Trionfi Della Luna Tarot Deck Review

Decks: Trionfi della Luna, Illustrated Pips Edition and Trionfi della Luna Paradoxical, Illustrated Pips Edition
Artist/Creator: Patrick Valenza 
Purchased: 2022
​Where to buy: Etsy (UK) or www.deviantmooninc.com (US)

I wanted to pick up the Trionfi della Luna a while back but couldn't quite decide whether to get the classic, the paradoxical or one of the coloured versions. Then  problems with customs came in and the Deviant Moon website stopped sending to the UK. So fast forward to the beginning of this year and I found out that not only could I purchase via Etsy but also that there was to be illustrated pip versions. I promptly preordered and as the postage is sobering, I decided to go for one of each version. I'll let you into a secret, I've now also preordered the illustrated paradoxical rose edition. So save to say, I am delighted with these decks. Why? Well, lets get into it. 

You're probably aware of Patrick Valenza's artwork, if you're interested in Tarot, you might have seen or already have the Deviant Moon. The characters and landscapes in the Trionfi della Luna are very similar however you can see the hand of the artist better in these decks. They're less computer and more pen and paper. But they're still weird and wonderful. 

So, assuming you're interested, do you go for the classic or the paradoxical? I would normally favour the colouring of the classic deck, as I find it easier to see however, with the paradoxical, the pastel tones bring light among the shadows and I have found myself drawn much more towards the pinks, pale blues and lilacs as compared to the more jewel tones of the classic, even though they are somewhat muted. 

If you are having difficulty making a choice between the two, you might want to go for both like I did and use them for two-deck spreads. I saw an interesting YouTube showing a two-deck spread and now I can't for the life of me find it again. I'll keep searching and if I do find it, I'll do a separate blog post. 

So what about the production quality? The decks come in tuck boxes, good quality, easy to open and gloss finish. There's no guide book but there is a link to a PDF version that you can download and print if you want to (the illustrations in the guide are from the classic version of the deck). 

The card stock is the same as the Deviant Moon, with the perfect playing card touch making the decks a dream to shuffle whether you riffle and bridge or overhand. They're not edged or gilded and they're a fairly standard tarot size (7x12cm), not so tall and thin as the Deviant Moon. 

The illustrated pips have remained loyal to the RWS system, so if you don't read Tarot de Marseille this is the perfect solution to get the fabulous artwork of Patrick Valenza and his version of Pamela Coleman Smith's minors. The majors remain the same as the original Trionfi della Luna TdM but with the addition of seven alternative Devil cards and alternative Star, Judgement and two Tower cards to choose from.

So, are they worth the eye-watering postage? In my opinion, yes they are. And if I had to choose between the two, I'd favour the paradoxical but I'm glad I've been in a position to get both. They're a limited print run, so don't miss the chance. Now all I need to do is wait for my Rose Edition to arrive and try not to click 'buy' on the Aquadoxical Edition (do you see what they did there?).