Morgan Greer or Connolly?

Maybe this is the wrong place to post this question about the MG deck, but I'd like to know ...why pick Morgan Greer over the Connolly deck?

I've been debating over which deck to purchase next. The Morgan Greer looks dark in color. Is that just the Internet image warping the brightness of the MG cars?

I love the MG Ace of Cups with the lotus. Such a beautiful card.

I don't have The Connolly deck as it seems to have way too much of a Christian agenda to me and has changed the 'scary' cards to give some sort of weird, everything is wonderful in the world vibe.

The Morgan Greer is dark in colour but it's lovely. Very rich and deep with a very groovy 1970s feel. It's one of my favourite decks and in my opinion is a classic. It uses the BOTA colours too so everything in the images has meaning. I like that.
I've just got the small version in the tin and it's lovely. The other copy I have that I use is an old US Games copy that has a satin rather than a shiny finish. I think the newer, regular sized decks are very shiny and lots of people seem to like it that way. I can't imaging a shiny Morgan Greer so that may be something for you to consider when you make your choice.

I recommend The Morgan Greer every time.

I love the Morgan Greer and was never even slightly impressed by the Connolly so I'm probably not the right person to ask ;-) I'm TOO biased in favour of the Morgan Greer.

Connolly's style with the varying contours and strong colours looks kitschy to me. The worst: her coy, superficial use of Renaissance masterpieces only for the poses (Botticelli's Venus in Temperance and the World, Michelangelo's Bacchus in the Lovers, and worst: Christ in Titian's Ascension as Materialism aka the Devil).

No, I never understood the appeal of the Connolly. The figures look false to me, entrapped by their often awkward contours, and they evoke not even the slightest intuitive reaction within me.

How different is the MG. While the art looks as dated as and the colour as strong as in the Connolly, it's beautifully done and expressive. The compositions are much more harmonious and focused, and thus they speake to me in a much clearer voice.

The problem is: that won't help YOU. Many people read beautifully with the Connolly and find the MG problematic.

And even if everybody here on AT agreed with me, still you might feel differently...

Thank you for moving the thread to its native habitat, Sulis.

I'll be back tomorrow for FB. I want to be awake enough to look at both decks and process what both of you have added. Thank you for this input. I'll provide more detailed FB tomorrow.

I'm with them - especially Sulis as the Christian thing with the Connolly is so hard to ignore. But also the funky 70s colours on the MG are so vibrant - the Connolly is a bit dull by comparison. The MG has a real personality of its own; the Connolly comes over more as the personality of its creator, if that makes sense. And yes, the thick black lines on the Connolly are - nasty. I suppose they are intended to suggest stained glass, but if you know stained glass at all (*is vicar's daughter*) you know that doesn't hold up, so don't try and half do it. (And that Transition card is plain vile. I can live with some Deaths turned into something else - but NOT that one.) And - no bad cards ? Excuse me...

I love the MG so much that I have several editions - the original, the Page of Pods one, and the USG one in a tin. Come to think, I might need the ordinary USG one....

If someone can answer: are both decks aligned with RW or does one deck separate more from the traditional RW card illustrations than the other?

I had the mini Connolly and, come to think of it, I suppose I kept it longer than the Morgan Greer. I thought the backs were beautiful on that one. They were a very nice white marble design.

It was the fronts that finally made me send it off. It was okay. I could read with it but I don't think I ever liked it and there's one card that looks like Jesus - anyone?

I have read that her books are good but have a heavy Catholic overtone but you can get past that so they say.

I have the MG back again. I don't think it is dark although I suppose there some cards that might put you off if you are not used to it. I have said I just never liked the Lovers. However you don't see very blue people that often either. It is a very colorful deck, IMO, and the one in the tin isn't quite as "golden" as the other ones.

I guess it seemed like the Connolly always had its own agenda if I am remembering right. I replaced it with a mini Marseille. However if it sounds like your thing, it is probably a perfectly readable deck.

(I'm not keen on having Stuart Kaplan turn up in my deck either although I can't see that as a regular reading deck anyway.)

Diana

MissNine said:

If someone can answer: are both decks aligned with RW or does one deck separate more from the traditional RW card illustrations than the other?

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They're both RWS based, the Morgan-Greer perhaps more so. The Connolly looks rather childish to my eyes, but the Morgan-Greer has a rich depth to it. It also has a great Devil card, one of the best I've seen.

And Zephyros...))

The MG is borderless! That is just huge for me with a lot of decks. I know it's not comparing images, card stock, but to have a borderless deck that looks MADE to be borderless (and I think the Connolly would benefit from this) is a BIG plus.

I could read with Connolly and see why many like it, it's a kind of softer, gentler imaging of tarot. It just reminds me a bit of a kind of Christian picture book with the images. They are pretty and soothing and I think there's definitely a place for this deck. Just not in my collection.

greatdane said:

The MG is borderless! That is just huge for me with a lot of decks. I know it's not comparing images, card stock, but to have a borderless deck that looks MADE to be borderless (and I think the Connolly would benefit from this) is a BIG plus.

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I agree. Many people remove the borders from their decks but if you like that sort of thing, a deck specifically made to be without borders in the first place does make a difference. I bought mine many years ago and I have the satin cardstock Sulis is talking about. It has aged well and feels nice.