Royo Dark Tarot Deck [Cards]

Royo Dark Tarot is a themed deck which portraits a dark fantasy world with scenes ebbing sensuality based on the Luis Royo's paintings. This is essentially a remake of the Black Tarot, but this time around the pips are fully illustrated and some of the Major Arcana and Court Cards have been replaced as well. This is the deck you were waiting for if you were left wanting with the Black Tarot or are a fan of Luis Royo's artwork and a tarot collector.

Beware; there is a lot of female nudity in these cards shown in various levels of strength and vulnerability. In contrast, the scenery evokes a fantastic world full of dread and pain.

These cards are bordered black, numbered at the top-left and bottom-right corners, labeled in English and Spanish at the top-right corner and labeled in Italian and French at the bottom-left. The back of these cards is fully reversible, resembling a wooden door.

The Major Arcana are numbered with red roman numeral at the top-left and at the bottom-right starting at 0 with the Fool, VIII for Justice and XI for Strength. The only minor deviation from the Rider Tarot naming convention is X The Wheel (Wheel of Fortune).

In a cursory check against the Black Tarot, you may notice that many of the Major Arcana has been replaced. These include:

0. The Fool,
I. The Magician
IV. The Emperor
V. The Hierophant
X. The Wheel
XIV. Temperance
XVIII. The Moon
XIX. The Sun
XX. Judgement

The Minor Arcana are labeled with the symbols of each suit at the top-left and bottom-right corners. These are chalices, pentacles, wands and swords. The court cards are labeled as knave, knight, queen, or king. Of the court cards, only the Queen and King of Chalices were replaced.

The major departure on this deck as compared to the Black Tarot occurs on the pips. The pips are numbered with red numerals at the top-left and at the bottom-right. These are fully illustrated cards from the ample selection of Royo's artwork. In occasion you may catch a glimpse of the suit symbol on the card scenery, but this is not the rule. Although, the imagery was selected to match the meaning of the card, this doesn't always work well.

This is an interesting remake that was worth waiting for. However, it follows the RWS Tarot rather loosely, and there are cards that are difficult to "read" by the image alone. But if you are a Luis Royo's fan and a tarot collector, this deck should find its way into your collection.

Other decks by Luis Royo include:
The Labyrinth Tarot
The Black Tarot
The Labyrinth Tarot
The Black Tarot
I Ching: Dead Moon Deck

This desk is absolutely beautiful. Everyone responds to a deck differently, for me this was a perfect fit. The quality cards take a good rough shuffle no problem. My reads have been frightening accurate ;p If you like the darker artwork, I would recommend this deck, it's hard to go wrong with a Lo Scarabeo.

** On a side note, there is nudity and even some very sexual artwork on some of the cards. If you are getting a deck for someone younger, think about the level of maturity there. The art is still art and (I think) in good taste but some people can't handle.

This desk is Luis Royo at his finest! The otherworldly pictures are dark with a gothic flavor. Beautiful! I have yet to read with them, but I've worked with the deck a few times and can definitely get a feel that the readings will be truthful and real. You won't be disappointed with this deck.