I just recently purchased the card effect "Diabolical" after having seen a video demo of it on http://www.jbtv.co.uk/guide.html

This is a GREAT effect!! It's my kind of effect in that it requires NO sleight-of-hand. It's basically self-working yet very devious in how the effect is accomplished!

The spectator sees a wallet with two cut-out ovals in each side. On the left side, through the cut-out, he sees a blue-backed prediction card. He is given a red-backed deck, it's spread face-down, and he slides a card out (FREE CHOICE HERE!). That red card is then placed in the right side of the wallet so that its red back shows through the cut-out oval on the right. The spectator than signs his name on the red-backed card through the oval cut-out. NO TRICKERY INVOLVED HERE AT ALL -- EVERYTHING IS LEGIT!

The magician then turns the wallet over, revealing that the red selected card matches the blue prediciton card! Pretty amazing! He then shows the remainder of the red-backed deck from which the spectator chose his card to be totally blank -- all 51 remaining cards are blank!! Somehow, the spectator freely chose the only card in the red deck with printing on it (plus it matches the blue-backed card already in the wallet!). Again, another shocking and amazing revelation!

But there's more! The magician takes one of the blank red-backed cards, takes the spectator's signed red-back card out of the wallet, and places them together face-to-face. He rubs the cards, says a magic word or two, and peels the cards apart to show that the spectator's signed card is now also blank! Where there was printing a minute ago (which matched the blue-backed prediction card still in the wallet) is now totally gone! The spectator can keep the now-blank red-backed card with his signature on the back as a souvenier!

That's the effect in a nutshell. Check out the video, though. This is a great effect due to its three "climaxes", and I cannot wait to try it out on some friends. As we say in the magic field, this effect is a "killer!"

P.S. "Diabolical" can be ordered online from the Magic Warehouse -- that's where I got mine.

Frank

Hey Frank!

I too was close to getting it...that is until my friend (lay man) watched the video and described the whole workings to me - he can figure things out so easily!

I think everything is cool up until the point where the selected card turns blank - somehow it defeats the purpose of getting it selected.

If I were you, I would leave the trick at that - build it up by telling them they can touch any back and stress it IS any card and after they select it, you place in the wallet and say, "This is so that you can see it constantly" and then you can show the deck blank and turn the wallet over to show the 2 matching cards. And stop there...the effect just like that will blow their brains out - making the selected card go blank (to me) is :

a) Pointless

b) Suspicious

c) Overkill (a point in an effect where the audience is so stunned that whatever you do immediately after that will either dampen the effect or look useless compared to the miracle just witnessed)

That's my point of view - some may not agree, but it is my point of view.

It IS a good trick though, I wouldn't pass it up! I have Jean Pierre Vallarino's 'Esprit' so I don't need to get this, but if I didn't have 'Esprit' I would get Diabolical but use my handling of course

All the best and thanx for the wicked review Frank!

Logan

Speaking of Overkill. "Overkill" is a great effect that gets awesome reactions

Logan,

I appreciate your idea about stopping the trick at the revelation point. However, I think that going on to make the spectator's signed card turn blank like the rest of the deck isn't overkill. The reason I think this is because the method "used" to change the card from one with printing to one without printing is so clever and devious. It just looks impossible. Now, if the method were rather obvious or clumsy such as switching out the card, etc., I could see stopping the effect at the revelation point. But the spectator knows that his signed card is the 4 of Clubs, for example, and then that same signed card turns blank! There's no way his card could've been switched out for a blank one, etc.! That, to me, is stunning!

Everyone's allowed their own opinion, I guess. Thanks for yours -- it's something to think about it and consider.

Frank

Frank my 'Diabolical' friend...you...have a point

The card IS signed...darn...forgot about that...oh yeah, my friend figured it out by following the trick backwards! Can you believe that cheeky SOB!

So I take pride in myself when I show him a trick and he's truly amazed

All the best and have fun Frank!

Logan

Rich,

Are you talking about Paul Harris' Overkill?