Tarot & Oracle Decks — The Modern Witch Tarot (Lisa Sterle)

Published · Researched 2026-09-20

Research date: 2026-09-20 (PDT). Method: social-first (Threads, resale listings, community reviewers, web).

Overview

Creator: Lisa Sterle (comic-book artist; Long Lost, Submerged). Guidebook text co-credited to Vita Ayala.
Publisher: Liminal 11 (original 2019 indie edition) → Sterling Ethos (mass-market, Nov 2019). ISBNs: 9781912634033 (Liminal 11) / 9781454938682 (Sterling Ethos).
Purpose: A diverse, contemporary RWS-based deck with an all-female cast spanning ages, races, body types and gender presentations, set in modern life (smartphones, laptops). One of the decks that defined the 2010s inclusive-tarot wave. Includes 2 extra cards: an alternative "Everything Is Fine" Ten of Swords + a personal affirmation card from Sterle.

Social standing

Community pulse: Very high and long-lived. Refinery29 (2022) reported a 4.9/5 star rating across 19,000+ Amazon reviews and called its fandom "viral online success" — qualitatively, this remains the most-referenced "modern diverse RWS" deck in recommendations. It shows up constantly in "which deck for beginners / for queer/POC readers" threads, resale listings turn over fast, and the fandom produced the journal, poster book and colouring spin-offs — ecosystem evidence of real popularity.
Consensus praise: Comic-book art quality, faithful-but-modern RWS symbolism (excellent beginner deck), inclusivity that feels organic rather than tokenistic ("POC, finally, are more than just an afterthought" — Amazon reviewer via Refinery29), gold edges + luxe production on the Liminal 11 original ("the kind of deck that's going to be in high demand, touted as vintage" — Benebell Wen, 2019), blunt/clear readings ("very clear, almost blunt; there is no waffling with this deck!" — Sophrosyne Tarot).
Recurring complaints/failure modes:
- Size: cards run large (3.5 × 5.25 in / 8.89 × 13.34 cm per moonlightartscollective; one reviewer measured ~4.75" long). Owners with small hands report awkward shuffling; some stick to overhand/table mixing. (CONFLICT: Sophrosyne Tarot cites 4 3/4″ × 2 13/16″ — ordering of dimensions may differ; treat both as approximate.)
- Finish: thick glossy stock on the Sterling edition — the coating is polarising; gloss lovers like it, matte lovers don't. The Liminal 11 original was high-gloss with gold edges; Sterling's edition differs (no gold edging reported on the mass edition).
- Ten of Swords discourse: the smartphone-in-hand imagery (figure ignoring her wounds, doomscrolling) sparked debate in 2019 about whether it reads as "toxic social media" vs. modern relevance — aesthetic-polarisation, not a quality issue.
- Guidebook: 56-page booklet on the Sterling edition (vs. the original's larger guidebook); reversal coverage thin.
- Aesthetic resonance: a minority of owners resell because the style doesn't resonate after purchase — e.g., Carousell.ph seller: "RFS: does not really resonate with me, tried multiple times 😭" (PHP 1,000 listing, first owner, bought for ₱1,799).
Overhyped warnings: None as a quality failure; the "worth it" question resolves to taste (size/gloss) rather than print defects.
Verified quotes:
- "This deck definitely celebrates empowered human beings of multiple identities — including LGBTQ, full spand, and senior citizens. POC, finally, are more than just an afterthought." — Amazon reviewer, quoted in Refinery29 (2022).
- "Overall, the Modern Witch Tarot published by Liminal 11 is iconic. This gold-edged high-gloss deck printed on some of the most luxe cardstock you can get with the clever powder-blue reversible card back design is a gem of a deck." — Benebell Wen review (Dec 2019, benebellwen.com).
- "The Modern Witch Tarot deck by Lisa Sterle is my workhorse deck... The card stock is very sturdy, probably the thickest of my decks... they are 'just right'." — Sophrosyne Tarot review (sophrosynetarot.com).
- "I love that fact that Lisa tackles the 'isms' (sexism, ageism, racism and so on) head-on by giving tradition a little twist." — RachelSwirl review (rachelswirl.co.uk, 2020).

Social validation

Tier: UNVALIDATED — included for comparison, low community signal. Strong owner evidence exists (identifiable owners: Benebell Wen, Sophrosyne Tarot, RachelSwirl, Carousell owner-resale) but none on the qualifying social platforms: Threads returned 1 result with no extractable text, no useful Facebook Group collector discussion found, and Instagram's CLI is account/profile scoped with no general keyword search; public web search surfaced no identifiable Instagram/Facebook owner posts. Youtube unboxings and review blogs carry the weight instead.
Named sources + proof: Threads search 2026-09-20 (1 result, @dobracarovnica, no text); benebellwen.com review (2019); sophrosynetarot.com review; rachelswirl.co.uk review (2020); refinery29.com Amazon-reviews piece (2022); carousell.ph active owner listing (PHP 1,000, lightly used, first owner).
Links: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/modern-witch-tarot-deck-reviews ; https://benebellwen.com/2019/12/13/modern-witch-tarot-by-lisa-sterle/comment-page-1/ ; https://sophrosynetarot.com/modern-witch-tarot-deck-review/ ; https://www.rachelswirl.co.uk/review/the-modern-witch-tarot/ ; https://m.carousell.ph/p/modern-witch-tarot-deck-by-lisa-sterle-1418329569/

Key specs

Spec	Value
Cards	78 + 2 bonus cards ("Everything Is Fine" alt Ten of Swords, affirmation card)
Card size	~3.5 × 5.25 in / 8.89 × 13.34 cm (UNVERIFIED precision; one reviewer cites 4 3/4″ × 2 13/16″)
Stock/finish	Thick glossy stock (Sterling); Liminal 11 original: high-gloss, gold edges, reversible powder-blue back
Guidebook	56-page booklet (Sterling Ethos ed.); original Liminal 11 guidebook larger
Box	Sturdy slipcover case
Publisher	Liminal 11 (2019 original) → Sterling Ethos (Nov 2019 mass edition, ISBN 9781454938682)
Editions	Liminal 11 limited/original (gold edges) now collector-priced; Sterling Ethos standard in print

Pricing (dated 2026-09-20)

MSRP: $26.99 (Books-A-Million; Kindred Stories; ShopAphrodites — all show $26.99; treat as MSRP).
Street (US): $24.95 at wildsoulriver.com; $27.00 moonlightartscollective.
Canada: CA$35.99 (canadasrockshop.com; listing dated 2023 — may be stale).
Australia: AU$45.56 (thenile.com.au, RRP $69.99); AU$49.99 (theeternalspirit.com.au).
Used range: PHP 1,000 (~$17 USD) lightly-used first-owner listing on Carousell.ph (posted ~1 week before crawl, seller bought new for ₱1,799); eBay EU listing active (price not captured). FB Marketplace direct search (2026-09-21): 1 hit, unrelated product ('Big Book Of Tarot - Joan Bunning') — effectively 0 listings.

Included / else needed

Included: 78 cards + 2 bonus cards, 56-page booklet, slipcase. Else needed: nothing; small-handed readers may want it — shuffling is the known friction.

Support reality

Sterling Ethos edition widely in print at booksellers 2026. Liminal 11 original OOP; owner market commands premium. No known misprint waves; counterfeit risk moderate on eBay/AliExpress (check backs/edges — gold edging + blue reversible back marks the original).

Community verdict

The Modern Witch is the canonical "inclusive RWS" — the deck most recommended when someone wants traditional symbolism with diverse, contemporary faces. Owners love the art and blunt readability; the consistent caveats are its large size, glossy stock, and that it's a taste deck — a small but real share of buyers resell because the aesthetic doesn't land for them.