Decks You Wish You Hadn't Bought?

Gracie2k

Laura Tuan Native American Cards complicated time consuming-- felt it was too weird for me. I respect Native American Culture but this is just unusual
 

Lokisen

Reviewing all the decks I have currently or have had in the past, I would say the Vertigo Deck and Lisa Hunt Fairy Tale. The Vertigo card artwork is unique (I love almost any of Dave McKean's stuff) and the intense, dark vibe it has is cool, but as a reading deck, it didn't work well for me--readings were unpleasantly muddled and none of my fellow tarot-reading friends liked the deck--they thought it was somehow sinister and "too" dark, if that's possible. As for the LH FT deck, it was beautiful, but so beautiful I found I couldn't read w/ it. I had just wanted to marvel at the illustrations & not bother reading. And I also kind of regret buying Shadowscapes for the same reason. I guess I gave in to the hype w/ that one. Somebody below mentioned regretting buying the Quest Tarot and I'm inclined to agree. I've had that deck for a while, but I seldom read w/ it, because yes, its illustrations are "cold & metallic" although awesome and highly unusual at the same time. This is probably nothing new, is it just me, or are the Quest Tarot's images influenced greatly by the Haindl deck? Some cards in each respective deck seem so similar. Also, the Quest Tarot, at least the one I got, was rather expensive (it was new), but I didn't care for that fact. As a result, my copies of Quest and Shadowscapes have sort of become collector's items; I'm also saving them if I ever do readings for clients or random people, who may prefer those decks to others I have, who knows. I don't take clients currently; I mostly read for friends and family (for free).
 

Stark Raven

This one tears it... Cachet Tarot

The Cachet Tarot - most of the deck is amazingly beautiful, breathtakingly so. But the Wheel of Fortune is really empty and plain, no biggie, but the spelling error on it is - Wheel of Fourtune is what it says. The other card that super-annoys is the Chariot. The breasts on the women look like inflatable beach balls. Their arms look sooooo masculine. I had to colour on them in hopes that the cards work on any level. But nope. These 2 cards put me off the whole deck, I will not use it. Darn.
 

Inghinn

I really disliked the Old English Tarot, it gave me a really creepy feeling. Found a new home for it though where it's much loved.
 

Quester

Hexen2.0...Can't read with this deck at all! :(
 

marimorimo

I am a strong believer that every deck has something to say, or a message it wants to relate to its reader every now and then. Of all my decks, the one that has never wanted to say a word is the Faeries Oracle. In the right hands, an oracle may be a powerful tool of wisdom; in my case, I feel the cards out of sync. This was my very first deck, but I just don't connect with it!

Faeries Oracle.

That's exactly what happened to me. Faeries' Oracle was the very first divination deck I ever bought, and I can't connect with it to this day... Love Froud's art, though, so I don't regret the purchase.

On the plus side, the fact that I couldn't jive with the Faeries was what drove me to Tarot :D


On topic:

Sacred Circle Tarot: I feel guilty about this because my Aunt bought this for quite a sum but I can't get into nineties photoshopped visuals and non-scenic pips. Note to self: don't get forced to choose a mediocre deck just because you have to buy a tarot deck!

Medieval Tarot: Bizarre imagery, and my copy is strangely oversized. Good thing I bought it cheap.

Universal Tarot: Can't get into the comic-book art of this RWS clone. The card stock is a dream to shuffle, though. I purposely abuse it but it hasn't flinched yet!

Shapeshifter Tarot: Doesn't connect in any way to me. Too mumbo-jumby woozy in the ether shapeshifting babble...

Grail Tarot: Can't get past those tacky photoshopped cups, swords, gems...

Voyager Tarot: Pretty but does absolutely nothing for me.

Paulina Tarot: Wanted to love this but the pics are too muddy and I can't get any useful readings :(

After being disappointed by so many decks, I'd like to believe I'm now a wiser shopper :D
 

hunter

After being disappointed by so many decks, I'd like to believe I'm now a wiser shopper :D

I have yet to become a wiser shopper. Sigh!

The DV Angel Tarot is too thick and stiff for 78 cards. I am a very tactile person. It was my first deck purchase after a tarot break, and I had a large B&N coupon where the pickings were very slim. It won't be the last impulse purchase. Some purchases are like buying a paperback novel.

Some times I really want to be a wiser shopper. Other days I don't care. At least there are no calories in a deck. I have less remorse over a regretted deck, than a regretted restaurant meal, and they are usually about the same price.

But the DV Angel is a dud for me, that I'm planning on rehoming pretty quickly.
 

Richard

The Mystical Lenormand may be a candidate for buyer's remorse, but I think my objections would apply equally to any other "non-traditional" Lenormand. Of course, "non-traditional" is a very precarious term when applied to the Lenormand, since originally it was merely part of a playing card deck used for divination by the amazing Marie Lenormand. I just prefer for my Lenormands to look old-fashioned in some sense, although I may have to make an exception for Ciro Marchetti's new deck, which I like very much, so far.
 

Alta

I am gradually getting rid of decks I am sorry I bought, but it is difficult to pry them loose. :)

There is quite a list, Clamp X War for example. I recently used this in the Difficult Deck Circle, the round where we were supposed to read `boring decks`. Or this case, wtf were they thinking? decks. What, did someone just go through the manga and pick out pictures at random?
 

marimorimo

There is quite a list, Clamp X War for example. I recently used this in the Difficult Deck Circle, the round where we were supposed to read `boring decks`. Or this case, wtf were they thinking? decks. What, did someone just go through the manga and pick out pictures at random?

A Clamp X deck!? Didn't know it existed (is it a bootleg?) I know the pics are out for Magician - Moon (If I remember right, because I own up to the 18th volume of the manga), but I don't know about the other cards. I'd want that deck just for the love of X, though I wouldn't use it for divination :D

Hmm.. maybe you could use the context of the pictures in the manga storyline for divination?