Collector decks like Beyond the Endless Dark playing cards are getting a lot of attention at the moment. Here is a comparison of two other playing card decks compared to Beyond The Endless Dark Playing Cards

Pros

Unique Design – Features a rotating colourful star system, evolving the style of the original Beyond deck. The artwork is visually striking and makes for a great display piece.

High Quality – Manufactured with premium materials, ensuring durability and smooth handling, ideal collector decks for cardistry and magic performances.

Cons

Price – Slightly higher priced compared to standard decks, which might not be ideal for casual use.

Complexity – The intricate design might be distracting for signed card tricks where simplicity is preferred 

Chancers V3 Green (Marked) Playing Cards by Good Pals

Pros

Marked Deck Includes a discreet marking system that is beneficial for magicians to perform card tricks without the audience noticing. That’s are in decent collector decks.

Aesthetic Appeal – The green colour and design elements make it stand out, appealing to collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Cons

Learning Curve – Requires time to learn and utilize the marking system effectively.

Specific Use – Primarily designed for magic, it might not be the best choice for general use.

Magnolia White Playing Cards

Pros

Elegant Design – Designed by Paulina Diaz, these cards feature a minimalist white design with elegant artwork, making them aesthetically pleasing and perfect for sophisticated magic performances.

Versatility – Suitable for both magic and general card games due to their standard face cards and high-quality stock.

Cons

Durability – While made with good quality, the white colour might show wear and tear more quickly than darker decks.

Limited Edition – Being part of a limited release might make replacements or additional purchases more difficult 

Conclusion

Best for Magic

Chancers V3 Green (Marked) Playing Cards – Ideal for magicians looking for a functional marked deck.

Best for Aesthetics

Beyond The Endless Dark Playing Cards – Perfect for those who want visually stunning collector decks.

Best for Versatility

Magnolia White Playing Cards – Great for both magic and casual play with an elegant touch.

Each of these decks offers unique features catering to different preferences, from performing magic to collecting playing cards that are aesthetically pleasing.

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What do you get?

You get the nicely produced plastic cards. The version I received is of the Mona Lisa. With an ‘art themed’ effect you would expect high quality printing and these did not disappoint. I have seen some reviewers (perhaps of earlier batches since this is not a brand new effect) complaining about the printing, but mine lined up nicely.

There was a slight colour tone difference in one of the pieces – but in normal lighting and scrutiny I really don’t think this would be any problem at all. The cards themselves are credit card sized and should last well.

You also get a link to the online instructions. Unfortunately the link on mine was wrong! However, when you see the name of the branding on the box it was easy to work out what the correct link should be!

The teaching

The teaching video is about 50 minutes long. The live performances are slightly noisy – but I always prefer real world performances to studio ones – so plus points for including these.

The first time I watched the explanation I was really puzzled. I’ll be honest. I’d been trying to multi-task. I’m a man. I can’t. When I watched it a second time with all my attention it became much clearer.

In hindsight, I think it would have been helpful if at the start of the teaching he outlined the process (the several steps) he was going to teach. Then they would have made more sense on the way through. I think that was another reason it made more sense the second time round.

It isn’t exactly a ‘self-working’ effect, but the moves required are not very complicated. It requires a little thinking and some straight forward procedures to make the thing work. There are plenty of examples to help you get the procedure under your belt. But I think it really will make more sense second time round!

A couple of variant ideas are offered, but like Nefesch, I think the original is the strongest.

I should also mention that there is a one time set-up you will need to do yourself. It will only take you two minutes to do this and it is very straight forward.

Magnum Opus?

I’ve gone on a curious journey with this one. I loved the theme and the idea when I first heard about it. Then when I watched the video the first time I was baffled. And now I’ve watched again I love it again! They’re pleasing props and a clever principle (which I’ve not seen used before) – even when you understand how to perform it you might not understand why it works! For the spectator it seems more impossible than it actually is, and the props are easy to carry around. I can definitely see myself using this.

As with all mentalism type effects, much of the strength will depend on the conviction of your performance. Although the spectator really can place the cards wherever they want, the more you practise this the more confident you will get with the subtle handling which makes sure everything works.

Opus is available from the Merchant of Magic for £25.50 (at the time of writing). It is also available in Vitruvian Man design.

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Nefesch – Opus – review

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The post Nefesch – Opus – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The DVDs

Let’s start with the prosaic. It’s a really nicely produced box set – graphics are appropriate and interesting, the menu structure on the DVD is clear, the background music is inoffensive, and the explanations outstanding (much more of this later). If I was going to be really picky, it seems slightly odd that the when you open out the 4 DVD holder, the DVD listings are in an odd order when you open it – reading 3,4,1,2 – which is neither logical, nor corresponds to the order when you fully open the folder. But this is more or less irrelevant – but the border-line OCD in me felt the need to mention it.

The Performance

Rarely have I enjoyed watching a magic DVD as much as this set. Jermay himself is a consummate performer and a joy to watch. It is great to see some live performances with real audiences which show him at his best (though he’s still VERY good when in front of magicians!). His use of language is beautiful – he is confident and winsome – to my mind it is in every way an extraordinary performance. Using only minimal props he keeps his audience spellbound by simple force of personality. He is engaging emotionally at every point but also with a light humour. You will learn an enormous amount simply by watching the manner in which he does what he does – never mind the method.

The performances and lectures and explanation are all nicely shot – the soft fuzzy edges adding a traditional feel; the background music which has been added to a live performance is slightly odd but surprisingly soothing.

The Explanations

One of the amazing things about Luke Jermay is the detail in which he appears to think everything through – and all the subtleties are explained. Classics like the Tossed Out Deck are given the Jermay touch and his routine is beautifully constructed to become even stronger.
Very clear and detailed explanation.

He includes incredible detail on ‘Touching on Hoy’ and its variations. On the way, I love his frankness about some of our hang ups (e.g. about psychological forces). After a blow by blow run through, he then recaps at speed, helping you not lose the wood for the trees. Everything is covered. Then variations applying the underlying principle to different presentations.

There is a long section on his approach to the Q&A routine. You may be disappointed if you’re looking for ‘hard’ techniques (though there are some) – instead there are many ‘soft’ techniques and cold-reading type principles – to develop yourself. He’s clearly very bright! And perceptive. And I love the way he demonstrates a wonderful confidence on stage and the freedom to explore (magicians might say ‘jazz’) routines as he goes.

I particularly enjoyed the drawing duplication routine – and again you see the way he works from a set of principles which undergird various routines, but the morph into (from the spectator’s point of view) entirely different effects due to the presentational gambits. Presentation is a massive thing on this set and there is much to learn here. For example he has a brilliant take on the classic OOTW which overcomes many of the ‘problems’ inherent in the original version.

In addition to the live performance before real people (!) there are a couple of lectures from different Session conferences, and another lecture including some general questions and answers from a group in Newcastle. I loved the interview with Max Weber – though there seemed to be some lip-synch issues!

Many of the principles used in effects are discussed in detail e.g. whole section on Dunninger principle. There are many valuable insights here – and even if you don’t end up performing any of his routines there should be plenty of food for thought for your own.

He touches on many of the classic mentalism questions – should you use playing cards in mentalism? What should you claim (or what disclaimers should you make)? You may be surprised by some of his answers – but again they will make you think.

There’s a very funny moment which is almost like an ‘outtake’ when the film runs out and Jermay seems astonished by how long he’s spoken about the card trick!

And if you want to know which ESP Deck he recommends I can save you the bother of watching – it is the ESP Origins Deck!

In conclusion

This is an outstanding collection and well worth watching by anyone with any interest in mentalism and probably if you are simply a student of good performance and presentation. A word about the ‘level’ of the material – some is ‘technically’ easy – but experience is needed to perform some of these effects in the real world – they will require confidence and the ability to think on your feet and decent presentation skills to pull them off. I am not saying anything new here – this is true of pretty much any magic – but never more so than in the arena of mentalism.

If we were the sort of site that awarded stars, this would get the highest 5-star rating – unreservedly recommended. Available from MagicShop.co.uk for £70.50 (at time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

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That, and Owen “Goatee Wizard” Packard of BBM waved his magic wand and managed to get a deck to me on holiday in the sunny South Coast, to look at before their official release date of 24th August. The skulls and hiroglyphics were a bit of a surprise for someone else of more delicate sensibilities living at the same address and having the same first name as me who happened to open the parcel which contained them. But enough of that. What about the cards?

Once I had managed to prize off the cellophane (why do USPCC make it so difficult?) I was able to appreciate Sam Hayles’ artwork in all its glory. A nice feature on this tuckcase is the image of the side view of a warn deck of cards on the side of the case.

Having broken the seal (see comments on cellophane), the overwhelming impression was of a fiery red colour – for this is the colour of the border and the majority of the back of the advertising card. This is classic Hoyles – intricate detail, blood and skulls, but this time including leaves, solar iconography and stars and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The Jokers feature winged devils rising out of a pit of flames, and the aces have skulls nestling in their central pip. A fiery explosion is prominent in the centre of the card faces (Inferno – get it?!), and the court cards are aided by triedents.

In addition to the advertising card, there is an extra blank-faced card which will be useful for magicians, and the quality USPCC finish ensures they handle beautifully. I don’t have my other recent decks to hand, but they feel less flimsy than my memory of some recent decks (e.g. the Dead Eyes – but I am working from muscle memory here which could be deceptive).

All the usual caveats apply – the design won’t be for everyone, but if this is your kind of thing you will love the details and the handling. The Infernos would certainly add colour and drama to a certain kind of effect.

You can get them direct from BBM at £4.99
or if you are ordering other stuff too from the usual suspects e.g.
Magic Nevin – £5.49
FreePostMagic – not yet priced (but they have a price match!)

(apologies for stock images – haven’t yet worked out how to upload images from an ipad…)

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It’s hard to describe Trauma succinctly.  4 blank cards are shown and one placed in a spectator’s pocket.  Spectator imagines that they are actually four of a kind and chooses one of them.  Then the remaining three blank cards turn into the rest of the set with the card in their pocket turning into their chosen card.

Some simple sleights are used which will be familiar to most card magicians.  They are explained on the DVD – though if I am honest I have seen clearer explanations of both of these.  To be fair, Rus does point you to other resources for more details on the moves, but if you are an absolute beginner there might not be enough detail for you here.

I haven’t ‘used this one in anger’ yet (though hope to later on!) – so it is hard to comment on how laypeople would react.  It is fair to say that the final effect might be slightly different each time, with some outcomes slightly weaker than others.  But there is a good amount of magic happening – and the plot is straightforward and easy to follow.  Re-set is straightforward though not instantaneous.

If I was being really picky I would have liked to see a couple more credits since it obviously bears a family resemblance to a number of existing tricks, but I like this and think it would be a useful addition to your repertoire.  For £12.99 you can’t really go wrong.

Available direct from Magic Tao.

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I have also got my hands on one of the new Karnival Dead Eye Decks (though they are not yet shipping in this country). A review will follow shortly…

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[this has well gone now…]

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