MTG: Raid the Vault – “Secret Lair” is Speeding Up Shipping
It’s always better to get things sooner, but that means it will be gone faster, too. Grab the MTG Secret Lair treasure while you can.
Welcome in, Praetors and Planeswalkers! If you’re a collector like me, just HAVING the good cards isn’t enough; you want to have shiny or unique versions of your favorite cards. Plus, if you love pop culture, then sometimes you might want your favorites to intermingle. While some people want Magic to stay Magic, I love all the crossovers and guest characters. So, as you might guess, Secret Lair is one of my favorite things. If you’ve never heard of Secret Lair, it’s basically a collection of drops, each consisting of 3-7 cards, which are either reskinned favorites or guest-themed new cards. The only problem I have with it is…it takes forever to arrive. Well, the good folks at Wizards have heard our cries and are shifting the delivery schedule to get cards in our hands faster. Unfortunately, this does come with a few drawbacks.
What is the New Model?
Starting in 2024, Wizards is shifting the Secret Lair release from a print-to-demand model to a limited run. That means that, rather than waiting for orders and printing exactly as many as they need, Secret Lairs will all be printed in advance, then shipped when purchased. Players will have their coveted new cards in their hands much faster, since they won’t have to wait for all the other orders to print.
Isn’t that Good?
Yes, it’s great! However, it also comes with a small issue. Since every Secret Lair will only have a set number of prints, it’s possible that a few of the most popular offerings will sell out before the release window ends. In addition, now that the Lairs are limited run, scalpers could become a real problem, buying up loads of product and selling it on the secondary market for a high price.
Should We Worry?
Honestly, I don’t think so. In their announcement post over on their website, Wizards assures us that they’ve watched the release data for the past 10 years of releases. That means they’re confident in their ability to produce enough product for everyone. As to the scalpers, the limited run model may impose a strict limit on how many sets a single user can buy. There are always ways around this, of course, but I trust Wizards to be able to get product into the hands of people who want it. Also, if it doesn’t work, Wizards can always go back to the way it used to be.
Any Advice?
Watch the Secret Lair website if you know there’s a drop you want, and order it as soon as you can. The website it very good about showing the countdowns for each drop, and with the queue system they’ve always had still in place, I’m not worried about a lack of product. Just don’t wait until the last minute.
What do you think of this new model?
