Suit of Cups (Behind the Scenes)
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Ace of Cups (Twinkle Park)
For the Ace of Cups, I knew I wanted to do Twinkle Park, but wasn’t sure exactly how to approach it. The Ace of Cups is a card about love and celebration, and Twinkle Park is arguably the least-malicious amusement park-themed zone. And I couldn’t forget the “cute couples” clause! The latter is ultimately why I changed the art from the thumbnail’s depiction of the kart racing minigame to that of the oft-romantic carousel: Sonic Adventure is the first game to give Amy some sort of character development outside of Sonic, and that journey starts at Twinkle Park. Finding references for the angle I wanted to do with the carousel was very very difficult, and I ended up purchasing an extremely low-poly model to try to get a handle on the positioning. I think it turned out pretty good!
Two of Cups (Null Space | Metropolis)
For the Two of Cups, I had a bit of difficulty assigning a zone (and relevant character dynamic) to it. I knew I wanted some sort of stage that showcased a duo featuring Sonic, but not which one. Before settling on Null Space (and therefore Metropolis), I considered Chemical Plant Zone due to it being featured in the debut game of Tails. I ultimately put Chemical Plant Zone on the Three of Cups card due to thinking the “manic pixie dream boy” plot of Sonic Forces fit the attraction-based Two of Cups better: they really REALLY wanted to make you feel like you were Sonic’s New Best Friend TM. Otherwise, Null Space can only be escaped through the Avatar’s collaboration with Sonic and the ruins of Metropolis fit the disharmonious reversed Three of Cups. The art itself is naturally of the Double Boost mechanic from Forces, the trigger to escaping that void. I did sneak in an Ian Jr. cameo here since I used the default three Avatars on the Ace of Wands: Ian Mutchler, if you see this please contact me and I’ll give you a deck free of charge.
Three of Cups (Chemical Plant Zone)
For the Three of Cups, as I mentioned earlier, Chemical Plant Zone was ultimately chosen. I wanted one of the more friendship/partnership cards in the Cup suit to focus on Sonic and Tails’ collaborative mechanics in the classic games. I went with Chemical Plant Zone over Emerald Hill Zone due to the latter being a Green Hill Zone clone and relatively safe from dangers. As a kid, I only started having difficulties with Sonic 2 on Chemical Plant Zone, given its rising waters and toxic goo cannons: Tails’ flight ability from Player 2 really comes in handy! So this combination of in- and out-of-universe cooperation felt like the perfect choice. I depicted Tails carrying Sonic over the radiated waters of the zone with just a smidge of perspective attempted. Besides the final choice of Three of Pentacles, this card was considered for the box art of SONIC THE TAROT.
Four of Cups (Stardust Speedway)
For the Four of Cups, Sonic CD felt the most appropriate given how heavily Sonic’s failure to beat Eggman’s forces is felt through the multiple future scenarios. Four of Cups is a somber card with its theming of stagnation and regret, and the polluted potential future of Stardust Speedway is pretty traumatic-looking and depressing (at least I thought so as a kid). For the reversed meaning, CD as a whole shows how Sonic’s actions are actively restoring peace and life to Little Planet, cementing how important every step of his journey against Eggman is. The card’s art was pretty tricky: I wanted to depict the race between Sonic and Metal Sonic—that moment is the deciding factor between reevaluation and regret—but struggled to choose which timeline to depict. Many of the keywords of the upright Four of Cups lean more toward the Bad Future, but I could also just go to the Present one to be safe. Ultimately, I went with the Good Future of Stardust Speedway to reflect Sonic’s determination after assessing the consequences and the reversed meaning of Four of Cups. But, of course, because the race is ongoing, the future of Little Planet still hangs in the balance.
Five of Cups (Radical Highway)
For the Five of Cups, the themes of grief and rage perfectly fit Shadow—and therefore, his debut stage of Radical Highway in Sonic Adventure 2. Radical Highway’s moody lighting and frantic soundscape do a fantastic job of establishing how Shadow is a contrasting antithesis to Sonic in both appearance and motives. I especially enjoyed how Shadow Generations turned this zone into a recurring symbol of Shadow’s trauma over his past and how he overcomes it—it’s a neat way to pay tribute to a classic location without it being overtly out of place. The art is of Radical Highway’s iconic opening section where Shadow grinds down one of the suspension bridge’s main cables: the lineart on this piece was fun since I got to mess with line thickness more to make it feel like Shadow was coming right at you. No one is spared from his revenge trip, after all.
Six of Cups (Green Hill Zone | Game Land)
For the Six of Cups, Sonic 1’s Green Hill Zone naturally fits best with the themes of nostalgia and childhood. For us viewers, this zone is the first time we meet Sonic and come to understand the world and mechanics of the games. As such, it’s an extremely recurring location in the games that aims to recall Sonic’s earlier adventures, but pandering to fans does come with its downsides. Many games favor recalling Green Hill Zone over any other equally compelling or underused zones, to the point that I am well aware many fans are not fond of its cameos. I thought that spirit fits well with the reversed meaning of the Six of Cups, which is why I brought in the Game Land from Sonic Colors: its seminal Sonic Simulator only takes the bare minimum from stages such as Green Hill Zone for a sterile recreation according to Eggman’s tastes. The card art itself is a split screen to show a loop in both Green Hill Zone and Game Land, with Sonic currently running ahead of a corrupted past.
Seven of Cups (Mirage Saloon Zone)
For the Seven of Cups, I waffled on what zone to do. If you’ve not noticed, I’ve tried to include zones from most of the mainline Sonic games, with some exceptions due to lack of space. Originally, I considered Mystic Mansion from Sonic Heroes for this slot, given its themes of magic paralleling the illusionary Seven of Cups. I ultimately went with Mirage Saloon Zone from Sonic Mania due to the Heavy Magician boss fight containing elements of both the upright and reversed meaning (also I love the Heavy Magician boss fight a lot, it was very fun to see the Hooligans come back after such a long absence). For the art, I decided to do the Knuckles version of the boss fight purely because I think Knuckles’ Act 1 of Mirage Saloon Zone is more fun haha. Fang is here due to being the most iconic of the Hooligans, and also I thought the image of Fang bringing a gun to a fistfight was more playful.
Eight of Cups (Crisis City)
For the Eight of Cups, Crisis City from Sonic ‘06 was my first and only choice. What used to be Soleanna’s New City has been left to rot and burn down into ashes, and much attention is brought to how refreshing the past is for both Silver and Blaze. Of course, these both make their desperation to fix the future that much stronger, to the point where they trust a creepy mouthless hedgehog who knows more than he reasonably should. I wanted to do a more zoomed-out piece for this card’s art, with Silver and Blaze reduced to small silhouettes, to emphasize how overwhelming and large of a task it is they’re facing. I used Silver’s telekinesis to create a center point for the viewer so they can ultimately make out where the characters are amongst the fire’s reds and browns.
Nine of Cups (Lagoon City Zone)
For the Nine of Cups, I was excited to use Sonic Superstars as the inspiration: at the time of art production, it was the newest Sonic game. I’m particularly fond of Trip from that game, she’s so cute and her growth is organic. That development forms the base for this choice of zone, and Amy’s Act in Lagoon City Zone is one of the first moments that Trip seems to realize that hey, being forced to work for two bullies kinda sucks and nice people are better. It’s nice to see a Sonic character that wants to do the right thing but doesn’t have the temperament needed to stand up to others—the Avatar from Sonic Forces sorta did something similar but it wasn’t as compelling to me. I depicted the ending section of Amy’s Act of Lagoon with the giant fruit, as giving Trip an apple was the last kindness Amy gave before the zone’s conclusion. I had played Superstars not long before I did SONIC THE TAROT’s thumbnails, but for some reason, I thought Amy carried Trip on her head. Wild.
Ten of Cups (Lava Mountain)
For the Ten of Cups, I originally wanted to use Silent Forest because, in my head, it was a very dramatic moment when Tails got captured by the Deadly Six’s capsule. To clarify, I only played Sonic Lost World on launch and never again, so imagine my surprise when it turns out the scene was like 30 seconds tops and the Zetis weren’t even THERE. I try not to ever be a Sonic basher due to my love of the series, but the writing is all over the place in this game haha. Regardless, I pivoted and instead went with Lava Mountain, the zone where the “roboticized” Tails shows up. Not only does the love displayed by Tails’ protection of Sonic showcase their deep bond, but Eggman also performs his face-heel turn here, as fitting for the Ten of Cups reversed. The card’s art is pretty straightforward, I think: the viewer has the POV of the Deadly Six at the moment of betrayal, and uh oh Tails is gonna shoot you. Sonic characters having guns is peak humor to me btw.
Page of Cups (Rooftop Run | Spagonia)
For the Page of Cups, I was stuck between Rooftop Run from Sonic Unleashed and Studiopolis Zone from Sonic Mania: the former showcases creative mechanics through the Night sections’ Werehog form while the latter displays equally interesting mechanics through the level design. I ultimately went with Rooftop Run because of the inclusion of Chip in in-game tutorials and the plot; he’s rather obsessive over trivial matters and seems to accidentally say the wrong things, but his gradual maturation fits the other theme of this card well. I went with the clock tower as seen during the Night section of Rooftop Run, specifically from the angle the results screen is shown from. In particular, I thought moving the clock's hands to cross along the clock face was a neat way to implement Sonic’s new strength in a way that he couldn’t do normally. And yes, I did draw the entire clock tower before realizing that the Werehog Sonic would block most of it, thank you for asking. OTL
Knight of Cups (Kronos Island | Cyber Space)
For the Knight of Cups, I knew I wanted to do some version of Kronos Island from Sonic Frontiers. I initially considered making the card more Sonic-centric, hence the thumbnail being a sorta overhead shot of him running around on the island, but I didn’t think it fit the feeling-based elements of the card. So I shifted to focusing on Amy and Sonic both as a sort of parallel to the earlier Ace of Cups: Amy’s subplot on Kronos Island involves helping the Koco couple reunite, all while giving her affection for Sonic a more complicated turn. For the reversed meaning, I highlighted the different kinds of love shown by Sage for Eggman—even a creation of Eggman struggles to be completely upfront about their feelings and intentions, of course. The art of the card is of the ending scene of Amy’s subplot, where she sits in a field of poppies with Sonic. It’s one of my favorite scenes from Sonic Frontiers for how deftly it handles Amy’s characterization, and the resulting art is one of my favorites from SONIC THE TAROT.
Queen of Cups (Hang Castle)
For the Queen of Cups, I decided to focus on Sonic Heroes’ Hang Castle after ruling Mystic Mansion out for the Seven of Cups. I enjoy Sonic Heroes for depicting Amy and Rouge in leadership roles—which I think is displayed rather well in the opening cutscenes of this zone—and decided that the latter’s dedication to her teammates would be a good focus for the upright meaning. Rouge is obviously one of the older Sonic characters, but she also takes situations seriously where some others might not. Additionally, her camaraderie with Shadow and Omega is one of the strongest of Heroes’ teams, with her loyalty to the former being a recurring theme in future games. For the inverse, I focused on the more immature interactions that happen in the Team Sonic and Team Chaotix routes: the spooky atmosphere of Hang Castle quickly devolves these teams into jeers and jabs at one another. For the art, I drew Team Dark heading into the zone, with Rouge trying to keep Shadow in the present moment. Omega almost did not make it into this card because he’s very large, but I managed to cram his shoulder in there. You’re welcome!
King of Cups (IceCap Zone)
For the King of Cups, I wanted to focus on how the mechanics in the games reflect Sonic’s personality and purpose. Many games show how kindhearted Sonic is through his repeated freeing of the animals trapped by Eggman, and quick thinking is needed to navigate level gimmicks. In the end, I decided to go with IceCap Zone from Sonic 3 & Knuckles for a few reasons—I had difficulty with the momentum-based gimmicks as a child; I thought featuring a level that was literally “cool” in temperature was a nice pun; and quite honestly I love how IceCap Zone looks and plays. I also thought that the verticality of the Egg Froster did a good job of visualizing the more unfair theming of the King of Cups reversed. I decided to have the snowboarding section from Act 1 as the inspiration for the card art, as it showcases Sonic’s ability to recognize that running through snow might be difficult as well as conveying his easy going personality.