Is there such a thing as a perfect method?
If you been in the magic community long enough, you will realize that all the effects and tricks out there are really similar. They are. You can only do so much with a deck of cards. There’s only so many ways to show a random card changing into the selected card.
For this post, we will concern ourselves with the effect of a card changing into a selection. Very simple effect, which can be presented any way. My question would be this,
Why isn’t there a standard way of performing this effect? The ultimate method so to speak.
What I mean by this question is this. If we imagine that we had real magical powers and for some stupid reason we would perform card tricks instead of healing the blind and saving starving children, how would we make this effect work? Well… by magic.
Now, we obviously don’t have real magic powers, except for the guy who invented the “Indiana”. But besides him, how would you approach this? Sleight of hand is the obvious answer. But just like how there is so many variations for a single card effect, there is also many variations for sleight of hand. There is a god awful amount of methods to control a card to the top and the same amount to perform a color change.
I think there is a perfect method out there for this effect. My quest in magic is to find the perfect sleight of hand. Isn’t this something that every magician should be working on? Why are the majority of performers out there satisfied with just a control to the top because it gets the job done. Shouldn’t it be PERFECT?
I’m blabbing here, but really think about it. Why do we have so many ways to perform the same effect when the ultimate purpose for magic is to give the BEST illusion that you do have magical powers. Do you really need another trick? Another variation? Why not find the best method and make kids cry and poop in their pants. They don’t need you to show them 5 variations of the same card trick. Trust me, they just… don’t.
the video below is my quest to find the perfect method. It’s progress, but its what keeps me from burning my cards and quitting magic.
Comments: 5 Comments.
The perfect control is the Cascade Control by Charlie Miller.
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I absolutely agree about finding the perfect method; definitely will be thinking about this point a lot more.
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Matt, I respectfully disagree
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Hey man, we’ve talked about this a lot in the past. I remember having this pet idea of just creating methods for effects with the condition that no sleight is out of reach. Even if we can’t do it. This may piss of the purists of “come up with the effect first, then make the method fit, and compromise as needed” but it’s the same thing without the compromise.
Of course, not many people will be able to do it then 
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But there’s also the idea that I kind of hate of “if we could really do magic…” It should be “if *I* could really do magic.” What’s the difference? Well, here’s a silly example (that I think we talked about even):
Superheros in comics and such are the perfect example. They all have powers, but they use them differently or usually, HAVE to use them differently. They all also have different powers. There are some characters that are super social, others are near hermits. Some that don’t care if others see their powers, others who work really hard to hide it. Some use it for good, some for bad.
Maybe my “power” has me waving my hand over the pack and the card changes. Maybe another’s is to take that card and rub it on their sleeve.
Is that cutting corners? I think this also gives a lot more artistic license to those with different stage personas. Like how Lennert Green’s work is more like, these things seem to just randomly happen. Or Cardini where stuff is happening TO him.
So maybe I can’t save the world and heal the sick, but I have this pretty useful ability to change a card you picked into the right one. Kinda sucks, but hey… it’s kind of fun to watch 
. Of course, you can put that in various contexts (magician in trouble, magician gambler, etc) but you get what I mean.
But I agree that showing 5 versions of a trick to someone is a bit redundant. One rise for ambitious card, like you saw me do, freaks em out just as more, EVEN more if you frame it right. Everything else is just challenge and frustration.
But it’s still an interesting problem to think about 
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I completely agree with gary, we all have different personalities and I think our sleight of hand should mimic that. Some controls are agressive, some are more casual, whatever suits your style.
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