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    Marvel’s MTG Collaboration Proves Magic Needs to Solve Its Supply Chain Issues

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    By on THENEXUS
    Marvel’s MTG Collaboration Proves Magic Needs to Solve Its Supply Chain Issues

    THE Magic: The Reunion Universes Beyond’s collaborations have brought countless new players to the card game, but they have not been without controversy. Starting in 2020 with MTGs Undead Secret Lair, fans expressed concern about how these collaborations and their sales methods affect the health of the game, especially when it comes to buying them. While Universes Beyond and other Secret Lair releases are more popular than ever, their implementation has left many players frustrated or ostracized by the iconic MTG.

    The problems with MTGs collaborations were shown more clearly than ever thanks to Marvel’s Secret Lair collaboration, being an excellent example of why WOTC needs to solve its supply chain problems. Unlike more recent full collaboration sets like the ever-popular Lord of the Rings crossover, the exclusive nature of Secret Lair products makes purchasing them frustrating and sometimes impossible. While there is always some benefit to increasing demand with a sense of scarcity, most fans are simply confused as to why WOTC won’t accept the hard-earned money fans are desperately trying to provide them with.

    The Marvel Collaboration Disaster Explained

    Disappointing many fans excited about the new release

    Being the monolithic franchise that Marvel has grown into, the demand for MTGs the latest Secret Lair was bound to be incredibly loud for both longtime fans and new players. Although this Secret Lair had the makings of one of Magic’s best yet, with iconic characters boasting unique abilities, the release caused widespread frustration among buyers like Reddit user Cheshire Tsunamiwho were feeling disappointed with the state of the hobby.

    Fans were already prepared for the release to sell out quickly, with some players even book time off work and wait in line for hours to buy them, only to be told they are completely sold out.

    Secret Lair’s struggle to have enough stock to last more than a day is a recurring problem of late, with products like the recent Monty Python collaboration selling out within an hour. While MTG has gotten better at responding quickly to increased demand after release, and occasionally even providing a second delivery for unlucky fans, many players are confused about why WOTC doesn’t just prepare more stock in advance.

    Based on the history of the Secret Lair and the current expansion goals of the Universes Beyond line, MTGs Collaboration issues are likely to go deeper than a simple supply chain issue.

    The Biggest Problems with Secret Lair Exclusivity

    Damaging the health of the game with exclusive cards


    The Magic the Gathering Secret Lair logo over D&D MTG art.

    Secret Lair is the main stage for most MTGs Universes beyond collaborations, allowing for much smaller sets involving a handful of cards at a time, rather than the dedication required to release a full set. While this platform may seem like the perfect way to inject some fan-favorite franchises into the popular card game, Secret Lair’s current sales method thrives on predatory exclusivity and premium pricing models.

    Current business practices are alienating many longtime fans by encouraging this culture of exclusivity.

    While they’re easier for fans to digest when it comes to simple reprints of existing cards with new art, the Universes Beyond cards with unique mechanics and designs are where WOTC gets the biggest reaction from the community.

    By far one of the biggest problems faced MTGs Secret Lair collaborations are how they play in the card scalping community, creating a sense of urgency due to intentional card shortages that can be easily taken advantage of. Some Reddit users, like Uuddlrlrbastrat, have even reported seeing users reselling their Marvel Secret Lair cards for ridiculous markups before even receiving the product, likely using bots to get as much product as possible.

    While Secret Lair and other Universes Beyond initiatives are a way of MTG creators to showcase their creativity and bring new life to the franchise, their current business practices are alienating many longtime fans by favoring this culture of exclusivity.

    Concern about future MTG collaboration sets

    Hurting Longtime Magic: Bringing Majority Fans Together

    Where Magic The Gathering’s supply chain issues affect casual players most is with MtG’s Universes beyond commander decksas card stores struggle to get as much product in advance as possible. Most predominantly seen with the incredibly popular Lord of the Rings and War Hammer 40,000 decks, they often sold out within days, leaving players scrambling to purchase them from unreliable dealers or marketplaces.

    Although WOTC has learned from the explosive popularity of war hammer 40k set and provided more stock for the long-awaited LOTR collaboration, it still took a long time for supply of the most popular decks to stabilize after their release.

    Given Universes Beyond’s upcoming collaborations with popular franchises like Final fantasy and Spider-Man released next year, gamers are understandably concerned about repeated supply issues. Fortunately for fans looking to get their hands on these releases, commander decks don’t have the unique shelf life of MTGs Secret Lairswith a drastically greater amount of supply to meet demand. Regardless of which sets will be a little harder to get in the first few weeks, players will receive the same incredibly high-quality and tasty sets. Magic: The Reunion cards they’ve come to expect from previous collaborations.

    Source: Cheshire Tsunami/Reddit, Uuddlrlrbastrat/Reddit

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