Rider-Waite vs Thoth vs Marseille: choosing a deck

Three traditions. The choice shapes how you learn far more than which art you like.

5 min read · Published 17 August 2026

Straight to it

Start with Rider-Waite-Smith or a close derivative. Its Minor Arcana cards are fully illustrated with scenes, which is what makes the deck learnable, and almost all modern tarot writing describes its imagery. Thoth, designed by Aleister Crowley with art by Lady Frieda Harris, is denser and assumes esoteric background. Marseille is the oldest of the three and has plain pip cards, which suits experienced readers and defeats beginners.

The three traditions

	Rider-Waite-Smith	Thoth	Marseille
Published	1909	Painted 1938–43, published 1969	Standardised from the 17th century
Minor Arcana	Fully illustrated scenes	Illustrated with esoteric symbolism	Pips. Five of Cups is five cups
Learning curve	Gentlest	Steep, assumes background	Steepest for beginners
Available literature	Enormous	Substantial but specialist	Growing, often in French
Best for	Everyone starting out	Readers wanting Golden Dawn depth	Readers who want to build meaning themselves

Why the illustrated pips matter so much

This is the single most consequential difference, and it's rarely explained properly.

In a Marseille deck, the Five of Cups shows five cups. That's it. To read it you need to know what a Five means and what Cups mean, then build the meaning yourself.

In Rider-Waite-Smith, the Five of Cups shows a cloaked figure staring at three spilled cups, with two still standing behind them. The card teaches you. This is grief, and it's about not seeing what's left. Pamela Colman Smith drew all 78 cards this way in 1909. That's why this deck became the standard.

For a beginner that's decisive. The scene does the interpretive work while you learn. Later you realise you've absorbed the system.

Rider-Waite, and ignore anyone who calls it basic. Thoth is a beautiful deck for someone who already reads.

Thoth, fairly

The Thoth deck is a genuine work of art (Lady Frieda Harris spent roughly five years painting it) and it's denser with reference than either alternative. It encodes Kabbalistic, astrological and alchemical correspondences deliberately, and the accompanying *Book of Thoth* assumes you want that.

It isn't a good first deck, for two reasons. The card names differ from every guide you will read as a beginner. Several Majors are renamed, and the courts are Princess, Prince, Queen, Knight. And its imagery is designed to be decoded rather than read, which is rewarding after two years and dispiriting in week one.

Crowley's reputation is a separate question from the deck's quality, and readers differ on how much it counts to them. Decide before buying instead of after.

Practical things nobody mentions

Card size. Some decks are noticeably large and difficult to shuffle if your hands are small. Check dimensions before buying online.
Card stock. Thin cards crease; overly glossy ones stick together. This affects daily use more than you expect.
Borders. Heavy white borders shrink the image. Borderless editions exist for many decks and usually justify the small premium.
The guidebook. Some decks ship with a full book, others a folded leaflet. For anything other than Rider-Waite-Smith, where the literature is everywhere, the guidebook counts.
You're allowed to buy your own deck. The old superstition that a first deck must be gifted has no historical basis and mainly delays people getting started.

What we would suggest

Buy a Rider-Waite-Smith derivative whose art you like. There are hundreds, keeping Smith's compositions with different styling, and they're all readable with any standard guide. Learn on that.

Add a Marseille later if you want to sharpen your reading, because its bare pips force you to construct meaning from structure, not recognise it from a scene. Add Thoth if the esoteric correspondences are the part you find interesting.

And before spending anything: your tarot birth card is free, calculated from your birth date, and it will tell you whether the imagery holds your attention at all.

Which tarot deck is best for beginners?

Rider-Waite-Smith or a close derivative. Its Minor Arcana cards are fully illustrated with scenes, not plain pips, which makes them far easier to learn, and almost all tarot literature describes its imagery.

What is the difference between Rider-Waite and Thoth?

Thoth was designed by Aleister Crowley with art by Lady Frieda Harris and encodes Kabbalistic, astrological and alchemical correspondences deliberately. It renames several Majors and uses Princess, Prince, Queen and Knight for courts, so beginner guides don't map onto it cleanly.

Why is the Marseille deck hard for beginners?

Its Minor Arcana are pip cards. The Five of Cups simply shows five cups, with no scene. Meaning must be constructed from the number and suit instead of reading from an illustration, which requires knowing the system first.

Does my first tarot deck have to be a gift?

No. That superstition has no historical basis and mainly stops people from starting. Buy your own.

What does Rider-Waite-Smith inspired mean on a deck?

It usually means the deck keeps the 78-card structure and general symbolism of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot but changes the art style, theme or cultural setting. For beginners, check whether the Minor Arcana still have illustrated scenes; if the imagery is too abstract, it may be harder to learn from.

Does my first tarot deck need to be expensive?

No. A standard Rider-Waite-Smith-style deck is usually inexpensive and is the easiest to learn, because most guides describe its imagery. Expensive or limited editions can be beautiful, but they often add extra symbolism that slows a beginner down.

Can I choose a tarot deck based only on the artwork?

You can, but artwork alone may not make it learnable. A beginner-friendly deck has clear Minor Arcana scenes, not just attractive Majors or abstract pips. If a deck is beautiful but hard to read, keep it as a second deck and start with a standard illustrated one.