Magician's Last Secret vs Voodoo: Anti-Faro Half-Brick Sets

Two half-brick sets, two very different puzzles

Both The Magician's Last Secret and Voodoo Playing Cards are sold as half-brick sets with a hidden puzzle, but they ask different things of you. The Magician's Last Secret is built around a 19th-century illusion theme and a cipher split across three decks. Voodoo is a darker, ritual-themed set with gilded edges and a UV-light puzzle. Your choice comes down to which puzzle you want to solve, how soon you want the cards in hand, and whether you need extras like cases or a flashlight.

What each half-brick set contains

• The Magician's Last Secret - Half-Brick Set: Includes one Spades Edition, one Hearts Edition, one Clubs Edition, and three Diamonds Edition decks. The Spades, Hearts, and Clubs decks each contain a fragment of a hidden cipher; the Diamonds Edition is the standard-face deck for everyday performance.
• Voodoo Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The listing describes both Special Edition decks (emi and ori) with a magnetic wooden idol on the Pè Altar tuck box and a die-cut Threshold tuck box. The set is designed around a UV-light puzzle, and the listing notes you can brute-force it with both Special Editions alone but recommends all four editions for the best experience.

Magician's Last Secret: editions and the cipher

• The Magician's Last Secret Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The Spades, Hearts, and Clubs Editions each contain a fragment of a hidden cipher; purchasing all three lets you unravel the mystery. This is the core puzzle structure: you need the three themed decks together, not just one, to follow the trail.

  

• The Magician's Last Secret Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The Diamonds Edition is the Standard Face Edition with recognizable card faces and a standard white border, designed for magicians in everyday performances. If you want a playable deck alongside the puzzle, the three Diamonds decks give you spares for practice or performance.
• The Magician's Last Secret Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The Spade Edition tuck box has a gear mechanism that performs the 'Color Change' when turned. The box itself is a trick, so the set works as a display piece even before you open the cards.
• The Magician's Last Secret Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The Hearts Edition has no special foiling and is designed for smoother handling and everyday performance. If handling matters more than foil, this is the deck in the set to reach for first.

Voodoo: gilding, UV puzzle, and preorder timing

• (PREORDER) Voodoo Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: Both Special Edition decks include a magnetic wooden idol that rests atop the Pè Altar tuck box, and the die-cut Threshold tuck box reveals the figure beyond the box. The packaging is part of the ritual theme, so the set is as much a display object as a deck.

  

• (PREORDER) Voodoo Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The cards have clay gray and obsidian black gilded edges, and the listing says to shine an Anti-faro UV Flashlight to identify the curse-ridden. The UV flashlight is central to the puzzle, and it is offered as a bundle option rather than included in the base set.
• (PREORDER) Voodoo Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: This item is available for preorder only; orders including it ship in early-September after Kickstarter backer rewards are fulfilled. If you need cards now, this set is not the one; the Magician's Last Secret set has no such delay noted.
• (PREORDER) Voodoo Playing Cards - Half-Brick Set: The listing says you can brute-force the puzzle with both emi and ori Special Editions alone, but strongly recommends getting all four editions for the best experience. A two-deck shortcut exists, but the intended solve needs the full four-edition set.

Bundle options that change the value

• Magician's Last Secret bundles: Choose Set Only; Set + 4 Carat Cases (3 Standard + 1 Signature); Set + 4 Deck Stands; or Set + 4 Carat Cases + 4 Deck Stands. The cases and stands are for storage and display, not for the puzzle itself.
• Voodoo bundles: Choose Set Only; Set + Anti-Faro UV Flashlight; Set + 4 Carat Cases (Standard); Set + 4 Deck Stands; Set + Pocket Deck Case; or Set + 4 Carat Cases + 4 Deck Stands + Pocket Deck Case. The UV flashlight is the only bundle item tied directly to solving the puzzle.
• What the listings do not settle: Neither listing states a card count, card stock, or finish beyond what is quoted here. If those details matter to you, treat them as open questions rather than assume they match between sets.

Which set fits your plans

If you want a set you can open and perform with right away, The Magician's Last Secret gives you a standard-face Diamonds deck and a smoother-handling Hearts deck alongside the cipher. The gear-driven tuck box also makes it a ready display piece. If you want a slower, atmospheric puzzle and do not mind waiting for the preorder window, Voodoo's gilded edges and UV-light hunt offer a more theatrical experience, but you will likely want the UV flashlight bundle to play along as intended.

Both sets feed the Room One Collection System: each deck includes an extra collector's card (a Two of Hearts for Magician's Last Secret, a Jack of Hearts for Voodoo), and collecting all 13 in a season earns an ultra-exclusive deck for the cost of shipping. That makes either half-brick a commitment to the season, not just a one-off purchase.