Gaming: MTG Secret Lair Showcase: Spring SuperDrop 2024

BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Spring is on the horizon, and to many, this time of year brings thoughts of flowers, bees, and a return to the great outdoors after the chill of Winter finally passes by. But for Magic players, the first days of May also feature another exciting idea to look forward to: the Spring SuperDrop. This massive monthly release features an entirely new host of Secret Lair packs that offer unique spins on old cards, and at times, entirely new and exclusive entries that promise to shake up your local game table.

KX News is no stranger to the idea of Secret Lairs (having discussed the April Equinox Drop and Sheldon’s Spellbook packages at length in previous articles), but has only recently begun to highlight each and every drop. As a result of this sudden change, it is worth noting that our previous Secret Lair Showcase was rather late — and as a result, many who may have been intrigued in the sets on display may not have had an opportunity to look them over before finding their choices sold out. To rectify this grave mistake, we’ve instead opted to present an overview of this month’s Secret Lair Showcase before the drop is officially released on Monday, May 13, in the hopes of helping you pick out the best packs in terms of both price and personal opinion.

(Please keep in mind that the prices and components listed below do not count any ‘Bonus’ cards that may be added to the Secret Lair Packs upon their delivery that are unknown. Any confirmed bonuses, however, are included.)

Hatsune Miku: Sakura Superstar

Ever since the announcement of both Secret Lair and the Universes Beyond program, MTG has released cards that delve far beyond their larger tie-in sets, with examples including cards themed to Street Fighter, Tomb Raider, and the 2023 live action Dungeons and Dragons movie. Among all of these crossovers, however, perhaps one of the strangest is its new partnership with Hatsune Miku: the most iconic member of Japan’s Vocaloid (virtual idol) project. In the past, the character has appeared on everything from real-world tours to Coca-Cola cans to ads for Domino’s Pizza (really), and now, she brings her striking songstress style to Magic: The Gathering. Over the next few months of Secret Lairs, a set of four Miku-themed bundles will be coming to the store in limited supply — the first of which, Sakura Superstar, makes its debut on the stage during May’s SuperDrop.

On the surface, this larger-than-average Secret Lair is fairly impressive, sporting a nice mix of Legendary Creatures (Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Feather, the Redeemed) and cards that are extremely fitting (especially Harmonize). Curiously, though, the pack seems torn between two separate ideas: while there is a fair amount of synergy between its Red/White offerings (both Shelter and Chandra’s Ignition can be recycled with Feather’s effect, and Inspiring Vantage is both of her colors), the other two entries fit into neither the same colors nor strategies, being more at home in Green strategies focused around ramping and Lands. This slight disarray is made even more jarring by the frequent shifts in art style for each card — which, while a good way to showcase different creators, does work against the idea of a shared theme or design among all of the cards (a factor which is especially important when one considers how many Miku-themed cards are expected to land over the next few months). A container orchard can thrive on a porch, a patio, and, in some instances, even a balcony. To get started, you only need a few materials.

Unfortunately, the Sakura Superstar set’s problems do not end with the confusion prevalent in their art style: with the exception of Chandra’s Ignition (which is receiving its first foil reprint), none of its offerings are worth more than $6 in either their normal or foil versions. Although there is a chance that it may become more valuable if the other sets in this crossover contribute to the two themes on display even further, for now, we will have to advise against adding the Sakura Superstar selection to your playlist… at least, as far as prices are concerned.

Goblingram

Despite the reputation Goblins have as nothing more than pests, there are several examples of members of the race that have risen above their expendable nature: Mercadian Goblins are large and highly intelligent, Ixalan Goblins have carved out a mighty reputation as swashbuckling pirates, and Squee, the Immortal has (unintentionally) gone down in history as one of the Multiverse’s greatest heroes. Unfortunately for these unique specimens, the massive hordes of Goblins grow every day, and move and die faster than one can blink — which makes it very difficult for those who may have formed bonds to stay connected with friends or like-minded minions outside of the battlefield. Enter Goblingram: a social network exclusively for these tiny terrors, where Goblins of all shapes and sizes can bond over the one thing that ties them all together… a thirst for attention.

As immersion-shattering as it may be, the idea of Goblins posting on social media in the same manner that teens and young adults do is relatively entertaining. (the addition of Thrun, the Last Troll as a literal internet troll is also fairly humorous, and many suspect that he will be included as the Lair’s bonus card). However, the social media aesthetic can be slightly off-putting for many who would prefer their modern technology and card games separate. Adding to the confusion is the fact that some of the longer effects are cut off in the text box — a factor that may be annoying to some players who can’t remember the exact abilities of these cards or confuse them for others. It would be one thing if the Goblins in this pack were particularly notable, but unfortunately, this is also not the case: outside of Goblin Chieftain and Goblin Welder, the selection on display is fairly weak as far as Goblins go: Brash Taunter is a Goblin in name only, Mogg War Marshal is only played in Modern Format, and Goblin Ringleader is easily outclassed by Goblin Recruiter. Furthermore, previous Goblin-themed Secret Lairs have showcased that Wizards of the Coast is more than willing to include some of the rarer members of the Creature Type in these bundles (Goblin & Squabblin’ featured Recruiter and Muxus, Goblin Grandee, <explosion sounds> boasted Goblin Sharpshooter and Goblin King, and both included a copy of Goblin Lackey), which only serves to make this selection look even more disappointing by comparison.

While Goblingram itself may be raking in money in the Multiverse, the same cannot be said for its value in our world: a majority of the set is fairly low in price, with Chieftain and Welder serving as the only significant contributors. This, unfortunately, renders Goblingram not worth the price of purchase in either the Foil or Nonfoil variants to anyone but the most die-hard Goblin fanatics… and even then, our columnist (who happens to be a Certified Goblin Fanatic) notes that those players may simply wish to wait and order the ones relevant to their strategy rather than splurge for the entire collection.

Outlaw Anthologies

The story of MTG is a long and extremely convoluted one, and with any such tale, it is only natural that plenty of villains would arise to threaten the peace of their Plane and many others on their quests for fame, riches, power, or anything else. As a send-up to these masterminds of the Multiverse, this week’s Secret Lair brings eight of them to life once again through a series of two sets (the Outlaw Anthologies) themed after pulpy magazine covers. The first of the pair, Rebellious Renegades, focuses on some of modern Magic’s greatest foes… and, for some reason, Grenzo the Goblin (who is really more of a minor nuisance than a genuine threat in the grand scheme of things).

While each technically fits into the Grixis color scheme (Red/Blue/Black) and can be run in the same deck, there is no highly-specific shared theme between the cards in this bundle, making it serve mostly as a showcase of some of MTG’s most infamous villains. Of particular note is the inclusion of two separate Planeswalkers (Tezzeret the Seeker and Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker), both of whom had major roles in threatening the fate of the Multiverse. More infamous them them, however, is Griselbrand — a Creature so powerful that it is banned in Commander due to the tremendous power its effect can grant players with plenty of life. When combined with a card like Grenzo, Havoc Raiser who perfectly illustrates the idea of an old-fashioned saloon brawl, the set paints a picture of a devious group who seek to take what they deem rightfully theirs by any means necessary… which certainly fits the art’s theme of rough-and-tumble action.

Sadly for those seeking to claim the bounty on these outlaws at a later date, the bulk of this pack’s value in both versions is made up of Tezzeret’s cost. On top of this, the set is also crippled by the fact that Griselbrand is unplayable in the game’s most popular format— meaning that this set seems to appeal far more to those intrigued by Magic lore and new versions of their favorite characters than anyone seeking to actually play the cards in question.

The second section of the Outlaw Anthology, known as Sinister Scoundrels, continues the trend by placing a large focus on older villains. While many of those featured in the first set are more recent adversaries, those in this pack tend to be much more ancient in nature — in regard to both Magic history and actual game release.

Outside of Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, a majority of the cards featured in the pack are from much earlier than those in Rebellious Renegades: Karona, False God last appeared in Scourge, and the mechanical menace Memnarch made his debut in Mirrodin. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, meanwhile, serves as a reminder of the Phyrexian Invasion that once swept over the Multiverse, thus ensuring that two of Magic’s three greatest threats are represented (the third, presumably, does not have a wanted poster because its mere presence would drive anyone who tried to make one insane).

As far as finances are concerned, Sinister Scoundrels loses to Rebellious Renegades in terms of nonfil value, but is leaps and bounds above it when foil is brought into the equation— mostly due to the promise of a Foil Karona, which has not been reprinted since her debut before modern Magic even existed. It should be noted, however, that even with this massive bonus, the rest of the set’s entries also fetch their own fair prices (particularly Korvold), albeit not enough to make up for the pack’s initial price.

Showcase: Outlaws of Thunder Junction

In many of the latest Magic expansions, a selection of cards receive what is known as the Showcase treatment: an alternate art variant themed after the world in which the booster pack is set (previous examples include the Anime-styled cards from Kamigawa or the Enchanting Tales series from Eldraine). In the case of Thunder Junction, a Plane based on the Wild West days of America, this idea takes the form of Wanted Posters depicting famous Legendary Creatures from all throughout Magic History — and in this month’s Showcase Secret Lair, four more Legends who did not appear in the original pack are receiving the same treatment.

As mentioned above, these Legendary Creatures are portrayed in the same format as the recent booster pack’s Showcase art — and while none of them technically fit Magic’s definition of an ‘Outlaw’ (not even the one with Outlaw directly printed in her name), they are all certainly worthy of the posters due to their traitorous or otherwise mischievous nature. Much like the other Thunder-Junction themed sets, there is no underlying theme to these cards other than highlighting notorious individuals across the Multiverse… but this is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it contains popular Commanders like Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, and Magda, Brazen Outlaw. The largest and most important aspect of the set, however, is the addition of Dack Fayden: an extremely popular Planeswalker, and likewise one that always attains high values due to his reputation and lack of reprints.

Interestingly enough, a recent Tweet has confirmed the bonus card that will be included in this Secret Lair: Norin the Wary, a very peculiar Creature known for his tendency to ‘run away'(exile himself) from the battlefield before returning at the end of the turn. This skill is shown in the card’s unique double-sided nature — which allows a player to flip him over to indicate whenever Norin is in exile. When one considers the fact that Norin himself is already a fairly costly card, many believe that this unique variant will fetch a high price all its own.

(Image Credits: Good Luck High Five)

Unfortunately, even with the inclusion of this costly coward, the non-foil version of this showcase is not nearly enough to warrant its price. The same, however, cannot be said for the Foil Edition — where the hefty prices of Dack Fayden and Kalitas hoist the set far above its purchasing price. This number is raised even further when Norin is added into the equation, making it more than a worthy purchase.

Poker Faces

Between the Thunder Junction Showcase and the Outlaw Anthologies, this month’s focus is clearly on life on the range… and what would anything themed around the Wild West be without a tense game of high-stakes Poker at the local saloon?

This special set features a mixture of older favorites (Goblin King and Coffin Queen are from Vintage MTG) and newer entries (Professional Face-Breaker and Jaxis, the Troublemaker are both from Streets of New Capenna) designed to resemble classic playing cards— and the fact that each of the Creatures, while not themed to one another, includes the face card in their names (with the exception of Rankle, Master of Pranks as the Joker) is a nice touch. Sadly, this formatting also prevents players from seeing the rules text of these cards — which, in a sense, this makes them far more suited for a collectable binder than actual gameplay. Still, their fairly unique nature makes Poker Faces more than worthy of a look for any collector, especially one who hopes to store and save them for future reselling.

While there is certainly potential in the unique designs and scarcity of these cards, their current values are low in NonFoil, but just enough to break even on the secondary market in foil — and the vast majority of this is due to Goblin King, who last received the treatment many years ago. If anything, it should be noted that the presence of Coffin Queen (who has never been printed in foil before) serves as an interesting ‘wild card’ for the set, and could dramatically raise its price in the long run… meaning a great potential reward for anyone willing to take a chance.

sAnS mERcY

Magic: The Gathering is no stranger to pranks, especially when it comes to their Secret Lair bundles: in the past, limited-edition packs offering cards that are notoriously terrible or specifically designed for left-handed players have served as ways to both celebrate the joke-focused holiday and provide players with unique additions to their collection. However, the sheer number of Fallout tie-ins and unique designs from April’s series of drops seems to have prevented them from releasing their 2024 April Fools product in time for the term to apply. As is clearly visible by the late release, though, they are clearly not ones to let an opportunity for a joke pass them by entirely — and thus, sAnS mERcY (a set focused on utterly destroying the opponents’ cards and confidence) was given a second chance to make an impact as part of this month’s fare.

While the strange capitalization and relatively insulting flavor text are clearly meant to be the joke aspect of these cards, it may surprise some to see that it is paired with very intense and detailed artwork, all of which perfectly fits the set’s themes of violence and death. To exemplify this idea, each card in sAnS mERcY features an effect that destroys or otherwise weakens cards on the field, ranging from the iconic (Doom Blade) to the ridiculously powerful (Torment of Hailfire) to the downright infuriating (Ruination). When combined with a classic example of the ‘alternative board wipe’ in Massacre and the God that best represents its ideals (Mogis, God of Slaughter), this set reigns as one of Secret Lair’s most aggressively themed, both in the figurative and literal sense.

While it is a shame that the set does not include other beloved board wipes like Mutilate or Toxic Deluge (or perhaps more expensive fare such as Damnation or The Meathook Massacre), the pack still maintains a fair amount of value — mostly stemming from Torment of Hailfire, but also aided by Mogis and Ruination. This is especially the case in the Foil variant, which boasts both impressive foil values from Mogis and Hailfire, but also the first foil reprint of Massacre since its inception in Nemesis. On top of this, this May-pril Fools set also features the first foil printing of Ruination in existence: a factor which could push the pack’s value even further on the secondary market after the SuperDrop shop sells out.

As opposed to many of the fairly underwhelming Secret Lairs featured in Equinox (at least, in terms of financial value), this month’s selections are more often than not worth more than one would purchase them for — which makes choosing a best and worst slightly more difficult than April’s relatively simple decision. Luckily, there are still clear winners (and losers) to be found this week. Below is a list of the set worth the most, the set to avoid, and our Columnist’s personal pick from the Spring SuperDrop.

Financial Pick: Outlaw Anthology Volume 2: Sinister Scoundrels (Foil Edition) – After excluding any cards that do not have exact values, the Foil Variant of the Second Outlaw Anthology boasts the most impressive prices from its cards — particularly due to the massive price tag on Karona, False God. However, as Karona is a relatively risky purchase considering its fairly low popularity in Commander Format, it may be best to look past it in favor of other, more stable options.

Columnist’s Schtick: sAnS mERcY (Foil Edition)- Despite a slightly irritating text format (our columnist is of the belief that using Comic Sans is a crime against writing), sAnS mERcY is an impressive collection of classic destructive cards. In addition to a new version of one of Magic’s most devastating Black spells in Torment of Hailfire and awe-inspiring artwork, the inclusion of the first foil Ruination offers a level of intrigue that can also appeal to the financial aspect — especially due to the limited number of them that will be printed thanks to the Secret Lair program’s new policy.

Set to Kick: Hatsune Miku: Sakura Superstar (Both Editions) – While some of the art on these tie-ins is admittedly impressive, the niche nature of the crossover and the relatively low value of most of the cards within this set mean that only die-hard Miku fans will want to take an interest in it.

The Spring SuperDrop 2024 will open on Monday, May 13, and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on June 2 (or until all limited-edition packs are sold out). As an added bonus, anyone who spends at least $200 in this month’s Secret Lair shop (including on bundles, which have not yet been revealed) will receive an exclusive alternate art variant of the popular and powerful Seedborn Muse.