Over the past few years, there has been no greater point of contention in Magic: The Gathering than the introduction and proliferation of Secret Lairs. These products are versions of much-needed cards that are made on a print-to-demand basis. While the idea seems fine enough and most of the Secret Lairs that have been revealed so far have been worth their weight, there are still a few strange things about them that have made some promotional cards more expensive than they would otherwise be.
Many players have lamented the effect of Secret Lairs on the real-world economy of Magic. Every drop is only available for a limited time, regardless of demand for the product, meaning that there have been some concerns about Wizards’ “fear of missing out” business tactics. In addition, the rate at which these drops like the Arcane and Magic crossover are releasing are hard to keep up with, and Wizards has had trouble in the past fulfilling some of the Secret Lair orders on time.
Still, the cards on offer are worthwhile to those who can afford them during and after the drop. The standard drops are usually less expensive than buying the cards individually, and the artists that create the cards are great at capturing the spirit of the given themes. On top of that, there are special bonuses for those who want to acquire special collector pieces - cards that were not d in the drop proper but are now worth large amounts of money. As the player base looks toward the Magic: The Gathering's set releases in 2022, these bonus cards have made for some of the most expensive Magic cards of 2021 and they range from mass printings of a strange theme to an extremely limited print run of a confusing nature.
Magic’s Mirrored Viscera Seer Only Has 100 Copies in Circulation
The mirrored Viscera Seer is probably the most sought-after item that wasn’t announced in the secret lair update. The card itself is a common, but this special version was printed backward and was numbered from 1 to 100. Viscera Seer is a staple of sacrifice-based Commander decks, but doesn’t see much competitive play anymore. That being said, having a commander deck with an extremely rare version of a card is enough of an achievement that these 100 copies have been highly sought after.
Unlike Strixhaven's classic cards on M:TG Arena, this is a game piece in short supply. The only confirmed Secret Lair to have had this card is the Phyrexian Praetor Secret Lair, and on top of that, not every person that bought one gets a special version of the card. There are only about five or so known to be circulating, with some fetching high prices online. While information doesn’t exist at the moment about how many of the Phyrexian Praetor Secret Lairs were sold nor if all of the Viscera Seers were given out as part of that specific drop, the simple act of stamping the cards has given them value beyond their playability.
Magic's “Blueprint” Series Of Artifacts And Lands Are Expensive
As part of the July 23 Superdrop, Wizards of the Coast teamed up with Cosmin Podar to create a series of bonus cards that represented artifacts as they would look in their design phase. Once these cards shipped out with the full suite of Secret Lairs for that month, the designs were called “blueprints” by both Wizards and the community and began to command a high price on the secondary market. Even with the lairs from that time still being worth about the same and others like Magic: The Gathering's Bob Ross basic lands increasing in price, these cards do inflate the price and value somewhat.
The cards are obviously printed in a greater quantity than the Viscera Seer, but that doesn’t mean they’re inexpensive. Swiftfoot Boots and Ornithopter are the most expensive cards in this series according to TCGplayer, sitting at $52 and $46 respectively. Swiftfoot Boots is another Commander staple, protecting important creatures from targeted removal and speeding up big plays, while Ornithopter is a strange but useful card at holding equipment and +1/+1 counters while giving players artifact synergies.
The Stranger Things Magic Crossover Comes With Hawkins National Laboratory
The Walking Dead Secret Lair came with a few large concerns stapled to it – it was the first product in the Universes Beyond line, which already caused some discussion due to its integration of a gritty, non-magical IP into Magic’s game design. Even M:TG's Secret Lair Lord of the Rings crossover seems somewhat out of place given Magic's rich backstory and unique lore. On top of this decision, the cards were completely new and not reprints, meaning that Wizards was bying game stores and selling new cards direct to consumer for only around a week. Despite these concerns, The Walking Dead Secret Lair was considered a success by Wizards of the Coast and a Stranger Things Secret Lair followed suit in 2021.
Every character was revealed with all of them having the “Friends Forever” mechanic, but one card that was left out until after the drop was over - Hawkins National Laboratory. The design is interesting and flavorful, being a transforming land that represents The Upside Down on the backside, but its place in Magic's 100-card Commander format and competitive meta remains to be seen, as the card hasn’t been released yet. Even given all this, the card is preselling on TCGPlayer for $30. It’s interesting to see a location from a popular franchise represented rather than a character, so perhaps this card fits the spirit of being a bonus card better than the ones not tied to an IP.
Much like the Secret Lairs that are mostly reprints, most of these expensive cards are versions and are much more easily accessible elsewhere, save for the Universes Beyond Secret Lairs so far. As more copies are found and sold, prices will begin to stabilize and perhaps some of these won’t be as expensive. Currently, nobody knows why these bonus cards are packaged in with their Stranger Things M:TG Secret Lairs. It may be an attempt to generate hype for the product in both investor circles and in the community at large, or it could be a consolation for the shipping issues that Wizards has had in the past for this product.
Some of the Universes Beyond Secret Lair Bonus Cards are beginning to trickle in from Arcane and Stranger Things, meaning that Wizards is aware of the draw these bonuses have and is more willing to them after the drop is done. The Viscera Seer, Blueprint Cards, and the bonus crossover cards are all purposeful and a strategy by Wizards to get consumers to buy the lairs off the individual drops, enticing them with the possibility of special unknown cards worth tens or hundreds of dollars that can only be acquired for a limited time. Regardless of the concern or excitement Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lairs cause, their catchphrase “Miss a Drop - It’s Gone” has never felt more true.