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Buying your first tarot deck should feel exciting, not like you’ve accidentally enrolled in a graduate course in symbolism.
There are 78 cards, upright meanings, reversed meanings, suits, numbers, court cards, astrology, imagery and approximately seventeen thousand opinions about the “right” way to read them.
The good news? You do not have to memorize everything before you can start reading tarot.
A beginner-friendly deck can make learning much easier, especially when it gives you one or more of the following:
- familiar Rider-Waite-Smith symbolism
- keywords printed directly on the cards
- a useful guidebook
- artwork that makes the card meanings easier to understand intuitively
- clear imagery that isn’t so complicated you forget what you were asking in the first place
If you’re choosing your first deck, these five are excellent places to begin.
the rider tarot deck
1. the rider tarot deck
Best for: Learning the traditional tarot system
If you’re looking for a dependable first deck, a traditional Rider-Waite-Smith-style deck is one of the easiest places to start.
The Rider Tarot Deck uses familiar tarot imagery and symbolism, making it easier to find beginner books, tutorials and online resources that explain the cards. Because so many tarot guides use this system as their foundation, learning with a traditional deck gives you a strong base for exploring other decks later.
It includes the traditional 78 cards and comes with a guidebook to help you begin practicing readings.
Why beginners may love it:
- familiar Rider-Waite-Smith-style imagery
- easy to use with beginner tarot books and online lessons
- traditional 78-card structure
- useful guidebook
- strong foundation for learning tarot
Best choice if: You want to learn the classic tarot system with a widely recognized deck.
CHECK THE RIDER DECK ON AMAZON HERE
2. tHE lIGHT SEER'S TAROT BY CHRIS-ANNE
Best for: Modern, intuitive tarot reading
The Light Seer’s Tarot has become enormously popular for a reason.
Instead of feeling like you’re studying antique illustrations from another universe, the deck reimagines traditional tarot archetypes through expressive, contemporary artwork.
The imagery explores both the “light” and “shadow” sides of the cards, which makes this an especially lovely deck if you’re drawn to tarot for self-reflection, personal growth and shadow work.
The deck contains the traditional 78 cards and comes with a substantial guidebook to help you understand the imagery and meanings.
Why beginners may love it:
- highly expressive modern artwork
- based on recognizable tarot archetypes
- substantial guidebook
- excellent for intuitive reading
- particularly suited to reflection and shadow work
Best choice if: You learn through imagery and emotion more easily than memorization.
See The Light Seer’s Tarot on Amazon Here
3. Simplicity Tarot by Emilie Muñiz
Best for: Beginners who want keywords directly on their tarot cards
Simplicity Tarot does exactly what its name promises.
Rather than burying new readers underneath complicated symbolism, the deck uses accessible Rider-Waite-inspired imagery with helpful keywords printed on the card faces.
The deck includes the traditional tarot system plus two bonus cards, and its accompanying guidebook explains upright and reversed meanings along with reading techniques and spreads.
It’s a nice middle ground between a full learning deck and a traditional tarot deck because the keywords help you along without completely doing the interpretation for you.
Why beginners may love it:
- keywords printed directly on the cards
- clean, easy-to-read imagery
- follows the familiar Rider-Waite structure
- guidebook includes upright and reversed meanings
- beautiful gold-edged presentation
Best choice if: You want help remembering meanings but still want room to develop your intuition.
See Simplicity Tarot on Amazon Here
4. Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle
Best for: A modern interpretation of classic tarot
Traditional tarot symbolism is incredibly useful for learning, but that doesn’t mean your first deck has to look like it came straight out of 1909.
The Modern Witch Tarot Deck reimagines the familiar tarot archetypes through contemporary artwork, fashion and diverse characters while preserving the structure that makes Rider-Waite-style decks so useful for beginners.
It includes 78 cards and a hardcover guidebook.
That makes it particularly useful if you want to learn traditional tarot symbolism but connect more strongly with modern imagery.
Why beginners may love it:
- based on traditional tarot symbolism
- modern, colorful artwork
- diverse representation
- includes a guidebook
- easy to use alongside many beginner tarot books and resources
Best choice if: You want the foundations of traditional tarot without the traditional aesthetic.
See the Modern Witch Tarot Deck on Amazon Here
5. Cozy Witch Tarot Deck and Guidebook
Best for: Gentle everyday readings and self-reflection
Not every tarot practice needs thunderbolts, ancient temples and dramatic proclamations from the universe.
Sometimes you just want to pull a card with your coffee.
The Cozy Witch Tarot takes a softer approach, blending traditional Rider-Waite-Smith-inspired symbolism with warm, modern witchy imagery centered around intuition, self-discovery and everyday ritual.
The set includes 78 cards and an illustrated guidebook, giving beginners enough structure to start learning while keeping the experience inviting rather than intimidating.
Why beginners may love it:
- specifically designed with beginners in mind
- 78-card traditional tarot structure
- illustrated guidebook
- gentle, approachable artwork
- ideal for daily card pulls and journaling
Best choice if: You want tarot to become a comforting everyday ritual.
See Cozy Witch Tarot on Amazon Here
So, Which Tarot Deck Is Best for a Complete Beginner?
There really isn’t one universally perfect first tarot deck.
Choose based on how you learn.
If you want to learn the traditional system with widely available resources, start with the Rider Tarot Deck.
If you’re highly visual and prefer to interpret what you see and feel, The Light Seer’s Tarot is a beautiful choice.
If you want helpful keywords printed directly on the cards, Simplicity Tarot can make learning less intimidating.
If you want classic tarot structure presented through contemporary imagery, look at the Modern Witch Tarot.
And if you’re creating a softer daily tarot practice around journaling, self-care and reflection, Cozy Witch Tarot may feel right at home on your altar or nightstand.
A Simple Way to Start Reading Your New Tarot Deck
Once your deck arrives, don’t worry about learning all 78 cards immediately.
Try this instead:
Shuffle your deck each morning and draw one card.
Before opening the guidebook, spend a minute looking at the image.
Ask yourself:
What do I notice first?
What emotion does this card give me?
What seems to be happening in the picture?
How could this message relate to my day?
Then read the official meaning.
Write down a sentence or two about your interpretation.
Do that consistently and you’ll begin recognizing the cards much faster than you might expect.
Tarot becomes far less intimidating once you stop treating it like a test and start treating it like a language.
You don’t have to know every word before you can begin speaking it.
Keep Exploring
If you’re building your tarot practice, pair your deck with a tarot journal or weekly reading page so you can record cards, patterns and recurring messages over time.
CHECK OUT THE DAILY TAROT DRAW JOURNAL HERE
And remember: your first tarot deck doesn’t need to be the deck you’ll use forever.
It only needs to be the deck that gets you reading.
Love your light, embrace your dark.
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