"Accidental Discovery" DVD by Tank
Suggested Retail USD$25.00
Available direct from Wonder Wizards
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Accidental Discovery", a DVD by Tank, is one of those rare combinations of mentalism and magic that works on both levels and, in the process, creates a great routine that is simple to do but packs a punch.

The effect is as simple as you can ask for. A card is selected (freely; no forces here, and it can be signed if you want) and shuffled into the deck. A spectator mentally selects a place where they want their card to appear. Without the spectator saying a word, the performer goes to the location the spectator is merely thinking of and retrieves the chosen card.

Now, knowing who this comes from, and that the roots of it lie in Kenton Knepper's "Wonder Words", and that Kenton Knepper appears on the disc with his own version of the routine, you know what you're in for: linguistic deception, psychology, "dual reality", and the like.

Why, it's enough to send some performers screaming into the darkest night.

But in the case of "Accidental Discovery", there's no need for that at all. In fact, despite all those scary-sounding words and phrases, "Accidental Discovery" is sure-fire: that selected card is going to come from that selected location, one way or the other. And the "other" ways are just as good, if not better, than the most direct -- and most probable -- outcome described above.

Yes, there are outs in play, but they are logical and consistent, playing on the "magician makes a mistake" plot and becoming a bit more magical in the process. The outs are nothing major, and certainly nothing contrived, and work wonderfully. For example, a spectator's card may end up in a place thought of by a second spectator while another card ends up someplace entirely different.

In a routine like this, the nature of the outs is important, sure, but moreso is the need to rely on the outs in the first place. With "Accidental Discovery", for an out to even come into play, a series of things has to happen and, in a dozen performances of this, I've never relied on it. Will I? Oh, eventually the odds may catch up to me, but with the routine structured as it is, with the presentation done as it is, those odds are long. But it's enough to know that, if it does happen, it's not a big thing at all.

This is one of those things I whip out at a moment's notice. The work is simple, both in terms of mechanics and presentation, and there's no set-up to worry about. All you need are the deck and the spectators and you've got a reputation-maker on your hands.

Mechanically, there's little to this one other than basic sleights that are fairly common knowledge. Don't worry, though; Tank covers his handling of the sleights masterfully so you'll have no problem there. Presentationally, the biggest psychological piece of this revolves one simple sentence; there's no need to fret with long patter lines, preperatory paragraphs, or the like. Say that sentence at the right time -- all of which is extremely easy and well-covered -- and you've got the heart of this in the bag.

Overall, "Accidental Discovery" is one of those excellent pieces to have tucked away in that arsenal of magic we all carry in our heads, ready for an instant miracle. It's simple, direct, and powerful stuff.

"Accidental Discovery" DVD by Tank
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
The routine is clean, simple, and -- for all the fear some have of psychology -- fail-safe. The sleights are minimal, the required presentational pieces simple... this is one you'll enjoy performing.

Practicality: 10
In the barest version, all you need is a deck of cards and a spectator or two. In the more "amped up" version, you'll need a common card gaff. The set-up and reset both are either non-existant or close to it. This is about as practical as it gets.

Quality of Production: 10
The video and sound are great -- no problems here whatsoever.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Tank does a fantastic job of teaching his material, and Knepper does likewise in going through his version. Between the two, there are no problems learning any of this simple, strong routine.

Presentation: 10
It's magic-meets-mentalism in a delightful blend, and that blend works wonderfully together. Presentationally speaking, verbally and visually, this is excellent stuff.


Shane

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