Shuffling Through The SmithTiny Tarot Version 3

I’ve worked with Deckstiny to review and promote their products for a number of years now and during that time I’ve come across several editions of the SmithTiny Tarot, all of which I am lucky enough to have ownership of and was able to use as a comparison whilst working and reading with their latest copy of this deck – The SmithTiny Tarot Version 3.

Based on the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot, the SmithTiny Tarot features far friendlier, much more modern, cutesy, cartoon-style cards ideal for all ages and abilities of readers.

Deckstiny

Situated in Thailand, Deckstiny is a team collaboration of Mate Horonumber, Oomsin Phumphat, and a number of other artists and contributors including Potpodpot.

Over the past few years Deckstiny, alongside their contributing artists, has designed, developed, and produced a range of modern, cutesy, divination decks, all of which are available to purchase Worldwide via their Etsy shop.

The Evolution of the SmithTiny Tarot

I first came about the SmithTiny Tarot back in 2021 during its first release, this particular edition was packaged in a slimline paper tuck box and customers had the additional option of adding a ‘classic tales’ collection to the deck featuring Disney-style characters which they could then replace their major arcana cards with. The card backs were a bright sunshine yellow, the edging was a vivid red and the titling was bordered with a wood-effect backing. It was cute but a little too bright and colourful for my liking…

I later worked with the second holographic edition of the SmithTiny Tarot, this was once again packaged in a slimline paper tuck box though the packaging and the card backs had been toned down somewhat. The bold, bright yellow card backs were no longer as they had been replaced with pale white designs with simple green and red symmetrical detailing, whilst the vivid red card edging had also been replaced with a much nicer silver glimmer edging. The brash wooden signage behind the labeling of each card had been removed and the bold, black font had been replaced with a simple, white, italic-style font.

Other than the original card imagery, the third version/ edition of the SmithTiny Tarot seems entirely different from both the first and second editions in terms of packaging, card quality, and overall appearance as I will explain throughout the review.

Packaging & Presentation

The SmithTiny Tarot Version 3 arrives packaged in a sturdy, stylish cardboard storage box with thumb slots for easy access. Ideal for storage and display purposes, the packaging is decorated in a dark blue with a bright yellow sun and moon logo alongside shimmery, gold foil finishing on the text. Deckstiny has certainly upgraded and improved its packaging over the years and the evolution of the SmithTiny Tarot is a key example of this.

Deckstiny Don’t Do Guidebooks

It is worth noting that Deckstiny does not provide a guidebook with the majority of their divination decks, this includes the Golden Journey Tarot. For beginner/ amateur readers it may, therefore, be worthwhile purchasing a separate guide to the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot in order to gain an understanding of the possible spreads, and the individual card meanings.

The Cards

Published in 2023, the third edition of the SmithTiny Tarot measures a standard 70 x 120mm and is printed on 330 GSM Arts card stock with a matt coating. The luxurious, symmetrical navy and gold foil stamped card backs match the stunning 3D glitter blue foil edging. Ideal for both upright and reversed readings, the SmithTiny Tarot feels far superior to its predecessors both in terms of quality and design.

Limited Luxuries & Certification

Deckstiny prints a limited number of each of their Tarot decks, certification of precisely which number deck you have received is usually always included on a signed certification card, as well as being printed/stamped on the side of the packaging.

Bonus Cards

The SmithTiny Tarot Version 3 comes with several bonus cards including two art/ packaging cards, a title card, a certification card, a thank you card, a notelet card, a William Rider & Son card, an Arthur Edward Waite card, a Pamela Colman Smith card, and a Happy Squirrel card (Happy Squirrel cards or an equivalent card are usually included in most Deckstiny Tarot and divination decks).

The Major Arcana

The SmithTiny Tarot follows the setup and structure of the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot. Each of the cards is numbered and titled traditionally and the imagery used is almost identical, only the conventional figures and scenes have been switched to a cutesy, cartoon style.

Whilst the original SmithTiny Tarot imagery remains mostly unchanged (the once black eyes of the cartoon characters now feature whites of the eyes making them appear far more friendly),  the titling, and numbering have been altered as the white, italic-style font used is now uppercase. Thankfully the wooden backing nor bold black fonts haven’t made a return though I will admit I did prefer the mixed case titling font used in the second edition of this deck over the third, most recent edition.

The Minor Arcana

The SmithTiny follows the traditional suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles alongside the conventional court card figures. The imagery is recognisable, relatable, and easy to interpret especially so for amateur/ beginner readers.

The Suit of Wands

The Suit of Cups

The Suit of Swords

The Suit of Pentacles

Comparing & Casting A Look At The SmithTiny Tarot

In order to further explain and illustrate the SmithTiny Tarot Version 3 I have put together a full walkthrough of the deck along with a comparison against previous editions of the SmithTiny Tarot.

Reading & Working With The SmithTiny Tarot V3

Though I’ve spent the past few years working and reading with the first and second editions of the SmithTiny Tarot, I’ve only spent the past week or so with the latest copy of this deck and so far I’ve got to say it’s a huge improvement on what I was so familiar with. I love that the packaging has undertaken an upgrade, it looks far nicer sitting on my display shelves in comparison to the previous editions of the deck. I also rather like the card quality, stock, and finish as the SmithTiny Tarot V3 is far smoother to shuffle making for a much nicer read. I also appreciate that Deckstiny has replaced the black ‘button-style’ eyes for each character with far friendlier eyes that have whites and perhaps added emotion.

The only thing that I’m not quite as keen on in this particular version of the SmithTiny Tarot is the uppercase titling as I feel it looked far better in the second edition where Deckstiny used mixed case, simplistic, white, italic-style titling. Otherwise, I believe the third edition of the SmithTiny Tarot far outweighs both the first and second editions of this particular deck.

Whilst this deck comes without a guidebook, the simple imagery makes for easy-to-interpret readings though I would advise beginner readers to acquire some form of written guidance to master the art of reading.

Purchasing & Pricing Information

The SmithTiny Tarot V3 is available to purchase directly via Deckstiny’s Etsy store and as of April 2023 it is currently retailing from £30.56. As Deckstiny is based in Thailand, it is well worth noting that postage and packaging are often rather expensive, especially so if you are wishing to order within the UK (P&P is currently quoted as an additional £30.10!) thus it is well worthwhile combining your orders to bulk/ batch orders to save on postage and packaging in the long run.

To Summarise

Ideal for all ages and abilities of readers, the SmithTiny Tarot is a cute and colourful Tarot deck making for cheery readings. Though a little on the expensive side, the SmithTiny Tarot V3 is a deck not to be missed!

For further information on the SmithTiny Tarot V3 or alternative Deckstiny publications visit www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ShuffleTarot

Disclosure: I was sent the above product for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.