Title: Sovereign Sandwich
Artist: David Jonathan
Producers: David Jonathan
Link: http://www.davidjonathanmagic.com
Demo Video Link:
Retail Price: $14.95 USD
Learning Difficulty: EASY
Length of Video: 48 Minutes
Every now and again people ask me to check out a specific trick because they want to know what my opinion is about it. Sovereign Sandwich was one of those. I love sandwich effects so I was interested in seeing what David’s take was on them. If you’re not familiar with David Jonathan’s work then I recommend you look into Fortuity available thru Alakazam Magic UK, it’s worth the investment. Shameless plug aside, what I received in the mail was something simple and direct. The spectator signs a card, shuffles a deck, and two kings locate their card sandwiching it between themselves. Practically self-working, Sovereign Sandwich takes the heat off of complicated card moves and allows you to focus on the presentation over the method.
Inside the package came two gimmicked cards and instructions for an online video download. The gimmicks are made to work with a standard rider back (red or blue) deck of Bicycle cards. The video was massive! Nearly an hour long for a sandwich effect. Surprisingly there was a lot of setup for a nearly self-working trick. Nothing difficult, but I was caught off guard by the preparation needed. Performing the routine isn’t difficult, but like the preparation, there’s a surprising amount of little subtleties throughout to pay attention too. The length of the video for what should be a simple trick is a bit daunting. At nearly an hour long I feel that a lot of the things covered in the video is going to feel like boring over kill for anyone with decent to advanced experience with cards. However, someone who hasn’t a lot of experience with card magic will probably find the extra attention to detail a blessing. As with any gimmicked trick there’s a very specific purpose this deck will be set up to do. While it’s possible to go into other routines you’ll probably want to switch decks first.
Overall I thought the Sovereign Sandwich was a solid effect. It’s a fun piece of magic, and it gets some good reactions. If I was asked to find something to be critical about then I would have to say the suggested routine as seen in the demo video is probably not the best. You’ll want to, and you should, write your own presentation. The demo one was kinda cringy. But like I said, that’s only if I was forced to find something to be critical of. Otherwise this is a fun and solid piece of card magic.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The three points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 8
Not bad. Standard for card gimmicks. Will eventually wear down after repeated use, causing need to replace.
Teaching Quality: 5
I think the video was way over taught. Maybe if you have zero experience with cards this would be worth the time spent watching it all the way thru, but anyone who has any experience with cards is going to get bored quick.
Overall Quality: 7
Fun piece of magic! Worth checking out if you like sandwich effects.
Do you have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at thewilliamdraven@gmail.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.
Artist: David Jonathan
Producers: David Jonathan
Link: http://www.davidjonathanmagic.com
Demo Video Link:
Retail Price: $14.95 USD
Learning Difficulty: EASY
Length of Video: 48 Minutes
Every now and again people ask me to check out a specific trick because they want to know what my opinion is about it. Sovereign Sandwich was one of those. I love sandwich effects so I was interested in seeing what David’s take was on them. If you’re not familiar with David Jonathan’s work then I recommend you look into Fortuity available thru Alakazam Magic UK, it’s worth the investment. Shameless plug aside, what I received in the mail was something simple and direct. The spectator signs a card, shuffles a deck, and two kings locate their card sandwiching it between themselves. Practically self-working, Sovereign Sandwich takes the heat off of complicated card moves and allows you to focus on the presentation over the method.
Inside the package came two gimmicked cards and instructions for an online video download. The gimmicks are made to work with a standard rider back (red or blue) deck of Bicycle cards. The video was massive! Nearly an hour long for a sandwich effect. Surprisingly there was a lot of setup for a nearly self-working trick. Nothing difficult, but I was caught off guard by the preparation needed. Performing the routine isn’t difficult, but like the preparation, there’s a surprising amount of little subtleties throughout to pay attention too. The length of the video for what should be a simple trick is a bit daunting. At nearly an hour long I feel that a lot of the things covered in the video is going to feel like boring over kill for anyone with decent to advanced experience with cards. However, someone who hasn’t a lot of experience with card magic will probably find the extra attention to detail a blessing. As with any gimmicked trick there’s a very specific purpose this deck will be set up to do. While it’s possible to go into other routines you’ll probably want to switch decks first.
Overall I thought the Sovereign Sandwich was a solid effect. It’s a fun piece of magic, and it gets some good reactions. If I was asked to find something to be critical about then I would have to say the suggested routine as seen in the demo video is probably not the best. You’ll want to, and you should, write your own presentation. The demo one was kinda cringy. But like I said, that’s only if I was forced to find something to be critical of. Otherwise this is a fun and solid piece of card magic.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The three points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 8
Not bad. Standard for card gimmicks. Will eventually wear down after repeated use, causing need to replace.
Teaching Quality: 5
I think the video was way over taught. Maybe if you have zero experience with cards this would be worth the time spent watching it all the way thru, but anyone who has any experience with cards is going to get bored quick.
Overall Quality: 7
Fun piece of magic! Worth checking out if you like sandwich effects.
Do you have a product you want reviewed? Want to see if it will stand up to the Draven Seal of Approval? Contact me directly at thewilliamdraven@gmail.com to find out how your product could be on the next Draven Reviews! Don't forget to like my blog where all my reviews are posted at www.williamdraven.wordpress.com.