The True Black Tarot (second edition?) acquired 2020, fifth special hologram edition acquired 2023

Courtesy Nudity Warning: There are beautiful naked people in this Tarot deck.

I’d just like to give a disclaimer that I personally treasure this deck and therefore have a pretty strong bias. It is one of my “if the house is on fire, which deck are you grabbing?” Tarots, so, if you are thinking of purchasing this deck (and it IS a spendy deck), do read at least another review that isn’t as gooey as this one.

Overall: 10/10 Its only downfall is its too good and nothing will ever compare after this. It has it’s own unique style that certainly won’t speak to everyone. Even those that like it visually may find that the images are so non-standard RWS that they may not be feel comfortable reading with it out of the box. I won’t dock points because of cost, but it’s still a limiting factor for many, though the creator Arthur Wang does offer three trial cards for reasonable price, and they very personable if you have questions or concerns.

The figures of this deck are very otherworldly, serious, and somber. I have a tendency to think of this deck as my “spirit guide” deck, so this is the deck I reach for when I’m looking for that deep, third party introspection. I find this deck is extremely good for dream work. I have seen the images of this deck in my dreams many times, so there’s something profound about the card images that tap into the unconscious (at least for me). The deck also has a distinct masculine voice that is powerful and beautiful, without feeling BRRRAW tough-guy manly-man. It also has tasteful and powerful images of women.

This is an exquisitely balanced deck in regards to positives and negatives, but I do have to give a word of warning–this is not a deck that is interested in being buddies. This is a very aloof, impartial deck. It does not bother silver lining things. If any of my decks could represent the Judgement card, it would be this deck. This deck doesn’t exactly have a sense of humor.

A note about the different editions: The cards are almost exactly the same except instead of the spot gloss, the fifth limited edition has a holographic rainbow foil. It is very beautiful and very extra. Most of the spot-gloss/holo details are in the majors so that’s where you’ll see the biggest difference. The fifth edition box is also covered in satin cloth rather than matte paper, and I believe each edition’s box has a different quote on the inside of the box cover. Each deck is hand-edged in black ink to match the cards. I personally prefer the standard spot-gloss effects over the holo as I like the secretive feeling of the black gloss on the black matte cards. The holo foil really jumps out on the matte black cards.

Card Quality: 4/5 These babies are THICC works of art—so much so you feel like you really have to be delicate with them! No heavy shuffling these bad boys. They have rose-petal finish so if you strongly dislike that, this isn’t the deck for you. I personally love the ultra tactile feeling of the deck–it really pairs well with the spot-gloss/holo juxtaposition and the simplistic sense of the art.

One of my favorite things about this deck is the feeling of movement, stillness, and (call me crazy) temperature in these cards! For example, the knight of wands feel HOT and in the middle of action. The X of Swords feels both burning hot and chillingly cold. And the Ace of Wands has this inoffensive feeling of warmth.

Readability: 4/5 This really surprised me since when I first saw this deck I didn’t immediately “get” it. While this isn’t a complete beginners deck, reading is very intuitive from the art. If you have the basics of RWS down, this deck to me feels very easy to use. The majors and courts feature people (or human-like beings) and the minors are objects and animals. There are details you can’t see on a quick internet flip through that carry the weight and meaning of the symbols on each card, and make it all the more accessible to the reader. The LWB is great, very well organized, well written, and succinct. This deck has a really solid “personality,” but it isn’t a “read anything for anyone” deck at all.

The old adage of don’t ask what you don’t want to know definitely applies to the True Black since it will cut straight to the heart of an issue. I frequently find when I use this deck with a particular question it typically says something along the lines of “yes, but here’s what you actually need to hear, here’s where you actually need to do work on.” If you dislike coming up with questions for your cards and rather prefer just drawing the cards and see what comes up, this is the perfect deck for that kind of reading.

The devil is in the details with this deck. Look at the four of wands: do you notice the bird is tethered to the wands? What about the five of cups? One cup is dangerously breaking, three are cracked, but one remains solid. And what kinds of things are going on in Judgement? This is a deck where getting lost in the cards is encouraged.

Art: 5/5 I’d describe this deck art as neo-chiaroscuro with its spotlight effect. The feeling of the senses in the cards are out of this world. There’s interesting lighting, there’s wind, there’s wetness and dryness, there’s odd angles and view points. There’s feelings of hot and cold. It appears at first blush simple, yet it is so, so detailed. It is certainly a deck that after years of use you think you got it, but you still notice new stuff all the time. There’s not much for me to say other than when you get the cards in hand, you start to notice all the little details you can’t see on the screen. Also, this is another great deck if you’re into sword/knifes that look real—so good!

Favorite Card: The tower. I love the concept of the tower being felt in the body. And it has a little black image of a fox hearkening back to the fable of the fox and the grapes. And, there’s that big spooky eye! I also love the take on the III of Swords (yikes), this card haunted my dreams for a while.

Least Favorite Card: Sorry I don’t have one for you. I love them all.

Card I Identify As: Now after some time, I have to agree with this decks assertion of my personality and say The Knight of Swords (so embarrassing…)

The deck Identifies me as: The Knight of Swords—interestingly I always think of it as the knight of wands, but it’s not—its all offense and skill and I often think of myself this way when I’m focused and in my flow.

Season: Mid Winter/Yule/Winter Solstice

Boxes It Checks: Shadow work, Spirit work, Self, Dark, Aloof, Masculine, Intuitive, Honest, Ethereal, Avant-garde

Similar Decks: The Black Tarot (Da Bright Tarot), The Darkness of Light Tarot, The Shadow Light Tarot, El Goliath Tarot, Dancing in the Dark Tarot, Wayward Dark Tarot, Lux Ex Umbra Tarot, Terra Volatile