Its both actually.
The hardcore infatuation everyone has with cards and how mediocre that branch has become in the past 5 or 6 years. And what you said as well.
Card magic is getting sleightier,less magical,more masterbatory,and almost doesnt make a lick of sense anymore.
There are so many things that could be said here...let me try to express my opinion about this.
Everytime I write something down, I end up erasing it, because my mind is so filled with thoughts on this subject.
Walk into your local magic shop and look at the books along the walls. How many of them focus on card magic? A HUGE majority. Now look at the amount of books that talk about coin magic. There are some, but not nearly as many as there are for cards. What about books written solely on the art of borrowed objects? Not many at all. Stage Magic? I would say more than the borrowed object books.
Now, look at the magic community in general. How many magicians do you know who perform card magic? A HUGE majority. Now look at the amount of magicians who perform coin magic. There are some, but not nearly as many as there are card magicians. What about magicians who do magic with borrowed items? Not many at all. Stage magicians? I would say more than the magicians who perform magic with borrowed objects.
The truth of the matter is, there is more material out there on the market that focus more on card magic than anything else. The answer for that is simple. There is so much you can do with cards than cannot be done with a borrowed candle, or a lighter, or a fishstick. So the more you can do with an object(s), the more you will see material on the subject.
So then why say that card magic has become mediocre in the past 5 to 6 years? Why not go back, and look at some classics in card magic that have been lost over the years? Personalize a routine that YOU are passionate about, and start doing it again, making it fresh and new. And be real...ANY piece of magic will not make a lick of sense to a spectator if you do not know how to present it.
Look, there are a great amount of sources to turn to for impromptu magic...Dan Harlan has quite a bit of material out there that one should look for...
Dan Hauss is another dude to turn to for magic without coins or cards.
And as I said before, if you plan to book shows, it is VERY important that you can do more than just a few cards tricks because, (I say this from past experiences), you WILL be asked. This is where you have to know when to STOP learning new effects every day, and focus on 5 or 6 STRONG pieces of magic you can do VERY well. THEN you can start learning new types of sleights for coins, or everyday objects. Once you have a complete polished act, then start booking those shows...
Wow, rambling on once again...let me sum this up and make it short and simple.
1. Card magic is NOT mediocre, it is what YOU make of it. If you are sick of the "slieghty" card magic coming out today, then open up a classic book and learn something that you never learned before. Polish it, make it YOUR OWN and RELEVANT and perform it well.
2. If you want to learn something new, I suggest already knowing 5 or 6 STRONG pieces of magic in one area that you can do time and time again without fail. THEN you can start learning something new. You are allowing your brain the room to add more to your routine that is different, fresh and new. Eugene Burger only had about 7 pieces of magic to show his audience when he was table hopping.
Ok, time to watch Dexter...
Mike