After unboxing a few tarot decks you think to yourself, hey I got this, I know what to expect. Yet every time I open a new tarot deck I am surprised. The Linestrider Tarot by Siolo Thompson has again shocked me with a high the level of artistry.
This was a great deck to unbox. I was drawn to the mini size of the tarot cards. I have the pocket-sized Thoth deck, and I had a great experience with those cards. I thought I would have a similar experience, and I was right. The cards are much smaller than the Thoth pocket size. They are the smallest cards I have so far. One card can easily fits into a regular playing card.
Size Is Not an Issue
The small size makes the cards easy to take around with you. I already took these cards to work to play around with them on my break. What a cool experience it was to have a portable tarot deck. Ever pull out a Tarot deck in public? It always seems to draw attention. With cards this small you can have a little more privacy and not draw as much attention.
The Card Imagery and Format
The imagery is impressive. The artistry found in these cards is very striking. The mixture of minimalism and pastel watercolor style is visually appealing. There are no borders, no numbers, only the name of the card. For me, this is the first Tarot deck I have ever seen that is not numbered. I am surprised once again.
Without a border, the card image feels like it can leap off the card into the real world.
The major arcana uses the regular format that Tarot readers are all used to. Fool through to the World. What is interesting is that without card numbers we cannot debate the Strength and Justice position switch. Strength and Justice can switch positions in the major arcana of Tarot decks. This change can tell us a little bit about where the artists is drawing their influence from. In this case, the cards have no numbering system. So, there is no way to declare what position these cards are in.
The minor arcana has images on them just like what you would find in a RWS style deck. Some cards are more ambiguous than others, but this is due to the art style. You will get used to the images over time and be able to read them well with practice.
Further Use
The artistic style of this deck matches with many of the new Tarot and Oracle decks within this decade. This would be a good opportunity to use these cards with other decks that resonate together. If you want a way to use multiple decks in a game like way check this out.
Watch the unboxing vidoe here:
Attribution: The Linestrider Tarot by Siolo Thompson © 2016 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125. All rights reserved, used by permission.
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