4^th edition and large matte edition. There’s a reason for all the hype. Acquired 2020

This deck just makes me happy. I brought it out unexpectedly for some October fun, and realized I need to review it. It would be a very strong contender for “you can only keep one deck which, one it is?”

Overall: 10/10 You know that friend you love to go drinking with (even though you don’t really drink)? The one that unleashes your inner party-goblin? The one that’s so witty and yet retains such a coquettish innocence? That’s The Dark Mansion Tarot. Super personable and intimate, this is a delightfully fun deck that, while it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it definitely holds its own as a unique tarot on the market.

I really really thought I would not like this deck and I did not jump on the bandwagon to buy it until it had been already well into its fourth edition print (gilded edges, glossy finish) and I’d watched a dozen videos of it being used. I didn’t much care for the black edging (I was going through a shiny phase, okay?) so I was thrilled to see they had a gold edge finish, but I didn’t realize the card finish was glossy until it arrived on my door step! That disappointment lasted all of two seconds before I fell head over heels for this deck.

I like it so much than when they offered a matte large edition nearly three years later (NOT to be confused with the rose-petal finish of the first special edition printing) I snatched one up immediately, so this will be a review of both of these decks, because I think they both are excellent quality.  

I tend to find that I bring this deck with me traveling more than any other deck. It’s the “read all” deck I own. It’s the “I don’t know what I’m gonna need reading, so I bring this deck.” It’s happy to talk on any query and give a solid, well-rounded reading no matter what. It isn’t offensive, petty, over-emotional, and has a great balance of feminine and masculine energies.

Card Quality: 5/5 I got the fourth edition which is glossy af and I wasn’t too happy about it but the cards are top notch nonetheless. But, the colors are OUT OF THIS WORLD with the glossy version, and it’s a breeze to shuffle.  The box also comes with gold foil accents

The large matte edition is gorgeous too, with gold painted edges, with a finish that is soft and gives the cards an almost antique-y feel. Compared to the gloss finish, they are much harder to shuffle, but the larger size also makes them a bit cumbersome. That being said, I LOVE the larger images where I can see minutia detail that gets a bit lost in the sauce of the smaller cards.

The skeletons are just an absolute mood throughout the deck! They crack me up!

Readability: 5/5 There is no guide book because you don’t need one, the images tell all the story you need. There are some changes to meanings of cards; for example, there’s a heavy emphasis of risk, and balance as well as planning in the two of wands that I think is an improvement, but I feel like this deck does RWS better than the RWS (burn me at the stake).

Art: 4/5 The art is out-of-this-world-quirky, and cute, lush, full, story driven, cohesive, everything I personally look for in a deck BUT it’s all a bunch of white people.

Favorite Card: The Eight of Swords–this is the card that told me I had to have this deck. It really scratched an itch. It doesn’t do anything no body hasn’t done before, it simply just does this card very, very well. And, a side note, this has the BEST eight of wands! Now that’s how you do and eight of Wands, folks! And The Moon, I really am hypnotized by this moon. This moon is a force to be reckoned with.

Least Favorite Card: None, there isn’t a card in here that doesn’t belong.

The parade of Pages! The Pages in this deck are just adorable and great in their depiction and mannerisms!

Card I Identify As: I really relate to the Page of Wands (so, so cheeky!), the Page of Swords, The Knight of Swords, and The Eight of Wands, though I do also have a deep connection with the whole numbered cups suit.

The deck Identifies me as: The Empress (for some reason? I’m quite happy about it!)

Season: early Fall through early Winter

Boxes it Checks: Charming, Friendly, Easy to Read, Humorous, Cohesive, Quirky, Cute,

Similar Decks: Le Tarot Noir, The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot, Tarot of the Sweet Twilight, Tarot of the Haunted House