The multiple revelation routine is a classic – and it is a classic for a reason. There is massive impact (and the appearance of great skill) when you have 6 or more cards selected and you are able to find them again in a variety of baffling ways. The traditional sleight of hand approach has put it out of the reach of many newer magicians, and so Liam Montier has done us all a favour by releasing this clever take on the idea.
The MRD (Multiple Revelation Deck) is a gaffed deck which enables you to perform a (virtually) sleight free version of this routine. It’s not a new idea in gaffed decks but it is a clever use for a deck which doesn’t get out much and I am not aware of such a routine having been published before (the usual caveats apply).
The benefits of the approach are clear – it brings the effect into the reach of less technically advanced magicians, and in many ways makes the handling look even cleaner and more impossible than the classic routine. The major downside is the re-set will take you a little while – which makes it less suitable for strolling magic. On the other hand, the deck is not a ‘one-trick-pony’ – so you could perform this routine after a number of other effects with the same deck.
The routine Liam teaches is effective. Although there is some sleight of hand required it is really very straightforward – and it went straight past me when I first watched the routine. By the end of the routine I had twigged what the deck must be – but it would fly past a lay person who hadn’t wasted quite as much of their life as me on these things!
One of the challenges in a multiple revelation routine is keeping the pace and variety going. Liam gives you some good starters for this – which build nicely to a big finish (though see my comments below). If these don’t suit you, there are plenty of other resources you can turn to for further ideas of different revelations (and Liam provides several extra ideas on the DVD). Once you have understood the principle and structure to the routine you will easily be able to jazz your own revelations.
I have to say that I like this more than I expected to. I am not an enormous fan of gimmicked decks, though am not averse to using them if they add value to an effect. And I really think this does. The handling does look extremely fair – in fact almost too fair. I slightly disagree with Liam about the final revelation which I think is SO surprising as to point to the possibility of some extra trickery going on. But the beauty of the routine is you could just swap in a different final revelation if you share .
The big downside for me is re-set which you would need a minute or two out of sight to do. This means it is unlikely to make the cut for my walkaround set, but for special occasions or an easy big finish, I can see this getting some good use.
Release date is 16th August. Head on over to MoM to get your copy (with thanks to BigBlindMedia who kindly provided the review copy).
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