Linestrider or Wild Unknown

Would you say these two are in the same genre in terms of collecting, and if so, which one is a better reader?

They're both independent decks (or were--they have both gone mass market now) and they have unique art but I wouldn't necessarily say they're in the same genre of deck. TWU has art that's a little more harsh and sketchy, while the Linestrider is softer and done in watercolors. I have the first edition of both decks and greatly prefer to read with the Linestrider, but I think that's really a matter of preference and what works best for you personally. If you're trying to choose between the two, I would go with whichever calls to you the most.

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I have both (I just bought the Wild Unknown) and to me the Wild Unknown is a bit darker, like walking in a forest at night. There are no people in it, just animals and objects.

The Linestrider Tarot has much softer colours. I also feel like it's a very nature-y deck, but it's more about humans being a part of nature or liminal spaces.

A thing to consider is that some of the Wild Unknown's minors are more pip-ish whereas the Linestrider's give you more of an idea of what's going on, I think.

HighPriestess said:

I have both (I just bought the Wild Unknown) and to me the Wild Unknown is a bit darker, like walking in a forest at night. There are no people in it, just animals and objects.

The Linestrider Tarot has much softer colours. I also feel like it's a very nature-y deck, but it's more about humans being a part of nature or liminal spaces.

A thing to consider is that some of the Wild Unknown's minors are more pip-ish whereas the Linestrider's give you more of an idea of what's going on, I think.

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Yeah, I felt like they are both a minimal animal type decks, but the Linestrider has people courts, which I prefer. It's also good to know there is more meat on the Linestrider minors. I may get Linestrider instead of Wild Unknown. I didn't care for the Wildwood Tarot because the animal courts didn't work for me, so Linestrider might be a better choice.

officialmothman said:

They're both independent decks (or were--they have both gone mass market now) and they have unique art but I wouldn't necessarily say they're in the same genre of deck. TWU has art that's a little more harsh and sketchy, while the Linestrider is softer and done in watercolors. I have the first edition of both decks and greatly prefer to read with the Linestrider, but I think that's really a matter of preference and what works best for you personally. If you're trying to choose between the two, I would go with whichever calls to you the most.

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Good to know you think the Linestrider is a better reader, thanks.

I wouldn't classify them in the same genre other than they're both nature-based decks with some minimalistic art.

TWU tends to be more masculine and harsher, imo.
The Linestrider is more feminine and has an ethereal feel to it.

Personally, I think both of them read wonderfully. If I had to pick only one, I'd go with TWU, but I do also love the Linestrider.

Both are minimalistic but I find the Linestrider to have lighter colors and of course a white background. It also has a mix of animals and people whereas the WU is purely animals and nature.

I'd say go with whichever you're leaning towards since both have mass market editions recently released. You won't have any trouble finding either for an affordable price if you feel one doesn't suit you and want to try the other.

Hmmm. I don't have a lot of decks because I have very limited funds and have to put a lot of thought into each one I get. I need rich imagery. I considered Linestrider, but thought it too cartoonish or like children's book illustrations, with too much blank space around the central figures for my taste, from what I saw of it online.

I love my Wild Unknown! I don't think of it as more masculine or dark; I think of it as gritty, stark, and almost primeval. I love how the Hermit, the Hanged Man, the High Priestess, and the Hierophant were interpreted and drawn. And it always strikes me as odd when someone says that the WU pips aren't illustrated. I generally eschew decks with unillustrated pip cards because I read intuitively and rely on the images, but I don't even think of WU pips as unillustrated! To me even the WU pip cards do say quite a lot.

I mean, four swords silhouetted in bright light while suspended in air over a lamb with a small sun beaming out of its forehead isn't an unillustrated pip, to me. I can't say that a tree branch floating in a black sky with six glowing red-orange pentacles budding on its branches, and twilight creeping in around the edges of the card, is an unillustrated pip. Nor is a card with eight broken glass goblets on the ground in front of a massive black mountain and night sky with no stars, clouds, or moon. Sure, some cards are more sparse than others, but for some reason, I actually can connect and intuit things very clearly from just a triangular arrangement of sticks tied together with rough twine and containing a watery rainbow of colors within its center. Or seven pentacles lined up in an orderly diagonal on top of a precisely mitered 45 degree corner. I dunno, I just really dig this deck! Maybe because I prefer non-traditional decks with alternatives to the usually prescribed meanings. It stimulates my imagination and intuition in rather unexpected and very direct ways! I hope that makes sense!

Let us know which deck you decide to get!

It took me quite some time to connect with the Wild Unknown. But since I clicked with it, it has really been a good companion of mine. What I've noticed is that it's a very spiritual deck for me. Nowadays I avoid asking the WU "practical" questions, because the answers I get from it are often quite exaggerated! With more spiritual, self-developing, questions it’s wonderful though.

I’m not one to fall for animal decks usually, but this one I really do love, it stands out in my collection and I love how it’s very non-fluffy despite being all about animals.
The Linestrider I’ve had for a couple of months, but for some reason it doesn’t really pull me in… I rarely feel like working with it and the readings I’ve done have felt quite anonymous and neutral. I really do want to give it an honest try though, because it does have something special about it. And I’m usually a big fan of watercolor. I just can’t seem to quite wrap my head around it… Maybe because it has a bit of a weak theme? It mixes animals and humans in a way that confuses me a bit. It comes with a meaty guidebook though so I’ve been thinking I need to read that before I understand the deck a bit better!

So naturally I'm more fond of the WU, but I have had it for a longer time, and I also feel I haven't given the Linestrider enough time to judge it yet.

Thanks for the differing opinions. I'm not feeling one way or another about these decks. In the WU is all the imagery relatable to RWS?