Pink Pain Tarot Deck Review

I had been curious about this deck for a while. The creators of the Pink Pain Tarot Deck, Dark Synevyr, seem to produce new decks at such rapid succession, that it had me intrigued and curious about the quality. This deck was originally an underfunded IndieGoGo project, but this didn’t stop the creators from finishing their deck. It’s a good thing too, as from what I can see from their Etsy, it is one of their more popular decks! Hey, not everything is going to impress the crowdfunding world, that doesn’t make it a flop.

My first impressions of this deck were much better than I anticipated. I had my reservations, as stated above. However, the print quality is very nice. So let’s tackle that first. With the rapid turn out of their decks, I was genuinely worried I was going to find myself holding a tissue-thin deck, with no substance, but I am happy to report that is not the case. The card stock is sturdy, but still bendable, making shuffability easy. It is edged with the same light pink found on the card backs, and the cigarette carton case. That being said, I will say, I don’t love boxes like this, they bend easy, as mine already has- but that is a personal preference. I know a lot of people (even you, the reader maybe this person) don’t even keep their cards in the boxes.

This deck reminds me a lot of being in high school actually, and that’s not a bad thing. It takes me back to 2005, listening to HIM and being the most angsty teen that ever existed. This is like my two personalities colliding. The Pink is fun, light, and soft, while it’s angsty imagery clashes with it. Making a very sad soft boi vibe, that a compartment of my brain really enjoys.

That being said this deck is a bit morbid. And although my angsty teen self likes that, those of you who don’t enjoy a bit of late 90’s heroin chic/suicide references, this deck may not be for you.

So for dimensions and suits, we are looking at the following:

This 78 card deck is 2.5″x4.75″ and is printed on 320gsm Linen Cardstock. It comes with a small simple guide booklet, that has sections for English, Russian and Chinese. I don’t speak the latter two languages, but the English portion of the guidebook, although simplified, isn’t incorrect.

The Suits:

Cigarretes=Wands
Pills= Pentacles
Knives= Swords
Bottles= Cups

In short, I am surprised by the quality and think their theme here really hit the notes they were looking for. Word of warning though, I feel I need to readdress, the preview photos don’t necessarily show how morbid this deck is; severed limbs, hints of suicide, self-harm, and open wounds. It’s not going to be for everyone, but it is definitely popular, and the quality of the cards themselves, hit all the points I look for in a deck.

Shuffability

Cardstock makes for easy shuffling.

Artwork

Please see the above warning, making it not suitable for everyone.

Finish

Quality of Card Weight

Suitable for Beginners:

With the reimagination of the suits and my understanding of “beginners” often being younger, a morbid deck isn’t necessarily great. It also doesn’t explain anywhere what the reimagination means (aka what suit matches traditional imagery). It is easy to figure out if this isn’t your first touch at tarot, however, it’s not great for beginners.