In the last deck review I did of the Tarot des Ambiguïtés Deck I had mentioned that there was a Rider-Waite version and guess what, I have a copy in my hands to review! I was very excited to see the Rider-Marseille Tarot arrive and had been wanting to see a side-by-side comparison of the traditional Rider-Waite tarot and Marseille. This deck combines both in a very unique way that makes it feel very familiar.
This deck was also illustrated by Alejandro R Rozan and remains true to his style seen in the Tarot des Ambiguïtés. If you’re a reader who likes to use multiple decks and/or systems in a reading, these decks play beautifully together! What I love about this deck specifically is how the suits are shown, they resemble the suits seen in traditional Marseille decks and now what you typically see in Rider-Waite. It’s subtle yet striking, once I noticed this feature it started to jump right off the cards for me.
The Rider-Marsielle tarot comes with two extra portrait cards with the deck info on the reverse side, the portraits are of Pamela Coleman Smith (Pixie) and A.E. Waite. These two cards can be displayed on your altar or reading space, framed, placed as significators, etc. I love the idea of keeping Pixie in my deck, I actually used to keep a printed black and white photograph of her in my tarot bag for years.
Just like Tarot des Ambiguïtés, the color palate is muted yet rich. I’m a big fan of limited color palette’s and this deck does it for me, I really enjoy the color tones in the cards since it brings in an earthy and grounding feel. The cards are also printed on a linen cardstock that glides beautifully. In fact I made a huge mess of the cards when I first opened the box and they slide right out of my hands, needless to say they shuffle very well!
I highly recommend this deck if you prefer Rider-Waite but would like a different feel to the imagery or would like something fresh, this deck has all of that. I have truly enjoyed reading with these cards, they hit that intuitive mark for me while still allowing me to tap into more traditional symbols. It’s a great way to see Marseille suits interact in a Rider-Waite world.
Deck Details:
310gsm cardstock with linen finish
78 Cards
Standard tarot card size: 2.75″ x 4.75″
Comes packaged in a well designed tuck box
This deck is currently available in Artisan Tarot’s shop: https://artisantarot.com/
Follow on Instagram: Artisan Tarot + Alejandro R Rozan
This is my honest review of a deck that was sent to me as a gift by the deck creators.