Episode 4 "Magus Capsule"

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I really would have liked this to be good. The idea is sound, the method implied as sound, but the actual product is broken so much that you can hardly use it in the real world. Even if the Chop Cup feature would not become loose the weight issue is a really serious one. You feel that something is in there. The weight doesn't feel normal. So you cannot hand this out to the spectators. Which makes the whole thing redundant. One of the key things about the cups and balls is the part of being able to hand them out for close examination. It is the conviction of not existing gimmickery that makes up a lot of the amazement that the Cups and Balls offer.

The routines you get with the capsule are okay. There is nothing ground breaking. But you also get a few card tricks with that. And that strikes me as rather weird. On the one hand I appreciate the fact, but on the other hand I cannot lose the feeling that it is just filler. Which brings me to some general criticism about Jay Sankey: His vast output of magic over the years has been seen by most as some creative genius oozing out magic from his pores. I think otherwise. Jay Sankey's filter seems broken. The filter that differentiates between crappy ideas, average ideas and brilliant ideas. Coming up with a magic idea takes little to no effort. Coming up with brilliant ideas however is a difficult task. Sankey's method seems to be the "Quantity Method". Basically he publishes so many ideas that gold will eventually turn up. And this is the case with quite a few Sankey creations. But crap turns up even more. And this is true for most of his card tricks. I'm not saying they are crap, I say that they are weak... And I leave it at that.

The Magus Capsule is a trick that had so much potential. Sure it is not an improvement on the Cups and Balls as the whole scope of the Cups and Balls is eliminated with this product, but the practical aspects of this really make up for this. The better alternative still is the Chop Cup. Because argument that the Chop Cup is way too big to carry around in your pocket is an argument I will not let go through. Simply do not carry the Chop Cup in your pocket. In fact turn the cup the correct way, but your business cards in there and your marker and you deck of cards and you free your pockets even more. Hold the cup in your hand. Place the cup on the table and suddenly you have a "make shift office". People understand why the cup is there. So you don't put your shit all over the table. The cool thing: When you get to the point in the routine that uses the cup, you automatically dump out all of the content, including your business cards. That way you cannot forget to hand them out. It becomes a natural process. And you do a great routine with the cup. So do you see the business opportunity you got right there? Just saying.




The capsule is out of stock with most magic dealers. So this review is maybe a total waste of time. But I would like to see it being produced ones more. This time without the Chop Cup feature.

On the Green Monster there is thread of some magicians not liking the fact that the capsule doesn't look like a real world object. Instead they suggest using those plastic containers you can wear while swimming where you put all your important stuff like money and keys. Personally I don't think that this is an issue. In fact it isn't even a drawback, it's an advantage. Introducing the capsule is a great mysterious prop approach. People will wonder and ask themselves what will happen with the object. The answer is a pretty good and solid routine that they will remember. That is a reason I want this to be remade. It's actually not that bad, if it would have worked. This has potential.... but the Chop Cup part broke it's neck.

Jay, please don't make the mistake again. The mistake of trying to built too much into this to please even those who suck at doing sleight of hand. Also if the demo video shows blue balls, you better put in blue balls.