Marchetti Tarot - Ciro Marchetti

Marchetti Tarot - digital RWS with cinematic presence

Some decks you look at. This one looks back. The Marchetti Tarot by Ciro Marchetti shows characters who meet your gaze, with facial expressions that tell you more than any keyword list could.

It is a digitally drawn deck that follows the Rider-Waite-Smith structure, but the imagery feels more like a film still than a traditional tarot card. Light falls sharp, shadows run deep, faces are expressive. Each card feels frozen mid-moment.

What you see on the cards

The strength lies in body language. Where many decks put symbols centre stage, Marchetti focuses on expression and posture. You see tension in a raised shoulder, doubt in a half-turned gaze, resolve in a straight spine.

The colours are intense. Red is really red, blue pushes through. The digital medium allows light sources to be placed deliberately, guiding attention. Not everything is lit evenly, and that is intentional.

The minor arcana contain a hidden layer: the so-called Decan Journey. Cards 2 through 10 each carry an astrological meaning that refers back to the ten-degree segments of the zodiac. That symbolism is not spelled out in large letters, but woven into the details.

How you work with it

This deck invites you to look first and read later. Pull a card, describe what you see in the figure's face. What does this character feel? Which way is it looking? Only then do you reach for the guidebook.

For beginners that works well. The emotion is tangible enough to say something about the card without prior knowledge. For experienced readers the layered symbolism offers plenty to dig into.

The cards are somewhat thinner and smoother than average. That makes them easy to shuffle, but does ask for a bit of care with intensive use.

Pull a card and look only at the face. Imagine what this character would say if it could speak. Write that sentence down before you look up the meaning.

About Ciro Marchetti and Lee Bursten

Ciro Marchetti has worked for decades as a digital artist and illustrator. He previously drew the Tarot of Dreams and the Tarot Grand Luxe, both bestselling decks with their own visual language.

For the Marchetti Tarot he worked with Lee Bursten, who wrote the guidebook texts. Bursten is a tarot author and wrote the card descriptions with attention to both the classic RWS meanings and Marchetti's specific image choices.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78 (full tarot)
• Card size: 70 x 120 mm
• Language: English (cards and guidebook)
• Guidebook: 116 pages, written by Lee Bursten
• Packaging: luxury two-piece box, 115 x 165 mm
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
• ISBN: 9781646712380
• System: Rider-Waite-Smith tradition
• Illustrator: Ciro Marchetti
• Special feature: includes hidden Decan Journey symbolism in the minor arcana

Questions we often get

How does this deck differ from a classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck?
The structure and symbolism remain faithful to the RWS tradition, but the imagery is digital and cinematic. Facial expressions and lighting are much more pronounced, and the minor arcana contain an additional astrological layer.

What exactly is the Decan Journey?
Each card from 2 through 10 in the minor arcana refers to one of the 36 decans, the ten-degree segments of the zodiac. That symbolism is woven into the image choices but not explicitly stated on the cards. The guidebook explains this in detail.