One of the biggest criticisms Magic: The Gathering fans have regarding Secret Lair is that the limited print run of its drops makes it very hard to buy a product before scalpers stock up and start reselling it at much higher prices. This won’t be an issue for the latest drop: Their Magic Is Limitless will be printed to demand and available for two weeks, July 20–Aug. 3.
This is the latest in Secret Lair’s series of charity drops. This time, Magic is partnering with Global Fund for Women, an organization that “supports grassroots gender justice organizations around the world, helping resource the leaders and communities working toward lasting change.” Global Fund for Women will receive 50% of the product price for this Secret Lair.
The drop will include seven cards, a higher number than usual. In comparison, the most recent Extra Life Secret Lair drop only had five cards. Their Magic Is Limitless‘ product and price details are as follows:
Contents:
- 1x Dark Ritual
- 1x Cultivate
- 1x Finale of Devastation
- 1x Lathril, Blade of the Elves
- 1x Coat of Arms
- 1x Sol Ring
- 1x Path of Ancestry
Price:
- Non-foil: $39.99 USD
- Foil: $49.99 US
This Secret Lair is intended to be “a celebration of women through the women of Magic.” The creative team behind it includes eight women from different departments at Wizards of the Coast: Lauren Bond, Sloane Leong, Stephanie Cheung, Anh Nguyen, Alicia Mickes, Kat Morgan, Athena Froehlich, and Rachel Agnes. The artwork on the cards comes from Magali Villeneuve, Fury Galluzzi, Ivy Dolamore, Caroline Gariba, Lena Richards, Livia Prima, and Julie Dillon.
In terms of value, the most sought-after card in the drop is, without a doubt, Finale of Devastation. The card is a powerful tool in green Commander decks, which can tutor creatures and end games at the same time. Its average market price on TCGplayer.com at the time of writing is around $50.
It’s truly surprising to see Secret Lair going back to a print-to-demand policy after Secret Lair senior director Lindsey Bartell explained why this was never going to happen just last February. The system was deemed too disruptive to the company’s supply chain, creating bottlenecks, stockpiles of unsold inventory, and long delays before fans got their product. From January 2024, Secret Lair switched to its current limited-print-run model, but that ended up causing more distress to fans and fueling the scalper market.
Their Magic Is Limitless doesn’t mark a full return to the print-to-demand model. It’s likely that this initiative will be limited to this drop and possibly extended to all the Secret Lair charity drops. However, Wizards is at least showing that print-to-demand is not entirely outside the realm of possibility, as Bartell stated. Understandably, the company doesn’t want to fuel second-market speculation on a product meant for charity, but it’s also setting a precedent that will support fans’ requests for an update of the Secret Lair model.
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