Automatic Miracle Deck
(Based on 1 review)
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I first heard about this effect on a Magic Cafe page dealing with gaffed decks. As there were positive comments about it, I searched it out, and just recieved my copy of it. This is not an easy trick to find, but it's out there-and I think worth finding, and performing. It has a copyright date of 1994.
The trick itself is simple enough to perform-in terms of mechanics-and to me it's like a combination of Brainwave, Triumph, Invisible Deck, and Svengali. It also brought to mind Tom Burgoon's 'Quad', Paul Curry's 'Cheek to Cheek', Robert Houdin's 'Protean Deck', and a no no gaff effect by Paul Harris called 'Overkill'.
The first three phases of the trick could seem to be done with 'normal cards'. It's the Svengali-like finish that telegraphs
'trick deck'. Don't get me wrong, it's eye popping, and strong.
But Cheek to Cheek, or Invisible Deck don't point such hot arrows towards the deck. So, if you don't mind using a deck that COULDN'T be legitimate, even to the most ignorant of magic lay person, than get this.
All but one phase of this routine is 'moveless', and time consuming. It's when the deck is counted card for card, face up face down. This MUST happen in order for the next phases to take place-and this 52 card count needs some patter to keep the spectator's interest. A good entertainer won't have any problems maintaining interest during such a tedious, repetitive phase. An amateur might not have the presentational skills to pull it off. This phase also keeps the trick from being an easy walk around effect, as does the few minutes of reset. The instructions are clear and thorough-yet curiously neglect to mention reset entirely. It does becomes clear after the first handling, and takes less than a minute.
The last comparison I'll make here is with R.Paul Wilson's Technicolor Cheek. While Wilson's trick also smells of 'trick deck', the final transitions are so strong, that people are too busy laughing in amazement to ask so many questions about the cards.
So, despite the long count, this trick has instant, impossible transitions. I will be performing it, when the situation is appropriate-i.e., when people have time and can focus. It's an extremely clever deck, and considering all that happens, extremely easy to handle.
The trick itself is simple enough to perform-in terms of mechanics-and to me it's like a combination of Brainwave, Triumph, Invisible Deck, and Svengali. It also brought to mind Tom Burgoon's 'Quad', Paul Curry's 'Cheek to Cheek', Robert Houdin's 'Protean Deck', and a no no gaff effect by Paul Harris called 'Overkill'.
The first three phases of the trick could seem to be done with 'normal cards'. It's the Svengali-like finish that telegraphs
'trick deck'. Don't get me wrong, it's eye popping, and strong.
But Cheek to Cheek, or Invisible Deck don't point such hot arrows towards the deck. So, if you don't mind using a deck that COULDN'T be legitimate, even to the most ignorant of magic lay person, than get this.
All but one phase of this routine is 'moveless', and time consuming. It's when the deck is counted card for card, face up face down. This MUST happen in order for the next phases to take place-and this 52 card count needs some patter to keep the spectator's interest. A good entertainer won't have any problems maintaining interest during such a tedious, repetitive phase. An amateur might not have the presentational skills to pull it off. This phase also keeps the trick from being an easy walk around effect, as does the few minutes of reset. The instructions are clear and thorough-yet curiously neglect to mention reset entirely. It does becomes clear after the first handling, and takes less than a minute.
The last comparison I'll make here is with R.Paul Wilson's Technicolor Cheek. While Wilson's trick also smells of 'trick deck', the final transitions are so strong, that people are too busy laughing in amazement to ask so many questions about the cards.
So, despite the long count, this trick has instant, impossible transitions. I will be performing it, when the situation is appropriate-i.e., when people have time and can focus. It's an extremely clever deck, and considering all that happens, extremely easy to handle.