OMEN – Chris Congreave – A Review
OMEN, by Chris Congreave, is a multi-faceted effect that achieves a goal.. and then presents a kicker that is the true stunner.. One spectator is asked to think of a card.. and name it. A second spectator is asked to cut to a card in a tabled deck, and following a fair reveal of the second spectator’s card, there is a second reveal that makes the first reveal… well… just the first reveal.
The Ad Copy reads like this:
“Chris Congreave’s Omen is a self-working powerhouse of playing card mentalism with three jaw-dropping moments of magic. Omen is perfect to perform on 1-2 spectators.
Two Person Presentation – Two spectators are invited to take part in your demonstration of the strange!
Spectator number one names any playing card (let’s say they name the 9 of Spades). They are told to keep that card in their mind.
A second spectator is asked to freely cut a deck (which has been on view from the start) and remember the card they cut to.
Now for reveal number one. You pick up the deck, look at your spectator and without asking any questions, find the selected card.
Now for reveal number two. With an empty hand, you reach into your pocket and remove a matching card! So now not only have you found their card, but you have also proved you predicted which card they would freely cut to! Sounds good, right? But I know what you’re saying. What about the thought-of-card card? Well, let me just say your final reveal is a show stopper!
Omen comes complete with:
Special Omen deck
Full DVD instructions
This is what I would call an ‘intelligent trick’. It required a lot of thinking to develop and is not something you’ll perform straight out the box. There is a fair amount of prep before you’re ready to perform, but once the prep is done.. you’ll have something you can impressively perform for anyone, including your magic friends.
If there is a downside, as pointed out in other reviews, you must ‘mark’ the cards in preparation for the second reveal. This will take some time and must be performed exactly as taught.. or the effect won’t work. There’s always a trade-off to this bit of DIY… if the developers had to take the time and expense to do it themselves, the cost would be somewhat more. So it’s a two-edged sword… do some work, but save some money.
This effect is not immediately repeatable. It’s one of those effect’s you put away in your arsenal.. and wait on the right moment, with the right two spectators. I am not a fan of ‘reputation maker’, as I think that’s something you accomplish over a period of time.. but OMEN is definitely an ‘attention getter’, and will leave your spectators with something unique to talk about when you’re finished.
You will notice the performer uses a black envelope in the video to achieve a reveal. This effect is taught with the use of four small envelopes -or- a wallet. Neither is provided, but I think you’ll work through it. You’ll figure out on your own that neither envelopes or wallets are truly needed, but do add a little something to the routine.
Otherwise, you receive everything you need to perform straight up, aside from marking the cards. The deck is a custom deck, designed to enable you to instantly know the second spectator’s cut-to card. It can be shown to be a random selection of cards.. but cannot be examined. Although the first spectator reveals their thought-of card to you at the beginning, if you time OMEN properly, half the spectators will not remember they told you their card. This adds considerable to the mystery. You also receive a detailed DVD that explains the handling in great detail. You will probably have to watch it more than once, but it’s time well spent.
The best way to get a good grasp on the mechanics is to watch the video at Murphy’s Magic. This will lay out the performance for you and give you a very good understanding of HOW the effect develops.
I recommend OMEN to all my magic friends. It’s unique enough to stand out from anything else you’re probably doing.. and unexpected enough to surprise those who are accustomed to typical card and mental magic effects.
$40.00 Available from dealers who carry the Murphy’s Magic line of products.
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=61809
Review by Rick Carruth