Tarot Fellow
Morgan-Greer Tarot Deck by Greer & Morgan — Classic RWS Borderless 78-Card Deck
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The Morgan-Greer Tarot Deck by Bill F. Greer and Lloyd Morgan — the beloved 1979 classic that takes the Rider-Waite-Smith structure and reimagines it in vivid close-up compositions without borders. The figures are brought near the viewer, creating an intimate reading experience with rich warm colors and expressive faces. A favorite of readers who want the RWS system in a more emotionally immediate artistic style.
Description:Quick Specs
- Brand: U.S. Games Systems
- Type: Tarot deck, 78 cards
- Size/Quantity: Standard size, borderless, includes instructional booklet
- Best for: Intuitive readers who respond to facial expression and emotional immediacy
Close-Cropped Figures and Intuitive Reading Style
The Morgan-Greer Tarot was published in 1979 by U.S. Games Systems, making it one of the earliest post-Rider-Waite decks to develop its own distinct American visual identity. Illustrated by Bill F. Greer under the direction of Lloyd Morgan, the deck was constructed using the color symbolism framework established by Paul Foster Case in his work on the tarot, which grounds every card's palette in the Golden Dawn tradition while giving the artwork a vividness that feels wholly original.
What separates Morgan-Greer from its contemporaries is the decision to abandon borders and crop figures close. Rather than showing full scenes where figures stand in a landscape, Greer painted from an intimate perspective: faces fill the frame, gestures become pronounced, and eye contact with the viewer is direct. This design choice transforms how the deck communicates. Instead of reading a scene from a distance, the reader encounters a person, and that person's expression becomes the primary interpretive signal.
Morgan-Greer Compared to Other RWS Derivatives
Practitioners who have worked with the original Smith-Waite deck often find Morgan-Greer provides a more emotionally immediate reading experience. Where the Smith-Waite imagery rewards careful study of symbolic details, the Morgan-Greer rewards instinct. The 78-card structure follows Rider-Waite conventions closely, with the suits named Rods, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, and the Major Arcana ordered in the traditional sequence. Strength is card VIII, and Justice is XI, consistent with the Rider-Waite numbering.
The deck's bold color palette also deserves mention. Greer worked in rich, saturated tones that read clearly across a table, making Morgan-Greer a popular choice for professional readers doing in-person client work. The cards are printed on standard cardstock with a classic card back featuring a blue ground with white stars, simple and non-distracting. Browse my full tarot decks collection to compare it alongside other RWS-family decks.
How to Use the Morgan-Greer Tarot
Three steps for getting the most from the Morgan-Greer Tarot's signature close-cropped, emotionally expressive illustration style.
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Choose your reading style
Morgan-Greer works best for intuitive, face-forward reading. Before your first spread, decide whether you will read reversals. The close-cropped figures make upright vs. reversed orientation visually clear at a glance.
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Shuffle with intention
Because figures fill the card edge to edge without a border, the deck shuffles with a fluidity many readers find conducive to intuitive flow. Riffle or overhand shuffle until the cards feel ready, then cut once and begin your layout.
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Read the face, then the symbol
With Morgan-Greer, start with the figure's facial expression and body posture before considering any background symbolism. The deck was designed so the human face carries the emotional core of each card, making first impressions highly reliable.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock the Morgan-Greer because it fills a gap that no other deck in my collection quite covers: a solidly structured RWS deck where human feeling, not symbolic density, drives the reading. Readers who find the original Rider-Waite too crowded with symbolic detail, or who want a deck that communicates emotional states quickly and clearly, consistently return to this one. The borderless close-crop style was genuinely innovative in 1979 and it still works today. If you're pairing a tarot deck with study materials, explore my tarot and divination books for companion reading guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The borderless close-up imagery makes card meanings immediately accessible without memorizing dense background symbols. Readers who learn intuitively, reading faces and posture first, often find Morgan-Greer clicks faster than standard RWS.
Morgan-Greer crops figures close and eliminates borders, so faces and body language dominate over symbolic backgrounds. Published in 1979 by U.S. Games, it shares the RWS structure but delivers a bolder, emotionally immediate American aesthetic.
Yes. The 78-card deck follows the standard structure with 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits. Suit names use Rods instead of Wands, but meanings align with the Rider-Waite tradition, making it compatible with most tarot guidebooks.
Many practitioners use it for card meditation since the full-bleed close-up images are easy to enter mentally. Rich colors and expressive faces provide strong focal points for reflection, journaling, or personal development work alongside readings.
