before i bought this dvd i knew it was gonna be good because it was made by oz. for some reason i
find it so easy to learn from him. and just like it says in the description, you may think you know
the svengali deck but this dvd takes it to a whole new level. all the tricks are so easy to do
with just a few minutes of practice with oz teaching you will be up and performing in no time. to
me this is a no brainer oz is the best.
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
I haven't bought this particular product, but have owned a Svengali deck for 10+ years and it is by
far one of my favorite gimmicks.
The only downside is that it CANNOT be inspected. Two very
important things necessary when purchasing a Svengali deck are making sure that a replica deck is
easy to obtain and that the Svengali deck looks like a popular brand in your area.
If your
Svengali deck is a brand no one has ever seen before, it raises suspicion. This can be used in your
favor, by saying 'It's a magic deck I found..' or some other line, but I prefer to not have people
be on their guard right away, which is why a nice 'Bicycle' Svengali deck is what I prefer.
My suggestion is to always have two decks when performing with this tool. You'll need to have a
coat/pocket/whatever big enough that no one knows there are two decks so that when people say, and
they WILL say 'Let me see that deck!!' you can be like.. 'No no... don't worry about it!' as you
place it in your pocket... and when they persist, and they WILL persist, you can say 'Fine...
here..' pull out the other deck and let them inspect it.
This solidifies everything you've
just performed in their mind.. You didn't want to let them inspect it, so they know something is up,
but then when you do, they can't figure out what the hell is going on... and you are now 'The magic
man!'
I'd highly recommend a Svengali deck to any beginner looking to get into the world of
card magic. It's what got me started and I've never looked back!
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
I've actually never used a Svengali deck before, but I could easily see how a more experienced
magician might see it as too simple to bother with. Oz, always the great teacher that he is, shows
you so many ways to use the deck, I love it. Oz does a great job showing how versatile this deck can
actually be, and for anyone who's never used a svengali deck before, or even those who have- I think
this is definitely worth checking out!
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
Oz is a great job teaching.
Beginners will benefit tremendously from this deck since it is
almost self working. With a little creativity and Oz's direction, beginners will amaze people. The
cards are top quality/not dollar store stock.
Another great product from Oz.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
I love doing the effect that's in the demo it gets some amazing reactions and is sure to get some
laughs when you show that ever card is just 1 card and the teaching and menus are great and easy to
follow. If you haven't used a Svengali deck before you need to buy this one because it is amazing!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
I love this and rate it as in my top 2 tricks for bar and close up (along with Stealth Pen).
To be honest I'm just starting out but this deck has taught me so much - its easy and the
limitation is your imagination. I sat for 4 hours doing the 'same' trick in about 30 different ways
- if I was better I would have several mind blowing tricks, instead I have 3 killa ones.
The only issue I have (a minor one) is that once the audience so the trick they know the gimmick
card so creates issues, however with a little playing you can use a mind trick approach which means
you only show each member of the trick the card but individually so each person doesn't see more
than one card - you can then move onto a finale for all the audience.
DVD is very good,
although I kept missing it as my mind was running away with ideas after 5 minutes of seeing the
trick performed.
Buy 2 decks so you can over come the special card issue.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
I'll admit, I don't like the Svengali deck much. It can't be examined by the audience, is difficult
to use for more than one effect in a performance, and an effect like the one in the teaser video
practically gives away the gimmick. (It also seems, well, gimmicky.) But I was determined to give
the famous gimmicked decks a fair shake, so I got this (and also the Invisible Deck and Stripper
releases in the series).
The signature effect shown in the teaser is a ballsy choice, given
that it flies in the face of other wisdom I'd seen about being so obvious. It also doesn't require
any teaching; if you have a Svengali deck, you can do the effect. However, the real pearls are
buried on the DVD when he shows you how a beginner can do a simple ambitious card routine; or, like
his other releases in the series, when he shows you a clever effect that involves using the deck in
a nontraditional way.
It still seems like you will need a deck switch in a card-heavy set,
and the problem of doing multiple effects with the same Svengali deck is still present. However,
this DVD does show some clever ways you can use this deck to perform miracles with very little
sleight-of-hand. I'd recommend this to beginners doing a mixed set of effects (not all cards) or to
those comfortable working in a deck switch before and after using this (which depends on your
working conditions). Like the other releases in this series, Oz assumes the layperson is completely
unfamiliar with the gimmick; this goes against some conventional wisdom but may well be safe to
assume as true for you.
Like all the releases in the series, the included deck is a
high-quality Bicycle deck. You can't go wrong there. If you are buying your first Svengali deck
anyway, it does make a lot of sense to get it in this package.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
I'm new to magic, and am obssessed with the Svengali deck. It seems like a really easy high impact
place to start. My limited experience, and Oz's help has proven me right. I'm already developing my
own routines with this deck.
Standard Oz teaching (so, really good), good quality product, didn't know we could do so many things
with this deck!
Thought i knew everything about the Svengali Deck...Wrong, I learned some really cool add on's!!!
Worth the price and used 2 of the effects immediately!!!!