what you absolutely cannot stand in any deck

velvetina

there are so many things that I don't care for, its astonshing that i have managed to acquire so many decks:here's a list, but I'm sure I'll think of more

smiley, happy people (eg that dreadful Hanson Roberts Sun card) - actually most expressions on faces annoy me - I favour a blank stare on which i can project my own ideas

white borders - what a waste of space

'cheesecake' women (and men); 'stupid' costumes (I'm very judgemental),

photo-realism (any kind of realism!)

Strength being a man wrestling a lion is always a disappointment for me :(

agendas =bias - those decks that claim to represent a particular time or culture or philosophy & turn out to be ill-founded, misjudged & oinionated

anything with the word 'wicca' in it

anything with Lovely Angels or Mischevious Pixies - grrr

My Little Unicorn/Dragon etc

copyright marks

stupid backs

etc etc etc (I am a judgement Virgo!)
 

Sulis

Strength being number 8 because that's where Justice should be.
 

Alta

Every time I try to make a list of what I don't like, I find myself faced with so many 'allowed' exceptions that I wonder about my preferences. :joke:
 

Emily

I'm pretty easy with decks, I can forgive just about anything if I like the artwork of the deck, I'll ignore keywords, ugly borders, large decks, bad cardstock but the one thing that I really don't like are photo decks where real life models are used and you can tell, no cgi or touching up. And yet I like the collage decks like the Touchstone and Golden tarot - but not deck art that have real-life people it in.

The only exception to this rule is a really bad RWS that is made up of real people that look like they have raided the dressing up box, this deck doesn't take itself seriously and it is badly put together but for some reason, I like it, they look like they had a lot of fun doing it. I can't remember the name of it, not sure if it ever had one but you can still find this deck, book and cd set at discount bookshops. lol
 

gregory

The smell of ciggy smoke.

It even turns up on new shrink wrapped decks sometimes - no idea how...

Also decks that announce that they are the only deck I will ever need and the others can go now.

Yeah RIGHT. Ain't no bin big enough anyway :laugh: But what I mean is decks that arrive with a Superior Attitude.

(By the way to whoever mentioned it up the thread somewhere - having actually talked to Barbara Moore about So Below - it works in context, it really does. It is necessary to have the cards that way.)

Emily - that's Simply Tarot, I bet. It is rather wonderfully dreadful !
 

Emily

Ahh gregory, yes that's it - Simply Tarot. LOL
 

The crowned one

Poorly executed amateur artwork. I am surprised how many decks are like this.

Cartoon art of any quality.

Less or more then 78 cards for reading decks: exception 22. :)
 

Morwenna

White borders don't bother me; in fact I agree with the earlier post that said borderless cards were creepy! I used to feel that way myself, which is why it took me so long to cave in and buy my beloved Morgan Greer. What I don't like is fancy borders that don't coordinate with the art of the pictures. For instance, I love Ciro's, because they go with the art. I dislike those on the Sacred Rose and the Moon Garden, which are standardized for the deck but are line-drawn and superimposed on the art. Ew. (And I like those decks otherwise!) The one that really makes me gag is the one on the Mystic Dreamer; I never would have looked at that deck twice were it not for the fact that someone once posted a link that showed the deck as the artist originally created it, with a much simpler frame, sort of like the Druidcraft, and that was flat-out gorgeous!!! The existing frame--what WERE they thinking??? (Why don't we have a "Mr. Yuk" face???)

And I don't like bad art, or "primitive" art (whether consciously so or not), or blatant sexuality (that's for other things, not Tarot! :D), or one-gender decks. Most other things I used to say I didn't like, I've come across so many exceptions to that I don't list them anymore.
 

Rosie_0801

I like people to look real, but not too real. Photos of people make me feel like I've just barged into someone's hotel room party. I don't like Grim Reaper death cards either because in my mind the death card is a tipping hourglass.
 

shadowdancer

Ciro, I love how you incorporated your initials on the ToD. Incredibly sutble, to the extent I set myself a goal of finding them all :D :D
I didn't see that as a signature if that makes sense??

I think for me it is if a deck is too darned slippery. You know the type - the minute you do your first shuffle they fly all points of the compass. No mistaking that as being a 'jumper' whilst you mutter under your breath as you rescue them all.

Otherwise it is large borders and those decks which seem to have a border inside a border, inside a border - to the extent the image is too darned small.

Collaged decks for me seem to cause more than a cringe. So no problem - I just don't buy them then moan about them later. I just move on to a deck that doesn't cause me to cringe. I also remind myself, regardless of the fact I dislike it, credit has to be given that someone has made a huge effort to create a deck using a medium they felt comfortable with and that it will resonate with others - just not me.

Decks that are shoe horned into being a tarot deck. I will not mention those I have in mind, but when I see the images I sense the image came first, then the artist/creator said to themselves "what card can I assign to that?". Sometimes you can see they have reached and the link is tenuous. Those decks I don't feel drawn to as I feel the tarot basis has become secondary.

Oh heck, that is a long list...lol I am quite chilled honest :) :) And don't slate decks if they don't appeal. I either move on, or lop borders off where appropriate.