I'm looking for a new deck. What should

Short version: buy for Rider–Waite–Smith artwork and for your hands, and treat "pretty" as a second-purchase decision.

1. Artwork — the part that actually matters

• Rider–Waite–Smith (RWS) is the default standard for a reason: symbolic imagery, learnable in months, and every book/course you ever buy will refer to those images by position.
• Also fine: Bicycle, US Games, Morgan-Greer (affordable), or Thoth if you specifically want Crowley and don't mind a much harder deck to learn.
• Avoid as a first working deck: heavily stylized or gaudy "fantasy" decks, and ultra-modern abstract ones — they force you to buy a separate guide just to remember what the cards mean.

2. Card stock and finish — this is where price actually goes

• 300 gsm (100 lb) or heavier, linen or soft-touch texture. Anything lighter bends and shuffles into fuzz.
• Matte or matte-textured beats gloss. Gloss scuffs, fingerprints show, and reflective foil titles crack and flake off within months.
• Rounded corners — sharper corners wear the edges and catch on shuffles.
• Check reviews for the word "warping" — that's the #1 complaint on cheap decks.

3. Size

• 70 × 120 mm (standard) is the sweet spot: shuffleable and dealable.
• Below ~63 × 108 mm ("pocket") you can carry anywhere but the art gets cramped and small nicks, swords, and Wands get hard to distinguish.
• Anything over ~80 × 130 mm is display-only. Beautiful, unplayable in a cross-legged reading.

4. Language
Buy in the language you'll *think* in. A deck with titles and suit names in a language you don't read means you're constantly translating mid-reading, which quietly drains attention you need for the symbols.

5. Before you pay — three checks

1. Count and check for print errors. Some decks ship with duplicated or misprinted cards. Look for reviews mentioning "duplicate" or "misprint"; returns are much harder after the box is open.
2. Smoke-test the corners and finish if you can — flex a card, look at the black border for scuffing after a few shuffles.
3. Make sure the back is distinct from the front and not so busy that cards vanish when face-down in a spread.

6. The realistic budget split
One workhorse deck you use every week (RWS, sturdy, 300gsm, matte) is what builds your reading. A second collectible or display deck you love looking at is a separate purchase — and plenty of people never use one, which is fine, but don't buy it *first* and then have nothing to read with.

If you want, tell me your language, rough budget, and whether you'll mostly read at home or travel, and I'll narrow it to two or three specific decks.