The 10 Best Tarot Decks for Beginners
Mysterious symbols, fairytale characters, bold colors: Does the huge range of tarot decks leave you feeling overwhelmed? When you’re starting out, there’s more to consider than pretty packaging! What matters is finding images that speak to you and explanations that genuinely help. Here are ten decks to choose from—so you can look beyond appearances and find a set that feels right for you.
These ten decks offer different ways to get started: with detailed guides, classic imagery or modern perspectives to spark your curiosity.
Tarot Made Easy: Get Started with a Detailed Guidebook
If you don’t want to be left guessing every time you draw your first cards, Tarot Made Easy: Your Tarot Your Way pairs vivid illustrations by Eugene Smith with a detailed guidebook by Barbara Moore. Professional tarot consultant Alane Hathaway, founder of At The Rising Moon, specifically recommends this set and highlights its guide as especially helpful for beginners. The book helps you get to know the cards and their meanings while leaving room for your own impressions. To get started, take a moment to look at a card, note your immediate reaction, and then read the explanation. This way, you can combine guided learning with personal observation.
Energy Oracle Cards: A Gentle Introduction Through Imaginative Images
Sandra Anne Taylor’s Energy Oracle Cards aren’t a traditional tarot deck, but oracle cards that Hathaway recommends as a possible first step before exploring the more complex world of tarot. Their romantic, fantastical illustrations feature figures such as archangels and chakras, setting them apart from many traditional tarot designs. The included guidebook explains the cards and also covers how meanings can differ depending on whether a card is upright or reversed. If you’re drawn to this visual world, look at a few of the cards before deciding and consider whether their imagery resonates with you. It’s especially important here to remember that you’re choosing oracle cards—not a traditionally structured tarot deck.
The Rider Waite Smith Tarot Deck: A Classic with Iconic Imagery
The Rider Waite Smith Tarot Deck is a good choice if you want to learn the classic symbolism that has influenced countless decks since. The illustrations were created by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of British scholar and mystic Arthur Edward Waite, and feature archetypal characters and scenes. There are several editions to choose from, including borderless cards, a holographic version and a set with a guidebook. Check exactly what’s included before you buy rather than assuming every edition comes with the same learning resources. If you’re looking for a classic starting point with extra guidance, the version with a book is especially worth considering.
Easy Tarot: Step-by-Step Guidance, Not a Sea of Question Marks
Want to do more than look up card meanings—you’d also like to understand how to lay out a full reading? Easy Tarot: Learn To Read The Cards Once & For All! pairs the Gilded Tarot, illustrated by Ciro Marchetti, with a guidebook by Josephine Ellershaw and a fold-out reading mat. The book takes you through the learning process step by step, explaining meanings and providing sample interpretations as well as advice for tackling common challenges. The mat shows you where each card goes in the Celtic Cross spread and what that position represents. This makes the set especially appealing if you like having a visual guide beside you as you try your first readings.
The Modern Witch Tarot Deck: Familiar Symbols, Contemporary Characters
Lisa Sterle’s The Modern Witch Tarot Deck reimagines classic tarot characters in a contemporary setting, with diverse depictions of women and gender diversity. The imagery draws on traditional archetypes but tells their stories from a modern perspective that may feel more relatable than historical designs. An included guidebook helps you get to know the cards, giving you explanations to go with the expressive illustrations. If you’re torn between this deck and a classic set, focus on which style of imagery makes it easier for you to connect with the cards. This deck isn’t about looking as traditional as possible; it offers a contemporary take on familiar tarot symbolism.
Tarot Of The Divine: A Key to the Cards Through Myths and Fairy Tales
Yoshi Yoshitani’s Tarot Of The Divine connects tarot with deities, fairy tales, myths and traditional stories from around the world. The illustrations draw on traditions from places including China, Peru, Norway and Greece, offering a particularly story-driven perspective on the cards. The guidebook explains the stories behind the imagery and how they illustrate different tarot themes. If you find it easier to understand ideas through characters and plot than through keywords, this approach is well worth exploring. You can start by learning the story depicted on a card, then see how its themes appear in the card’s explanation.
The Good Karma Tarot: A Colorful, Positive Way to Start
If dark or especially mysterious designs put you off, The Good Karma Tarot: A Beginner’s Guide to Reading the Cards takes a much friendlier approach. Amy Blackwell’s colorful, inclusive illustrations feature upbeat scenes and smiling faces, while Kerry Ward’s guidebook offers a supportive introduction. It explains card meanings, covers reversed cards and introduces different spreads, so the cheerful design comes with plenty of practical information. When choosing this deck, consider not just whether you like the colors, but whether its encouraging imagery makes you curious to learn more. It’s especially suited to you if you’d like to explore tarot through an accessible, positive design.
True Heart Intuitive Tarot: More Room for Your Own Intuition
True Heart Intuitive Tarot is by Rachel True, also known for her role in The Craft, and puts an intuitive approach to the cards front and center. The set includes a deck featuring a diverse range of people, as well as a guidebook in which True explains her personal approach. The idea is to look at the cards not only through fixed meanings, but also to make room for your own intuition. If this appeals to you, try noting what you notice first when you look at a card before reading its explanation. The key question is whether you’d like to combine guided interpretations with your own impressions.
Star Spinner Tarot: Diverse Perspectives in Fairytale-Inspired Imagery
Artist Trungles’s Star Spinner Tarot combines reimagined tarot imagery with fairy tales, myths and diverse cultural influences. The deck includes LGBTQ+ perspectives and celebrates diversity in sexual identity, gender and cultural representation. This is especially clear in the different versions of the Lovers card, which depict a range of relationships rather than just one. An included guidebook helps you explore the imagery and meanings as you begin learning tarot. If you’re looking for a fantastical deck that reflects a range of lived experiences, compare its visual style with other modern interpretations.
Mystic Mondays Tarot: Bold Colors for a Modern Approach
Grace Duong’s Mystic Mondays Tarot: A Deck For The Modern Mystic opts for bright colors, clean lines and striking geometric shapes rather than a deliberately traditional look. Holographic card edges and foil packaging add to its eye-catching style, while the illustrations translate classic tarot themes into an abstract visual language. The colorful guidebook explains the symbolism and meaning of each card, giving you a foundation for your first steps. Think about whether pared-back shapes appeal to you more than detailed scenes full of characters. The glossy finish may catch your eye, but what matters most when working with the cards is whether their imagery resonates with you.
Your first deck should above all feel right for you: compare the imagery and guidebooks rather than choosing based only on the packaging. Hathaway recommends drawing a card each day and starting with a simple three-card spread for the past, present and what’s ahead. Write down your impressions in a journal, or use photos and voice notes. Later, you can look back and see how your understanding of individual cards has changed and which images speak to you most.