Secret Lair
Secret Lair is a “sub-brand” of Magic: The Gathering that groups existing cards into small collectible pseudo-sets called "drops", with strange themes and wild new art styles.[1][2] The name was inspired by the un-card R&D’s Secret Lair.[3]
Description
The Secret Lair Series is Wizard of the Coast's first full foray into selling single reprints directly to players.
The first Secret Lair series all consisted of alternate art reprints. Wizards of the Coast was trying to work with artists they usually didn't: street artists, comic book artists, album cover designers, etc. Alternately, they used traditional Magic artists working with very non-traditional art briefs. In some later series, original art was used in combination with alternate card frames.
With the The Walking Dead series, the premise of only reprints with alternate art was abandoned. Mark Heggen revealed that R&D views the Secret Lair platform as a product-testing grounds platform that lets them try things they can't do in normal products. He acknowledged that it had been art up to 2020, but that they had broadened the concept to speak to audiences of different sizes.[4] If they identify a small group that would be thrilled by a specific product, this could cater to them: "like the game of Magic the Secret Lair will always try new things and evolve - the first year focused on art which is the low hanging fruit" and "as we have new ideas and want to try new things to make the game joyful for more people, Secret Lair is the place to do that experimentation".
Even though the reaction among the fans was very negative, the Walking Dead was the best-selling drop, luring buyers from outside of the Magic world. This prompted the company to keep on experimenting in this realm[5] and creating the Universes Beyond product line. The 2019 Secret Lair team was awarded a Heroes of the Realm card: Keeper of the Secret Lair.
Drop Series
All cards in the print-to-demand Secret Lair Drop Series have a rare or mythic rare shooting star expansion symbol. The tokens have a common expansion symbol. The Secret Lair Drop Series are in English only.
Each "drop" usually contains between three and seven cards and/or tokens in a customized collector box, costing either $29.99, $39.99, or $49.99 depending on the drop – some of which use premium foil cards as well. Additionally, the "drops" can contain digital product redemption codes for MTG Arena or MTG Online for various online products to be used on their respective platform. The drops are only available for purchase from the Wizards of the Coast webshop secretlair.wizards.com. In the first year, each drop usually only lasted for 24 hours (though there were some exceptions). "Superdrops" were introduced as multi-day sales that include multiple different drops that can be purchased individually or as part of a bundle.[6] Additional information on the contents of each Secret Lair Drop can be found on the webshop secretlair.wizards.com. In the second year, Wizards of the Coast focused more on superdrops, with solitary drops still possible for special occasions.[5]
Original cards
While originally featuring reprint cards, a few Secret Lair Drops instead introduced brand new cards created just for the drop, starting with The Walking Dead drop and continuing with other Universes Beyond releases. These cards are legal in eternal formats. In June 2021, it was announced that for upcoming Universes Beyond Secret Lairs, Wizards of the Coast plans to create and print in-canon versions of mechanically unique Universes Beyond cards, about six months after release. The new versions will be set in Magic 's Multiverse[7] and will be available on The List. The non-canon cards and the canon cards are considered equivalent game pieces, meaning you can only play four copies (or one copy) of either the Magic version or Universes Beyond version in your deck.
Packaging
Originally, each drop was packaged in a black box. Starting with the All-Natural Superdrop, the packaging for all Secret Lair drops was reduced to less than half the original volume, being made from all-recyclable paper (except the plastic card wraps), and containing 91% less plastic by volume. The April 2022 Superdrop introduced even smaller envelope packaging for regular, using less material and is lighter in weight, thereby creating less waste and making distribution more sustainable.[8] Going forward, the slim black box packaging will be restricted to most cobranded Secret Lair drops (e.g., Street Fighter), and most philanthropic drops (e.g., Extra Life 2021).
Bonus cards
Each drop is delivered with a bonus card in the package. The chosen card may vary, but each drop only comes with a certain selection of cards. Originally, these themes had a theme connected to that specific drop. Later, specific bonus cards could be tied to a specific drop or could be chosen from an unrelated themed subset.
These cards include a.o.:
- Stained-glass planeswalkers — the 36 War of the Spark planeswalkers, featuring the stained-glass artwork first seen in the War of the Spark teaser.
- Jumpstart lands — foil versions of the thematic basic lands from Jumpstart.
- Blueprint cards — artifacts and lands featuring design plans or other technical drawings by Cosmin Podar. These appear about 1:8 times.
- Mirrored cards — cards printed in reverse. These have their original expansion code and collector number, but have an extra stamped golden serial number. These are extremely rare chase cards.
- Extended art Slivers — extended art versions of Sliver cards that haven't had that treatment before.
- Extended art Elves — extended art versions of Elf creature cards that haven't had that treatment before.
- Sketch cards — Sketch versions of cards in the Artist Series.
Secret Lair Promos
The following cards are standalone releases, and have "Secret Lair Promo" in the information below the text box.
| SLD # | Card | Release date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 721 | Diabolic Tutor | 2022-07-23 | "Brain Dead" collab with retro frame and alternate art.[12] |
| 900 | The Scarab God | 2022-12-05 | Exclusive bonus card with DJ art by Barely Human for spending $200 on a Secret Lair Drop Series: December Superdrop 2022 purchase.[13] |
| 901 | Lightning Bolt | 2023-09-22 | Exclusive bonus card included with the Nerf LMTD Lightning Lair dart blaster.[14] |
| 902 | |||
| 903 | The Locust God | 2023-11-20 | Exclusive bonus card for every $200 spent in a single order of Secret Lair Drop Series: Secretversary 2023. |
| SLP # | Card | Release date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0010 | Relentless Rats | 2023-05-18 | Art by GodMachine. Part of the Festival in a Box connected to MagicCon Barcelona 2023. |
| 0011 | Relentless Rats | 2023-09-22 | Art by Graham Yarrington. Part of the Festival in a Box connected to MagicCon Las Vegas 2023. Also for attendees who spend over $150 at the show store on-site. |
| 0019 | Ponder | 2024-02-23 | Art by Jay Ryan. For attendees of MagicCon Chicago 2024 who spend over $150 at the show store on-site. |
Secret Lair 295
The following cards are standalone releases of serial numbered cards and have "Secret Lair 295" in the information below the text box.
| SLD # | Card | Release date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 713 | Swords to Plowshares | 2023-09-23 | Randomly distributed as free gifts to visitors of MagicCon Las Vegas.[15] |
| 714 | Merfolk of the Pearl Trident | 2023-08-03 | Randomly distributed as free gifts to visitors of the Magic areas of Gen Con Indiana.[16][17] |
| 715 | Lord of the Pit | 2023-07-28 | Randomly distributed as free gifts to visitors of MagicCon Barcelona.[18] |
| 716 | Shivan Dragon | 2023-02-17 | Randomly distributed as free gifts to visitors of MagicCon Philadelphia.[19][20] |
| 717 | Giant Growth | 2023-05-05 | Randomly distributed as free gifts to visitors of MagicCon Minneapolis.[21] |
Secret Lair Prize cards
The following cards are standalone releases, and have "Secret Lair Play" (for participation) or "Secret Lair Prize" in the information below the text box. They were introduced as prizes for the 2022–23 Pro Tour Season.[22]
| SLD # | Card | Release date | Awarded to: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8001 | Jace, The Mind Sculptor | 2023-02-17 | 2023 Pro Tour participants |
| SLP # | Card | Release date | Awarded to: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0001 | Brainstorm | 2023-02-17 | 2023 Secret Lair Showdown Champions (only four in existence[23]) |
| 0002 | Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | 2023-02-17 | 2023 Secret Lair Showdown Top 32s |
| 0003 | Fatal Push | 2023-02-17 | 2023 Secret Lair Showdown participants |
| 0004 | Unholy Heat | 2023-04-22 | Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor RCQ participants |
| 0005 | Eldritch Evolution | 2023-04-22 | Pro Tour Murders RCQ Top 8's |
| 0006 | Ugin, the Spirit Dragon | 2023-09-03 | Pro Tour Murders RCQ Champions |
| 0007 | An Offer You Can't Refuse | 2023-04-22 | Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction RCQ participants |
| 0008 | Death's Shadow | 2023-04-22 | Pro Tour Outlaws RCQ Top 8's |
| 0009 | Dragonlord Silumgar | 2023-09-03 | Pro Tour Outlaws RCQ Champions |
| 0012 | Explore | 2024-05-04 | Pro Tour 2024-3 RCQ participants |
| 0013 | Expressive Iteration | 2024-05-04 | Pro Tour 2024-3 RCQ Top 8's |
| 0014 | Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle | 2024-05-04 | Pro Tour 2024-3 RCQ Champions |
| 0015 | TBA | ||
| 0016 | Dark Ritual | 2024-02-23 | 2024 Secret Lair Showdown Champions (only four in existence[24]) |
| 0017 | Murktide Regent | 2024-02-23 | 2024 Secret Lair Showdown Top 32s |
| 0018 | Spell Pierce | 2024-02-23 | 2024 Secret Lair Showdown participants |
Specials
Ultimate Edition
Ultimate Edition is a different product line under the Secret Lair umbrella with the same sensibility but with a different distribution model (through LGS's).[6]
| Set | SLU # | Release date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secret Lair: Ultimate Edition | 001 - 005 | 2020-05-29 | Around $400 |
| Secret Lair: Ultimate Edition 2 | 011 - 020 | 2021-03-05 | Around $115 |
Ultimate Edition bonus cards
| Set | SLU # | Release date | Bonus card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secret Lair: Ultimate Edition 2 | 504 | 2021-03-05 | Stained-glass Blast Zone |
30th Anniversary Countdown Kit
| Set | SLC # | Release date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secret Lair 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit | 1993 - 2023 | 2022-11-01 | $149.99 |
Secret Lair Playtest cards
Gallery
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Original packaging (2019)
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Reduced packaging (2021)
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Envelope packaging (2022)
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Envelope packaging (reverse)
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Secret Lair 295 Shivan Dragon packaging
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Trivia
- The Secret Lair team has received two Heroes of the Realm reward cards - the Keeper of the Secret Lair and The Secret Lair.
References
- ↑ Tom Marks (November 25, 2019). "Magic: The Gathering Reveals New Secret Lair Drop Series With Wild Art". Ca.ign.com.
- ↑ Mark Heggen (November 25, 2019). "Revealing Secret Lair". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 7, 2022). "Did the card “R&D’s Secret Lair” have any inspiration in the naming of the product “Secret Lair”?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Weekly MTG - Secret Lair: The Walking Dead (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (October 2, 2020).
- ↑ a b Weekly MTG: Secret Lair 2021 Sneak Peak. Magicthegather.com (December 3, 2020).
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (March 13, 2020). "Making Fetch Happen—Secret Lair: Ultimate Edition". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 7, 2021). "Secret Lair Universes Beyond Update". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (May 6, 2022). "Statement on Sustainability and Secret Lair Drop Packaging". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ MetalGearHorus (February 24, 2021). "My Secreversary 2020 Arrived!". Reddit.
- ↑ Imnotanerd (February 9, 2021). "Persistent Petitioners (596)". Reddit.
- ↑ Underwater_otter (December 1, 2021). "A friend just pulled a Persistent Petitioner as his hidden/bonus card from a Teferi Secret Lair". Reddit.
- ↑ John Hall (July 15, 2022). "Upcoming MTG Secret Lair x Brain Dead Drop Teased". StarCityGames.
- ↑ Secret Lair December Superdrop (Video). Weekly MTG. YouTube (December 1, 2022).
- ↑ Magic: The Gathering (September 22, 2023). "Revealed today! The Wizard_Magic x NERF LMTD LIGHTNING LAIR!". Twitter.
- ↑ u/SaltedDucks (September 22, 2023). "[SLD] Swords to Plowshares (MagicCon Las Vegas)". Reddit.
- ↑ u/Munsonian (August 3, 2023). "Stranger Handed This to Me at GenCon". Reddit.
- ↑ Ben Bleiweiss (August 3, 2023). "Here's a picture of the Secret Lair Merfolk of the Pearl Trident for those wondering!". Twitter.
- ↑ u/SaltedDucks (July 28, 2023). "[SLD] Lord of the Pit (MagicCon Barcelona)". Reddit.
- ↑ u/Argument_In_My_Head (February 17, 2023). "Mtg Philly randomly dropping serialized secret lair card". Reddit.
- ↑ u/C10ckwork (February 17, 2023). "SLD Shivan Dragon". Reddit.
- ↑ u/SaltedDucks (May 5, 2023). "[SLD] Giant Growth". Reddit.
- ↑ Billy Jensen on MagicCon and Secret Lair Prize Cards (Video). Weekly MTG. YouTube (November 11, 2022).
- ↑ Magic: The Gathering (December 15, 2022). "we're thrilled". Twitter.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 17, 2023). "The 2024 MagicCon Schedule". Magic.gg.