the legend · 22 cards

The Trades Deck

Twenty-two cards for the people who sweat the pipes, pull the wire, and weld the bones of everything you take for granted.

Holding a card? Tap its number.

  1. The Apprentice — arcanum 0
    0

    The Apprentice

    in the place of the fool

    Upright
    New boots, clean hard hat, zero wrong habits yet.
    Reversed
    The zero wrong habits part aged like fresh drywall in a flood.
  2. The Journeyman — arcanum I
    I

    The Journeyman

    in the place of the magician

    Upright
    Every tool has a place; every wire finds its terminal.
    Reversed
    The drill battery is dead and the charger is in the other truck.
  3. The Old Timer — arcanum II
    II

    The Old Timer

    in the place of the high priestess

    Upright
    He knows the why behind every code that was ever written.
    Reversed
    He will tell you — but only once, and not in front of the GC.
  4. The Supply House — arcanum III
    III

    The Supply House

    in the place of the empress

    Upright
    Every fitting blooms here; the counter clerk knows your name.
    Reversed
    She is out of that part and the next shipment is Thursday. Maybe.
  5. The General Contractor — arcanum IV
    IV

    The General Contractor

    in the place of the emperor

    Upright
    The schedule is law; every trade bends to the master plan.
    Reversed
    The schedule moved again; you found out from another sub.
  6. The Code Book — arcanum V
    V

    The Code Book

    in the place of the hierophant

    Upright
    The answer is in here. Every answer. It always has been.
    Reversed
    The answer changed in the 2023 edition. Surprise.
  7. The Good Crew — arcanum VI
    VI

    The Good Crew

    in the place of the lovers

    Upright
    Two hands find the same rhythm before a word is spoken.
    Reversed
    One of them called in. The other one knows why.
  8. The Service Truck — arcanum VII
    VII

    The Service Truck

    in the place of the chariot

    Upright
    Organized, fully stocked, rolling toward the next job with purpose.
    Reversed
    It is making a sound. A new sound. From the left side.
  9. The Callback — arcanum VIII
    VIII

    The Callback

    in the place of strength

    Upright
    Calm hands and no excuses — the fitting gets done right this time.
    Reversed
    The fitting is fine. The homeowner just needed someone to blame.
  10. The One-Man Shop — arcanum IX
    IX

    The One-Man Shop

    in the place of the hermit

    Upright
    In the quiet garage, the work is exactly as good as it needs to be.
    Reversed
    He has not checked his voicemail since the Obama administration.
  11. The Dispatch Board — arcanum X
    X

    The Dispatch Board

    in the place of wheel of fortune

    Upright
    The wheel turns; today's route lands in your favor.
    Reversed
    Three back-to-backs, the farthest one is forty minutes past rush hour.
  12. The Inspection — arcanum XI
    XI

    The Inspection

    in the place of justice

    Upright
    Clean work speaks for itself; the stamp comes without argument.
    Reversed
    Tagged. A knockout is in the wrong place by three-eighths of an inch.
  13. The Crawlspace — arcanum XII
    XII

    The Crawlspace

    in the place of the hanged man

    Upright
    Flat on your back in the dark, you see the problem clearly now.
    Reversed
    You see it clearly. You cannot reach it from this angle.
  14. The Tear-Out — arcanum XIII
    XIII

    The Tear-Out

    in the place of death

    Upright
    The old work falls away; what replaces it will outlast the house.
    Reversed
    Whoever did this last time used the wrong pipe and loved it.
  15. The Estimate — arcanum XIV
    XIV

    The Estimate

    in the place of temperance

    Upright
    Materials and labor in perfect balance — a number you can stand behind.
    Reversed
    You missed the drywall repair and the permit fee. Both of them.
  16. The Side Job — arcanum XV
    XV

    The Side Job

    in the place of the devil

    Upright
    Fast cash, a favor, just this once — and you do good work.
    Reversed
    Just this once turned into a Saturday, a Sunday, and a lawsuit.
  17. I Watched a YouTube Video — arcanum XVI
    XVI

    I Watched a YouTube Video

    in the place of the tower

    Upright
    Sometimes the homeowner gets lucky and nothing explodes.
    Reversed
    The pipe he glued is the wrong schedule and the house is wet.
  18. The Clean Finished Job — arcanum XVII
    XVII

    The Clean Finished Job

    in the place of the star

    Upright
    Dead-straight, labeled, tight — this one you are proud to sign.
    Reversed
    It is perfect. The drywall crew will destroy it by noon tomorrow.
  19. Quick Little Job — arcanum XVIII
    XVIII

    Quick Little Job

    in the place of the moon

    Upright
    Quick little jobs are real; occasionally they stay that way.
    Reversed
    Two hours in and the wall is open and there is something living in there.
  20. The Mentor — arcanum XIX
    XIX

    The Mentor

    in the place of the sun

    Upright
    A patient hand guides yours to the torch; the joint sings silver.
    Reversed
    He retired last spring and nobody wrote any of it down.
  21. The Apprentice Tops Out — arcanum XX
    XX

    The Apprentice Tops Out

    in the place of judgement

    Upright
    Card in hand, crew behind you — you built this with your body.
    Reversed
    The certification passed; the journeyman wage starts in ninety days.
  22. The Customer Who Says Thank You — arcanum XXI
    XXI

    The Customer Who Says Thank You

    in the place of the world

    Upright
    Two words and a handshake — this is exactly why you do it.
    Reversed
    They left a four-star review. One star off for the parking cone.
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