by Markdini » Dec 20th, '06, 14:55
Consider the review for this is old and not that much in depth I have took it upon my self to review this “Most wondrous of decks” to quote Mark Lewis
The Effect
The Svengal. Show all the cards different have a spec shout stop. You do and with no jiggery pokery their card is at the top. Show the card no longer at the top and in the middle. Show it gone from the middle and on the bottom. Show all the cards to be the same! Ok that’s just one effect with the deck.
Cost
Round about £4 to £8 depending on the card stock it self these are made on everything from cheap plastic cards to Black Tiger cards.
Difficulty
The basics of the deck is a 1 no doubt about it. If you cant do the basic routines to quote Jay Sankey “There is a lot of stamps out there to be collected”
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
Review
My good friend wanted to get in to magic and he was watching the demonstration of the svengali deck in a large toy shop. “I get me one of them he said” so we end up in the pub with this deck and some other things and he asked me “well how do I use it” so I showed him. I have had one of these from Marvin’s magic kicking about for ages now and never used it wasn’t to I picked up my friends deck I that I thought to my self “oh I see”.
So off I went and got my self one on Bicycle stock and loved it ever since. We all know the simplest of tricks can be the most satisfying to perform and usually get the best reactions. And no doubt it the Svengali is that. The mechanics of the deck or so wonderful yet so simple at the same time. It can be used for the worlds most easy ACR or even a no palm no gimmick required card to anywhere. The limits of this deck are few, however for those of you out there who like the specs grubby little hands on your props I suggest you switch this deck in latter in your card act .
Now the cheap price dose warrant value for money it be one the most versatile gimmicked decks you will ever slip in to your pock or case.
Of course there are a few people out there who get the jitters and say you can get in toy shops, the market or the local doctors surgery. I don’t think this matters if performed well enough. Hey folks its all the performance ,is it not?
Give it ago it will make you look like a great card master.
Overall
So overall I say buy this deck what you got to lose if you don’t like it? £4? And I think most of you will like it or come up with a new way to use it, it’s the deck that keeps on giving. Although I don’t own it and would like to very much because of the reviews of it have been rave, I suggest Mark Lewis’s book on the deck The Long and Short of it.
So what if you cant hand it out for inspection I find people seldom if ever ask to see the deck if you use a “clean” deck before and after. Burling Hull should be proud of invention and I give it a 8.5 out of ten. Why not more? Nowt is perfect now is it?
I am master of misdirection, look over there.
We are not falling out young Welshy, we are debating, I think farlsy is an idiot he thinks I am one. We are just talking about who is the bigger idiot.
Vincere Aut Mort