I’ve been buying Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair sets since the release of Faerie Faerie Rad. I don’t buy every product that was dropped, only the ones that piqued my interest or would do well with my commander deck. But recently, after the events of The Marvel Superdrop and how unorganized and terrible the experience was, I have decided that 2024 may be the final year I purchase Secret Lair items until the system is fixed.
What Is Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair?
For those out of the loop, Secret Lair is a special Magic: The Gathering product where it’s mainly reprints of certain cards through unique artwork and interpretations. Sometimes, they would offer original/new cards due to collaborations with various IPs via its Universe Beyond program. These items are limited, feature 4-6 cards, and have a usual starting price of $29.99. It used to be a print-on-demand system, where customers would be given a few days or weeks to make an order, then would have to wait months for the item to arrive. But Wizards of the Coast changed it, having already printed a certain amount and it will be shipped immediately after a few days.
This new system is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, your stuff arrives quickly and can use it immediately. Also, not every set sells out immediately, so you can save up for a bit till your next paycheck and buy the item. Then, there is the clusterf*ck that was both the Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Marvel Superdrop release, where items would sell out in an hour, long wait times and most recently, people cheating the system.
While many complained about how bad this is, many sceptics believe that nothing will change since it doesn’t hit Wizard’s bottom line. As long the items sell out, there is no need to fix them. People will spend their money on it, regardless. They just need to know how to play the game. Well, guess what?! The game is rigged and it’s unfair to those who really want it. What’s even worse is for those in countries like Australia, who have to wake up early or stay up all night just to grab hold of these items.
An Australian Perspective of The Marvel Superdrop Release.
Many Americans and Europeans have said their piece about their recent Secret Lair experience. But what about an Australian? Well, as someone who managed to get through the lines without cheat codes, and still managed to get the product, here is my story on what happened during that pre-sale sh*tstorm.
I found out about the Marvel Secret Lair like everyone else, via New York Comic Con. I got to report about it for Collider and after watching Tolarian Community College’s video on potential Commander builds, plus a funny card interaction from MTG Flavor Judge Drawings on X/Twitter, I’ve decided to order two sets – Captain America and Iron Man and create a Civil War-themed deck. Then my boyfriend, who was on the fence to buy this set, eventually agreed to throw money to Wizards as he liked two of the sets as well – Wolverine and Storm. The only thing we’ve debated was if we were going to get Black Panther and spend nearly $200 USD for the whole caboodle.
But then, we learned that Wizards was also giving a limited Arcane Signet card featuring the Avengers Tower. With that knowledge, we agreed to get all 5 Marvel sets, but under the condition that I fork out the shipping if I do manage to get Arcane Signet. According to my boyfriend’s version of Girl Math, the shipping cost would be less than what the card would eventually be worth in places like TCG Player, and it’s true as the last time I visited, a single copy of Avenger’s Tower Arcane Signet was $50 USD.
As someone who lives in Australia and freelances for a North American news outlet, the timing of this wasn’t that bad. All I had to do was work as normal then by 4 am, when I was supposed to sleep, just spent at least 30 minutes in line and get the item. The most I’ve spent in line for a secret lair was 40 minutes, and that was for the Hatsune Miku Superdrop Part 2. So theoretically, it didn’t sound like a bad plan, it’s a great plan.
Boy was I wrong…
4 AM came and little did I know that buying Marvel-themed Magic cards would be as bad as buying Eras Tour tickets. And that’s saying something because I waited 8 hours just to see Taylor Swift. I was on the site 1 hour before the items were on sale. I went to the bundle page, put everything in my cart and off to the races.
“More than an hour”
That’s what it said when it came to my wait time. I had to wait for more than an hour. How long? Didn’t say, but boy howdy I was going to find out. Not only was it long, but the lines paused for a bit due to “technical issues.” Eventually, it moved, but I wasn’t at the checkout till 6 AM! Not only that, I had multiple checkout issues, like the site logging me out despite being logged in, and removing Arcane Signet from my cart because the card I used had insufficient funds (turns out shipping added an extra $10 USD from the usual $7.99), and, not to mention, didn’t find this out till after the transaction, there was a stupid hidden transaction fee that no one was aware of.
TLDR: I waited 2 hours in line, only to be forced to sign in again once I made it to my cart, lost my Arcane Signet promo, and paid too much due to added shipping cost and a hidden fee.
What… the… f*ck…
Needless to say, the sun was already rising and the birds were singing the moment I paid and my order was sorted. The bedroom needed to be in total blackout and I needed to wear an eye mask if I wanted to sleep properly. But dang, I could have pulled off a 24-hour no-sleep challenge if I wanted to thanks to Wizards.
Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair System is Broken
Yes, I’ve said it, the new system is broken. Not only did it create an even worse experience for customers, but there were multiple reports of people skipping the queues, which could explain why my wait time fluctuated between 20 and 40 minutes, why many of the cards were scalped and put to the aftermarket, and why I missed out on Arcane Signet.
What’s the point in buying limited Magic: The Gathering product if you’re going to be stuck in line the whole day and have a high chance of not getting anything? Not to mention, is Wizards of the Coast going to fix its queuing system? If not, I’m literally going to pull the same moves as the queue cutters once Hatsune Miku Part 4 drops sometime in December or January, just so I can end this nightmare.
My experience at the Marvel Superdrop opened my eyes to how bad this new system is. Back then, I wasn’t too fussed about it as usually, I waited less than an hour and due to my job, I can order the items with no issues. But suffering from severe sleep deprivation was definitely not worth the $120+ AUD (inc tax, shipping, and hidden fees).
Including the Marvel Superdrop, I’ve purchased a total of 7 Secret Lair items under my account, maybe one or two if I were to count the stuff my boyfriend ordered on his side. I only bought one set via Facebook groups because it was a better deal than ordering via the Secret Lair website at the time. Until then, my experience buying limited cards wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t great either, but it was fair and less stressful. But this latest experience sucked so much that it drained so much energy out of me. Never again do I want to experience that. So once the fourth and final Hatsune Miku Superdrop is released, I will end my support for Magic’s Secret Lair and will resort to either making proxies or buying singles until the system is fixed.
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