by Demitri » Jul 6th, '05, 07:53
I'm about tired of the "gimmicked" deck argument with vipers and black tigers.
I love card magic, so don't take this the wrong way. I enjoy talking with people who love card magic too, but these purists sometimes make me want to fly over the ocean and start smacking some heads.
If I walked up to people with an UNO deck in hand and asked if I could show a card trick - there are going to be more than a few who IMMEDIATELY think it's a trick deck. If I ask to borrow a deck - there will be a few who think I'm going to do somehow mess with their deck.
I heard a great line once - There are no ungimmicked tricks. If you perform an effect and you have used no gimmicks, then YOU are the gimmick. If there wasn't a gimmick, then you could perform the effect just by thinking about it.
I find this to be true. The deck you carry doesn't make a skeptic - some people are already skeptics. I have literally done effects where I've given the person the entire deck, let them examine each card one-by-one and they STILL thought I was using trick cards.
Magic, to me - is suspension of disbelief. Children think we're magical - adults think we're really good at fooling them. It's not about trick cards, gimmicks, or anything like that. It's about the audience, and how THEY accept what you're doing. Some people don't ride along with you. They burn your hands, try to spoil your moves..whatever. They'll always be there, no matter what you do. You just have to roll with the punches and do what YOU like. You're not performing for the skeptics and idiots who try to ruin your performance. You're performing for the people who are willing to let that faint notion of REAL MAGIC seep into their heads. They'll forget that it's not real - they'll go for the ride. Perform for THEM.
When someone asks me "how did you do that"? They know it's not real magic. Sure, they'll smile and clap if I SAY that - which is the exact same reaction they'd give if I told them I had a flesh-colored pouch surgically implanted in the palm of my hand, allowing me to switch cards in and out. They don't believe me. And they don't have to. They just have to decide whether or not to enjoy the ride.
If someone is REALLY going to give you a hard time because your cards look "funny" - I can almost guarantee he's going to be skeptical of ANY deck you use.
For instance - if I HAD a viper deck and someone said "Hey, those look strange. They must be trick cards". If I acquiesce to his skepticism and pull out ANOTHER deck - do you honestly think he won't think THAT deck is a trick deck, too? Of course he will. And if I pulled out a ream of looseleaf paper and drew pictures, numbers and suits on them - he'd STILL think I was doing something "tricky" with it. Don't listen to people with the Black decks scream "gimmick" argument. It's a lie. Those kinds of people were skeptics before you even entered the room.
So, I say here and now. If you have your black decks (so long as they've managed to STAY black - since they tend to fade back to white in a matter of minutes) take them out and use them proudly (you might as well, you just dropped almost 10 bucks on a single deck!!!) If someone accuses you of using trick cards - either allow them to examine them, or just ignore it. The eager spectators will always outweigh the few blowhards out there. Show those people something magical, and they'll usually shut the critics up for you.
Remember. You can't please everyone - but you should ALWAYS enjoy YOURSELF.
Having said all of this - I feel I should note that I am not a fan of the Black Tiger deck OR the Viper deck - but for completely different reasons. If you'd like to know why, just ask.