Price$20.00
Media TypeVideo Download
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedFeb 11, 2024
Ninja Stack
Matthew Wright
Marvelous-FX
(Based on 1 review)
memorized decks are one of the most powerful and deceptive tools in magic with thousands of incredible routines published and readily available to magicians. Miracles can be performed whether you are a magician, mentalist, gambler or trickster there are many hidden untouched gems just waiting to be discovered. The problem is memorized decks can be tough to learn and can take months and years to perfect.
The Ninja Stack takes a fresh approach to teaching stack work and is a great introduction to anyone unfamiliar with memorized decks. The teaching is fun and interactive and will allow you to get to grips with the stack and start understanding how to use it within the first few hours. Learn with deck in hand as you watch the tutorial expertly taught and shot by Matthew Wright.
This is a deceptive and random looking mnemonic cyclical stack which means it is one of the easiest to remember but the way it is put together makes it even easier, giving you the ability to recall not only the order of each and every card but also their numeric position in the deck.
In the 1hr 45 min download you will learn not only the order of the stack but also incredible effects such as weighing the cards, dead cutting to any named card and an incredibly clean ACAAN. A little brain power is needed at first to understand the deck and its workings but the pain is taken out of the process with a fun and interactive teaching style. Once you have the stack locked in its very easy to remember and recall and will stay with you forever. The ACAAN takes a little extra maths but nothing too exhausting.
Ninja Stack is a great way to learn your first memorized deck and will probably be the only one you will ever need.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Overview
Nearly 2 hours of video footage, one Matthew Wright, $20 bucks, and one Ninja Stack review. Is it gem or is it rubble. Stay tuned to find outEffect
Short version: This is a stacked/memorized deck. There are, of course, innumerable effects that can be done with this tool. The video at hand offers three of the more common ones: Weighing the cards, cutting to any card, and ACAAN. The focus, of the video, however, is learning the Ninja Stack.Method
Ummmm . . . I already told you. Stacked deck. Fine! Here are some details.This is the result of what would happen if Richard Osterlind's Breakthrough Card System, Juan Tamariz's Mnemonica, and the 8 Kings stack had a baby.
Like the Osterlind stack, cards can be calculated based on their proximity to other cards.
Like Mnemonica (and others of that ilk, e.g., Aronson, Redford, Nikola, etc.) each card has a number/position in the deck.
Like the 8 Kings stack, it's cyclical, and has a short "story" to help remember the position of the 13 values in relation to each other.
For me personally, I prefer the straight Mnemonica-style mem deck. It's a straight association of a card and a number. The end.
However, each stack has its own advantages. There are certain effects that are only possible in one type of stack or another.
A simple example is Dan Harlan's effect, SOULMATES. It can only be performed with a cyclical-style stack. Whereas certain poker routines can only be performed with Mnemonica because the poker hands are built into the Mnemonica stack.
The basic "method" for memorizing the stack is a combination of mnemonics, and mathematics.
The basic method for cutting to any card named is a stacked deck, and essentially being an actual Ninja. You'll see.
The basic method for weighing the cards is the same as any version you've likely seen. Peak the previous card.
The basic method for ACAAN is the calculate and adjust-the-deck-as-you-remove-it-from-the-box technique which is not uncommon for this plot.
Product Quality
This is a video download. It's well-lit, shot, mic'd, etc. Most of the video is Matthew sitting at his desk podcast/YouTuber style complete with a large and instrusive microphone. There are overhead shots and footage as well as one live performance in the real-world.The introduction explains the history of and inspiration for the stack's creation. Next up Matthew walks you through the stack along with some excellent (and sometimes jarring - the good kind) video and audio "triggers" to help you remember the needed information. It was kind of like (albiet reduced) a live-action version of some of the techniques taught by Juan Tamariz in Mnemonica; there's even a little singing.
Once you've been shown the stack, and have had it explained to you, Matthew shuffles another deck (not the one he just stacked). Then, one by one, he turns over the top card and walks you through how he calculates/remembers where that card is in the stack. He does it for all 52 cards.
It's always useful to see the creator show how he works with the stack. This was extremely helpful, and well done. The next section is a brief discussion with some tips on how to cut to any card named followed, immediately, by a fair bit of work on the "weighing the cards" plot.
We wrap up with a large chunk of the video covering his handling of the ACAAN plot using the Ninja Stack, a real-world performance, and a ton of resources for learning more about mem-deck work, along with another ton of resources for learning some false shuffles.
If you're interested in this product you'll be quite pleased with the instructions along with the production quality. It is all well taught and easy to follow and understand. That's not to say that there's no work required on your part, but if you want to learn this stack, it's worth the effort.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is quite transparent and 100% accurate. It's very open about the fact that some mental agility is required. It further states that "The Ninja Stack is a great way to introduce yourself to memorized deck work." I agree with this.If you're brand new to a memorized deck, it's a great place to start. Here's why. First, you can just learn the "story" that helps you memorize (quite quickly I might add) the order of the 13 values in the cycle. You can, if you wish, stop there. You'll have the stack down quickly and be able to do most things (if not all) things that you can do with the 8 Kings stack (or another poem/story style stack) and most (if not all) things that you can do with a Si Stebbins (and other mathematically cyclical stacks).
For most that's plenty. Guys like Max Maven, Dan Harlan, Doc Hilford, etc. use(d) just Si Stebbins when it comes to a stacked deck in their professional work. They may also use a more "traditional" mem-deck ala Mnemonica and the like, but I'm not aware of it if they do.
If, however, you're ready to move past the "story" style stack and are ready to take on a card/number stack, then you can take it to the next level and learn what card is at what position (i.e., card #1 is 9C, card #52 is QC, etc.).
The video does an excellent job of helping you learn the number/card association. The above parenthetical aside was memorized by accident. While watching the video I tried really hard to not pay attention to any card/number associations because I'm in the middle of learning the Nikola stack, and I didn't want to confuse my brain.
However, with 0 effort and without even trying, I accidentally memorized the first 13 cards of the Ninja Stack (and the 52nd card). Needless to say, it's well taught.
So if you're looking to baby step your way to a full mem deck, this is a great place to start.
Final Thoughts
Those who've memorized a deck or have read about it (particularly in Mnemonica) know that you make associations and absurd memory pegs, and play mental games to link a number to a card, e.g., from Nikola the 24th card is the 7H. I remember it because I "LOVE PLACES THAT ARE OPEN 24/7." The "love" gives my brain "heart" and the 24/7 gives me the 24th card and the value "7."It works for my brain.
At first, when learning the Ninja Stack the mental gymnastics seem a little bit "extra" but they're not. It's essentially the same amount of work to make the associations which eventually sort of "dissolve" into just a simple "X" number = "ABC Card."
This is true with most mnemonic systems. For me, 24 (in Nikola) is just 7H. I rarely, if ever, think about the original mnemonic device that got me there months ago when I first started. The connection is just "there."
I believe (although haven't tested) that this will also be true with the Ninja Stack.
If you already have a stack and you're happy with it then this may not be for you. However, for me, the resources given for mem-deck work, and false shuffles was very valuable. Some of the books mentioned are in my library, and I had no idea they covered some of the things Matthew mentioned.
Lastly, somewhere in the video (I won't say where) Matthew gives a quick simple presentational hook for ACAAN that made me, for the first time in my life, interested in the plot, enough to consider actually performing it.
Final Verdict: 5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
Suggestions
Many of y'all know that I've created a free website that helps you practice and learn a memorized deck. Currently (with proper permission) the site allows you to practice, Mnemonica, Aronson, Memorandum (Woody Aragon's stack), (Patrick) Redford, and Nikola. I'm waiting to hear back from Matthew to see if he'll allow the Ninja Stack to be added to the site.If he does, I'll update the review here, and you'll be able to see it on the site, so check back here and there once in a while.