Review of the Squid Cake Marseille Tarot
Squid Cake Marseille Tarot
Creator: Jess Rollar
Publisher: Rockpool Publishing
Originally independently published through makeplayingcards.com, the Squid Cake Marseille Tarot has since been picked up mass market by Rockpool Publishing. With pastel pink colours and a quirky spin on the traditional Marseille artwork, this deck is a fun and unique addition to any Tarot collection. The guidebook is written in a way that allows anyone who is completely new to Tarot de Marseille to start learning the system straight out of the box. The artwork and the guidebook together make this the most beginner-friendly Marseille deck that I have come across.
The Cardstock
The cards are pocket size, making them easy to shuffle hand-over-hand regardless of hand size. However, the cardstock is quite thick and does not have much flex, making it virtually impossible to riffle shuffle. The cardstock is matte with a bubblegum-pink, matte edging - a gorgeous feature, especially considering the affordable price of this deck.
The Artwork
Cute is the perfect word to describe this deck. The pastel pink colour palette is adorable, and the artwork style is quirky and fun. This deck just feels like the sweetest thing. The backs have a gorgeous reversible design, all the people have either pink or green skin, and the artwork choices have a modern twist, with the Court of Cups all drinking out of coffee mugs and the Queen of Batons is kicking back in her egg chair. However, there are a couple of things that may put some people off about the artwork in this deck. Everyone in the deck is young, even the court cards, which I know can be a problem for people who want the Kings and Queens to appear older and more mature. The other thing is that a couple of the artwork choices jar with traditional meanings. For example, the Knight of Batons (pictured below) is a card of speed, impulse and action. But this Knight is riding a snail, something arguably more suited to the slow and steady energy of the Knight of Coins. But that said, you could also interpret this card as a warning for this fiery knight to slow down, so it will be a matter of personal reading style as to whether these quirks will impact your readings.
The System
This deck follows the Tarot de Marseille. For any Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) readers who are unfamiliar with the Marseille system, there are some differences to note. The Magician is the first card in the major Arcana and The Fool is the last. Justice is number VIII and Strength is XI. It also changes the Roman numerals so that numbers are always added to, not taken away from (for example, The Emperor is IIII instead of IV). The biggest difference between the systems is that the minor Arcana do not have illustrated scenes and are thus read completely differently to the RWS; although the RWS meanings were formed based on the Tarot de Marseille, so there are crossovers. Tarot de Marseille is read with a focus on the elemental associations, numerology and directionality, but is also often read more literally than the RWS (e.g. if you are asking about your financial position, the Ace of Coins would mean you’re broke, since you can’t get any lower than an ace, and the Ten of Coins means you’re loaded). That said, you could choose to read this as a normal pip deck and apply the RWS meanings if you would prefer to stay within the RWS system.
The Guidebook
The guidebook for this deck is really what sets it apart from other Tarot de Marseille decks. In my experience, the Little White Book that comes with a Marseille deck usually doesn’t offer much guidance for someone who is new to the system. In fact, I have always found the prospect of learning to read Tarot de Marseille to be overwhelming. That is, until the Squid Cake Marseille Tarot came into my life. In my opinion, this guidebook breaks through the barrier to entry that holds so many readers back from tackling the Marseille system. It discusses how the Marseille system is best read with at least two, but preferably three, cards so that they talk to each other to tell the story. The guidebook is in colour, with a full-page picture of each card. All cards have keywords, and the major Arcana are each also given a function (e.g. The Hierophant “Teaches” and The Moon “Distorts”). Each card also has a general description of the card meaning. But my favourite thing about this guidebook is that the pip cards (aces to tens) have a visual description explaining how the pictures can be interpreted. For example, the Four of Cups isn’t just a card with four cups on it. The four cups look like chair legs and can represent stabilised emotions. The explanations given in the guidebook truly make this feel like a gateway deck that will allow anyone to plunge into the Tarot de Marseille world.
The Box
The Squid Cake Marseille Tarot comes in a compact, two-piece box that holds the cards and guidebook comfortably with no wasted space. This pocket size deck is great to travel with, can be stored easily, and the high-quality box means that your cards will always be protected.
Availability
The Squid Cake Marseille Tarot is a mass market deck and is currently in print, making it an excellent choice of deck because it is both available and affordable.
This deck can be purchased through most mass market Tarot deck retailers. For anyone located in Australia, you can purchase this deck through my shop.
Summary
So, what do I reckon?
Absolute cracker. 5/5 stars.
There is no way I could rate this deck anything less than 5/5 stars. Yes, the cardstock can’t really be riffle shuffled, all the characters are on the younger side, and there are a couple of quirky artwork choices (mainly snails featuring in The Chariot and the Knight of Batons), but none of these things are significant enough to reduce my overall love and appreciation of this deck. It is an absolute dream to have a deck that is this well-made with an affordable price tag. The guidebook is a treasure that opens up the Marseille world to everyone and I’m very grateful to have it in my personal collection. It’s small, it’s fun, and I would recommend it to anyone who is keen to explore the Tarot de Marseille.
