Peter Prakownik painted the Dragon tarot (the first one you showed). It was published in 1995. Nigel Suckling’s deck was published in the 80s / early 90s possibly. It’s been reprinted for decades. Personally I think this is the best of the bunch.
I feel your frustration. I desperately want a dragon deck in the style of the Dragonology/Wizardology books from my childhood, they went so hard and have been my ideal standard of dragons ever since.
I was on the same quest, years ago. A 60 year passion for dragons made me buy all of the decks you showed except the first one that's missing a card. I hate the oracles, love the Dragon tarot & my 2 most recent purchases have filled the void for me. Smoke Ash & Embers is a gorgeous deck, I adore the water dragons. I don't think of it like a "dragon deck" it's a wonderful artwork gallery that features cuteness that is not overwhelming for me. The best one though is the last one you mentioned. IMO the dragons are drawn perfectly, not as substitute humans but as impressive & beautiful creatures doing their thing. I love the colours in the deck. Anyhow, that's my 2 cents =) PS - Celtic Dragons was my first deck & remains a favourite. It has people & other stuff though.
This comment is a bit late but the Star Dragon oracle illustrated by Paolo Barbieri has more fierce looking dragons. It's based on stars & constellations but doesn't have any of the star seed/5D stuff. There are key phrases at the bottom so you don't necessarily need to rely on the guidebook. It is more alien looking/sci-fi so it may not be for you but it may be worth looking up a flip through if you haven't seen it already and still on the hunt. The only downside is there are 33 cards in the deck so it's relatively light for an oracle deck. Carla Morrow's newer deck is the Universal Dragon oracle. The cards just have key words on them (rather than titles of the dragons) so you may find this deck much more palatable if you like Carla's art. I think it's normal that when you love something there's a particular way you want it to be even if you're not sure what it is. I don't know if there is a perfect dragon deck out there but hopefully you'll find one that's as close as can be.
I like The Dragon Tarot by Nigel S. I actually like that the minors are 'scenic' pips. If every card had a dragon in it I would find larger spreads very confusing (like, way too many protagonists, lol). Thanks for the video, it showed me that MOST dragon tarots and oracles really suck! My word for Smoke, Ash, and Amber tarot - all cards cannot depict majestic and powerful dragons (as you like them) because every card has a different meaning, incl. stagnation, anguish, loss, heartbreak, insecurity, poverty, ending...
Lisa Hunt did a dragon tarot with... D J Conway, I think? Don't know if that would work for you. Personally I love Smoke Ash and Embers, but I don't have a massive connection with dragons so I'm happy for that to be 'my' dragon deck.
i'm in the exact same position! i've tried a few dragon decks and none of them have ended up being what i wanted. i do recommend checking out the universal dragon oracle by carla morrow. i think that's the best one i've tried so far.
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch i used to have it but i'm so ridiculously picky with oracles that i passed it on lol. it was good though - the guidebook is brief but carla herself wrote it so it didn't seem too woo-woo (no starseed bs in there 🤣🤣)
I'm a born dragon and I can totally relate with you. I'm always searching for them.... I have a ton of dragon stuff an will never part from them. I love the stone that looks like snakeskin
ooh THE Dragon Tarot is good too! I'm just impressed because I've never seen any dragon decks I've really wanted. I hear you though, they're not the perfect ones but I'm stoked nonetheless.
Did you check the Stardragons oracle cards by Paolo Barbieri? I think the artwork is beautiful and it captures dragon energy better than most dragon decks in my opinion. The "star" part in the title luckily doesn't refer to starseed sh*t 😂 I totally agree with you on that part. But in this deck they added astronomy/ constellations which exactly is really well done. Thank you for this overview. I hope we can expect more dragon decks in the future 😁
Love ur videos…. I found a 22card deck on dragons named: IMPERIAL Dragon Oracle. … Celtic and Zen Buddhist lore. The dragons are similar in shape-different poses and colors , yet the 58 page booklet (all in English) that comes with it is r e a l good. These two guys really wanted to produce a great dragon oracle deck. Deck by US Games-$14.95 at bookstore.
Maybe create a magpie deck. I plan on drawing my own dragon deck because most decks don't include all the different species of dragons like wyvern, drakes, basilisks, etc. There's at least a dozen different combinations of arms and wings or a lack thereof, tiny, huge, cosmic. I haven't gotten SAE yet, but it still seems limited in this respect. I want earthy *and* celestial dragons, dragons of legend, power, virtue. I think this really proves to me that I need to just practice my my dragon drawing skills haha-- so far, that last tarot deck you mentioned is the one I use most apart from that oracle with the ugly pink backs 🤭 I try not to look at the backs... but they all still fall flat to me in their diversity.
I have the dragon oracle by diana cooper, i like the art and i get so much use out of the deck. I get what u mean about the christ stuff and the weird stuff in the guidebook about why they are allegedly here and the dimension stuff. I can take and leave whqt i need from the deck. But otherwise i feel it's really good at showing and helping connect with different types of dragons. I also understand the struggle to find the perfrct dragon deck, i search for a while before i settled on the Diana Cooper one. Something about them always falls flat.
I too am drawn to dragon decks and have a couple you mention (including Smoke, Ash and Ember, which is very reflective and full of air energy to me, which I love). I have decided that many of them aren't for me even without having bought them. However I do love the dragon tarot by Nigel Suckling. Yes the cardstock is thin and glossy and it has pips in the minor arcana but the backgrounds are scenic and change throughout. I feel like it's a whole world that I step into through the cards, like spending time on dragon island. The outfits on the human characters, especially the head gear, is a sight to behold and the death card is hilarious...the skeletal figure has just told a joke and the dragon is cracking up (I think they may have been smoking something 😂)...for me, it pairs really well with the Spirit Keepers Revelation edition tarot. Jess at Jessreadscards likes dragons but of a particular type, illustrated in a high fantasy style which depicts them in the way she views them...as strong and fiery. I think the deck she loves is Star Dragons by Paolo Barbieri. Perhaps see if that one resonates?
It IS too cutesy...if it were more fierce threatening kinda dragon's it'd been great! Not that we should shit our pants....I mean create them in their element of being a dragon! It will come one day! You and I create the perfect one? Just kidding although it would be cool...we could use a good dragon deck. Thank you for sharing your dragon deck experience plus some personal yet funny memories...
I totally relate to your frustration. Personally, I think the Smoke, Ash, and Embers is the best one from the bunch. The worst one is the Dragons Tarot by Lo Scarabeo. At first, I was impressed with its diversity because each suit aligns with a specific part of the world. But when you really look at it, it's kinda racist. 🤨🤦🏽♀️
Thank you for making this video, it was great to see dragon decks all in one video. I am so with you on the Atlantis/5th Dimension/Starseed stuff (I don't know if people know the racist roots of all of that Starseed stuff or not but it involves literal N*zis). The two I have been toying with getting are the pippish Nigel Suckling one and the Smoke, Ash & Ember, I'm ok with cute dragons from time to time (hello Toothless) but also enjoy the scarier ones (I play D&D and you certainly don't want your band of adventurers having to face down a dragon). I hope you manage to find the dragon deck of your dreams one day!
I don't know how much US news you're subjected to across the pond, but when Trump fans were forcing their way into the capital, there was a guy in a Buffalo headdress with his face painted like the American flag. He calls himself the Qanon Shaman and also a Starseed. I feel like he alone did his research on the shit.😬
I have the same issues with these decks.... I guess the one I would choose for now would be the Nigel Suckling one. The Pips are not that bad. Actually I think I heard there is a dragon tarot de marseille.... I need to check that out. In the LLewellyn deck, I hate the blues too. Plus, the dragons are too often depicted in a human way, like holding a staff in away a human would etc. I hate that. In my fantasy world, dragons don't need tools, they have magic and power in themselves. And they are never cute. Beautiful, graceful, powerful, dangerous, awesome.... but not cute.
You will probably hate these but hey ho ! Tarot Draconis by Davide Corsi, Ravyness Drakon tarot by Beth Seilonen and the Celti Dragon Tarot by Lisa Hunt and D J Conway
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch I've just thought of a great dragon film if you are interested. It's called "I am Dragon" I am sure it's here on TH-cam as a full movie. It's Russian but don't let that put you off. I prefer watching the Russian with English subtitles. You can get English dubbed version but It's not the same imo beautiful film, and great costumes.
What about Field Guide to Garden Dragons Oracle? It may be too cutesy too. Now I feel like I'm on a quest to find a dragon deck for you 😄 Or Oracle of the Dragonfae. That one feels a bit dated to me, but 🤷♀️
Hello! You might appreciate the U.S. Games (majors only unfortunately) Imperial Dragon Oracle (not an Oracle deck) By Andy Baggot and Peter Pracownik. It's very good. Lemme know if you want pictures!
Yeah. I was really excited for SAE, until I saw the water dragons. 😒 not my water dragons. I understand that it's all a part of that world...but nope. Those oracles are garbage, but I feel like a lot of oracles are samey money grubbing nice washed shit. I don't have a good alternative. Eastern Ink Tarot has some really nice dragons. I think if the deck took the time to connect to actual dragon-like activity, instead of human stuff...it might be better. Dragons are magic, they float and fly, they're terrifying, they stay in caves, gather shiny treasure, they're mysterious and wise. A water dragon would be fierce and wild and ocean-y...or river-y. I hope someone does the subject justice at some point...but it's a lotta work!
OMG I went through the same phase as you but mine was frogs. I bloody love them so much and where I come from they are everywhere. Family started buying me frogs but those gaudy gift shop kind and I was like I hate frogs but it was only to stop them filling my house with them. I still adore frogs but only the ones in nature I have one gorgeous ornament and I bought it myself the rest I donated.
I feel like the more people I tell my dragon story to, the more people I find have had similar situations! People have bought my grandma apple shit since before I was born because one time she apparently bought hot pad with an apple on it. Now her whole house is overrun by apple shit people keep getting her.
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch the straw that broke me was a concrete garden thing that was 3 frogs on a log the see no evil hear no evil...... and I tripped over it and broke my ankle and I fucking lost my shit and got rid of everything 😂
Yes big boarders. The art looks great on the majors, but the minors are a bit chaotic...I like pip decks, but the pips must be arranged in a pleasant way for me. I thought about buying it and using it as a majors- only, but then I saw, that several titles on the majors in German have wrong grammar, which is why I as a German native speaker cannot deal with it... and the boarders+ titles are not trimmable in a good looking way either. Btw. I saw that misspelling/grammar thing is an issue in all of her decks.
Peter Prakownik painted the Dragon tarot (the first one you showed). It was published in 1995. Nigel Suckling’s deck was published in the 80s / early 90s possibly. It’s been reprinted for decades. Personally I think this is the best of the bunch.
Love Nigel Suckling's artwork ❤ I agree. It's the best of this bunch.
“This is that starseed shit, get it outta here”. Lol!
I love how candid you are. I have the same problem so I get you. Thank you
I feel your frustration. I desperately want a dragon deck in the style of the Dragonology/Wizardology books from my childhood, they went so hard and have been my ideal standard of dragons ever since.
I love your videos - they crack me up!
I love your videos!! Your grumpiness makes me smile!! 😁
I was on the same quest, years ago. A 60 year passion for dragons made me buy all of the decks you showed except the first one that's missing a card. I hate the oracles, love the Dragon tarot & my 2 most recent purchases have filled the void for me.
Smoke Ash & Embers is a gorgeous deck, I adore the water dragons. I don't think of it like a "dragon deck" it's a wonderful artwork gallery that features cuteness that is not overwhelming for me. The best one though is the last one you mentioned. IMO the dragons are drawn perfectly, not as substitute humans but as impressive & beautiful creatures doing their thing. I love the colours in the deck.
Anyhow, that's my 2 cents =)
PS - Celtic Dragons was my first deck & remains a favourite. It has people & other stuff though.
This comment is a bit late but the Star Dragon oracle illustrated by Paolo Barbieri has more fierce looking dragons. It's based on stars & constellations but doesn't have any of the star seed/5D stuff.
There are key phrases at the bottom so you don't necessarily need to rely on the guidebook. It is more alien looking/sci-fi so it may not be for you but it may be worth looking up a flip through if you haven't seen it already and still on the hunt. The only downside is there are 33 cards in the deck so it's relatively light for an oracle deck.
Carla Morrow's newer deck is the Universal Dragon oracle. The cards just have key words on them (rather than titles of the dragons) so you may find this deck much more palatable if you like Carla's art.
I think it's normal that when you love something there's a particular way you want it to be even if you're not sure what it is. I don't know if there is a perfect dragon deck out there but hopefully you'll find one that's as close as can be.
I like The Dragon Tarot by Nigel S. I actually like that the minors are 'scenic' pips. If every card had a dragon in it I would find larger spreads very confusing (like, way too many protagonists, lol).
Thanks for the video, it showed me that MOST dragon tarots and oracles really suck!
My word for Smoke, Ash, and Amber tarot - all cards cannot depict majestic and powerful dragons (as you like them) because every card has a different meaning, incl. stagnation, anguish, loss, heartbreak, insecurity, poverty, ending...
Lisa Hunt did a dragon tarot with... D J Conway, I think? Don't know if that would work for you. Personally I love Smoke Ash and Embers, but I don't have a massive connection with dragons so I'm happy for that to be 'my' dragon deck.
Yes, the Celtic Dragon tarot.
I love the Ravenness Dracon Tarot.
Wow, the first deck you're showing is better than any other dragon deck I've seen!
i'm in the exact same position! i've tried a few dragon decks and none of them have ended up being what i wanted. i do recommend checking out the universal dragon oracle by carla morrow. i think that's the best one i've tried so far.
Universal Dragon Tarot! That's the one by The Dragon Lady. Do you have it? Is the guidebook batshit?
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch i used to have it but i'm so ridiculously picky with oracles that i passed it on lol. it was good though - the guidebook is brief but carla herself wrote it so it didn't seem too woo-woo (no starseed bs in there 🤣🤣)
I'm a born dragon and I can totally relate with you. I'm always searching for them.... I have a ton of dragon stuff an will never part from them. I love the stone that looks like snakeskin
ooh THE Dragon Tarot is good too! I'm just impressed because I've never seen any dragon decks I've really wanted. I hear you though, they're not the perfect ones but I'm stoked nonetheless.
Did you check the Stardragons oracle cards by Paolo Barbieri?
I think the artwork is beautiful and it captures dragon energy better than most dragon decks in my opinion. The "star" part in the title luckily doesn't refer to starseed sh*t 😂 I totally agree with you on that part. But in this deck they added astronomy/ constellations which exactly is really well done.
Thank you for this overview. I hope we can expect more dragon decks in the future 😁
D.J.Conway and Lisa Hunt did The Celtic Dragon Tarot. I really love it.
Love ur videos…. I found a 22card deck on dragons named: IMPERIAL Dragon Oracle. … Celtic and Zen Buddhist lore. The dragons are similar in shape-different poses and colors , yet the 58 page booklet (all in English) that comes with it is r e a l good. These two guys really wanted to produce a great dragon oracle deck.
Deck by US Games-$14.95 at bookstore.
Maybe create a magpie deck. I plan on drawing my own dragon deck because most decks don't include all the different species of dragons like wyvern, drakes, basilisks, etc. There's at least a dozen different combinations of arms and wings or a lack thereof, tiny, huge, cosmic. I haven't gotten SAE yet, but it still seems limited in this respect. I want earthy *and* celestial dragons, dragons of legend, power, virtue. I think this really proves to me that I need to just practice my my dragon drawing skills haha-- so far, that last tarot deck you mentioned is the one I use most apart from that oracle with the ugly pink backs 🤭 I try not to look at the backs... but they all still fall flat to me in their diversity.
Oh, and I forgot, maybe try the Celtic Dragon Tarot. It at least doesn't look super colorful 😆😅
I have the dragon oracle by diana cooper, i like the art and i get so much use out of the deck. I get what u mean about the christ stuff and the weird stuff in the guidebook about why they are allegedly here and the dimension stuff. I can take and leave whqt i need from the deck. But otherwise i feel it's really good at showing and helping connect with different types of dragons.
I also understand the struggle to find the perfrct dragon deck, i search for a while before i settled on the Diana Cooper one. Something about them always falls flat.
Most people that have that smoke and ember one say the same thing about it. Most say they just can't connect with it
I too am drawn to dragon decks and have a couple you mention (including Smoke, Ash and Ember, which is very reflective and full of air energy to me, which I love). I have decided that many of them aren't for me even without having bought them. However I do love the dragon tarot by Nigel Suckling. Yes the cardstock is thin and glossy and it has pips in the minor arcana but the backgrounds are scenic and change throughout. I feel like it's a whole world that I step into through the cards, like spending time on dragon island. The outfits on the human characters, especially the head gear, is a sight to behold and the death card is hilarious...the skeletal figure has just told a joke and the dragon is cracking up (I think they may have been smoking something 😂)...for me, it pairs really well with the Spirit Keepers Revelation edition tarot. Jess at Jessreadscards likes dragons but of a particular type, illustrated in a high fantasy style which depicts them in the way she views them...as strong and fiery. I think the deck she loves is Star Dragons by Paolo Barbieri. Perhaps see if that one resonates?
I feel the same way. Have you tried the Dragon tarot by Anne Stokes? I love her art and actually have that deck, it is pip though..
I agree. I want a dragon energy deck but so many or I should say all I’ve seen miss the Mark for me.
It IS too cutesy...if it were more fierce threatening kinda dragon's it'd been great! Not that we should shit our pants....I mean create them in their element of being a dragon! It will come one day! You and I create the perfect one? Just kidding although it would be cool...we could use a good dragon deck. Thank you for sharing your dragon deck experience plus some personal yet funny memories...
I totally relate to your frustration. Personally, I think the Smoke, Ash, and Embers is the best one from the bunch. The worst one is the Dragons Tarot by Lo Scarabeo. At first, I was impressed with its diversity because each suit aligns with a specific part of the world. But when you really look at it, it's kinda racist. 🤨🤦🏽♀️
Thank you for making this video, it was great to see dragon decks all in one video.
I am so with you on the Atlantis/5th Dimension/Starseed stuff (I don't know if people know the racist roots of all of that Starseed stuff or not but it involves literal N*zis).
The two I have been toying with getting are the pippish Nigel Suckling one and the Smoke, Ash & Ember, I'm ok with cute dragons from time to time (hello Toothless) but also enjoy the scarier ones (I play D&D and you certainly don't want your band of adventurers having to face down a dragon).
I hope you manage to find the dragon deck of your dreams one day!
I don't know how much US news you're subjected to across the pond, but when Trump fans were forcing their way into the capital, there was a guy in a Buffalo headdress with his face painted like the American flag. He calls himself the Qanon Shaman and also a Starseed. I feel like he alone did his research on the shit.😬
Holy shit.😮 I didn't know that. 😕
I have the same issues with these decks.... I guess the one I would choose for now would be the Nigel Suckling one. The Pips are not that bad. Actually I think I heard there is a dragon tarot de marseille.... I need to check that out.
In the LLewellyn deck, I hate the blues too. Plus, the dragons are too often depicted in a human way, like holding a staff in away a human would etc. I hate that.
In my fantasy world, dragons don't need tools, they have magic and power in themselves. And they are never cute. Beautiful, graceful, powerful, dangerous, awesome.... but not cute.
I have the out of print Dragons tarot from Lo Scarabeo. I think I have to remove those red borders from it to make it a lot better.
You will probably hate these but hey ho ! Tarot Draconis by Davide Corsi, Ravyness Drakon tarot by Beth Seilonen and the Celti Dragon Tarot by Lisa Hunt and D J Conway
Ooh I'll check those out. I feel like I might have seen the Tarot Draconis before and liked it buy then I couldn't remember the name.
Here's a good review of the Celtic Dragon: th-cam.com/video/ylNn_rtCv9k/w-d-xo.html
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch warning draconis does have people for courts...no dragons, its one of those marmite decks.. you either love it or hate it!
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch I've just thought of a great dragon film if you are interested. It's called "I am Dragon" I am sure it's here on TH-cam as a full movie. It's Russian but don't let that put you off. I prefer watching the Russian with English subtitles. You can get English dubbed version but It's not the same imo beautiful film, and great costumes.
@Jenny Amery That sounds amazing thank you! And I always watch things with subtitles because idk why but I do lol
Soo funny😂❤
Maybe you can look into chinese decks. Dragons are very much a part of their culture.
What about Field Guide to Garden Dragons Oracle? It may be too cutesy too. Now I feel like I'm on a quest to find a dragon deck for you 😄 Or Oracle of the Dragonfae. That one feels a bit dated to me, but 🤷♀️
I had The Garden Dragons one and gave it away 😭 My pickiness makes my life hard
Hello! You might appreciate the U.S. Games (majors only unfortunately) Imperial Dragon Oracle (not an Oracle deck) By Andy Baggot and Peter Pracownik. It's very good. Lemme know if you want pictures!
Yeah. I was really excited for SAE, until I saw the water dragons. 😒 not my water dragons. I understand that it's all a part of that world...but nope. Those oracles are garbage, but I feel like a lot of oracles are samey money grubbing nice washed shit. I don't have a good alternative. Eastern Ink Tarot has some really nice dragons. I think if the deck took the time to connect to actual dragon-like activity, instead of human stuff...it might be better. Dragons are magic, they float and fly, they're terrifying, they stay in caves, gather shiny treasure, they're mysterious and wise. A water dragon would be fierce and wild and ocean-y...or river-y. I hope someone does the subject justice at some point...but it's a lotta work!
OMG I went through the same phase as you but mine was frogs. I bloody love them so much and where I come from they are everywhere. Family started buying me frogs but those gaudy gift shop kind and I was like I hate frogs but it was only to stop them filling my house with them. I still adore frogs but only the ones in nature I have one gorgeous ornament and I bought it myself the rest I donated.
I feel like the more people I tell my dragon story to, the more people I find have had similar situations! People have bought my grandma apple shit since before I was born because one time she apparently bought hot pad with an apple on it. Now her whole house is overrun by apple shit people keep getting her.
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch the straw that broke me was a concrete garden thing that was 3 frogs on a log the see no evil hear no evil...... and I tripped over it and broke my ankle and I fucking lost my shit and got rid of everything 😂
@@tarotreadingsfromabitch 😂 🍏
hello, try this deck from beth seilonen. Ravyness Drakon Tarot by Beth Seilonen
Anne Stokes has a dragon tarot? With some pretty serious borders but you never know.. 😅❤
Somehow my brain has always put that in a pile with Tarot of the Vampyres or something. I need to relook at it through new eyes lol
Yes big boarders. The art looks great on the majors, but the minors are a bit chaotic...I like pip decks, but the pips must be arranged in a pleasant way for me. I thought about buying it and using it as a majors- only, but then I saw, that several titles on the majors in German have wrong grammar, which is why I as a German native speaker cannot deal with it... and the boarders+ titles are not trimmable in a good looking way either. Btw. I saw that misspelling/grammar thing is an issue in all of her decks.
@@khan7459 Thanks for the warning! I was trying to get a feel for it but this covers everything! I am from the Netherlands 🌷