WarpZag by Joel Dickinson is a close-up illusion using a signed playing card.
The freely selected card is signed and folded length ways before being placed behind another playing card. The selection then appears to twist so one half is back out and the other face out. For the second phase the halves are moved independently across the top and bottom of the indifferent card. Similar to the Zig Zag box.
It is a very visual take on the classic ‘Card Warp’ effect attributed to Roy Walton, although Jeff Busby had something similar published a year earlier. It has been tinkered with over the years by the likes of Michael Weber and Michael Close but this gimmick takes things much further and dramatically changes the effect.
As with all updated classics there are pros and cons.
WarpZag uses a freely selected signed card which is great, especially if you want to tag it on at the end of a routine and give the card away as a souvenir. With Roy’s original the cards are not signed and are ripped in half at the end, which doesn’t make them much of a keepsake. But it does mean you end 100% clean.
The simple and effective WarpZag gimmick doesn’t need to be replaced after every performance so for table hopping that could be an advantage. It is also very unlikely to wear out or break given minimal care. Joel suggests having it in the deck during your routines but for me it is a little too thick for that and I’d rather add it on during an offbeat. Which would be simple as I’d use this as a kicker to an ambitious card for example.
The ‘Zag’ element of WarpZag is a nice additional phase to this style of effect and includes a very clean restoration which will fry minds when they grab that signed card.
The angles are good, you just can’t have people behind you but that is fine for entertaining individuals and small groups either standing or seated at a table. The fact everything is done at chest level makes it visible from a distance and of course the effect is easy to understand even if the magician cannot be heard so it is ideal for noisy environments.
Joel’s teaching is great and he offers all the tips you will need and alternate handlings plus a couple of easy ways to clean up at the end if you think people are going to be grabby.
I must confess I had a brief obsession with topological effects like Jenning’s Close-Up illusion, Carbone’s Out of order, Bob Neale’s Trap Door and the work of Terri Rogers. These effects are fooling in their ability to apparently break the laws of physics in a clear, simple and visual manner.
WarpZag provides impossible visuals but lacks the openness of Card Warp, my worry is that without some form of context to the illusion it will be seen as a puzzle.
Joel’s take on this classic is easy to do, highly visual and it is something different to finding a card. Your audience will not be expecting WarpZag.
WarpZag can found here: https://monstermagic.co.uk/prod.../warpzag-by-joel-dickinson