On the use of custom cards...

[YRAMagicMan]

I know this is a raging battle (sorta) between magicians about whether or not to use custom cards, but here's my 2 cents. From recent experience, I've found that custom cards aren't a problem. I had one guy comment on my White Arcane cards being trick cards today, but he was joking around. (He said he had a deck and I was ready to use whatever deck he handed me. This wasn't necessary.) Last week I did a few tricks with my Arcanes and my audience thought they were awesome. I've also used Black Tigers and Guardians with no trouble.

The rest of my theory on custom cards is this, if your tricks look "gimmicky" and your presentation isn't good enough to compensate then using custom cards may be a bad idea. But if your presentation is good and your tricks don't look "gimmicky" then you're probably fine. (I'm not sure what "gimmicky" looks like, but I'm sure I'd know when I saw it.)

Also, I think that if you're overly protective of your custom cards your audiences will think something's up. I handle my custom cards almost carelessly. I'm very open about letting people examine and shuffle my custom decks. This may be why I've never had a problem with using them. I did have one person comment that "those cards must be magnetic or something," but after I let her handle my Arcanes she let go of that theory. Oddly enough, that comment came after an ACR, with a signed card.

I've done the Joker trick with the Arcane cards multiple times and people never seem to consider that there are two Jokers and one could be different. (Or if they do, they're not vocal about it.) I wonder if this is because the "ink morph" effect there is so strong. For those who may not know what I'm talking about, what I call the Joker trick is a trick where the word on the Joker in an Arcane deck turns into the name of a selected card. What do you think?

What are your ideas about custom cards? Do you think we (magicians) should use them? Or should we stick to whatever is common where we live? (In America, it's the good old Rider Backs.) Do you think that the use of custom cards depends on the performer? As in, should some people stick to "regular" cards because of their persona, while others may be more suited to using custom cards, again due to their persona.

 

[saborfang17]

My two cents?

I don't care. You want to perform with custom cards? Be my guest. It's just another issue magicians like to over-analyze when, once again, it doesn't matter to the audience. If you can get "trick decks" with a "strange" back design, it stands to reason that you can get them with a "regular" back design.

 

[YRAMagicMan]

My two cents?

I don't care. You want to perform with custom cards? Be my guest. It's just another issue magicians like to over-analyze when, once again, it doesn't matter to the audience. If you can get "trick decks" with a "strange" back design, it stands to reason that you can get them with a "regular" back design.

I agree! I care as much as I have to, which is not much. I just thought I'd put my argument out there to see what the rest of you said.

 

[etherealictrinity]

custom cards were made to amplify flourishes but i don't see why they cant be used for magic.

 

[ThePrestige]

I believe it really relies on the effect and the presentation you're trying to create. I like my custom cards very much and when I perform I try and find the one that would fit my presentation best. When I go to a classy restaurant I use Ghosts or maybe White Arcanes because they fit the occasion well. I also think custom cards are very good for cardistry because they're flashier than a normal deck and can often be more visual.

 

[XabierL]

Last week I performed an ambitious card routine to some classmates with sentinels, and as soon as they picked a card, one of them said: "oh, look how many things are printed on the back... this have a trick or something...). Since the trick is not a "I guess your card" trick, I had no problem, but I think that could have ruined an effect... Personally, I prefer to use a 2-buck rider back bikes since they're simple, cheap, and work great.

 

[ReservoirRed]

Back designs wont make a difference in my mind, but personally, i really dislike cards with black faces. I do not think they should be used on lay people. Cards are 52 of the most recognisable symbols on the planet, but with black face cards, sometimes i find myself having to look twice to see and remember what value a card is, and i spend alot more time looking at cards than any lay person.

 

[YRAMagicMan]

Back designs wont make a difference in my mind, but personally, i really dislike cards with black faces. I do not think they should be used on lay people. Cards are 52 of the most recognisable symbols on the planet, but with black face cards, sometimes i find myself having to look twice to see and remember what value a card is, and i spend alot more time looking at cards than any lay person.

I agree here, though I've used 1st Edition Black Tigers before. I was working in a shop with a dark atmosphere and the Black Tiger deck fit perfectly.

Last week I performed an ambitious card routine to some classmates with sentinels, and as soon as they picked a card, one of them said: "oh, look how many things are printed on the back... this have a trick or something...). Since the trick is not a "I guess your card" trick, I had no problem, but I think that could have ruined an effect... Personally, I prefer to use a 2-buck rider back bikes since they're simple, cheap, and work great.

Good points. I personally haven't had the pleasure of using a deck of Sentinels, but I can see where you're coming from from the videos and photos. I also use rider backs for the same reason, though I have a small collection of other decks that I enjoy using from time to time. I tend to have my Arcanes on me more often recently though. I also like Bicycle 125's, but I currently don't have any of those.

 

[SJBrundage]

I know this is a raging battle (sorta) between magicians about whether or not to use custom cards, but here's my 2 cents. From recent experience, I've found that custom cards aren't a problem. I had one guy comment on my White Arcane cards being trick cards today, but he was joking around. (He said he had a deck and I was ready to use whatever deck he handed me. This wasn't necessary.) Last week I did a few tricks with my Arcanes and my audience thought they were awesome. I've also used Black Tigers and Guardians with no trouble.

The rest of my theory on custom cards is this, if your tricks look "gimmicky" and your presentation isn't good enough to compensate then using custom cards may be a bad idea. But if your presentation is good and your tricks don't look "gimmicky" then you're probably fine. (I'm not sure what "gimmicky" looks like, but I'm sure I'd know when I saw it.)

Also, I think that if you're overly protective of your custom cards your audiences will think something's up. I handle my custom cards almost carelessly. I'm very open about letting people examine and shuffle my custom decks. This may be why I've never had a problem with using them. I did have one person comment that "those cards must be magnetic or something," but after I let her handle my Arcanes she let go of that theory. Oddly enough, that comment came after an ACR, with a signed card.

I've done the Joker trick with the Arcane cards multiple times and people never seem to consider that there are two Jokers and one could be different. (Or if they do, they're not vocal about it.) I wonder if this is because the "ink morph" effect there is so strong. For those who may not know what I'm talking about, what I call the Joker trick is a trick where the word on the Joker in an Arcane deck turns into the name of a selected card. What do you think?

What are your ideas about custom cards? Do you think we (magicians) should use them? Or should we stick to whatever is common where we live? (In America, it's the good old Rider Backs.) Do you think that the use of custom cards depends on the performer? As in, should some people stick to "regular" cards because of their persona, while others may be more suited to using custom cards, again due to their persona.

Hey!!! Thanks for the Idea about the two jokers!! I never thought of that!

 

[praetoritevong]

An excerpt of a post I put up a few weeks back...


On a slightly unrelated note, playing cards are different. Black Tigers don't inherently look gaffed. Would you question a goth magician with two piercings and dyed black hair if he used a black tiger deck? Probably not. Would you question a twelve year old with a cap on backwards? Probably. By the same reasoning, a goth magician using the pink ribbon Bicycle decks would get laughed off the street.

Suspicion surrounding playing cards are created when the design is not congruent with your persona.

Black Tiger cards are marketed as cool. Some of the words in E's marketing are: Attitude. Voodoo. Witchcraft. The problem is, most users are anything but, and can be summed up by: Boring. Generic. Bland.

 

[ChrisWiens]

The best deck you´ll ever use is a borrowed deck. It´s free, makes the magic stronger and if the cards get dirty, just borrow a new deck!

 

[Blindside462]

I went to Seattle's Comic Con and performed for the first time with Sentinels. I even have a few videos performing with them.
There was no raised suspision about the cards for over the 14+ times I performed.

I also went to McDonalds and performed.

An added note. I have Sentinels because of the great quality. They are nice to have because I can practice with them for long periods of time. But I won't be performing with them often because they have small pips. And in my experience performing with them, some spectators have a hard time remembering or seeing their card. I also do a lot of peeks in my performance and small pips don't help worth jack. I would rather be performing with Bikes to be honest.

It is true, it's great to be able to borrow a deck. But it is not often people just carry a deck on them.

But what I can say about Sentinels is that if I don't have any other deck on me..which is the situation I was in at Comic Con and McDonalds...I have no issue using them for performances ..just wish they had normal size pips.

 

[ChrisWiens]

just wish they had normal size pips.

Well that´s the main issue with some custom cards (all black cards, ghost deck, sentinels etc.). Above all, design should be ergonomic (Ghost deck sucks because spectator are confused by the lack of colour which makes them much harder to remember, the pips on the Sentinels are too small).
Creators out there, don´t forget that playing cards should serve a purpose in the first place. Don´t make unnecessary changes just to be different.
It´s not for nothing that the standard design of playing card faces hasn´t changed much in hundred years.
Even USPCC went back to their normal pip design lately.