Magic: The Reunion and Marvel’s Secret Lair collaboration has already started arriving for fans lucky enough to purchase them, who have been pleasantly surprised by the bonus cards included in each set. Although Secret Lair has had its share of controversies over inventory issues and sales tactics, the cards are as flavorful and unique as ever. Even though it is unlikely that MtG will change its successful business model soon, it could still learn from the popularity of its Marvel bonus cards.
The Secret Lair Marvel Hero Cards were a highly anticipated set, being announced over a year ago to much fanfare from old players and newcomers alike. Luckily for fans who missed the chance to grab any cards from this Universes Beyond collaboration, players won’t have to rush as much when the second drop arrives as part of their Marvel Spider-Man decks. While not much has been revealed about the set so far, other than it releasing next year, MtG should follow its trend of offering valuable and themed bonus cards for each Secret Lair.
MtG Groot cards are the perfect Secret Lair bonus
A fantastic addition to any Marvel Commander deck
Unlike some Secret Lair releases in the past, Each of the Marvel collaboration card packs came with a bonus Groot card themed to the deck. Not only is everyone’s art unique and cute in its own right, but each Groot card fits perfectly into the game mechanics of the commander deck. While the original prints of each theme card aren’t worth much on their own, the limited nature of Groot’s variations is already fetching a high price on the secondhand market.
Reddit User Ydnar84 even compiled a list of every Groot bonus card in just a few days, with fans benefiting from Secret Lair’s much faster shipping times as of late instead of waiting months in the past for their shiny new cards. While this compiles the list of standard bonus card inclusions, MtG continues its trend of offering extra rare bonus cards among them, with some lucky fans receiving a Groot version of Abundant Growth in each set.
While these cards should be worth an even drastically higher price due to their limited supply, some fans are still frustrated by the randomness of the Secret Lair bonus cardsespecially when receiving cards that can’t be played with the commander they bought, when they don’t plan on reselling them.
The Right Theme Can Make Bonus Cards Great
Finding the balance between value and luck
Secret Lair’s most memorable bonus cards in MtG story are always ones that fit thematically within the included set, making them a fantastic value addition rather than adding another card to sit in a folder. While MtG Marvel Secret Lair started strong with cards designed for each set mechanically alongside an overarching theme between them, the insistence on random play left a bitter taste in the mouths of some fans. To appease both audiences, future Secret Lairs could benefit from having an opt-out system for these rare bonuses, allowing fans more control over the cards they receive in the packs they paid for.
Recently, some rare bonus cards like PrecipitationMiku’s Mana Vault or Miku’s Snapcaster Mage also had incredibly low chances of being dropped, with the Mana Vault only appearing once in approximately every 30 packs, resulting in it being sold on the secondary market for thousands of dollars. While randomness for rare cards is an essential part of the DNA of any successful trading card game, Secret Lair’s approach to random bonuses feels like a forced addition to these predetermined premium sets.
With how often Secret Lair cards are sold out, Wizards of the Coast has clear evidence that collaboration sets need more stock prepared in advance to meet new levels of player demand if the publisher is to avoid another debacle. Marvel or Monty Python release. Despite financial success Magic: The ReunionWith the recent Secret Lair and Universes Beyond collaborations, WOTC must learn from the success and failures of its recent Secret Lair releases if it wants to continue to keep players invested in future releases without burning out loyal fans.
Source: Ydnar84/Reddit