Price$10.00
Media TypeDVD
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedJan 24, 2015
Oracle
Titanas
Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
(Based on 3 reviews)
A shrouded, classic card magic concept was reborn as Titanas transformed this concept, shortcutted all of the most tedious elements and ended up with a simplified, easy, yet incredibly powerful card effect that can be used anytime, any deck anywhere.
Oracle is one of the most versatile systems for creating an impossible coincidence as two spectators select a card and its mate, that has astounded even the most initiated magicians. Easy to learn. Simple to master. Predict any thought of card. Use any borrowed deck. No forces, peeks, duplicates, etc.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
Oracle Review
One DVD, 20 minutes, one concept, $10 bucks and one Oracle Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Oracle Review: Effect
This can be played many different ways, but you're learning a concept. The concept allows you to have a card selected from a borrowed, shuffled deck. You are able to tell what card is missing by very briefly looking at the cards.
Oracle Review: Method
The method relies on a little bit of mental agility, but not much. You're basically looking at the cards and figuring out which one is missing. However, it's done in a super sneaky and clever way that is easy and seems impossible. With very, very, very little practice, you can get very quick at this using this system. Once you know the selected card, then you reveal that knowledge any way you prefer. I prefer to do it as a straight memory "stunt" where I claim to be able to know what card is missing just by looking at the deck and memorizing it.
However, you can have the mate of the card "selected" by someone else, or simply "read the mind" of the spectator, etc. It's a system that allows you to very cleverly gain access to the missing card very quickly and easily (with a little practice).
The only restriction is that they cannot pick a face card. This is handled with a bit of simple instructions. You simply tell them not to think of an obvious card like a face card, but to try to pick something less conspicuous. If you can do some simple, basic math, you can do this effect. It's the easiest system of this sort that I've ever seen.
Oracle Review: Ad Copy Integrity
The ad trailer is a very good representation of what happens. The only thing they left out was the part where he told her not to choose a face card. The written ad copy is also very accurate. The claim that it's easy to learn is true. It is very easy to learn and simple to master as claimed. This is based on an old concept, but he's streamlined it and made it a ton easier. I'd say the claim of predict "any" thought of card is slightly misleading since the thought of card can't be a face card, but other than that, it can truly be any thought of card. It's also true that it can be a borrowed, shuffled, unmarked deck with no peeks of the card, no duplicates, etc. The only requirement is that it's a complete deck of 52.
Oracle Review: Product Quality
The DVD is only about 20 minutes, but it covers everything. It's very well produced. The only issue I have is more with the method. I wish there was a way to do face cards as well. However, that's the sacrifice needed to make this system soooooooo simple to learn and master.
Oracle Review: Final Thoughts
If you don't have a problem with basic (and I mean ba-sic) math, then you'll have no problem learning this. If you like the concept of being able to use a borrowed deck, any time and be able to figure out the missing card just by looking at the deck for a moment, then you'll love this, and for $10 bucks, it's hard to go wrong.
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
Available at your Favorite Magic Dealer. Dealer's see Murphy's Magic for details.
(Top ▲)
PROS
First, let me start by explaining that when I review a product, I try to think about a number of things, including how it could be used for powerful magic. This is why mylovelyassistant is unique. The “Suggestions” section is there to provide ideas for how to use the product, perhaps in ways you or the developer didn't think of. This is one of those products that on the surface, may seem to present some problems, which I will outline in the “CONS” section, but I think there is a way to perform this in a strong way as I will outline in the “SUGGESTIONS” section.
The routine is impressive in that your spread the cards and you can very quickly pull the mate of their selected card.
CONS
The downside to this effect is that you are spreading the remaining cards face up. If given enough time, anyone could determine which card is missing from the spread.
See the “Suggestions” section for one idea of how to best use this method.
VERDICT
I gave this 4 out of 5 stars because there is some mental work in making this happen. Also, in your routine, you have to overcome the obvious obstacle described in the “CONS” section.
The DVD introduces a method that is quite clever, and something I had never seen.
First, let me start by explaining that when I review a product, I try to think about a number of things, including how it could be used for powerful magic. This is why mylovelyassistant is unique. The “Suggestions” section is there to provide ideas for how to use the product, perhaps in ways you or the developer didn't think of. This is one of those products that on the surface, may seem to present some problems, which I will outline in the “CONS” section, but I think there is a way to perform this in a strong way as I will outline in the “SUGGESTIONS” section.
The routine is impressive in that your spread the cards and you can very quickly pull the mate of their selected card.
CONS
The downside to this effect is that you are spreading the remaining cards face up. If given enough time, anyone could determine which card is missing from the spread.
See the “Suggestions” section for one idea of how to best use this method.
VERDICT
I gave this 4 out of 5 stars because there is some mental work in making this happen. Also, in your routine, you have to overcome the obvious obstacle described in the “CONS” section.
The DVD introduces a method that is quite clever, and something I had never seen.
Suggestions
I think this is a good “warmup” routine. Also, I think the key to this routine is you must overcome the method that spectators may think is the "obvious" one. This idea also serves as a Pseudo explanation and sets the stage for future effects. Explain to the audience that you have been through some rather bizzare training. For example, you could use some sort of secret service training explanation. As you go through the routine, explain that you are going to put your training to the test by identifying at a glance, what is missing from a “very complex” picture, namely, one thing missing out of 52. Ask another participant or all the participants to look through the cards as you do to see if they can identify the missing card from the spread. As you take up the piles, ask them if they have identified the match to the missing card. For example, you could leave the cards face up after you write down the revelation and see if someone is able to find the match. This is something that is actually much harder than it seems without the method taught on the DVD.(Top ▲)
This was a fun little idea for me to play with because I am a numbers geek, BUT there is an inherent presentational problem with it which I will get to a bit.
First of all, the DVD is rather short - just about 22 minutes and it is very well shot, the lighting was good, the video and sound quality were fantastic and the minimal menu was a non-issue. I only had one issue with the ad copy but I do not believe it was meant to be deceptive and that was the use of the word 'prediction'. You actually do not predict anything but rather, you divine it. Other than that minor point the ad copy is completely honest and accurate.
Titanas does and excellent job of teaching you everything you need to know to do this and to do it well. The method - now therein lies an issue, which will be bigger for some people and not at all for others. Allow me to clarify:
Because of how this works, you will really have to split your thinking 'WHILE' you are performing, something that human brains cannot really do - that is, doing two things at once. To present this and make it smooth and appear effortless, you will really have to work on a presentation that will not take too much thought - even as quick as Titanas was with his working of the method, his presentation was missing. I cannot really say much more without giving it away.
The method is solid and it does work very, very well. It is also very simple, but it will be difficult for some and maybe less difficult for others. If you are the kind of person who cannot do simple math under fire without too much effort, this product will not be for you.
There is a way to simplify the selection process which is the way that Titanas teaches it on the DVD, which restricts their choices to all but 12 or 13 cards. In that way of doing the method, you automatically know what cards were NOT chosen. That is all good and fine but if you use the method in the same way, it will work just the same but allowing them to choose ANY card they want - you just have to do a tad more work. Again, nothing horribly difficult as far as the method.
As far as learning the method and getting up to a good speed with it, it took me about a day of practice but I realize that for most people, as Titanas suggested, it will take most people about a week or two of good practice to get it up to the same level of speed as he is. Once you get the speed, you have to be able to talk to your self (silently, in your head) while talking out loud to your audience.
Here is the big issue I have with this effect: No matter how efficient (read: speedily) you are able to do this, because of how it is done the spectators may in fact be able to guess a very valid method. Though they would be off the mark in this particular instance, it just deflates whatever presentation you put into it and makes the whole thing rather pointless. IF you were to perform it using the method that most spectators would guess, it would actually be easier than the real method, though even with efficiency it would probably take just as long to execute. It would be hard to circumvent this way of thinking. If you watch the ad trailer you may know what I am talking about and if you have this product then you will know. This is not a bad thing necessarily - just the needle that will deflate your balloon if the audience happens to think of it from this angle.
It is a fun thing to play around with and the method is solid, but there is that potential problem of this becoming more of a speedy observation demonstration than any sort of magic or mental mystery.
If you like what you read in the ad copy you will not be disappointed, especially for the price - you just might be slightly intimidated by the method regardless of its simplicity.
4 stars.
First of all, the DVD is rather short - just about 22 minutes and it is very well shot, the lighting was good, the video and sound quality were fantastic and the minimal menu was a non-issue. I only had one issue with the ad copy but I do not believe it was meant to be deceptive and that was the use of the word 'prediction'. You actually do not predict anything but rather, you divine it. Other than that minor point the ad copy is completely honest and accurate.
Titanas does and excellent job of teaching you everything you need to know to do this and to do it well. The method - now therein lies an issue, which will be bigger for some people and not at all for others. Allow me to clarify:
Because of how this works, you will really have to split your thinking 'WHILE' you are performing, something that human brains cannot really do - that is, doing two things at once. To present this and make it smooth and appear effortless, you will really have to work on a presentation that will not take too much thought - even as quick as Titanas was with his working of the method, his presentation was missing. I cannot really say much more without giving it away.
The method is solid and it does work very, very well. It is also very simple, but it will be difficult for some and maybe less difficult for others. If you are the kind of person who cannot do simple math under fire without too much effort, this product will not be for you.
There is a way to simplify the selection process which is the way that Titanas teaches it on the DVD, which restricts their choices to all but 12 or 13 cards. In that way of doing the method, you automatically know what cards were NOT chosen. That is all good and fine but if you use the method in the same way, it will work just the same but allowing them to choose ANY card they want - you just have to do a tad more work. Again, nothing horribly difficult as far as the method.
As far as learning the method and getting up to a good speed with it, it took me about a day of practice but I realize that for most people, as Titanas suggested, it will take most people about a week or two of good practice to get it up to the same level of speed as he is. Once you get the speed, you have to be able to talk to your self (silently, in your head) while talking out loud to your audience.
Here is the big issue I have with this effect: No matter how efficient (read: speedily) you are able to do this, because of how it is done the spectators may in fact be able to guess a very valid method. Though they would be off the mark in this particular instance, it just deflates whatever presentation you put into it and makes the whole thing rather pointless. IF you were to perform it using the method that most spectators would guess, it would actually be easier than the real method, though even with efficiency it would probably take just as long to execute. It would be hard to circumvent this way of thinking. If you watch the ad trailer you may know what I am talking about and if you have this product then you will know. This is not a bad thing necessarily - just the needle that will deflate your balloon if the audience happens to think of it from this angle.
It is a fun thing to play around with and the method is solid, but there is that potential problem of this becoming more of a speedy observation demonstration than any sort of magic or mental mystery.
If you like what you read in the ad copy you will not be disappointed, especially for the price - you just might be slightly intimidated by the method regardless of its simplicity.
4 stars.