Llewellyn cardstock?

pumog

My tarot mania is urging me to buy a new deck, but I really can't find one I like. I'm considering the shadowscapes, but I keep reading about how bad the Llewellyn cardstock is and that the images are fuzzy. With the cardstock, do people mean that the top layer of the cards tears easily? I had I think the 2nd version of the mythic where I had to throw it away because it happened all the time and I got fed up with gluing bits of the top layer down again, the same with the cosmic tribe. I now have the most recent mythic which seems fine.

Is the same thing likely to happen with the Shadowscapes? Is it true they are fuzzy?

Or can someone recommend a beautifully done deck which is not heavily pagan? For instance I liked the look of the hidden realms tarot but... too many horned people, it's just too pagan for me. So far from my collection I think my favourites are the Mythic, the Victorian Romantic (though I hate the Kings), the Thoth deck (yes his devil is pretty strong, but he doesn't make the devil positive, that puts me off) and Kat Black's decks. Having said I don't want pagan I love the Robin Wood but the artwork in the Star and the wheel of fortune are too cartoony for me. I'm very fussy, I know, but I'm just hoping someone might have something I didn't think of yet.

Many thanks!
 

Lorelei Douglas

Golden Age of Hollywood Tarot Deck

Hi Pumog,

If you are looking for something a little different have a look at my deck on GameCrafter:

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/golden-age-of-hollywood-tarot-deck

While I consider myself a pagan, the deck wasn't designed in this tradition as such. If my deck isn't to your taste you will find a number of other interesting decks there that might suit you better.

If you want to see a review of the Golden Age of Hollywood Tarot Deck you can check out the posts by others on my Facebook page

www.facebook.com/LoreleiDouglas

Good luck with your search

Kind regards
Lorelei
 

AJ

I've never had a single problem with Llewellyn card stock. Many times it is the size of the cards that gives them their reputation, small decks can be brickish and large ones can feel flimsy.

On a recent blog post at Llewellyn the poster said they have always had their decks printed in Texas rather than overseas because they can catch problems right away and maintain more control.

As far as Shadowscapes being fuzzy, it isn't. It is just that they are so detailed that much of it is lost in the print size.

I'm trying to get my mind around what would make your decks peel in layers....
 

pumog

AJ said:
I'm trying to get my mind around what would make your decks peel in layers....
Click to expand...

I do the hand over hand shuffling and maybe i'm not that good at it.. perhaps too heavy handed... so basically the top coat of the card where the image is would literally peel and/or tear, usually at one corner but sometimes other places too. Weird but true!
 

Lorelei Douglas

Tarot Decks

pumog said:
Interesting, fun concept but not really my thing - thanks for bringing it to my attention though and best of luck with it!
Click to expand...

No worries. Good luck with finding the right deck.
 

Melia

I have to agree with AJ - there's nothing wrong with Llewellyn cardstock. IMO it's sturdy and flexible.

The Shadowscapes deck I have has very clear images. If you want to get a better idea of what this deck looks like, go to youtube to see the cards for yourself - there are a number of people who have done reviews. For me, it's a beautiful reading deck and while a lot of people seem to complain about the size of the images, if it's used in good light I have no problem myself seeing the finer details.

pumog said:
I do the hand over hand shuffling and maybe i'm not that good at it.. perhaps too heavy handed... so basically the top coat of the card where the image is would literally peel and/or tear, usually at one corner but sometimes other places too. Weird but true!
Click to expand...

It seems like a shuffling problem. The cards are only paper after-all and you still need to treat them with some care if you want any deck to go the distance without damage.
 

Nemia

I have no problem with the Shadowscapes. The pictures are clear, the borders are nice and enhance the pictures, and while having them printed on larger cards would have been a bonus, they'd be more difficult to shuffle. You get the book with it, and there you can see the pictures very well.

Lovely art and until now, a very clear voice (didn't use it much yet). I didn't try meditating over the cards yet but I'm sure that would be great.
 

lalalibra

Shadowscapes cardstock

I've used the Shadowscapes deck heavily over the past year, and by 'heavily,' I mean frequently... My deck (which I bought new, from Amazon) came to me a bit warped; a slight curve rather than lying flat. I recently purchased the Tarot of the Hidden Realm (also new, same publisher) and it's also slightly curved in the same way.

Over time, my Shadowscapes deck has warped diagonally. It may have gotten that way from testing out the riffle-shuffle method, but I had to have done that shuffling style no more than five times, yet it was perhaps enough to get it all bendy that way and it won't go back to normal. Every few months I put it under some heavy books to help flatten it out, and it helps for a while, but it eventually reverts back to the same diagonal warp. I have quite a few decks and it's the only one I've had this problem with (but I've never done any riffle shuffling on the others, and never will ever again on any deck)... So my point is that if you shuffle carefully, I think it should be fine.

Other than that, it's just regular wear in that the edges begin to look a bit more tattered. Nothing along the lines of having to glue anything down... such as tearing!? Yikes, no way! I think you'd have to purposefully mangle the deck to get these cards to tear. Mine don't even have a single crease.

But anyway, I must say that the deck is so beautiful and it reads so well for me, that I don't mind. Of course, I do wish the cardstock were better, but the deck is just that good that it would never deter me from buying it or using it. I'm planning on getting a second copy as a back-up. Although, my original has taken on a certain charm from all the use.

The images on mine are not fuzzy... I agree that perhaps people are complaining more so about the size. I personally haven't had a problem with the size at all. But I think it's helpful to buy the set with the book because it has full page pictures (black and white) that you can look at. When I first got it, I looked at the images in the book while studying the actual cards alongside, and since doing that, I don't ever feel that I'm missing any details when I do actual readings. I think it's a lovely deck... one of my all-time favorites! :)
 

Bhavana

As AJ mentioned, the smaller Llewelyn decks do feel sturdier, less flimsy than the larger. And with some decks, the cardstock is definitely thicker, but not really that much. Shadowscapes is a smaller deck, and with the exception of some of the color coming off the edges, it has been years since I bought a deck from one of the bigger publishers that peeled like you mention. Card stock has improved over the years.

The main problem with Shadowscapes is how small the images are, but they are very clear - which has also been mentioned. As for suggestions, the Hezicos comes to mind, but probably only because I am working with it today! Have you tried the A to Z tarot deck list here on AT? Hundreds of decks listed, with a sampling of cards from each.
 
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