Puzzled by the Morgan Greer

Maan

I like the morgan greer. Not one of my main decks but i love the borderless boldness of this deck.
The backs don't bother me, its actually one of the things i like about the deck. For me it fits perfectly with the general feeling of the deck. Funny how tastes can be so different.
 

nisaba

So, I recently got a new deck, the Morgan Greer, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I wanted to get a more traditional style deck, and was drawn to the borderless and colorful MG. However, I realized that the backs were asymmetrical, and this is what gives me weird feelings about it. If you have experience with this deck, is there anything you can tell me about reversals or how the deck reads in general?

The are many decks where the backs vary slightly from card to card - the da Vinci Enigma is my personal favourite out of that. I don't actually read the backs, I read the fronts, so it makes no difference in using the deck :).

The Morgan Greer ... I love rich, saturated colour and this one would seem to fit the bill, but there's something about the colour-range of this deck that really doesn't sit well with me, and I can't put my finger on why that is so.

The moustaches are so 1970s Pornography.

I regularly give away my copy, and the recipients are regularly delighted with it, so it suits a lot of people. Then after a few months without it, I start to miss it, so I get it back again. Look at it once, and never touch it again - until I give it away. :)

It's a great gifting deck.
 

Zephyros

I guess my main problem is the back of it, I just think it looks so childish. I think if the blue was even just a darker shade it would look better. Obviously looks aren't everything, but for me when I am doing a reading for myself and I see those stars I just...can't take it seriously?

I agree, that bothered me, too, at first, and for the same reason. Still, not only do I like on its own right, but I also have nostalgic memories of it, it was my first deck that I used. As the Devil, it's so cheesy it's great. :)
 

Le Fanu

Although I love it, my main problem isn't with the backs. It's a problem that nobody seems to share. It seems so bare of symbolism. Big bold outlines and relatively little detail. There's always the sense of very little to grab onto apart from large, up-close faces. I like curious detail in my decks, tiny, weird things to make connections with...
 

Zephyros

Although I love it, my main problem isn't with the backs. It's a problem that nobody seems to share. It seems so bare of symbolism. Big bold outlines and relatively little detail. There's always the sense of very little to grab onto apart from large, up-close faces. I like curious detail in my decks, tiny, weird things to make connections with...

I would say that's a feature, not a bug. While such sparsity might have detracted from other decks, in the MG it seems to work. It may have been a factor in why it became so lasting since it isn't, by itself, that special, "just" another RWS clone. Well, aside from being fairly attractive, etc. Still, no denying it has a certain special something. Also, despite the 70s mustaches, it still has an enduring, timeless quality to it.
 

karen0205

Although I love it, my main problem isn't with the backs. It's a problem that nobody seems to share. It seems so bare of symbolism. Big bold outlines and relatively little detail. There's always the sense of very little to grab onto apart from large, up-close faces. I like curious detail in my decks, tiny, weird things to make connections with...

This is my feeling too. I really keep looking at the deck, have had it a few times and sold it.
I love the artwork but there's nothing but close up views of the scenes in the cards.
I would really like the deck if it had more details.
 

Chronata

see, now to me the details ARE there...both in what you see...and what you don't see.(but can imagine is beneath/behind/above/before

They are in the expressions, the saturated colors, the costumes, the directions, and the limited use of props.

This deck is SO clear and non-BS for me...it states it's case, and it's not so humble opinions...like it or not.

And as for backs...well that has never been an issue. After several hundred different decks have come and gone from my hands...I have to say there are backs that are far worse and distracting than the MG.
 

Morwenna

I love the MG and I've had my copy for decades now. I never did like the backs, but it was just one of those "givens." Back then there were fewer decks, and none of them had really nice backs that I could see. I tend to ignore the backs of most cards anyway, though I will sit and contemplate backs I do like.

What weirded me out when I first saw the deck in person was the borderlessness. It was the first deck I'd seen without borders, and the pictures I'd seen of the deck didn't make me realize that there were no borders. In person, it felt as if the pictures were too much in-my-face. But I finally bought the deck anyway and was never sorry.
 

staleair

I think the details are there, but not in a traditional sense. I think the deck definitely relies on colors, which I like about it. You have to use your intuition a little bit more so with the MG rather than sayyy, the Rider Waite or any deck with more of a full scene. The colors are the details for me, which I think further contributes to the deck's emotional and welcoming vibe.

Also, i don't feel like it has an overly 70s look? Maybe its just me, but I'm not really bothered by the aesthetic of the deck. I actually quite like the rounded faces of the people, they look real. Interesting to hear everyone's thoughts! :)
 

Morwenna

I think the '70s thing has to do with the mustaches. But I don't think of such things most of the time. If anything, the art style reminds me somewhat of the late '60s zodiac posters that were all over my dorm (yes, I had a couple). But that's OK; I'm big on nostalgia anyway.

My favorite card in that deck is the 3 of Cups; I just love the way the women look out to the viewer as if inviting one in to share the festivities.