with a different take on each card.... the images has a way of sparking my intuition in ways that are quite different from other decks.

The The Fountain tarot, to me, is a collection of 78 beautiful reproduction of modern art, and also it is easy to read. I like its "coolness" - it has a sort of remote quality, like it is speaking from higher in the air or something. But still very clear.

The readings from the Fountain are quite different from the Wild Unknown ; even if you pull the same cards from both decks, I find that they have a very different voice. And, both those decks are very good quality cardstock and come in beautiful nice sturdy boxes that will stand the test of time. I love shuffling them, their thick and smooth cardstock win my heart. The Fountain is a real experience of luxury for me... this elegant mattness, the gilded edges, the box that is the color of the inside of a delicate shell, and when you clasp it shut, it makes a soft thumping sound.... its really something.

I do not have the Linestrider so I cannot really speak for this one, though the images I saw on Google are definitively "edgy" IMO. It does look like a very beautiful and different deck, and from what I gather, it gives interesting interpretations of the cards. For some reason, though, I have the impression that I would find it less easy to read than the WU and Fountain, but I might be wrong of course.

The Shadowscape I do not have either, but I do not really think I would like this one - from what I have seen of it on the net, I find the images too whimsy, too busy, too uniform in colors.... I feel like I would have a difficult time identifying one card from another, and identifying what they represent - I always have to squint my eyes and to think for a moment, in order to understand what is on the images I am looking at. But once again, I am only speaking of what I saw on Google for this one. I would need to see it "in the flesh", to make a proper opinion of it for myself (and who knows, I might surprise myself by falling in love with it if I saw it in the flesh)

I realise I am not a great help, and that you did not ask to be given the advice to aquire several decks ; so I apologize ! But for myself I would not be able to chose between the Wild Unknown and the Fountain. Sorry !
;)
 

Citrin

My quick views on the four decks... ;)

Shadowscapes: Unfortunately the cards are too small to make it justice. I love the artwork and the colors but I found I could only use it in small spreads to not just see a lavender swirly mess in front of me. I had to trade it recently. Such a shame.

Linestrider: Have it but never use it ugh... It is beautiful and unique though. From what I've heard the guidebook is also really good. With that said, the card stock socks major b*lls...

Wold Unknown: Wonderful unique deck. Horrible guidebook... This can be a bit tricky for someone like me, I had a hard time understand how to read animals because I'm a city girl... But with practice it has really won me over. Deep and does not shy away from the hard stuff.

Fountain: Very high quality and luxurious. The colors are a bit cold but that also makes it stand out. Very well done and if you get along with it you will really adore it. It does seem like one of those decks people either hate or love though... I really like it though it took some time to connect with.

I think you should get both the Fountain and Wild Unknown hehe ;)
 

CharlotteK

I've been reading with The Fountain this week. It's a very, very beautiful deck, it's cool and slightly mysterious but also very soothing. I don't mind the portraits that are obviously real people, their expressions give a lot of information, whereas the other details are sparse. To read this colours, shapes and textures come into play. It's been a comforting deck this week and a gentle friend. The cardstock, box and book are all very good. But it's subtle. I have the Linestrider and I like the cards I've looked at, but I haven't read with it yet. I like the Wild Unknown a lot and find it almost the opposite of The Fountain. It's like being poked with a pointy stick reading with this deck, for me. I like this deck when I'm 'peopled out'. I have the Shadowscapes too and that takes a lot of effort for me to read with though it is very beautiful, very soft and gentle. Though in a very different way to The Fountain which is sparse and cool, Shadowscapes is intricate and detailed. Very, very different decks!

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
 

lantana

I would say go with Wild Unknown first, and maybe pick up the Fountain later. Wild Unknown was the 3rd deck I ever had and it really jumpstarted tarot reading for me. If you like the style you'll probably connect to it well, and I find it to be a nice bridge between the ancient and the modern.

I don't have the Fountian yet, but it's on my wishlist. Definitely the most modern deck, but like others have said it can be tricky to get to know. I know quite a few people who absolutely cannot read with it, but also plenty people who love it to bits.

Shadowscapes is "edgy" for a neutral fantasy themed deck, but not very modern. Linestrider is edgy in the sense of its "walking along the edge" theme, and it feels like a very modern take on the RWS imagery (or at least the cards featuring people do!)