Beware! It turned into a long review!
l know a lot of folk here were eagerly anticipating the launch of this deck in 2013/14 and then eventually bought it.
Would love to know if you find this a workable deck or did you find after the hype it just did not work for you.[...]
Do you find it has lots of hidden layers. One deck l work with at present has just that essence and l would like to find another. [...]
Hi Thoughtful!
I have a Chrysalis deck and have even thought about trading it away a couple of times. However, I never have and I'm glad that I haven't.
I was enticed by the artwork, although it felt a little too "pretty" for my tastes. I bought the app and it felt so nice to read with for one- to three-card draws that I ended up getting the full physical deck.
The version I have has VERY nice cardstock. Sturdy without being too thick to shuffle, and with a nice matte finish that does not feel like plastic lamination.
It reads very well for me, to my surprise--to me I understand what you mean about layers, and this deck does have those. Each image is bold and straightforwardly executed, well-embellished and established within a setting at the same time.
The deck is chock-full of different ideas that range from the scholarly mythological to the more New Age
interpretations of fantastical gods and creatures. It's kind of like, "And we're gonna put HERNE THE HUNTER in here, and we're gonna put KALI in here, and we're gonna put a BLACK UNICORN in here...!!" For me, it works despite the fact that I thought it wouldn't. For others, it's a turn-off that can't be remedied.
That being said, I find many of the LWB meanings condescending and watered-down at the same time. Ariadne (XIII 'Death') for example, talks about slaying your "metaphorical Menotaur" when you "take full ownership of [your] flaws and grant unconditional forgiveness to others." To me, this is a very specific and gentle version of what Death means. So you really do have to do away with the RWS system (which is fine), but unfortunately you get very trite advice about the Golden Rule and the power of forgiveness, conservation, etc instead. I don't think that any of these are bad things--on the contrary, they come rather naturally to me because I consider myself a decent person. I don't need warnings about my "psyche" to prompt me into reading the card in a way that will help me. This feels a lot like what many oracle decks do, and I'm not a fan of those oracles. So I largely use my own meanings using the mythology and the image's composition as a jumping-off point.
And the Courts! (I mean 'the Troupe'!) I think you'll have to think on this factor for yourself as well. Many find the Troupe annoying, convoluted, and unnecessary. I personally love this aspect of the deck. It's kind of cheesy, sure, but I think that courts that aren't actually kings, queens, and the like are really fresh. I don't necessarily like that same hierarchy all the time.
tl;dr: PROS -
The art is SPECTACULAR and practically worth the purchase itself.
The changes to the familiar tarot tropes feel silly at worst, fresh and inspiring at best.
It reads well, though if you read the LWB meanings, it feels like it's chastising you.
CONS -
Kinda feels like it has its own agenda and that it's trying too hard to be unique.
Takes a LOT of time to become familiar and read with it fluently, in my experience.
The LWB is necessary to get a good grasp of the deck, but is very flowery and indirect as a result of the New Age influence.
These are all just my personal opinions, but I hope they've helped