Even if you don’t believe in fortune telling or foretelling futures and fates, it’s safe to say that the majority of people out there can appreciate the art which makes up a standard tarot deck.

The same is true for trading card decks, even for people who aren’t traditional trading card game players.

Once this parallel occurred to me, I wondered if the two could be interchangeable every once in a while.

In both disciplines, cards have individual artworks, meanings and values. 

Whether you’re throwing bones, reading runes or practicing cartomancy in any of its forms, the reader relies on the randomness (or not) of the draw – and what these symbols mean in the context of the question. 

This could make a TCG deck just as valid as tarot.

Here’s what happened when a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck turned into a tool of cartomancy instead. 

Choosing the Deck

For online play, TCG decks can be downloaded from the internet and uploaded to a supporting platform such as Yu-Gi-Oh! Pro or Dueling Nexus. (Of course, deck builders can also create and save their own decks to these worldwide networks if you’re confident in your card selection.)  

You’re welcome to reach for a physical TCG deck, or try the online option if you would like to experiment with this in the absence of a real card deck.

Personally, I chose Yu-Gi-Oh! and a classic card combination for nostalgic reasons. You’ll likely have a different ideal deck combination, and might have entirely different memories of which TCG deck or series suits your card reading session best. 

I also chose to use the full deck for the purposes of this experiment, but just like some tarot readers prefer to rely on the Major Arcana only for certain readings and the full deck for others, feel free to choose only select cards from a full deck (like Spell or Trap cards) if you prefer.

Reading the Cards

Tarot card readings assign a representative meaning to each card which gets drawn from the deck and laid down on the table. 

Usually, the first card drawn is the Signifier, either representing the question being asked or the person who asks it in some way or another. 

After the first card is drawn, there are different card spreads that range from the Celtic Cross to a simple three-card layout covering Past, Present and Future.  Again, I’ve always liked the three-card reading layout just for its simplicity – for quick questions where the participant might already know the answer, but need a little encouragement from the cards to realize it.

For the purposes of this reading, I chose something easy and relevant: What’s the past, present and future of my bridge game?

For the purposes of your own reading, choose any question you like: Draw the cards again if you don’t like the answer, and have fun with it. That’s the whole point of this!

Here’s what came up: 

1. Pot of Greed [The Past]

When I first held a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck, the artwork of Pot of Greed struck me most – and soon after, I was struck by what you could do with the card. I’d imagine that this card could represent a few things at once (and of course, it goes without saying that it will inevitably mean different things to different people and situations!).

But in this case, I’d say that it applies to the pursuit of knowledge. First learning about bridge, I was immediately eager to learn more. At the same time, being “greedy”, I had also decided that I need to learn everything about the topic in a short time and took things a little fast – at least at the start.

2. The Dark Magician [The Present]

The Dark Magician is a classic card, although not one of the most powerful ones in terms of attack or defense. Yet, it still appears to have its place in the Yu-Gi-Oh! canon.

For the present of my bridge game, how do I take this? 

In context, I think it tells me where I imagine my bridge game to be at: Moderate. Not too good, not too great, but with the occasional really good game.

3. Monster Reborn [The Future]

Monster Reborn allows a player to rescue any of their deceased monsters from the graveyard and return it to the field.

The card seems appropriate: Bridge has served as a saving grace, a rescue and a lifeline for me more than once (and I’ve received a considerable amount of encouragement and help from many bridge players that I can say saved my skin).

I’d like to think that I was reborn into the world of bridge from being a writer and musician first.

Or maybe, the order of the cards is entirely random and meaningless. What you think about that is up to you.