First of all, let me say that I find this to be an awesome and creative product. What a fantastic
way to refresh a classic system of magic.
Having said that, I reserve 5 stars for the very
best products out there, and this comes just shy of that. Having now performed it a few times live,
let me elaborate the good and not so.
The good:
-the front designs are beautiful and
almost flawless in my opinion.
-The box is well designed and looks super legit.
-The marking
system is close to invisible, BUT I will say I prefer how Evoke or Nyx are marked. These are a
little more obvious, and I would have liked the "indifferent" cards to have unique markings as well.
-The classic Koran routine is even better with pictures than cards!
-The main routine taught
is excellent EXCEPT for the finale (IMO of course)
The bad:
-I wish these specialty
decks were printed in plastic. These are not practical for walkaround just because of how fast
they'll get wrecked, especially with all the dealing procedure that's done in the main routine.
-Again, the markings come up a tad short vs. Evoke and others.
-The main routine's finale
where the homonym cards are used is, in my opinion, pretty weak and problematic. First, spectators
ALWAYS question the "you" and "choose" cards, and since they come at the end, it kills a lot of
momentum. There really should have been better cards chosen, like "ewe" (ie a sheep) and "pick" (ie
an ice pick or something). The audience is smart and WILL think its odd even if they dont say
anything. Second, having obvious "magic" cards in the deck tips off the fact that its a trick deck
(not to mention the box reveal). Thus, all the other routines suddenly fall under fire. The ACAAN
(which is great) and the first phase all suddenly look suspect. So while most of the main routine is
strong, I recommend ditching the last phase completely. Those last few cards should have been used
for a different, subtler, effect.
Overall: I do think its a good product deserving of the
marketing hype. It has flaws that can be addressed in how you routine it. I still think SNAPS is the
better picture deck but this is a close second or third.
Great Product but Not Perfect
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