Which tarot deck was the most disappointing buy?

[donnalee]

I like the Maddonni and I find it quite evocative. I think it is a highly entertaining and beautiful book of art, but that is just my opinion. The minors are just like TDM which is fairly common in European decks.

Druidcraft - Please put some clothes on that Hanged man, Love the nudity in Robin Wood, so nude blokes don't bother me. That old dude is just plain gross.

Morgan-Greer - I call this the Manson Family deck, That Devil card makes Thoth look like Disney on Ice. Most of the cards are nice in this one though.

Golden Rider - WTF

Radiant Rider - WTF

Original Rider -WTF

Giant made in Italy Rider - GARBAGE, WTF

Freddie

I have to say the eyes also of the Hanged man in Druidcraft make me creeped out, like dude is REALLY NOT meditating sublimely or surrendering or anything other than freaking the heck out. Now I have to go see the Devil in Morgan Greer (through squinty eyes if too yucky) to see what you mean.

 

[FLizarraga]

While the animal court cards are charming and well-drawn, the people in the deck just look weird and gross. (Like the Sun card with the Ken-doll man-bits. It's a naked dude -- just show his junk already!). They have weird feet, or weird leering faces. And the Majors don't seem to correspond well to any known system.

The majors are based on Chesca Potter's shamanic inspiration, which is more than a little unorthodox, although heavily and absurdly mixed with Robin Hood leftover props. So they don't really take off. I kinda like the Moon, though.

Interestingly enough, the other Tarot I know by this artist, the Druidcraft, has very appealing people (at least to me, YMMV) and the naked males have all their natural bits.

ON TOP OF THAT, I found out this was supposed to be a kind of "remake" of the Greenwood Tarot. And let me tell you, I find the images of the Greenwood to be SUBLIME. The Wildwood looks cartoony and flat in comparison. It is but a weak shadow. "Wherein Wisdom Resides" my butt!

LOL. Well said!

So I doubly resent this deck for making me want an out-of-print deck I can't sensibly afford.

I don't blame you. Of course, if you Google "Greenwood Tarot," you will soon find that there are ways to cope with its absence from the marketplace.

 

[Myrrha]

Actually, the Maddonni minors are not like anything I have ever seen, much less TdM decks. Marseille minors give you as much cups or swords or whatnot per number, and they can go from blah to wow. The Maddonni gives you one sword (or cup, or... pumpkin?) and a number. Apparently the majors exhausted Silvia Maddonni's inspiration --or Grimaud ran out of money. Who knows?

I loved the Maddoni majors, so elegant and wry. If the minors were indeed like a TdM it would be a sublime deck. If I see four cups on one card and ten swords on another I can SEE them, I can see what they might mean and how they relate. I can't do this with giant numbers. I can't really come up with fluid meanings and most certainly can't get the cards to modify each other and relate to each other.

People who read with set meanings might have a better time with this deck. The LWB gives meanings even for combined cards and I did have a couple of strangely accurate readings using them. In the long run though, that is not how I want to read.

 

[FLizarraga]

I loved the Maddoni majors, so elegant and wry. If the minors were indeed like a TdM it would be a sublime deck. If I see four cups on one card and ten swords on another I can SEE them, I can see what they might mean and how they relate. I can't do this with giant numbers. I can't really come up with fluid meanings and most certainly can't get the cards to modify each other and relate to each other.

People who read with set meanings might have a better time with this deck. The LWB gives meanings even for combined cards and I did have a couple of strangely accurate readings using them. In the long run though, that is not how I want to read.

I fell in and out of love with the Maddonni in this very thread. I must confess that I let it go very reluctantly (both the deck and the lovely, lovely bag you sent me with it, Myrrha). I still love the majors, bizarre wigs and all, but it's a very hard deck to read with, unless major-only reading is your thing --and I would still struggle...

But I wonder --can you imagine what it could have been if Silvia Maddonni would have done a RWS deck? Now THAT would be a deck for the ages. Just picture what she would have done with the 10 of Pentacles!

 

[Myrrha]

I fell in and out of love with the Maddonni in this very thread. I must confess that I let it go very reluctantly (both the deck and the lovely, lovely bag you sent me with it, Myrrha). I still love the majors, bizarre wigs and all, but it's a very hard deck to read with, unless major-only reading is your thing --and I would still struggle...

But I wonder --can you imagine what it could have been if Silvia Maddonni would have done a RWS deck? Now THAT would be a deck for the ages. Just picture what she would have done with the 10 of Pentacles!

Yes, more stuff on the cards, more scope for Madonni's brand of strangely beautiful weirdness.

As an aside: if you look at the Madonni courts and at Robert Place's courts for the Tarot of Angels it seems Place must have been somewhat influenced by Madonni. The Madonni Queen of Swords in particular reminded me strongly of one of Place's Female courts. Also the general way they say so much with slight body language and facial expression.

 

[Alea]

The Hanson Roberts Deck.... So disappointed. After seeing it used so much on tarot readings and such, I was so sad at how soft the cardstock is!

I know it's my fault as well for impulse buying in impulse (it was on SALE, for nearly HALF the price, and where I come from, it costs an arm and a leg to buy Tarot Decks.)

Alas, it did not connect with me. Hopefully I can sell it soon, since i cannot connect to it at all. :/ The cards are lovely, don't get me wrong, but the cardstock... doesn't feel too comfortable in my hands, too glossy-ish and soft.

 

[Kristyjnh]

The Hanson Roberts Deck... Ugghhh. So disappointed! After seeing it used so much on tarot readings and such, I was so sad at how bad the cardstock is!

I know it's my fault as well for impulse buying in impulse (it was on SALE, for HALF the price, and where I come from, it costs an arm and a leg to buy Tarot Decks.)

It was the "Essential Tarot Kit" with the hanson roberts' deck inside, as I opened it and saw the deck, the cards looked like someone riffled it and shuffled it a bit before me, everything was out of order, i went to check if the deck had all 78 cards and i kept praying inside my head "PLEASE, PLEASE let it be missing one card, PLEASE, I need to return it."
Alas, it did not. Hopefully I can sell it soon, since i cannot connect to it at all. :/ The cards are lovely, don't get me wrong, but the cardstock... It's basically paper with a glossy-ish finish.

I have the Hanson-Roberts mini deck (great for the purse!), and I found the cardstock to be great. I wish all my decks were so easy to shuffle. Mine aren't glossy at all, and just the right thickness to not bend too easily, but also not get stuck on each other when shuffling. I think I know what you mean by the glossy paper, I have a couple oracle decks (Mythic and Mermaids) like that and it makes shuffling un-fun. It makes a terrible noise when two cards slide against each other, and they catch on each other

 

[EightWands]

Mine is the Fairy Lights. Beautiful art but after seeing it in person, I just couldn't connect with it. I still have it and will be offering it up for sale.

 

[2_Journey]

Mine is the Fairy Lights. Beautiful art but after seeing it in person, I just couldn't connect with it. I still have it and will be offering it up for sale.

Interesting! The Fairy Lights is high on my wish list right now. I almost chose it over the Tarot of the Sidhe for my most recent tarot purchase. What about it didn't you connect with? You might save me from a bad deck purchase

 

[EightWands]

Interesting! The Fairy Lights is high on my wish list right now. I almost chose it over the Tarot of the Sidhe for my most recent tarot purchase. What about it didn't you connect with? You might save me from a bad deck purchase

Some of the images just didn't seem to fit what I'm used to with the rw system I guess. It's more an intuitive deck that needs to be read on it's own level. I just wasn't expecting that, and I have other decks I'm working with.

It may be an excellent deck purchase for you. I think I was just expecting something different.