I just got the deck.
It's going to be difficult making this a "post" & not a novel.
OK, to start out with, on the level of being a useable deck: 10 out of 10. You've got your RWS mindset, but this deck goes that 'one step beyond' that - the booklet that goes with it really relates the feel of the cards with intuitive definitions. Anyone who likes cats will be able to relate with the feel of each card. I've never actually wanted to go through and read about every single card so much as with this deck. I like that the titles are on the cards but she didn't find it necessary to draw all the typical symbolism & a bunch of individual swords & cups & wands, etc - what was important was the definition of the card. Like that a lot.
On the level of artistic integrity: Actual individual paintings? another 10 out of 10. No cut & paste photoshop here. No photographs. She said this took her 10 years to finish painting 78 images - I can totally relate. Coming up with the composition & feel of 78 concepts like this is a pain in the arse to get through & not become bored & quitting at some point. I started myself to do a similar deck (never finished) called the Deck of the Child - with all the same sorts of situations children get into, for people who relate more intuitively with children - like this is for people who "get" cats. And I don't think at all that this is a deck only for people obsessed with cats - these are all just very lovely paintings and not 'kitchy' like a freaking Thomas Kincade or something. There is an innocence about them, but not to the point of seeming amature by any means, it's just not a dark deck. You know what? Sometimes that's kinda nice. I like that. I love a good old mysterious spooky haunting deck but not ALL the time.
On the level of it's value to the Tarot World: The only reason I would give it 9 out of 10 & not 10 out of 10 is it's not a deck that all other decks will copy in the future & draw from like a Rider Waite or Lenormand or something but I'm pretty certain that revolutionizing the Tarot World was not the intent anyway.
As for physical deck quality, I don't think the artist had anything to do with this but it's very slippery smooth high gloss which is a little more difficult for me personally - I feel like they're trying to slip away from me. I've never been nuts about borders & fonts I've seen on so many USG's cards & they just ever so slightly detract from the coolness of the artwork & overall deck. The cat face on the cardback is just kinda fun, although because I read reversals my favorite cardbacks make it so you can't tell reversals from upright cards but that's ok, it's still a very sweet defining back, IMO. And it comes with a BOX!
I'm not a collector of decks. I've had people before offer to trade me some pretty cool decks & I'm just not into deck collecting, but I have to say I'm really going to cherish this one deck & I absolutely love it. I want to spend time with it & get to know it & read the entire booklet. It would be a wonderful deck to give someone new to Tarot - a way for people to get the knack for understanding what the cards are all about & how they relate to people's circumstances. If I ever complete a set of paintings half this good I'll be on top of the world, this is a real inspiration for me. I am so happy to have this deck. I saw it got some high rating from AT when it came out, which was before I joined AT, but, it's not surprising to me - I'm in absolute agreement & think this should be considered one of the best decks ever.
