Magic Tricks

Overview (5/5)

As a kit to give as a gift to a new, aspiring magician, this is the best I've seen. I remember the magic kit I got as a kid--plastic vase, cardboard stock cards, and nothing else that I can remember. It's twice as expensive as those kits, but definitely worth it.

To get for oneself, it depends on how many of these effects you already have. As a card magic enthusiast, none of these were effects I already owned, and thus a great pick-up, but if you already have 1-2 of them, it's obviously less appealing. Because the intent of the box is as a gift to someone without these effects, the rest of the review is going to focus on that conceit.

Ease of Performance (4/5)

For a brand new performer, I can see this box as feeling quite overwhelming, as you have to practice a wide variety of disciplines to perform all the effects. I personally believe this is a good thing, as they are all really powerful effects that help teach those basics--a quick breakdown:

Raven-Mini: The idea of including a method instead of a trick is awesome, but this is the one that will take the most practice to get comfortable with, as it's certainly not a "beginner's prop" to most people.

CardToon: My standout in the set. Super strong reaction, a chance to learn that "moves" are easier than they sound, and a good enough plot that you don't have to worry too much about the performance anxiety.

Moneyball: Practices universally applicable moves in an approachable and very stand-out way. If you've never done anything like it before, it will take some practice.

Stealth Pen: This one is my personal favorite "distracted magician" piece. I use it when signing receipts at restaurants whenever I can. Of the two handlings, both (again) help practice broadly applicable principles and moves.

Marked Cards: The most versatile tool in the Box. Not only can you do any old tricks with them, but having a marked deck can be one of the most powerful tools going forwards. I personally don't do many effects that use a marked deck, but can't deny their usefulness, especially for active performers. Because they're marked, the bar to using them in very low.

Instruction: (5/5)

Between the included booklet and the instructional videos, the quality and depth of instruction is top tier. Showing how each tool is used, and some ways to ease into them while practicing the basics does a good job of lowering anxiety, especially for folks who have never done things like this before.

Even for experienced enthusiasts, there is knowledge to be gained, especially around the raven, marked cards, and to a lesser extent moneyball and cardtoon.

Verdict:
This is the hands-down best "beginner box" I've seen, for complete beginners to anyone who has learned a few cards tricks and caught the bug, to more invested hobbyists of only one discipline (cough cough me cough). The 5 tricks separately are more than the price of the box, so there's little reason not to get it!

If you already have 1 of the effects, it still might be worth getting for yourself--I know that my opinion on marked cards changed dramatically because of that section of the instructions!