Former Mermaid

At-a-Glance Key

Decks that Stand Out!

Some decks have a little something extra which need their own special attention. Whether it’s got a great book, top-notch-art, is exceptionally inclusive, or is simply one of my favorites, you’ll see it in a green box below the At-A-Glance key.

Stand Outs include:

The Future is Inclusive! – Decks that represent a world that includes all demographics and people.

A Book Worth Reading – Decks that include a book that stands out as above and beyond. No basic LWB here!

Bootleg Alerts

See a big red box at the start and end of a page? It means the deck is a known and frequent victim to of counterfeiting. Check the box on the bottom of the page for signs of a counterfeit deck and how to tell if a deck you’re getting is authentic or less-than.

Read my article “The Cost of Counterfeit Tarot Decks: Why Artists Pay the Price” about why buying real decks and avoiding all the fakers is so important.

System

Describes the influence of the deck. Common systems include:

  • Traditional (in the style of traditional Rider Waite Smith (RWS))
  • Semi-Traditional (includes a blend of RWS and unique influences)
  • Standalone/Unique (entirely original to the deck)
  • Oracle Standard (general standard format of most oracles; a focal picture with a card name or title and a key word or phrase to describe the card)
  • Reference (designed as an educational resource first, oracle second)

Major Arcana

Describes the structure of the Major Arcana. Common systems include:

  • Traditional (in the style of traditional Rider Waite Smith (RWS))
  • Semi-Traditional (includes a blend of RWS and unique influences)
  • Standalone/Unique (entirely original to the deck)

Suits

Describes the suits. Common systems include:

  • Traditional (in the style of traditional RWS and variants (Wands/staves, Cups/Goblets, Swords/Daggers, Pentacles/Coins)
  • Semi-Traditional (at least suit is a variant from common RWS or use non-traditional names, but still reflect a basis traditional RWS structure (ex. Fire, Water, Air, Earth))
  • Standalone/Unique (entirely original to the deck)

Court Cards

Describes the court cards. Common systems include:

  • Traditional (in the style of traditional RWS and variants (Page/Knave, Knight, Queen, King))
  • Semi-Traditional (at least one is a variant from traditional RWS, but still reflects a basis in RWS (Daughter/Princess, Son/Prince, Queen, King)
  • Standalone/Unique (entirely original to the deck)

Pips

Describes the pips cards, designating if the deck is fully and uniquely illustrated or if the deck uses standardized pips across the suit. Common labels include:

  • Fully Illustrated/Unique (each card is individually illustrated, does not repeat, and all cards are individual)
  • Partial Pips (each pip card is illustrated, though not elaborately, and potentially not uniquely)
  • Basic Pips (each pip card is standardized and not fully or uniquely illustrated)

Cards

How many cards are in the deck.

  • A deck is considered a standard if it has 78 cards

Card Size

Shares approximate size of the cards.

  • A deck is considered a standard size if it measures 7 x 12 cm (about 4.7 x 2.7 inches)

Art

A brief description of the art style depicted across all cards

AI Usage

Declaration of AI usage or suspected AI usage. Common labels include:

  • None (no declared AI use and no evidence of AI use)
  • Declared Partial (artist or publisher state partial AI usage)
  • Declared Full (artist or publisher state cards are fully AI)
  • Not Declared, But Suspected (artist or publisher have not declared AI use but there is credible evidence of potential AI use)

Please note; this is just for disclosure purposes and not meant as a judgment for or against the use of AI .

Finish

Describes the finish of the cards in the deck. Common finishes include:

  • Flat Matte (non-shiny, no card texture)
  • Butter Matte (non-shiny, soft or velvet card texture)
  • Flat Canvas (non-shiny with canvas-like card texture)
  • Shiny (pronounced shine, but not photo glossy)
  • Glossy (photo glossy)
  • High Gloss (mirror-like slippery shine)

Edges

Describes the finish on the cut edges of the deck. Common edges include:

  • Standard (standard cut card edges)
  • Metallic (shiny metal-like finish)
  • Holographic (iridescent or shiny holographic sides)
  • Colored Matte (uniquely colored but non-glossy)

Box

Describes the structure of the box cards come in. Common boxes include:

  • Tuck Box (thin cardboard that closes like a deck of playing cards)
  • Rigid Two-Piece Pull Box (strong cardboard box that opens by pulling off a lid)
  • Rigid Flap (a lid-like flap that closes, usually with a magnet)
  • Rigid Wrap (a flap that wraps across the whole box, usually closed with a magnet)

Book

Describes the book included with the deck and the information shared with each card.

  • Little White Book (LWB) refers to the basic, small, paper, deck-sized booklet commonly found in RWS decks

Reversals

Includes if the deck describes reversed meanings of cards.

Purchased

Where I purchased it along with the link to the seller and/or the publisher/author

Price

Approximate price range the deck was purchased (to make it easier to spot standard pricing vs. too-good-to-be-true prices)

Counterfeiting Frequency

A notice on how many counterfeit decks are found on the market when the deck is searched online. Designations include:

  • None (no counterfeit listings seen, low risk of counterfeiting)
  • Low (little-to-no identified fake decks, low risk of counterfeiting)
  • Moderate (around half of listings seen online are bootleg, deck has known bootlegs on problematic sites)
  • High (overwhelming number of bootleg listings found online on problematic websites as well as many mainstream retailers; advise primarily purchasing directly from publisher or author)
  • Significant (most listings appear to be of fake decks across all retailers, widely; advise only purchasing directly from publisher or author)

CoA Included

If the deck contains a certificate of authenticity.