Ekaterina is back with another review video, this time focusing on the Clone effect by J.C. Rodarte. This is a particularly interesting review, given the buzz around Rodarte’s work and Ellusionist’s Adam Wilbur getting a win with it on Penn & Teller Fool Us. How does it really work out in the wild?

Ekaterina acknowledges that Clone is hugely innovative and has some benefits. But she does go into some detail about the practical usage and discrepancies that may come up in putting Clone into use. She especially raises concerns about how well Clone integrates with a classic close-up magic set. For instance, she notes that it takes about 5 minutes to get a full impression of the signature, which is a big chunk of time to fill depending on the type of act you may run. She also predicted issues with making it a regular part of a performance, because the impression device needs to be covered in plastic to dry for four weeks before using it again.

At the end of the day, Ekaterina dubs the device not one she would recommend. That said, she has a helpful takeaway about how fellow magicians may want to think about Clone and other ground-breaking tech.

“It doesn’t matter that you’re adding a new trick each time,” she said. “What matters is the core, what you master in magic, not all the new stuff that’s coming up.”

She’s not the only one who feels that way. Magic website The Jerx recently offered a similar perspective on new effects dubbed “The Green Grass Test” aimed at determining when a recently released gimmick or tool will actually improve your arsenal. Wise words in both cases.