Setup: The best part about this trick is there are no difficult moves or sleights to learn. You can learn it in only a few minutes. All you need is a regular deck of cards. Using a lighter to burn the corner of the teared cards is only optional. Choose any two matching numbers as your face-up selections that have different suits. Example: 4 of Diamonds and 4 of Hearts. Prepare the card that will be hidden inside the deck first by tearing off one of the corners. Remember which way that card is oriented once it’s covered by the other cards so you don’t accidentally reveal the torn corner to your audience. The card that remains outside of the deck seems to have a unique ability to affect the other card. Rip it on one of the corners or let your spectator do it. Then spread the deck to show the similar face-up card. They can examine the entire deck and both cards or keep them as souvenirs.

Pro Tip: For dramatic effect, you can burn the corner of the card with a lighter. Whatever you decide to change on the card outside of the deck must be applied to the face-up card inside the deck during your setup.

Kris Nevling also teaches the series: “Top Secret Card Magic.” Check out more magic courses on this platform: “Magic You Can Make,” “Hand Illusions,” and “Fechter’s Aces.”