Wow! I couldn't wait to get my hands on these cards and I must say...."This this was a Dream come
True" :). I took them out and before I put the DVD in I sat for 1/2 hrs trying to find the marks.
So...popped in the DVD and before he tells you where to look....goes in to great detail in the way
the cards are built from the ground up (very interesting). When he finally lets u in on the secret.
...your like "Wow"! These decks are the best quality I've ever owned. And u can do 1000's of effects
so much easier with these cards! Also as a bonus he gives you some great effects you can add to your
routine. Phoenix Decks are gonna be my Decks from now on! Don't wait get yours now! One last
note....you may have effects (Gimmicks) that use Bicycle Decks. No Problem. ..you can write to him
and your Gimmick can be changed over to Phoenix Decks! One of the best buys I've gotten to date and
I'm killing folks with my effects better...Stronger...and Faster!
6 of 6 magicians found this helpful.
The Phoenix MD is the best one i have tried. The markings are well hidden in the design and yet you
will have the information in seconds. If you work with marked cards, this is highly recommended.
Phoenix in general is a high quality deck and handles well.
But know this before
getting a marked deck...
If you are just getting started and still doing kind of cute easy
to do tricks, please wait before getting one. Nobody is going to buy that you went from funny card
gags to being this badass mindreader over nigth. Beware of shortcuts and learn some sleigths and
forces, you`ll be happy you did...
I would recommend everyone new to marked decks that is
purchasing this item to also purchase the book "HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGTH: A manual for marked cards" by
Kirk Charles. This book gives great advice on misdirection and ways to use your MD.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
I picked up this set with the most recent 'Choose 5' deal, and was not disappointed. I'd heard a
fair bit about the Phoenix marked decks, and the fact that they are quick and easy to "read". What
surprised me about these though was not the marking of the cards, but the total quality and feel.
The nearly 2 hour-long DVD that comes with this set offers an insight from Cardshark (the
creator of the Phoenix Deck) into his design process and refinement, and watching this reveals just
what a treasure these decks are. They are printed by USPCC, although for reasons explained on the
DVD, they surpass the standard Bicycle decks in quality of card stock, printing and cutting. After
hearing the creator explain his vision and the process that he has gone through to create these
cards, I can see myself adopting the Phoenix as my regular deck.
I want to be honest in my
review, though: In my opinion, I must disagree with the other reviews here that praise the deck
markings. The coding on the marked decks is great for easy reading. But that means there is the
inherent problem of being easily noticed. If you're performing correctly, that shouldn't be an issue
- your spectators should never even think about the deck being marked. But if you're likely to have
people snatch your cards and be annoying, please know that these will not pass the "riffle test"
anywhere near as nicely as, say, the Boris Wild marked deck.
Nevertheless, the markings ARE
subtle, and in this set you get two marked and two plain decks. If you're a card worker, you might
be reluctant to give up the versatility of Bicycles, but I'd encourage you to give the Phoenix deck
a try and see the quality. I was surprised. You might be too. And if you rely on your gaffs, the DVD
in this set will explain how to go about obtaining them on Phoenix backs.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
This is one of my best purchases on Penguin and I purchase a lot. You want to talk about getting
your money worth. However, I will say that if you heavily rely on gimmicks this isn't for you. This
is an amazing four deck purchase. I plan on ordering another shortly. Better than Bicycle.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
The regular Phoenix decks:
Once you start using a "Phoenix Deck" you wont stop! Its simply the
best quality you can get! and in addition it comes with an add-on that will fool the most savvy
magicians on earth.
The Marked Phoenix deck:
WOW!
The marks on the back of
the deck are impossible to find if you don't know where to look for. When you know where it is, its
easy as 123.
If you're using a marked deck and its not a Phoenix, go ahead and get one
asap, you'll get in love with it! :-)
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
Phoenix decks are beautiful. I feel very comfortable with this marks, very clever (unlike others
that sooner or later the spectator can find the mark).
Thanks Card-Shark!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
I love Phoenix decks they are just amazing!
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
The deck itself is good.Great idea and easy to read.However the DVD sucks.The guy that owns
Cardshark on the DVD is boring as is the other guy on it.He should have hired an english speaking
magician to make it.
He only shows two effects with the marked deck and they aren't that good.So
now I'm going to buy a DVD showing tricks with a marked deck and hope its better than the one I got
with the Phoniex marked deck package.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Excellent as I knew they would be
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
Just got it in the mail today.The marking on the decks and great.Quality is good too.Highly
recommended.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.