Wizards of the Coast has plans to allow Wizard Play Network (WPN) stores sell mechanically unique Secret Lair cards directly to consumers.
While most cards found in Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair drops are reprints, there are a handful that are mechanically unique with no non-Secret Lair printings available. As such, once Secret Lair with such cards is sold out, it’s extremely difficult for players to find these mechanically unique cards for their decks and collections.
“We've heard from fans that they would like more ways to access those cards beyond the Secret Lair website,” says WotC Communications Director Blake Rasmussen. “Historically we've addressed this through the "SLX" program, landing on in-Multiverse reskins in The List.”
The List, however, went away when Magic moved from Set Boosters to Play Boosters in the latter half of last year.
With this new plan, limited quantities of non-foil, mechanically unique Secret Lair cards will become available at WPN stores to sell directly to their customers – something WotC has never before done.
“It's a bit of a test, but it's one we're excited about,” says Rasmussen.
That excitement is being met with a hint of concern amongst the Magic community, however.
“I'm glad that this helps local game stores, at least in theory, but I'm not convinced printing more limited-supply Lair drops solves the issue of how to reprint mechanically unique cards from Secret Lairs,” comments MTGGoldfish’s SaffronOlive via Twitter.
WotC says they’ll be keeping a close eye on the test to see how it goes an to ensure WPN stores are doing things correctly.
More details on this are expected in the future, but the company says that these drops will become available in stores while supplies last after they go on sale on the Secret Lair website.
