Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Superstar by Taylor Swift
Review of Unshuffled by Anton James:
One DVD, a "special" deck, and 60 minutes of instruction. Is it Gem or is it Rubble?
Effect
Well . . . it's exactly the same as the OCD Deck by SansMinds. An apparently shuffled deck magically goes back to new deck order.
Method
Well . . . it's exactly the same as the OCD Deck by SansMinds. It's a gimmicked deck. It's the same gimmick that SansMinds used. In the SansMinds version there were some nice subtleties added to the deck/gimmick that are not found here. However, the effect here is just as easy and self-working-y as the other.
Ad Copy Integrity
Well . . . it's exactly the same as the OCD Deck by SansMinds almost . . . In the SansMinds review, I had one minor clarification that I felt was needed. In this ad copy (Unshuffled), I have no such issue. The ad copy is 100% dead on.
Product Quality
Ah . . . our first variant. The deck is the same gimmick as OCD Deck but without the slight modifications that OCD Deck has. I personally prefer the OCD Deck over this one. However, Unshuffled is excellent and works exactly as is needed to perform this effect. Super simple, and very well made.
The big difference is the DVD. The OCD Deck DVD is only 9 minutes long. Whereas Unshuffled is a full hour, and it's an excellent hour. Though I prefer the OCD Deck, I really prefer the DVD from Unshuffled by FAR. It covers several different simple ways to handle the cards and affect the change. There are multiple effects, ideas, theories, examples, presentations, etc., etc., etc. covered on this DVD. This DVD alone makes this worth recommending.
There's a super clever handling of John Bannon's The Bannon Triumph a.k.a. Play it Straight (Triumph) that is excellent! Although, I am annoyed that he credited Michael Ammar's Easy to Master Card Miracles as the source for Bannon's effect. Terrible! If you're going to get your hands on this routine, either get it from Bannon's DVD, Bullets After Dark or get his book, Impossibilia.
I've got nothing against the Ammar series. I own them all, but let's give the creator the credit and the money.
Final Thoughts
The only thing that slightly bothers me about both of these products is that this is not original. The effect and method have been around forever, and neither DVD gives any credit/history/etc. about the gimmicks, effect, etc. I was a bit bummed by that. Also, it would appear that OCD Deck hit the market about 3 months before Unshuffled. So, giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, I'll assume that Anton James and Will Tsai (SansMinds) created this independently of each other.
All that aside, in my fantasy world, I'd have the Unshuffled DVD and the OCD Deck. So if you want to buy both, I won't be offended. However, and this is a BIG FAT however, the small minor things added to the OCD Deck that are missing from Unshuffled are so minor in comparison to what the Unshuffled DVD brings to the table. Bottom line: if I had to pick only one product to have (between the two), it would be, hands down, Unshuffled.
Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.