Which cards can make or break a deck for you?

I don't like when any of the "unpleasant" cards are bowdlerized in favor of new visions of sunshine and lollipops. For example, while not my fave cards: Death, The Devil, and The Tower. The devil is not strawberry cheesecake; death is not a pregnant woman with butterfly wings. This is just silly avoidance. I can't immediately recall any serious infringements on The Tower, but it's another card the sometimes gets downplayed.

Maybe I'm just cranky and need to embrace my inner Lisa Frank.

MacMorrighan said:

Several of the cards within the Maj. Arcana are associated with a sign of the zodiac. E.G. my birth card would be the Moon since I am a Pisces. JadePixie is probably a Taurus since that is the sign that rules the Hierophant.

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Nah I'm a Gemini my astro card is the lovers <3

Philistine said:

I don't like when any of the "unpleasant" cards are bowdlerized in favor of new visions of sunshine and lollipops. For example, while not my fave cards: Death, The Devil, and The Tower. The devil is not strawberry cheesecake; death is not a pregnant woman with butterfly wings. This is just silly avoidance. I can't immediately recall any serious infringements on The Tower, but it's another card the sometimes gets downplayed.

Maybe I'm just cranky and need to embrace my inner Lisa Frank.

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OMGs, that is the grossest thing I think I've ever read! Please, by all that is holy, tell me that you have not actually seen the Devil depicted as a strawberry cheesecake! Granted, I <3 strawberry cheesecake, but in the tarot it's totally inappropriate!

MacMorrighan said:

OMGs, that is the grossest thing I think I've ever read! Please, by all that is holy, tell me that you have not actually seen the Devil depicted as a strawberry cheesecake! Granted, I <3 strawberry cheesecake, but in the tarot it's totally inappropriate!

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Now I'm thinking of the Housewive's Tarot, where The Devil is chocolate cake haha I personally find it goes very well with the theme of the deck, so I love it. I also love the pregnant butterfly Death card in the Cheimonette, so hey, to each their own, but I guess we're going off topic here.

Talking about "negative" cards being softened, I don't like when The Hanged Man becomes too dark/negative. Not because I don't like dark cards, but because for me personally The Hanged Man mostly is about stagnation and such, not being tormented like some decks show. But yeah, that's my personal relationship with that card. Then again, I do prefer to "judge" the whole deck, not just a card here and there.

Thanks!

GoodnessGracious said:

http://www.tarotschool.com/Calculator.html

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I got The Sun, Wheel of Fortune, and The Magician.
Overall I like it

JONIKA said:

Minor Arcana cards. They have to follow the Raider-Waite depictions...I don't like decks that only portray the number of wands, swords, cups, and pentacles. Those decks seem too "cheap" to me.

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I feel the almost same. No matter how the big Arcana cards are well done such a thing will make me to take a step back. I don't think I'll be able to read such a deck so I only can use it for my collection(like I did with Trevisan deck). It's not cheap for me but uninformative.

Hmm, I apparently like my negative cards to give off a very specific vibe.

Three of Swords - I prefer something more than the whole three swords in a heart thing. I love the Three of Swords in the Shadowscapes deck. The Urban tarot has another great one. Let me see if I can think of one I don't like... Hmm. Not a huge fan of the Three of Swords in Moore's Steampunk Tarot. It's the usual RW symbol, but clockwork.

Ten of Swords - I need the card to actually evoke emotion in me. The Ten of Swords in the Steampunk Tarot doesn't do this for me (though I do otherwise enjoy that deck). Shadowscapes is...not wonderful, but pretty good. The card in the Urban tarot is great, as is the one from Tarot of the Silicon Dawn. So...body with swords sticking out isn't my thing, but I still want to have a visceral reaction to seeing the card.

The Tower - I have no idea why I care about this card so much. I don't think I've even ever drawn it. Even so, I prefer my Towers to be thoroughly messed up. I don't want a little fire at the top. There should be some serious damage to whatever the tower is represented by. Shadowscapes does this well...though my favorite Tower card is from the, uh, Homestuck Tarot. From that web comic. The card depicts basically the end of a specific character's arc, but it clicks with me so well. Which also saddens me because I don't read with that deck.

I'm particular about the Fool, but I have no idea what makes me like one version over another.