Are you in need of an outlet to release some stress? Do you love magic? The combination of the two may be Backstab. Well, maybe not, but you do get to stab a full deck of cards with a very sharp knife. And, if you feel really crazy, you can permit your spectator to stab the deck of cards and “cut” to a selected card without fail. Very cool!
What you get with your $29.95 purchase is the necessary gimmick, some material needed to make an additional gimmick. You also get a password protected link to the one hour and fifteen minute instructional video hosted on the Murphy’s Magic website. The tutorial is taught by Mirzadeh who credits Nathan Kranzo for more than just inspiration. The video is excellently produced consistent with Murphy’s Magic production value. The quality of the instruction is great as is the usage of different angles. Once the tutorial is over, you will be left with no questions.
In this effect, you have a spectator choose a card and after the deck is stabbed with a very sharp knife, you lift the knife and a small stack of cards comes with the blade. The performer can predict how many cards are stabbed and the card on top of the deck is the spectator’s chosen card, despite the fact that the deck was thoroughly mixed by the performer.
Some issues with this trick are that you need to use a sharp knife. You need to stab a deck of card and this can cause injury if the knife slips. Know your audience. This is not kid’s party kind of stuff so select the right venue. Also, every time you do this trick you will ruin some cards because you actually put a blade into the deck. The gimmick will need to be replaced as well after a bunch of performances. That is annoying. This trick comes with a ready-made gimmick so you can get going right out of the box.
You are taught several routines and they are all good. There is much room for creativity with this trick and I will use this, but will do so sparingly because of the need to replace the gimmick.
This gimmick cannot be handed out and it may be visible when squared on a table. My solution is have it just a tad messy. The reset can be almost instant if you don’t mind re-using card that have already been stabbed, but otherwise you will need to replace cards with every performance.
Although performing this is a hassle because of the need to rebuilt the gimmick and replace ripped cards with fresh ones, the effect is very strong. I personally like the stabbing of a full deck and it is a unique routine that will stick in your spectator’s heads. If you don’t mind the above, you will love this trick.
Thanks to Murphy’s Magic for allowing me to honestly review this product.
