Savant Deck by Lloyd Barnes and Craig Petty

Effect

The Savant Deck allows a magician to perform seemingly impossible feats with a regular-looking deck of cards. A spectator can shuffle the deck freely. The magician can then instantly calculate the total value of a group of face-up cards after only a brief glance. The magician can also name a card a spectator has chosen and pocketed after the deck has been shuffled multiple times. To the audience, the performer appears to have superhuman calculation skills or mind-reading abilities using a normal deck.

Full details

The Savant Deck is a collaborative creation by Lloyd Barnes and Craig Petty. It is a gimmicked deck printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) with standard Red Rider backs, making it look and handle like a normal deck. The deck is fully examinable and contains no marked cards or duplicates. It utilizes a clever, undisclosed principle that allows for a wide range of effects. Over a dozen routines are possible with the deck, including Any Card at Any Number (ACAAN), magic squares, book tests, and pocket change predictions. The deck is designed to be self-working, requiring no sleight of hand or memory work from the performer.

Who should consider the trick

The Savant Deck is suitable for magicians of all skill levels. Beginners will find it accessible because it requires no advanced moves. Professionals can use it to add powerful, pro-level effects to their repertoire. It is ideal for performers who want to focus on presentation and audience interaction rather than complex sleights. Magicians who enjoy mathematical magic, mentalism, or card tricks with a strong psychological impact will find this deck particularly useful.

Information on how difficult it is to perform

The Savant Deck is not difficult to perform. The creators and reviewers emphasize that it requires no sleight of hand. The effects are self-working, meaning the gimmick does the heavy lifting. A magician can achieve the described miracles by following the provided instructions. The learning curve is minimal, allowing a performer to start using the deck effectively almost immediately after learning the basic handling.

What magicians say

Reviewers express strong enthusiasm for the Savant Deck. magicorthodoxy states the deck "enhances certain routines with subtle yet powerful features" and is "recommended for magicians who enjoy custom decks with built-in magical advantages." itsallthingsmagic highlights that it is "perfect for beginners and professionals alike" and produces "over a dozen killer effects." Craig Petty himself, in a magic-tv video, explains the deck enables "lightning-fast card calculations without marks, sticky substances, or memorization." Lloyd Barnes, in his Patreon preview, calls the deck a "revolutionary tool" that expands the boundaries of card magic. Murphy's Magic Supplies notes the deck allows "spectators [to] shuffle freely, yet the magician can instantly reveal the total value," creating a powerful sense of impossibility.