So, what’s the effect? Very simple – the performer stamps on a crushed Red Bull can and it is instantly restored to a new condition. Oh yes, and you can hand it out for examination or drinking – it is the real deal. And there’s nothing on your foot.
And it really is that clean. With just a few caveats.

What do you get?

I can’t really tell you much detail for fear of exposure. But suffice to say a very clever and well-made gimmick which will never be seen by the audience and by my reckoning ought to last a long time. Also a few extra bits for a second gimmick which is needed. Some construction is needed for this and whilst it isn’t complicated, it will take you a while to do, and minors may need some help/supervision. Once you’ve made this it should last for a long time. Oh and it all comes in a really nicely presented packing tube.

You are also provided with a link to the online instructions. These are very comprehensive – lasting over an hour. It is here that you see how well this whole effect has been thought out – according to Sean it has been 8 years in the making – and the constant use and refining of the effect becomes clear in the detailed instructions.

They really do cover every aspect of the effect. In addition to the set-up and preparation, handling tips are covered and thoughts on suitable clothing and the psychology of the effect. Even ideas for performing it more effectively for video. He has clearly thought about this a lot. There is a little bit of background noise on some parts of explanation – but this is not a problem – it never affects the clarity of the explanation.

Pros and cons

To be honest, it is mainly pros. Rise is relatively easy to do since the mechanism does most of the work for you. And it is certainly extremely visual. To achieve that level of visual effect it is a little bit angle-sensitive – but the whole routine has been carefully ‘blocked out’ to provide all the cover you need – you can tell this has been performed and worked on for years.

One of the things that gives Rise its wow factor is that the hands come nowhere near the can when the magic happens. If the original isn’t strong enough, there is also a ‘signed can’ version. Although there’s a nice little subtlety here in the choice of the colour pen to sign with, I’m not sure that signing really adds much to what is already such a clean looking effect.

There is a possible sound issue – the magic ‘talks’ (!) – but in the street context where this would sit most comfortably there is likely to be plenty of background noise.

Reset? Well there’s a little bit, and it definitely needs to be done out of sight of spectators. You’re not going to be repeating this straight away. But then why would you? The can is restored – so you’d need a new crushed one to start again! Sean suggests saving it as an attention getter or as a special item for a significant person at a gig.

All in all we think this is a fantastic effect – the phrase reputation-making is banded about too much these days, but there’s no doubt people will be remembering a good performance of this for a long time to come.

Currently reduced to only £66.99 at the Merchant of Magic (at the time of writing).

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

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Essentially you get an extra gimmick – which enables you not just to make the deck of cards vanish (like version 1) but also the card case. It is a logical development (rather than a radical new idea) – but a useful one for sure, which increases your possibilities enormously.

Like the original DVD this one features a range of different routines using the gimmick. There are some strong effects here – and for my money it is much stronger for the vanish to be part of a routine rather than a one off effect. It can give you cover in the ‘get ready’ and makes the vanish even more impressive if the spectator has already handled the cards a little. I may be in a minority of one here because Costas insists that he uses it as a standalone effect.

In terms of pure ‘logic’ I like the sandwich type ideas best – because then there is a rationale for a card (or in this case several) being left behind. Maybe I am over-thinking this – but if you can vanish a deck of cards, why would you leave one behind?! All this being said – Chris Webb has a very clever solution for a complete vanish which you could use in certain circumstances.

The DVD teaches a number of different vanishes and also has sections on repairing the gimmick or changing the face/back if you want to use a specific value or back design. And you get some special stuff for you to make up a second gimmick if you need/want to – though the gimmick should last a reasonable amount of time.

Chris Webb does most of the explanation and is very clear without being patronising. He has lots of extra ideas and Costas adds his own tips as someone who has clearly used the effect lots. If you’ve already got version 1, I’m not certain you would make the upgrade (unless you really wanted the box vanish). But on the other hand it’s not a large investment and would provide you with some more ideas and a new gimmick.

Well worth a look.

Available direct from Merchant of Magic – £17.99 [with thanks to MagicTao who kindly supplied a review copy of the Travelling Deck 2.0]

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Mark Elsdon is undoubtedly a clever man with a great knack for creating effective mental magic. On a previous occasion we reviewed the excellent On the Mark so this month we will highlight his effect Uncanny. We haven’t looked at it in person, but the video I saw looked very clean. A freely chosen card and number are permanently printed on a prediction in full view all the time. Great mental magic with Bicycle Cards. £20.99.
This double DVD by David Forrest – The Trickery – is not new. However we flag it up because it is currently on special offer. Dave’s magic is direct and often very visual, and there is something for every one on this double DVD. Amazing value at only £12.50

I hope you will forgive us for veering slightly off our playing card heart-land here. But I assume that most of the magicians reading this site are interested in close up magic generally and not just cards! In my experience table-hopping you do sometimes get asked for something that doesn’t involve cards, and you could do worse than considering this clever coin trick – Pressure – which has been featured by the magician of the moment, Dynamo. Quite simply two coins fuse together in a very clean way. On pre-order with more due in August – and they sell out very quickly! £24.99.

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