What do you love most about RWS?

Brilliance

RWS

I love its illustrations, symbolism, and bright colors.
 

Darkmage

The depth of the images and the fact that it's great for beginners because it's the standard for the English-speaking world and yet study never seems to exhaust its possibilities.
 

Yelell

How about this? It is so widely available, had so many versions and printings over such a long period of time, that it will never be unavailable or rare in my lifetime. No need to worry like some decks that if you lose or wreck your copy you may never get your hands on another.:thumbsup:
 

chongjasmine

I love its images, and the fact that it is used frequently in tarot books.
 

Darkmage

How about this? It is so widely available, had so many versions and printings over such a long period of time, that it will never be unavailable or rare in my lifetime. No need to worry like some decks that if you lose or wreck your copy you may never get your hands on another.:thumbsup:

AMEN! This is another reason I like this. My regulation size and pocket RWS decks are my workhorses. I like the Albano-Waite for the same reason. The RWS is also easily obtainable secondhand. I got my regulation size one for $8. The LWB was missing (who cares) and the box had some damage, but the cards were in mint condition and in order. I was very pleased. Used copies don't linger long, either, as this is probably the most well known deck in the English speaking world and virtually all beginner books rely on it.
 

Zephyros

How about this? It is so widely available, had so many versions and printings over such a long period of time, that it will never be unavailable or rare in my lifetime. No need to worry like some decks that if you lose or wreck your copy you may never get your hands on another.:thumbsup:

I so agree. So many decks are being advertised as super special limited editions that cost a fortune, but this one is like the everyday china people use, a solid workhorse that doesn't need to be handled with kid gloves. The only deck I have that I allow people to riffle and shuffle as hard as they want.
 

Babalon Jones

I love that I've known this deck since being a little kid, so long now that each and every image is permanently embedded in my mind to the point that I can close my eyes and recreate almost every detail of every card. I may not agree with the interpretations of every image 100% but I get what they were going for.
 

MissChiff

I love that I've known this deck since being a little kid, so long now that each and every image is permanently embedded in my mind to the point that I can close my eyes and recreate almost every detail of every card. I may not agree with the interpretations of every image 100% but I get what they were going for.



I can really relate to this... The deck just feels like home..
 

jillkite

It reads so clearly, from the colours, to the facial expressions and postures of the characters involved, to the symbolic details that you can take or leave according to your style. I love the fact that it is a 'Light' deck, yet it doesn't shy away from the challenges and difficulties of life, it presents them very eloquently. It has been my favourite for over 15 yrs now, I stopped looking for a deck to top it a few years ago, this is the one for me.
 

Parzival

RWS

It reads so clearly, from the colours, to the facial expressions and postures of the characters involved, to the symbolic details that you can take or leave according to your style. I love the fact that it is a 'Light' deck, yet it doesn't shy away from the challenges and difficulties of life, it presents them very eloquently. It has been my favourite for over 15 yrs now, I stopped looking for a deck to top it a few years ago, this is the one for me.

Agree with all you say, especially as to facial expressions, more visible in the "Giant RWS." I also think that the deck works well with color, number, alchemy, and astrology, while staying away from on-the-card Kabbalistic connections that are disputable. Some of the images, such as Fool and Temperance, have inexhaustible symbolic depth.