The cards embody all the purity and primitive magic of dragons, mighty winged beasts.
This work by Davide Corsi perfectly combines the epic grandeur of classic fantasy with the iconic power of the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot.
In this deck, the visionary lore of dragons will be your guide through the mystical and spiritual worlds. Art by Davide Corsi.
You can see the complete flickthrough on TikTok or Youtube.
Total Tarot is a bimonthly magazine designed to help teach anyone how to read tarot. With every two issues, readers get a complete tarot deck from Lo Scarabeo, one of the major Tarot companies on the market. The art of these decks is true to the originals, but they have frames where the originals don't and the LWB is not included, instead there is some information in the magazine about the history of the deck and the specific meanings attached to cards. This is a great collection if you want to try a lot of styles of deck at very reasonable prices - I'm learning a lot about my preferences!
I. First Impressions
(image of a card)
II. The Cards
(image of two of the named cards)
Minor Arcana: The Minor Arcana are fully illustrated, with dragons on the number cards and people in the courts. The suits are colour coordinated, with Swords in gray, Wands in red, Pentacles in green and Cups in blue, which makes them easier to pick out in a reading. As with the Majors, they mostly follow RWS, but a few stray away from that style and the courts are all very similar.
(Image of a non-RWS card, image of two similar courts)
(image of a card)
Artwork Style: These are dark-toned, atmospheric cards with rich, realistic art. The dragons aren't cartoonish; they’re powerful, Western-style dragons rendered with depth and gravitas. There’s a clear sense of intelligence behind their eyes - they aren’t mere beasts, but ancient, knowing creatures.
(image of a card)
II. The Cards
Major Arcana: The Major Arcana generally follows the RWS system, with dragons in the place of the humans. They have their number, in Roman numerals, at the top and bottom, but no name. There's a frame in gold around the image, but I believe that's unique to the TT version - the general version doesn't have a frame. Some of the cards are quite similar - High Priestess and Hierophant are quite close, as are the Empress and Emperor - but in general it's easy enough to tell which is which.
(image of two of the named cards)
Minor Arcana: The Minor Arcana are fully illustrated, with dragons on the number cards and people in the courts. The suits are colour coordinated, with Swords in gray, Wands in red, Pentacles in green and Cups in blue, which makes them easier to pick out in a reading. As with the Majors, they mostly follow RWS, but a few stray away from that style and the courts are all very similar.
III. In Use
Intuition and Connection: As it's similar to - but not exactly like - the RWS, anyone with a knowledge of that system will pick it up easily enough. I found I was able to read with it straight away, though it took me a few times to tune in perfectly.
Clarity of Readings: In general, this is a really good deck to read with - it doesn't pull punches or step gently, it tells it exactly how it is. I did need a bit of practise before I tuned into it properly, but a few days of daily pulls was enough, it wasn't especially difficult.
Suitability for Different Skill Levels: I think this isn't for complete beginners, because some of the cards stray away from RWS - unless a reader is planning to use this deck and no other. However, once you have even a general idea of the RWS, this would be a great deck to stretch your understanding with - some of the images are really clever in a way I wasn't expecting when I started working with it.
Clarity of Readings: In general, this is a really good deck to read with - it doesn't pull punches or step gently, it tells it exactly how it is. I did need a bit of practise before I tuned into it properly, but a few days of daily pulls was enough, it wasn't especially difficult.
Suitability for Different Skill Levels: I think this isn't for complete beginners, because some of the cards stray away from RWS - unless a reader is planning to use this deck and no other. However, once you have even a general idea of the RWS, this would be a great deck to stretch your understanding with - some of the images are really clever in a way I wasn't expecting when I started working with it.
(image of a card)
Final Thoughts
I've really enjoyed working with this deck. It's strong, straightforward, and perfect for spreads, where the cards build meaning together. It challenges you gently but firmly, helping you grow as a reader. Highly recommend!
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