Best Tarot Cards

The best tarot cards to use when you're learning to read tarot ultimately is the tarot card deck you like the best. But what if you're learning the tarot cards and aren't sure which is the right deck for you?

Here's a listing of some of the best tarot cards with a brief description of the deck. These are all tried and true tarot card decks that thousands of other people have learned with and loved. Don't feel constrained by this list but use it as a starting point to find your tarot cards! If you're looking for something different, here's where you can buy tarot cards like that.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Card Deck

One of those tarot card decks that frequently on Top 10 tarot cards lists, The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot cards are a deck of many variations. The Universal Waite is pictured here, and it or the Radiant Waite are my two favourites. A very standard deck and excellent to learn on, it features beautiful illustrations by the unsung Pamela "Pixie" Colman Smith, long overdue for recognition for her part in this historic tarot card deck.

The Marseille Tarot Card Deck

A medieval style Tarot card deck, the Marseille is a European favourite and listed with the Rider-Waite as some of the best tarot cards. Its unique illustrations definitely recall medieval tarot cards even though their pedigree likely dates to the late 1800's and was popularized in the 1930's. Many, many decks imitate the mighty Marseille.

The Thoth Tarot Card Deck

No listing of the best would be complete without the Aleister Crowley's Thoth tarot cards. Illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, the Thoth deck features deep and compelling images and many layers of symbolism. While some have argued that it is more complicated than other tarot cards to learn with, it has more than its share of champions.

The Hanson-Roberts Tarot Card Deck

The Hanson-Roberts is a modern reimagining of the classic Rider-Waite tarot deck with fairy-tale imagery. If you're looking for something different from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, this might not be the best choice but its cheerful characters have long had close friends in the Tarot community.

The Morgan-Greer Tarot Card Deck

Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan are the creators of this perennially popular deck that deserves a place on every best tarot cards list. Vivid colours, borderless cards and crisp drawings make for compelling and bold tarot cards that are derivative of the Rider-Waite-Smith cards.

The Motherpeace Tarot Card Deck

A strong feminist deck by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble, the Motherpeace's round shape is not the only thing that sets this beautiful deck apart from other traditional ones. Replete with imagery of strong women, this deck is starkly drawn but very lovely in its simplicity. A perfect tarot card deck for anyone who wishes to celebrate the feminine side to their spirituality.

Tarot of the Cat People

A modern classic by Karen Kuykendall, Tarot of the Cat People, is set in the fictitious Outer World where the residents have a strong connection to their natural environment. With a theme that artistically seems to walk between science fiction and fantasy, Tarot of the Cat People are some of the best tarot cards for nature-lovers, especially cat people!

Robin Wood Tarot Card Deck

Another new classic deck, the Robin Wood are rightfully considered some of the best tarot cards ever created. With a decidedly Pagan theme to the deck, the traditional imagery has been kept but added to, creating a deck that is even easier and more intuitive to interpret. Simply stunning illustrations threaten to leap from the cards, adding some luscious icing to this Tarot cake.

Deviant Moon Tarot Card

This much-lauded tarot deck by Patrick Velenza is oohed and ahhhed over for its eccentric, lush and absolutely stunning imagery. A labour of love that is a reknowed achivement, the Deviant Moon tarot is one of the best of the best for its luscious artwork and its utter originality!








These decks are some of the best tarot cards for tarot readers of any level. These are the types of cards that you start with and 10 years from now, will still be reading tarot cards with them!

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