Here is Daniel Garcia performing "Parallel" from the Ultragaff Deck coming soon from Ellusionist.

The reaction is so nice ^_^ that's "MAGIC"


Anyone of you guys are E fans, maybe share some story from insider ? :P

Wow! That trick is really nice!

Haha. I can't wait to get my hands on it. I hope it is coming soon and not too expensive. Anybody with any idea when is it coming to Singapore and roughly how much? Thanks in advance. Got to start saving money...

I know it's been around magic magazines...
Aparantly it's scheduled to be released in April.

And if it's by Wayne Houchin AND Daniel Garcia,
I don't need to know what it is, I'll buy it.

Only because I know it's going to simple, powerful and impactful.

R™

Anyone knows what would be the cost of the UltraGaff? I'm considering getting one.

Anything gaff is probably gives you the best reaction, from invisible deck, svengali, kidz kard to gimmick coins.

I think the question is that how your audience preceive you. E.G, if they think you can perform miracle, and that you can do "real" magic, probably they will not think that it is gaff, and that would kill the audience!

Otherwise, if they keep checking and checking and asking and asking throughout the whole effect, it is like a "guess how i do it" effect.

For those of you collectors, who wait this deck.

It's here ;)

And if you're lucky you might get one of 5 Authentic USPC UltraGaff Uncut Sheets
signed by Daniel Garcia and Wayne Houchin ^_^

Each dvd cos US$29.95, and there is 3 dvd, including the deck, i think it would be like US$90, So i don't think its worth to get it even though i think its a cool deck

Review by Kevin Reylek taken from Magic Cafe

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Alrighty. The time has come, and after what feels like years of waiting, the UltraGaff is here. Beware, this is gonna be a long review, so take your bathroom break now, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get going!

I was one of the few who got their orders placed in the first 15 minutes of release on the initial release day, so let’s cover that snafu. I assumed that the free shipping thing was a little bonus, rather than a glitch, so I went ahead for the overnight shipping option.

When I later found out that it was indeed a glitch, and that shipping would be added later, I contacted E support, and asked them to please lower me to the regular saver shipping option. I got a very quick reply, and was told that they’d provide the low-end shipping for free. No problem there in my book. So, I ordered on Tuesday, got a shipping confirmation e-mail on Wednesday, and didn’t expect the package until next week. However, it arrived this morning, Friday. So, big thumbs up for the shipping situation.

I wasn’t a lucky winner of a signed deck or sheet, so good luck to the other folks out there, and congrats to those who do win.



For the deck itself - Quite nice overall. There are a few cards in my deck that aren’t cut perfectly, they have some asymmetrical edges, but I’ve seen this happen with regular decks from USPCC as well. Some in my UltraGaff are cut worse than others, but none so bad that any layperson would notice. For the designs (or ‘artwork’) of the gaffs themselves, they’re all quite nice. You can see the gallery at the E site. The cards were designed by Jason Brumbalow and Daniel Garcia, and they’ve done a great job.

The quality of the cards is what you’d expect from USPCC. Standard Bicycle stock and finish as far as I can tell. One interesting thing is that the deck does not have a sticker seal. It does have the cellophane, but no sticker, which I found quite convenient to be honest.

The design of the box itself is neat, but part of me wishes they’d built an effect into the box for a few reasons. The other E gaffs and custom decks have effects built into the boxes, so it’s become kind of expected, and one would think that the “Ultra” gaff deck of cards, which is supposed to outshine and destroy anything that’s come before it, would have a killer effect built into the box.



The DVDs - I’ll break each one down as we move forward, but to address the “overall” concept - I think they’re worth the investment. While I had some ideas right off the bat for some of the cards, there were others that just made me go, “Huh?”. So, being guided by Danny and Wayne and being shown ideas with each card in the deck is a nice benefit. Their style of team-teaching is quite effective, and they’re a really entertaining pair. As many of you may have seen from Wayne’s “Control” DVD from T11, these guys are really funny on camera together. For the performance sections, some of the effects are done for “live” audiences, while others are just done with Wayne and Danny. It would’ve been nice to see live performances for each effect, but no big loss.

The audio and video quality of the DVDs are fine. Not the best I’ve ever seen from an E DVD, but not anything that I’d describe as “bad” either. It’s clear to see and hear what’s going on. The DVDs were edited by Wayne and Dana Hocking, so you can expect to see the same kind of camera and editing style that were present on Indecent, and several other DVDs from E, and now T11.


DVD Volume 1 - This DVD covers what Wayne and Danny consider to be some of the “easier” tricks from the deck. Keep in mind that my feedback here may not match your own. I might love a trick that you think is useless, and vice-versa. We all have different styles, so obviously these comments will reflect things that I find to be useful and/or neat/workable.

The first volume runs for an hour and 8 minutes. Here’s a breakdown of the effects:

“Marked” - The first effect on the DVD lets you have a freely-selected and signed card change from red to red/blue, and then all the way to blue. Overall, pretty nice-looking and not very difficult to do. A few sleights are covered.

“2nd Chance” - A face-up version of “Marked”. You fail to find the spectator’s selection on your first try, so you change it half-way to their card, and then all the way to the selection. I think I like this a little better than “Marked” because the handling, while similar, is slightly more simple, and I also like the face-up nature of the effect.

“Facade” - One of the easiest and most clean-looking card to wallet routines you’ll ever see. Presented as a part of a “card to pocket” routine. Personally, I love this particular gaff card, because it happens to match the way I have my wallet set up already. Even if you don’t have an Amex Gold card, WH and DG cover a few options so that you can still perform the effect. Definitely one I’m going to use.

“Jackpot” - A spectator’s selected card (they teach both a signed and an unsigned version) is scratched-off lotto-style to reveal that it’s a winner. A $100 bill is then pulled from the card. You then have the option to “heal” the card. If you go for the signed option, you can give the card away at the end. Definitely a cool, visual trick, and they won’t see the money aspect coming at all. Very visual, and some cool tips are included to make it seem as real as possible. Another one I’m looking forward to trying.

“Green Card” - When I first saw the gallery for the UltraGaff, I was disappointed to see a regular ol’ green-backed 6 in there. But, I thought I’d wait for the DVD to see if they had a cool idea for its use. Big mistake. Going back to my notes on why I’m disappointed with the box not having a trick - there’s no need to include this card. You can get a deck of green bikes from a variety of shops for just a few bucks. Garcia even goes so far as to mention that this card was included in the deck on a dare from someone to include some “filler”. While I appreciate his honesty, I have to say, “Gimme a break!” This is supposed to be, once again, the “ultimate” gaff deck, and you put in a “filler” card on a dare? Awful idea in my book.

No performance is shown with this card, though DG does talk about some ideas for using the card. The ideas, however, are basic, and could’ve been left off of this project entirely. If there’s anything positive that I can say about this, it’s that there is some entertainment value for the section when DG covers this card. Ultimately though, a huge disappointment, considering that they could’ve put a really cool, creative card in place of this green monster.

“Sexy” - A female spec is asked to name a card that describes her. She names the QH. The cards are dribbled, and you ask her to stop wherever she likes. You say that the selection where she stopped is her named queen of hearts. The card is turned over, and it’s verified. As a final kicker, you show that the QH is indeed the “sexy” card in the deck. This one is a bit lighter, and may not match everyone’s style. But, if you’re a flirty kind of person, or have a fun or silly persona, this could really work for you. Could play great to a table full of women. Not one I think I’ll personally use a lot, but I can see the potential for certain environments.

“Ringing in your Gaffs” - This is a cool section of the DVD. Wayne and Danny sit down and talk about ways to bring your gaffs into play. They talk about routining, and give some great tips on how to bring your gaffs into play during a set. This is very much appreciated, and it’s interesting to see how these guys get themselves set up to use gaffs mid-performance. No tricks are taught, but a great little section on theory that also includes some tips on psychology and timing. Definitely useful stuff.

So, for Volume 1, I’d have to put “Facade” and “Jackpot” at the top, along with the section on Ringing in the Gaffs. I’ll throw “Marked”, “2nd Chance”, and “Sexy” somewhere in the middle, and of course, “Green Card” as dead last. Overall, an enjoyable DVD with some good effects covered, ranging in difficulty, and some useful sleights are taught as well. There is definitely material here that both hobbyists and pros will appreciate.



On to Volume 2. With a run time of just about an hour, this volume covers 6 more tricks, which are as follows:

“Parallel” - You’ve probably seen the performance that DG gives to his parents on the E site, so I won’t describe how the overall effect is presented. It’s a cool trick, it’s unexpected, and has a nice visual kicker at the end. As they like to say, a “double finale”. No complicated sleights, and no real setup to speak of. A real worker in this one.

“Runaway” - A packet of 5 cards is shown to your spec. They think of one of the cards, then hold the packet sandwiched between their hands. When you take the cards back, the card that they thought of is now gone, leaving you with only four cards. They see that the card they thought of is not among the four remaining, and it’s then revealed to have jumped to your pocket. This one’s pretty cool. It does take a little bit of advanced setup on your part, but it’s essentially sleight-free during performance, so if you’re not a finger flinger, this one might really appeal to you. Includes a bit of mentalism, magic in the spec’s hands, and a “teleportation” of a card, so there’s really quite a bit of magic here.

There’s a 2nd variation that’s covered as well, which is a pretty similar effect with some small differences that might make the effect more suitable for some people. There’s also no obvious “artwork gaff” (like the “parallel” or “sexy” cards) so people who prefer the “hidden, utility” style gaffs should probably like this one.

“Inked” - The spec selects a card, which is returned to the deck. The magi reveals the wrong card. No problem. He mixes up the ink on the wrong card into a jumbled mess, the spins or re-paints it into a representation of the actual selection. To contrast the “utility lovers” from before, here’s one for the artwork lovers. This involves an in-your-face gaff, and a few basic sleights. You’ll either like it or hate it depending on your feelings in general about the “artsy” gaffs.

The performances use the “Shapeshifter” as the primary change, but the explanation shows a different way to achieve the effect. Both versions are good, and the reason that WH and DG don’t teach the change here is because there is an in-depth DVD concerned solely with the Shapeshifter change. (To be honest, I agree with not glossing over the shapeshifter here, as the dedicated DVD is truly excellent and really does go into all of the subtleties on the change. I recommend checking it out if you don’t have it already) Personally, I think “Inked” is kind of a nifty way to reveal a card, though I don’t think I’ll use it all that often.

“Produce” - A very entertaining part of the DVD. A nice bit of work using psychological force and the “carrot” card in the deck. The guys go into some strategy for psychological forcing, and ways to get out of the effect if your spec doesn’t go for the carrot. Could be a good bit of mentalism, comedy, or both. I’ll try this one out at a family dinner or something, because it’ll be a good bit of fun.

“What Lies Beneath” - Some fun ideas with the Kings that have one of the indexes scratched/rubbed away to reveal a different card. These would be good in bars, or for the “hit and run” style of street magic. You can choose to involves your specs to a high degree or not. Again, deals with the “artwork” gaffs, so may not appeal to everyone, but I think it has some nice qualities to it that bring it to a higher level than a standard card reveal. Plus, you’ll get to see some very entertaining singing and guitar playing by Danny in this one.

“Crime” - You ‘borrow’ the sword from the King of Spades in order to find the spec’s selected card, which is ‘impaled’ by the sword. A nice “Card Stab” without having to actually stab your cards. This one’s a good bit of fun. It kind of has a “Smilin’ Assassin’ vibe to it, for those of you who are familiar with that effect. I’ve had great responses from audiences when performing Smilin’ Assassin, so I imagine this one should play well too. It’s easy, it’s fun. Don’t take this one too seriously, but don’t underestimate it either.

That’s volume 2. For some reason the video and audio quality seemed to be a little worse on this volume than on volume 1, which is odd, since they were all filmed at the same time. Maybe it’s just me. I’m going to have to rank “Produce” very highly, because I think it’s really fun and commercial. Depending on how you present it, it could be a strong piece of mentalism, or strong comedy. Could be a strong part of your routine, or just a throwaway gag.

As far as an effect with several strong magical elements, “Runaway” gets that prize, and will appeal to the “utility” gaffers out there. “Parallel”, “Inked”, and “What Lies Beneath” may not appeal to everyone due to the fact that the artwork gaffs are used, but each of these is still strong. Of the 3, I’d have to say that “Inked” is my least favorite, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad. Finally, “Crime” is not only entertaining, but it’s also easy, and I think it has strong commercial appeal. I don’t hate anything from this volume, and the overall entertainment value from the guys is excellent. I don’t know if I love anything from this volume the way I enjoyed “Facade” and “Jackpot” from volume 1, but there are a few I’m looking forward to using.





And, here we are, finally, at volume 3. Need another restroom break yet? Ok, then, here we go with the longest DVD in the trilogy, weighing in at an hour and 40 mins, and offering 6 tricks, plus some other thoughts in general.

“Unicycle” - Odd name for a great trick! The method-lover out there will eat this up. The spade visually vanishes from the front of the card box and lands on the back of the spec’s selection. This one’s the brainchild of DG, and the visual vanish of the spade from the front of the card box fooled the crap outta me. They go step-by-step in how to create a gimmick that you’ll need for this effect, which isn’t difficult, but will probably require a trip to the office supply store. I think the trick will be worth the journey though.

Once the gimmick is built, which is an easy enough task, the actual workings of the effect are quite easy. This may not be the ideal effect for large groups due to some potential angle issues, but overall it’s a really nice piece of very visual magic that’s not very difficult to do. I’m gonna make this and start playing with it very soon!

“Angels” - Remember “Pip Matrix” from the “Army of 52” DVD? In essence, this is that effect, but with the angels on the back of a card instead of the pips from the face of a four. While the overall effect is similar, I think “Angels” takes the effect to a new level; It looks cleaner, and is easier to do than the version using the face of the card. I never use Pip Matrix (no offense to the other gaff decks or DVD), but this one is one I’ll experiment with. Also some nice discussion of psychology to be found here. I think this is going to be a favorite of a lot of people. Only small note is that some of the moves may prove tricky for left-handed magicians (of which I am one.)

“Dead Cell” - Ah, the famed battery trick! During an Ambitious routine, after a couple of successful phases, the card stops coming to the top. Deciding that the batteries might be running low, you open up the deck’s battery compartment to show the batteries, and then dump them into the spec’s open hand. You then show the empty battery compartment.

What really needs to be said here? It’s pretty darn cool. Not only are these some of the most realistic-looking gaffs in the deck, it’s just something very new, different, and visual for your audience. For those who enjoy other effects, like popping a chocolate kiss out of a card, this has a similar vibe. It has a really nice offbeat feel, and is pretty easy to do. And, I think popping a couple of real AA batteries out of a thin little playing card is a nice magical moment. This could be a nice overall closer, or a good way to segue into working with props other than cards.

“Crowded” - The Queens (or Kings) all jump off of their cards, and convene together on the surface of one card. Not a bad trick, but not something that particularly jumps out at me. It’s not too difficult, but it’s also not something that most beginning card folks will be at home with. I’d say this is for intermediate to advanced performers due to some of the sleights involved. I can’t really pick out any major negatives with the trick, it’s just not for me. I’m sure some folks out there will probably enjoy it though.

“Heat” - A step-by-step color-changing deck routine. A selected card is lost in the deck. The back of the top card is then gradually changed from red to blue. The cards are then spread out, showing that all the cards are now blue, except for the spec’s selected card. This is a really nice routine with a lot of great visual, magical moments. I like it, but once again, there’s some difficulty here for lefties due to the nature of how the gaffs are printed. It won’t be impossible, but it’s something to keep in mind.

“Graphic Link” - The center is torn out of a card, which is then linked to another whole playing card. I really, really like this idea. I would’ve never, ever thought to do a linking card routine using a specially-printed gaff, and I guarantee your audience’s mind won’t go there either. The illusion at work here is fantastic, and you end clean so that your spec can check everything out. You will need a little something extra for this routine, but odds are you already own it, and if you don’t, it can be had inexpensively. Going to start working with this one immediately!

“Concept Cards” - Here we get into some card concepts that haven’t been used in any of the actual effects throughout the trilogy. It consists of about 14 total cards that are “left over” in the deck. These are cards that the guys didn’t have specific routines in mind for, but knew they wanted to have in the deck. I have mixed feelings about this section. On the one hand, I think it’s great that not everything is being spoon-fed to us, and that we’re being encouraged to explore our own creativity.

On the other hand, there are some cards in here that I was really looking forward to seeing in the context of a specific routine, such as the mis-made cards. The only other problem I have is that some of these cards are remarkably similar, or identical to, cards that are in E’s “red gaff” deck. It would’ve been nice to have cards that were 100% new and unique, but overall this is a nice little bundle, and the guys do throw out some basic concepts that you can use with each of the cards.

“Final Thoughts” - The guys sign out with some closing thoughts on the project in general.

Alrighty. Volume 3 has to be classified as offering the most “bang for the buck”. It’s the longest disc in the trilogy, and has some really great, clever effects. This disc also requires the most fancy finger work of the trilogy, but I think most of the effects are within the grasp of an intermediate card worker, and some seem to be well worth the effort for what the effect is.



Ok, time for some closing thoughts from me. Why did I buy this right away? There are a few reasons. I thought the gallery of the gaffs looked great, and I immediately had some of my own ideas for the cards. Why’d I go for the DVDs? Because there were plenty of other cards that I didn’t really have any ideas for, and I wanted to see what DG and WH came up with.

I also own the vast majority of the material that these two guys have released to the community, and I’ve found their material to consistently be original, creative, powerful, and workable. I also know how entertaining they can be together, so I figured I’d be in for some good entertainment value.

So, is the whole package of 3 discs and the deck worth $90? In a nutshell, yes. While each disc has its strong and weak points, there’s something good on each of them, and within the trilogy, I think there’s material that anybody, regardless of their personality or style, can use in their performances. With that said, can you buy the deck without the DVDs? Sure you can! But I do think the DVDs are a worthy investment to accompany the deck. That part all depends on you, and how creative you are.

But, in a world where many single tricks are being sold for $20-30, to get 3 DVDs teaching a total of well over a dozen tricks, plus some great discussions on bringing gaffs in and out of play, psychology, and other showmanship techniques, as well as a full deck of gaff cards, for $90 is really a pretty darn good deal. Even if you only find 3 tricks in here that you’ll ever use on a regular basis, you’re coming into the realm of the “single trick for $30” area, and if those effects are ones that you can use consistently in paid gigs, then this package will more than pay for itself over time.

Do I think that this set could’ve been put on fewer than 3 discs? Yes. I believe everything could’ve fit on 2 discs, and would’ve been superbly priced at $50 for the 2-disc set. However, this is not nearly as disappointing as the Loops trilogy. While Loops has some great material, I feel like that whole project could’ve fit onto a single disc. UltraGaff definitely needed a multi-disc release.

If you’re generally “anti-gaff”, then most of this stuff may not appeal to you, and that’s ok. But be aware that there is some stuff in here that doesn’t appear gaffed, or utilizes no real prep or cleanup, so even those people might find a thing or two to snack on.

Overall, despite my few minor disappointments (and the larger one of “Green Card” from volume 1. Sorry Danny. You’re great, but that was just ridiculous), I’m really really happy with the work that’s available here, and I can’t wait to start playing with some of these ideas and running them by my usual test audiences. There are at least 8 effects on here that I really love and can’t wait to try out (most of which come from Vols 1 and 3), and a few others that I’m interested to experiment with. For me, that brings each effect down to a price of just a little over $10. Then factor in the immense amount of entertainment value that’s had by just viewing the DVDs, and you’ve got yourself a bargain.

Nice job Danny, Wayne, and Team E.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope this was enlightening and helpful. Please feel free to ask questions, and I’ll try to help out however I can, without exposing too much. But, after reading over 4000 words worth of my thoughts, nobody probably wants to hear from me for awhile...


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Go through the thread to see more conversations goin on ^_^

Very True. A gaff or a gimmick get you the best reactions if they don't know that you are using a gimmick.

The Ultragaff surely lives up to its name as the cards really look "ultragaff" to me.
I'm sure those cards will look "ultragaff" to most of the audience too (esp in Singapore)

Parallel for example can be a great trick for a couple. However, that is if they believe that I'm not using specially printed cards. In my opinion, those cards are screaming "I'm specially printed!!". I think I'll stick back to the good old Anniversay Walts.