"Eliminator V2.0" by Adrian Sullivan
Suggested Retail USD$21.99
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 6 Out of 10

"Eliminator V2.0", a card effect by Adrian Sullivan, is a neat idea, but it's going to take some work to make it anything more than a simple card trick.

In the end, that's what really hurts this one: there's just too little "there" there.

The effect is neat. With the performer's back turned, two spectators each think of a number and count down to that number in the deck, remembering the cards they find there. The performer turns around, shuffles the deck, and then drops it into a pocket (theirs or a spectators; it doesn't matter). Immediately, the performer reaches into his pocket and removes the two selected cards.

Well, that's about it. Oh, if you're into the mental-side of things, you don't have to remove the cards from the pocket; with a tiny bit of extra handling, you can know the identities of the two chosen cards and reveal them as you see fit.

See what I mean? There's just really very little to it. In fact, most of the apparent selling points are there to through you off the method behind it. Rule of thumb: if most of the ad hype revolves around the method and not the trick itself, you're in for some challenging times making something of it.

In fact, about half-way through the explanation, I was really wishing the deck did use a long-and-short; at least this way there'd be other things to do with the deck and allow for some much needed expansion to the "Eliminator" routine.

I'll have to let my biases show here. I'm not crazy about doing things with stuff in my pockets like this. Those routines just aren't me. Also, I'm not all that ready to carry around a one-shot deck for what amounts to a minor effect. In my mind, both those things reduce the value of the trick for me, as they do here.

That's not to say "Eliminator" is bad, because it isn't. It could just be so much more. Unfortunately, it isn't, so the buyer is left making something out of it. With some tricks, that's almost a blessing in disguise, but with "Eliminator" it's going to take some work and the pay-off still may not be there. For those who use a standard, though seldom mentioned, trick deck along the lines of the "Eliminator" deck, you'll find the handling and the ideas behind it easily worth the money; I'd have paid it and not looked back. For most, disappointment is going to be the word of the day with this one.

All in all, "Eliminator" strikes me more as a magician-fooler than anything else. But if you already have an idea on how to use this effect in your act, how to make it something special, then "Eliminator V2.0" may be worth the money.

"Eliminator V2.0" by Adrian Sullivan
In a Blink: 6 Out of 10

Practicality: 8
Sporting a quick reset, easy handling, and no problems with angles or the like, the only strikes against this one are carrying around a deck that can't be used for anything else and the need for some table real estate.

Workmanship: 5
This is made from Bicycle stock, so you know what that means. With no special printing requirements or assemblies, you're getting what you always get from USPCC.

Documentation: 10
The documentation, supplied on DVD, is extremely well done. All the handlings, all the various ideas, are excellently presented. You won't have a problem learning this one.

Effect: 5
The effect is really a minor one. You won't get yawns from it, but you won't be knocking them for a loop either. As part of a bigger routine, this may draw out more from an audience, but on it's own it's strictly "how'd ya do that" material.

Presentation: 5
This is about as clean as you can ask for, and that's it's biggest selling point. Unfortunately, there's just too little here to really make for a powerful presentation.


Shane

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