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The Effect
The 'X-DECK' is a stunning piece of mentalism, allowing the performer to predict any thought of card with 100% accuracy!

The spectator is asked to think of ANY card. The deck is removed and the cards fanned FRONT AND BACK. You ask the spectator to name their card for the first time. You fan through the deck and their card is removed to reveal it has a large 'X' drawn on it!

With the 'X-DECK' reactions are as you would expect - THROUGH THE ROOF!!

We receive many product samples at MagicTricks.co.uk. However, when David sent us this, it absolutely floored us. Easy to do, awesome effect - you and your audience will totally LOVE this!

Description :
Packing the same massive punch as the 'ID' or 'Brainwave Deck', the 'X-DECK' is much easier to do, allows for a fairer handling of the deck and also allows the spectators to see both the backs and faces of all the cards.

Easy to do
Deck can be shown freely
Works every time
No force, fishing or equivoque

Thus say the details on the magictricks.co.uk web site.

Cost
£9.99

Difficulty
(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)
1 1/2

Review
These are great. Working along the same lines as the ID the maths on these is easier to deal with, the cards can be fanned out & are easier to spread without any unwanted cards popping out.

I personally have never got to grip with the ID, I could never get the cards to split easily. While these cards use the same method it's fine to fan them out & it looks totally natural fingering through the fan to find the named card.

Reset is a piece of christmas pudding. Just er put the card back where it came from & your reset. Voila! You can repeat the trick immediatly to the same punter with a different card (if you so desire)

One Niggle.
Half the cards have red backs & the rest blue. I wish this hadn't been done. It means that depending what card you show a red backed will come into sight. It's totally unessassary & makes the trick just that slightly bit more awkward by having to be aware not to let this show. It's only a slight niggle but this trick/idea is so good that I'm going to get myself some roughing fluid & create this trick myself without different coloured backs.

Overall
9/10

Love it, has gone into my regular "always carry with me deck."
Ideal as a get out, very impressive as a regular trick, easier handling that ID.
I'm surprised this hasn't been reviewed here already. Did a search but didn't come up with anything.

(Would have been 10 bar the different coloured backs.)

I too carry this around all the time now. Great trick and always gets good reactions.

I've also got this one and have had for some time but I don't include it in my routine. I've never found the reactions to be as good as suggested in the reviews that I've read and I much prefer an ID to which there are some similarities.

Requires more carefull handling than some decks as the secret can be easily revealed if you're not careful. I'd rate it more as a 7/10

I know what you mean dat8692 but I believe this version is more robust that the ID in it's handling. This version you can
Fan face up & down.
Dribble the card (from above the specs eye level

Just need to be careful as you reveal two of the suits but as long as the deck is kept level when retrieving the card no probs.

Once I recieve my roughing fluid & create my own deck without the different coloured backs on this trick I'll be very happy & confident with it.

Each to their own of course.

I have it.
Really a powerfull mental effect!

Five stars!

I do know what you mean JohnnyBravo and I do think that it's a far more versatile deck than the ID but perhaps not in the handling. I think that the ID's beauty is in it's simplicity and it gets just as good, if not better reaction without the higher risk of making a handling mistake. This may depend on the audience and the routine used with the deck of course.

I feel that the X-deck is less forgiving in that it requires more precise handling than the ID but once you have the handling sorted there is no doubt that it is a strong effect. With there being two different reveals it some what spoils it for me.

Again, I think that the strength of the ID is that you can show it again to the same audience with a different handling and there's still the likelihood that the spec still won't have a clue how you did it, whereas you can't show the X-deck more than once as in my opinion the two different reveals (blue card in red deck and X on front) are far more likely to suggest to the spec that a gimmicked deck is used.

I think that it's just one of those things where it's down to the personal preferences of the magician. Don't get me wrong as I'm not trying to put anyone off getting an X-deck and it's definately still worth getting one.

Isn't it strange how we all view & handle the same trick so differently. I love the way the X Deck can be faned out & shown front & back.
You can spread through the card openly without fear of anything amiss showing & now I have made my own version of the trick (no silly different coloured backs) it makes the deck even better & my confidence in it even higher.

True that upon reveal you have to be a bit careful, I tend to out jog the required card slightly, close up the deck & then get the spec to pull it out

To my mind infinitly more better than the ID where you are aware the whole time that the underside of the deck must never be seen. Plus with the ID I just can't spread the reveal properly which seems to be a common problem with a lot of us.

I think as these are both low priced & great tricks it's worth buying both & seeing what you like best.

Nicely put Johnny B and that sums it up pretty well.

I do like your version as described and I'll have a go at that myself.

My favourite part of the x Deck is not only their card is the only card with an x in the middle , but also their card is the only card with a diff coloured back.

I love this trick. The one and only problem is when i show it to someone their reactions aren't that good. Can anyone tell me a good way to perform this trick. Thanks

Is this simular to Andy Nyman's Kick to the head deck?

The one and only problem is when i show it to someone their reactions aren't that good

I think the problem lies in the fact that the card revealed is physically marked. This therefore gives the belief that somethings going on as you wouldn't mark a card & thus ruin a whole deck for this one purpose.

Also with an ID deck, the punter will believe it's either real magic or very good sleight of hand to have got that card face down.

If only an ID could be fanned out front & back like the X Deck it would be superb.

Hi. I haven't bought X-Deck, but it is obviously based on the same principle as ID & Brainwave [edited]

I disagree with the comment that marking one card makes the deck suspicious because you wouldn't do that. That is the whole effect - you have earlier marked one and only one card. Magicians do lots of 'strange' things - so why should a spec think you wouldn't ruin a deck just to entertain them???

I like the fact that you can show front & back of the cards. It also means you don't have to worry about taking them out of the packet the wrong way up, or accidentally flashing the wrong side.

The problem seems to be that the reveal is a bit risky (because you don't want them to see the card underneath). If this concerns you you could solve this by leaving the fronts unmarked. You just have to change the handling very slightly. You can ask them to touch one of the cards, rather than freely think of one. Or you could carry two decks.

Another trick to consider which produces a similar (probably stronger) effect, but uses a totally different method is Blizzard.

Another nice similar [edited] effect is Triple Vision by David Regal.

Y' know I love this forum & all the interesting discussions that go on, I do however wish we were free-er (how do you spell that?) to discuss how some tricks work & to go into more details without being edited.

I know I know & I understand the reason for the edits & I know there's a private section where I imagine we can discuss all areas of magic but I've been around on this forum for over 1 year, have posted over 150 times & have worked twice in magic for money so that makes me ever so slightly profesional, however I still can't get in...

I understand what you mean. I think it is a question of walking the middle path, between useful discussion & unecessary risk of exposure. It is a balancing act. On this occasion I used an abbreviation that I thought would only make sense to those in the know. I guess my mistake was to identify the principle this particular effect is based on; I know the principle in question is openly discussed in many threads - but is not linked with any particular effects.

Anyway if you want to discuss details, you can use PM. I have not used this forum long, but find everyone helpful if you are not just fishing for info.

Meanwhile back on topic (X-Deck)... here is a thought about a slight equivoque that you could use. Ask if they prefer blue or red. Let's assume they say red. Then you can either get out a red pack & find theirs is the only blue card in it. Or you can produce a blue pack & find theirs is the only red card.