GoldenWolf
I have to admit that while I love the Mary-El, I'd love it a lot more without the glossy, sticky Schiffer cardstock. Same with the Tarot of the Sidhe. The Mary-El guidebook could be sturdier too. I handle it carefully, but worry that it will fall apart within the year. I don't get it because their packaging is first rate and sturdy. The color and printing quality also is very good. I'd appreciate the large size cards since I need reading glasses these days IF I could shuffle them more easily. I have large hands for a woman too, but struggle with the cards clumping together. So I'm not sure that it's the biggest bust of 2012, but it is disappointing.
I can't really think of anything else that is in the running for this title. Many of the decks people are dismissing as lightweight in the thread, I sort of expected them to be lightweight when I got them so I wasn't bothered by it. To me, the Sun and Moon,, for example, lets you read with a Thoth derived deck for other people without worrying about them having seriously negative reactions of the "Wasn't Crowley the Wickedist Man in the World?" variety. No and even if he was, who cares? Still it's a pain to begin a reading on that note. So to me, lightweight decks can have a useful niche in my collection.
I can't really think of anything else that is in the running for this title. Many of the decks people are dismissing as lightweight in the thread, I sort of expected them to be lightweight when I got them so I wasn't bothered by it. To me, the Sun and Moon,, for example, lets you read with a Thoth derived deck for other people without worrying about them having seriously negative reactions of the "Wasn't Crowley the Wickedist Man in the World?" variety. No and even if he was, who cares? Still it's a pain to begin a reading on that note. So to me, lightweight decks can have a useful niche in my collection.