If you've seen the TMGS listing for the classic 52-on-1 card, then you know I am a big fan of this old (and, let's be honest, pretty dumb) gag.   Yes, it's silly, but to a lay audience, it is still unexpected and they like it, even as they groan!  And if the gag is followed by an actual magic trick (like if the 52-on-1 card magically changes into the single selected card), then you have strong entertainment.

Four-midable Cards does just that.  It starts as a dumb gag and then turns into a double sock-o magic prediction.  Here's what it looks like: 

Four cards are selected from a standard size deck (use your own, as it is ungimmicked), and then the magi shows a jumbo size card which he claims is a precition of the selected cards.  "All four of them!"  He turns it around and shows a card with all 52 card faces printed on it in minature.  "See, all your selected cards are there!"  After the groans, the magi tears the card in to quarters ("this is a throw-away gag... I better throw it away!"), but then thinks that he owes the audience a better finish, so he slowly unfolds the pieces of the torn jumbo to show they have restored back to a single card!  And if that ain't enough, then he turns the jumbo to face the audience and the face is no longer 52-on-1 -- it has magically changed to just 4-on-1, with the four cards matching the selections.

Okay, this routine is really illogical, but audiences don't care.   They love the gag, then the magical restoration, then the closure of also revealing which cards they selected.  And those magicians who are thinking "well, doesn't the change of the jumbo card tip the fact that the restoration trick involved changing the torn card for another one?"... Yes, but again, the audience doesn't really think like that.  The restoration moment of amazement is over and they view the card revelations as a separate effect.

This uses an old method for tearing and restoring a jumbo card, but with the multi face cards, the routine takes on new life.  You will have to practice this a bit, but it is not too hard to do. 

So with TWENTY FIVE cards, you can use a couple for practice and you can still do this effect 23 times before needing to buy refills.     (one is destroyed at each performance).

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