Forecast - by Craig Petty and the 1914 - A Review
Gimmicks and Online Instructions
(Forecast is available to ship May 9, 2022)

This is the Ad Copy: https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=71418


My Thoughts:

Many of you have watched Craig and his son, Ryland, toast and roast the magic community with their Youtube reviews. Many of you have also bought effects created by Craig.. like Key Master and Chop... or bought his lectures from Murphy's Magic or Penguin. Actually, you can barely peruse anything MAGIC these days without encountering something not related to Craig. I know.. that's a very broad statement.. but lets say it certainly feels that way.

Aside from being a highly skilled performer and motivator, Craig has talents that make watching his reviews and tutorials a pleasure. He has a natural gift of gab and the ability to take a simple effect and turn it into a showpiece. It's not like I'm jealous.. but...

FORECAST is a masterclass. Maybe he doesn't call it a masterclass.. but it is.. It's an in-depth teaching tutorial on memorized decks... or as it's commonly referred to - the mem deck. It features 9 different routines; 3 self working, 3 depend on a crib card, and 3 routines depending on a memorized stack.

According to Craig, only 1% of the magic community have devoted the time needed to memorize a whole deck.. whether it be Juan Tamariz's Mnemonica stack, Simon Aronson's stack, or one of their own creation.

** I am going to publish Craig's table of contents throughout my review, which includes a brief description and the length
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Introduction
Craig Petty introduces Forecast. 10:18

What is a Mem Deck?
What a mem deck is and why magicians use them. 8:14

How to Memorise a Deck
A pragmatic method for learning the positions of every card in a stacked deck. 17:41
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FORECAST is recorded in 16 sections.. and each section is individually downloadable. I like this idea, particularly considering the length of Forecast. Did I mention all 16 tutorials are roughly 4 hours and 45 minutes? When you purchase Forecast, THAT's what you're purchasing. You do get two crib cards, Bicycle Jokers, included... one with the Mnemonica stack on the back and one with the numbers 1-52 and space for you to fill in any other stack you may use.

None of the effects are dependent on the Mnemonica stack, and you can use the Aronson stack, Shadow Stack, Redford Stack or others. You are encouraged to use Mnemonica, and Craig gives his reasons, but you don't have to do so..

According to Craig.. a lot of stack trainers don't work in the long run. His method is designed to be learned thoroughly in two weeks and in small batches of five cards at a time. Incremental steps. This is taught in the third section of the video... You are not rushed to learn a stack, as two thirds of the taught effects do not require memorization. Two days of 'study' will NOT commit the Mnemonica stack to long-term memory. You may learn the position of a number of cards, but if you do not use the stack for a couple of weeks, it's gone.

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False Cuts and Shuffles
Learn how to appear to mix cards while secretly maintaining their order. 13:05
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Simple, basic false shuffles or cuts are both taught and used throughout the tutorials. Table false cuts are an easy favorite.. and one of my personal favorites is a very convincing faro false shuffle... Remember, unlike Si Stebbins, you cannot cut a stacked deck, as the process is dependent on you knowing the location of each card in the deck.. not its position in relation to other cards.
Audiences do not 'assume' you can memorize a full deck of cards.
One of the false shuffles is a very convincing faro false shuffle...
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Card at Any Number
A freely chosen card and number are found to match the card and position in another deck. 19:58
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Card At Any Number. Uses two decks. Self-working. One deck is 'prepared'.. and a second deck has a number from 1 to 52 written on each card. A spectator selects two cards from the numbered deck.. selects which card they want to represent the value and which to represent the location... and the card is found at that exact location in the other deck.
Similar in ways to Joseph B's ZACAAN but not quite as restrictive. ZACAAN told you the numbers to write on each card, while Craig's ACAAN allows you to use your own selections and create a crib card accordingly. I was a big fan of the Joseph B effect.. so it's safe to assume I REALLY like Craig's method.
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Envelope of Mystery
Every decision the spectator makes is predicted in the envelope of mystery. 18:55
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Envelope of Mystery. Another effect that does not require you to know a stack. It does require the cards to be in a stack.. or at least the top five cards. Craig has the magical ability to take fairly simple effects and make them seem fresh and original. With Envelope of Mystery, he takes Paul Curry's Swindle Switch and a cross cut's force.. and works it into a very rewarding effect that's all but guaranteed to fool your spectators.
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Number Mates
A four-of-a-kind miracle where the spectator does all of the work. 16:57
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Number Mates. A spectator thinks of a number, and after a little by-play, selects a card at random containing four written numbers. In time, the four numbers reveal the location in a second deck of the spectator's selection, plus its three mates. Like the other effects, it does require a stack.. but doesn't require you to know the stack. All the 'hard stuff' is accomplished beforehand..
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Storm Force Berglas
Another, very clever take on the card at any number plot. 24:37
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Storm Force Berglas. Based on Storm Force 7 by Martin Sanderson, but converted to an ACAAN. Will require a stacked deck, a prepared deck, and a regular deck. Although it's more complicated than the previous effects, it's worth the extra effort. You will need a crib card, which is included with FORECAST, but, again, you don't need to know the stack.
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Fifty Two Revelations
Find a spectator's card in one of 52 fun yet seemingly impossible ways. 27:31
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Fifty Two Revelations. You'll need the provided crib card. a breather crimp, a mem deck, and 52 double blank cards. The blanks will be prepared with writing provided from a Forecast download. The blank deck (and its instructions written on each card) will tell you how to 'maneuver' through the regular deck to find your named card. This effect is somewhat better than my description! I don't want to give away too much...Craig also teaches an Erdnase Change and a Slip Cut/12 Change to cover two out-of-the-ordinary possibilities. Craig guesses only five percent of purchasers will go to the trouble of preparing and learning this special effect, but, just as a very small percentage of magicians will actually learn the Mnemonica Stack, those that take the time to set this effect up are winners...
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Snapshot
A multi-phase routine which increases in impossibility, ending with the performer taking a mental snapshot of an entire pile of cards and successfully recalling them. 17:34
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Snapshot. You're to the point you either need to rely on the crib card or have your mem deck stack order down pat.. Ortiz, Close, and Malone all have variations of this effect. Nuff' said.. The spectator's divide the deck into three small piles, using the Joker as a cut card. After successfully predicting the bottom card of the first two piles, Craig momentarily glimpses the 8-10 cards in the third pile.. and then names every card in the packet from 'memory'. Craig carefully demonstrates how to perform this effect using the crib card.. for those who haven't yet memorized a stack.
-This- is probably my very favorite effect among all the effects. It's a solid 10 out of 10..
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Bonus
A bonus routine from Craig's Visible project. This isn't a card at any number, but a number at any card! 25:07
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Bonus. This is an effect from Craig's Visible project, and requires an invisible deck and a mem deck. It's called Any Number At Any Card. Again, Craig's easy manner and handling makes this effect play much bigger than, say,.. if I were performing it. You can slip the crib card under your cellophane.. if you're not yet confident with your stack. A spectator deals down to an unknown (to you) card and remembers that card and its number in the deck. You find their card in a second pack.. because the number of the card's location in the first pack is written on the back.
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Card College
An entertaining and highly impressive routine centered around how to learn card magic. 30:51
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Card College. Based on an effect from Matt Baker's The Buena Vista Shuffle Club. This is more of a demonstration of your 'immense' card talents than an effect. Forget the crib card for this one. You answer the age-old question from a spectator regarding how long it took you to learn card magic. There's a cutting aspect that requires practice, a prediction aspect, and a 'weighing' the deck aspect that's very similar to the cutting. This is a reputation-maker.. and it doesn't come cheap. ________

Card Box Prediction
The performer places a card in a card box and the spectator does the same. This is repeated four times. Despite the performer always placing their card in first, the spectator always finds the matching coloured mate. 15:37
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Card Box Prediction. The magi predicts every action of the spectator. He uses a Providence side-loading box for ease of loading. This is basically a one-ahead effect with some slick, but not complicated, handling. Definitely one of the easier effects.. but you do need to know your mem deck.
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Invisible Memory
A version of the classic Invisible Deck trick without the need for a gimmicked Invisible Deck. 21:09
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Invisible Memory. Another invisible deck effect with an additional mem deck. Craig finds the spectator's named card, upside down, at a specific location in the mem deck.. then finds his favorite card, also upside down, in the same deck. Does use a half-pass during an all-around square-up.(Taught) I like the idea of combining the mem deck with the invisible deck, as the invisible deck is already a super strong effect.. and made that much more with the introduction of a mem deck.
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Further Reading
Craig talks about his favourite mem deck inspirations and resources for you to explore. 9:25

Final Words
Craig offers some final words of encouragement before saying farewell. 8:37
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Further Reading & Final Words.. Mnemonica and Aronson stack discussed. Tom Crosby's Shadow Stack 'Recall'. The Redford Stack.. based on Mnemonica but tied to Si Stebbins. Pete Turner's Stack Watch. The Buena Vista Shuffle Club book. Pit Hartling's Order To Amaze. Darwin Ortize for good measure. Michael Close's Worker #5 and the memorized deck ebook you can get directly from his site. Rick Lax video to help memorize Mnemonica.

Craig also Thanks everyone for their help and support, particularly The 1914, and offers some final advice on the mem deck and memorizing the deck in the proper way.

The tutorials are filmed using handheld and still video with multiple cameras at multiple angles. The video is ideal for Craig's teaching and uses a solid black background with full spotlight lighting. The sound matches the overall quality of the tutorials.
Again.. the tutorials run about 4 hours and 45 minutes.. so there's a LOT to see... and a lot to learn.

I understand Craig's passion. I've explored memorized deck effects for years.. from a distance.. and greatly admired those willing to devote the time and effort. They perform a brand of magic not achievable by us mortals. Perform 'Snapshot' at a club meeting and enjoy the subtle discontent you create among the mavins...

I think you should know by now whether FORECAST is for you or not.. so I'm going to call this review 'done'.. This will be the best thirty bucks you'll spend this year.. -if- you take time to watch and learn.

Totally Recommend to anyone, of any skill level. Being a beginner doesn't exclude you from memorizing a deck. And being a veteran performer doesn't mean you can't up your performance level.

Best line of the video: "Cloe'.. have you ever helped a magician before... well... you aren't helping one now!"

$30.00 From Murphy's Magic and their Associates..
(Remember.. available May 9, 2022 )

RCarruth - top post. For me, learning a mem deck is only worth it based on the effects you intend to perform with it. Forecast clearly delivers here.

Craig has worked extremely hard in creating a strong online presence over the past few years, and this hard work is now certainly coming to fruition for him. Fair play. Great marketing and a great magician.

Forecast is another winner from Craig - strong magic for all levels, from a working magician. Keep up the great work buddy!

Thanks for the kind thoughts..! I absolutely agree Craig is blazing a new trail.. and I'm glad to come along for the ride...

Thank you for the review.

100% thumbs up from me. I love Snapshot too, and have performed this in my close up set several times and it gets great reactions. I’m also using the DMC deck which adds to the cleanness of the effect.

Bravo Craig

I'll have to try it with the DMC. Thanks for the thumbs up !!

Great review... and yes, Craig's tutorials are all Masterclasses full of knowledge from experience.

Thank you for the very detailed review. Looks like it is a great project!