the worst deck you've purchased

rachelcat

Morgan-Greer - it was the deck I had to get for attending an evening class to learn tarot. couldn't connect with the deck, couldn't connect with the class.

Cosmic Tribe - never regretted letting go of this one. not sure what I was expecting from the box, but it wasn't that. now realise that i'm not one for digital art generally.

I just had to reply when I saw these two together. These are two of my favorite decks! Goes to show how different people are. In this case, I think it might be generational. They might be just a bit too groovy for you young-uns!

I think expectations have a lot to do with whether I connect with a deck. If I expect it to be wonderful and amazing, and then there's just a niggling thing that doesn't work for me, I'm totally over it (and give it away to a tarot society friend within the month). If it's just a "oh, a cute cartoon cat deck," for example, then I can deal with and even love a deck with a multitude of what would have been deal breakers in a "serious" deck. ("Serious" in theme or artwork.)

I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses!
 

Tarot Orat

Celtic Tarots by Lo Scarbeo.

The majors, done by Giacinto Gaudenzi are gorgeous and not that bad for reading. I like them so much, I have the d'Arte edition. But the minors, by Saverio Tenuta, are so distinctly different that it creates a reading experience that is confusing. Funny thing is that I like Tenuta's work - but NOT combined with Gaudenzi's.

And seriously, that is why it is Celtic Tarots rather than Celtic Tarot. It is like two distinctive tarots that have been forced together. They don't WANT to be together. Really.

I had the majors-only deck at one point (I sold it, what was I thinking, I've wanted it back ever since) - I really loved the artwork and definitely felt an almost visceral connection when I looked at the cards.

I don't have the 78-card edition, and now I'm glad of that! Thanks for the warning...
 

jillkite

They might be just a bit too groovy for you young-uns!

Thank you Rachelcat, reading this helped me to remember a dream from last night that I had forgotten about all day!!

i was using very conservative symbols in that part so maybe you are right :)

(is nearly 38 yrs old still a young-un?? ;)
 

Cocobird55

Vertigo -- couldn't even manage to look through all the cards.

Deviant Moon -- really tried to like it and did some readings with it. But I finally gave it away.
 

Grizabella

Lo Scarabeo's Universal Tarot. I thought the idea sounded great - new illustrations based directly on Waite's descriptions of the card images - I'm always a fan of reinterpretations. LS also usually has appealing artwork, so I was expecting to like the images. And then I actually got it.

Just. No. Connection.

The illustrations were...okay, but nothing special. The colors were pretty bland. (Or I may just be remembering them as bland because they had no meaning for me.) They didn't seem to do much actual reinterpretation, most of them were almost exactly laid out like Colman-Smith's illustrations, just with a different art style.

What killed it was the toad-faced Queen of Swords. That's my significator and when it comes up in a reading, I want to think "Here's something important about myself" rather than "Ewwwwww!" I absolutely could not connect to that card, and if my significator doesn't work for me, the deck doesn't. I'm not saying everyone in a Tarot deck should be conventionally attractive - I prefer when they aren't, in fact - but downright ugly for a card that's so important to me? Nope.


The Queen of Swords has sometimes been a significator for me. But in some decks it's my mother and I almost can't get past that. I have a very bad history with my mother and that makes the card in certain decks very unpleasant for me. Especially in the Victorian Romantic deck.
 

jema

Hm this thread makes me think of the deck I am using this week (I am sure I got a few others that is worse though)
Tarot de Paris
Too big, very pastelly, tons of statues but no real personality.
Just compare that with Tarot of Prague - also statues from a city but vibrant, personal and quirky!
 

AJ

to give credit though...the images for Tarot of Paris were accumulated over a year in Paris. around 1985
The technology Magic Realist had for their is moons from the first and can't really be used as a comparison.
 

Le Fanu

The Touchstone.

Like that curse of successful rock bands; the dreaded second album.

The Golden worked so well, the Touchstone feels like more of the same but kind of in a different direction and without the charming, quirky, not-quite-right- 14th Century perpsective.

I love Baroque Art, I love the original paintings. I love Tudor portraiture. I love Bronzino, I love Holbein, I love all the original artwork. But then seeing them all stitched together with different light sources didn't work for me.

There are others I don't "like" but this thread isn't about that; it's about the decks you expected to like but didn't, I think. The Touchstone is one that still has me scratching my head even today. I really, really should like it. In theory and all that.
 

Tobe

Vertigo -- couldn't even manage to look through all the cards.

Deviant Moon -- really tried to like it and did some readings with it. But I finally gave it away.

Gasp!! Deviant is one of my favorite deck!
It surprises me how people have so many complete opposite opinion in one deck
 

olivia1

Wizards tarot and original mythic tarot. Luckily, I was able to return the wizards one