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The Lubanko Tarot
The Lubanko Tarot is a richly illustrated 78 card tarot deck exploring the surreal, the intense, the queer, and the divine. A high-intensity deck that explores the range of life in a mythical, sensuous, colorful, and unapologetic lens. It is all painted, designed, and written by E. Lubanko. It was originally published on Kickstarter in 2020 and is currently on its second printing (2022).
The deck is comprised of 78 fully-illustrated cards, a 110+ page guidebook written by the artist, and all ensconced in a magnetic-close hinge box with colorful printing, silver foil, and a velvet-matte feel. The cards are printed on high-quality 350 gsm art paper with soft-touch matte UV varnishing finishing, and holographic silver foil edges on the cards.
The Lubanko Tarot is a tarot deck and an art object, and a tool to be used however the reader desires. These cards are meant to help the reader grapple with their personal metaphor and mythos.
The deck contains the standard 78 cards and is fully illustrated. That means that all the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana are full paintings— no pip cards. Every suit is a full journey, lushly-illustrated and packed full of metaphor, story, and the full range of the elements. The cards show beings of different walks of life, some closer to human and some far beyond, dipping into the diversity of life on earth and the divine of when we transcend our expected forms.
These paintings have been lovingly and painstakingly perfected as both pieces of art and pieces to be used for reading. They were made to be read at both small and large sizes, with bright colors, strong values, and compositional movement—as well as minding good contrast for those who may be colorblind and wish to read as well.
A good tarot deck has lots of metaphor to chew on, so that each card can be a moment of self-contained meditation. With this in mind, each card was heavily considered for readability, true-ness to the intention I had for the card, and how I wished to diverge or converge with common meanings. Though many of these cards will have a familiarity to those who are experienced readers, some diverge for the sake of the clarity and honesty of message. For those who are familiar with tarot, there is some similarity to the Rider-Waite method of storytelling, but with some divergences as well.
The deck is comprised of 78 fully-illustrated cards, a 110+ page guidebook written by the artist, and all ensconced in a magnetic-close hinge box with colorful printing, silver foil, and a velvet-matte feel. The cards are printed on high-quality 350 gsm art paper with soft-touch matte UV varnishing finishing, and holographic silver foil edges on the cards.
The Lubanko Tarot is a tarot deck and an art object, and a tool to be used however the reader desires. These cards are meant to help the reader grapple with their personal metaphor and mythos.
The deck contains the standard 78 cards and is fully illustrated. That means that all the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana are full paintings— no pip cards. Every suit is a full journey, lushly-illustrated and packed full of metaphor, story, and the full range of the elements. The cards show beings of different walks of life, some closer to human and some far beyond, dipping into the diversity of life on earth and the divine of when we transcend our expected forms.
These paintings have been lovingly and painstakingly perfected as both pieces of art and pieces to be used for reading. They were made to be read at both small and large sizes, with bright colors, strong values, and compositional movement—as well as minding good contrast for those who may be colorblind and wish to read as well.
A good tarot deck has lots of metaphor to chew on, so that each card can be a moment of self-contained meditation. With this in mind, each card was heavily considered for readability, true-ness to the intention I had for the card, and how I wished to diverge or converge with common meanings. Though many of these cards will have a familiarity to those who are experienced readers, some diverge for the sake of the clarity and honesty of message. For those who are familiar with tarot, there is some similarity to the Rider-Waite method of storytelling, but with some divergences as well.
244 pages
Published October 8, 2025
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 14, 2026
The deck is most absolutely stunning, both artwork-wise and quality-wise — the cardstock is pretty thick with a matte finish and black gilded edges.
When it comes to the guidebook, it definitely does a good job at explaining the deck. One thing I'd like to point out, though, is that the author slightly alters some of the cards' "traditional" meanings — e.g.: the Six of Cups is not about childhood innocence but, rather, childhood trauma and unresolved issues. However, as Lubanko herself states, this tool was designed for the author to use — which is the reason why some of the meanings may not resonate to some, as they are very personal.
I can't wait to cleanse this deck and read it!
When it comes to the guidebook, it definitely does a good job at explaining the deck. One thing I'd like to point out, though, is that the author slightly alters some of the cards' "traditional" meanings — e.g.: the Six of Cups is not about childhood innocence but, rather, childhood trauma and unresolved issues. However, as Lubanko herself states, this tool was designed for the author to use — which is the reason why some of the meanings may not resonate to some, as they are very personal.
I can't wait to cleanse this deck and read it!
October 15, 2025
I bought two of the first press and these are without a doubt my favorite deck. The illustrations are exquisite and the quality of the cards is tangible. I keep coming back to E.'s interpretation of the traditional forms and finding more insight. Thank you!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews