Price$40.00
Media TypeTrick
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedMay 10, 2013
Phantom Deck
Jay, Joshua
Vanishing Inc.
(Based on 2 reviews)
Building on the notion of the popular Omni Deck, The Phantom Deck is an entire pack of transparent, clear cards. When held together, they look, feel, cut, and shuffle like a normal deck...except that every single card is transparent. This allows you to make visual or surprise changes from a normal deck to an "invisible" deck of cards...yet it's an invisible pack your spectators can touch and spread and feel.
The sides of the deck have been fuse-heat treated in white so they perfectly resemble a normal pack of cards. With one cover card on top, you can place the deck in a spectator's hands, and she will be unable to feel the difference between the Phantom Deck and a normal pack.
The Phantom Deck was the surprise hit at Blackpool 2013, and sold out completely on the first day! This could very well become the closing piece in your close-up act.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
//Phantom Deck//
Joshua Jay
The Phantom Deck is Joshua Jay's take on the well-known Omni Deck plot. What makes Josh's so unique is opposed to just having a glass block in the spectators hand they now hold 52 individual clear plastic cards, and in the middle is their signed card! You can almost feel the tension after the spectator sees all the cards are clear and you spread through the deck slowly revealing that one card has not turned clear. It's really something that you have to see live to understand just how powerful it is. Another reason this is so great is because, as I've explained before more tangible you magic is the more connection your audience feels with it. In this trick, the audience supposedly feels the exact moment when the cards go from a normal deck to completely clear. Audible gasp's prove that doing magic in the spectators cans creates such a better reaction than if you were to make the deck clear!
Included is a well taught instant download, and the deck of clear cards. The one complaint I've heard from many is that the sides of the deck don't look like real cards. While it's true that it does look quite white and uneven, no spectator in the world will ever notice this. They are far too busy being mine blown that deck of cards turned clear. The last thing on their mind is "is it just me or is that card look a little bit off" of course they're off it's a deck of clear cards!
Overall, Phantom Deck is a winner, it's one of my favorite tricks to perform and a part of my walk around set. A good rule of thumb is: if it has Joshua Jay's name on it it's probably a good trick!
10/10
Joshua Jay
The Phantom Deck is Joshua Jay's take on the well-known Omni Deck plot. What makes Josh's so unique is opposed to just having a glass block in the spectators hand they now hold 52 individual clear plastic cards, and in the middle is their signed card! You can almost feel the tension after the spectator sees all the cards are clear and you spread through the deck slowly revealing that one card has not turned clear. It's really something that you have to see live to understand just how powerful it is. Another reason this is so great is because, as I've explained before more tangible you magic is the more connection your audience feels with it. In this trick, the audience supposedly feels the exact moment when the cards go from a normal deck to completely clear. Audible gasp's prove that doing magic in the spectators cans creates such a better reaction than if you were to make the deck clear!
Included is a well taught instant download, and the deck of clear cards. The one complaint I've heard from many is that the sides of the deck don't look like real cards. While it's true that it does look quite white and uneven, no spectator in the world will ever notice this. They are far too busy being mine blown that deck of cards turned clear. The last thing on their mind is "is it just me or is that card look a little bit off" of course they're off it's a deck of clear cards!
Overall, Phantom Deck is a winner, it's one of my favorite tricks to perform and a part of my walk around set. A good rule of thumb is: if it has Joshua Jay's name on it it's probably a good trick!
10/10
(Top ▲)
Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Welcome Home (Sanitarium) by Metallica
Phantom Deck Review
One wonky deck, 25 minutes of streaming video and $30 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect
Like the Omni Deck, the effect is that a deck of cards becomes transparent. However, in the case of the Phantom Deck you now are able to spread the cards and show that each individual card has become transparent. So rather than ending with a solid clear block, Omni style, you end with individually clear cards.
Further, you have added effects where the selection appears as the only non-transparent card in the middle of the deck. There's a routine that combines this deck with the Omni, and a couple more ideas. Lastly, there is a clever and visual illusion that can be accomplished with the deck. The illusion is that the whole deck has become transparent, but the selected card seems to visibly materialize in the middle of the transparent deck as you spread through it.
Method
Obviously, you're purchasing a deck of transparent cards, so it's all about the switch. Joshua Jay covers a couple of simple ideas for this. There's really not much to it. If you can do a switch, you can do whatever routine you come up with that might require transparent cards or an ending of a fully transparent deck.
Ad Copy Integrity
I do have some issues with the ad copy. The claim that it looks like a regular deck is not true. The corners of my Phantom Deck make the deck look a lot different from a normal deck. However, it's the kind of thing that I think will go unnoticed by the spectator. The basic structure and handling of the routine (if done properly) minimizes any chance for the spectator to notice any inconsistencies. Just keep in mind that it does look a bit different.
Further, the ad copy claims that these effects are self working. Not quite. That's about 99%, but you do need to be able to handle cards confidently, and there is one routine that requires you to palm cards and do a Finley Tent Vanish.
The only other issue I have with the ad copy relates to the claim that the deck handles like a regular deck. While this is 99% true, keep in mind that the deck feels a little heavier and will take a little bit of getting used to if you want it to truly feel and handle like a regular deck. This isn't really a hit to the ad copy, but rather a "head's up" to you the reader.
Product Quality
As mentioned earlier, the cards do look a little bit off on the edges, but not enough (I think) to be a problem. The biggest product quality issue was the streaming video. The lighting wasn't the greatest. The camera work was a little "off" and the audio was terrible. I had the video audio turned up 100% and my laptop audio up 100%, and I could still barely hear the video. In fact, the first couple of minutes had such terrible audio, that I almost turned it off, because it was too hard to watch.
When I turned off the video, and resumed my iTunes music listening, the volume of the music was so loud that it gave me quite the scare - proof that the problem isn't my audio system; it's the video.
Regarding the teaching, I felt it was also "off." Much of the instruction was rushed through. Also, he mentioned two particular times for doing the main switch, his favorite/the better (in his mind) scenario, and another scenario. He then shows both scenarios for doing the move while wearing a suit/sport coat. However, when he shows you how to do the move without a coat, he does not cover a method for the "better" scenario.
Also, one of the effects (the previously mentioned version that requires palming) is not completely taught. There's a moment in the routine where you're holding the Omni Deck and a few Phantom cards, so the whole deck is transparent. He then says to openly place the selection on top of this. You then have the spectator's cover the deck with their hands as you reach in and magically produce the selection. Um . . . Duh . . . everyone knows that it was on top of the deck . . . there's no effect here.
When I could (via ear straining techniques taught by Turkish Monks to me during my 47 year stint in Chateau D'if) hear what Joshua Jay was saying, the majority of what was covered was clear and useful. Just keep in mind that purchasing this product is really more about "here's a transparent deck of cards and a few pointers." It's less about "here are some in depth techniques and uses for it."
One final point: The dimensions of the transparent cards are slightly shorter than a regular playing card, so when you have a regular card in the transparent deck, it essentially becomes a long card. This can be good or bad depending on what you're trying to accomplish with the deck.
Final Thoughts
Considering the video quality and the fact that there was no physical product costs as well as the issues with the training quality and some of the problems with the ad copy, it's hard to give this about 3 stars especially at a price of $30. However, I will say that I have no idea how much it costs to produce this deck. It may cost $25 a deck, or it may cost a nickel a deck. I have no idea. So the price may or may not be fair.
Also, the quality of the deck is plenty good for its main purpose: showing a deck has changed into a clear deck. So if you have some ideas of how you might use a deck like this, then you'll, likely, be happy with the product. The video (if you can hear it well enough) does give a few valuable tips, and one tip about how to practice that was a fleeting thought and, literally, only 4 words, was a revelation to me. It's a great idea that will be valuable to me in future practice sessions with all of my magic.
Overall, this is still a gem. It's just gonna come down to how much you think you'll use something like this in your work, and how much help you think you'll need accomplishing that effect.
Final Verdict:
3 Stars With a Stone Status of gem.