As the release date for Magic’s upcoming Secret Lair Superdrop approaches, MTG players have been bombarded by non-stop reveals. There’s been an awful lot to digest, between new Universes Beyond crossovers, bizarre takes on old cards, and incredible reprints. Typically, the latter feature tends to drive the most interest, thanks to the inherent cost of playing MTG nowadays.
A good reprint can make or break a Secret Lair drop, no matter the art style. Thankfully, it seems the Featuring: Matsuhiro Arita Secret Lair has exactly that since Murktide Regent is getting reprinted. As a multiformat staple with a decent value attached, there’s good cause to be excited about this new reprint.
Murktide Regent
Murktide Regent is undoubtedly the star of the show in the Featuring: Matsuhiro Arita Secret Lair. The card commonly appears as an 8/8 flier for two mana in the competitive formats where it sees play. Armed with its infamous sidekick, Psychic Frog, it’s not only easy to Delve this card into existence ahead of schedule, but Psychic Frog’s exile effect can make Murktide Regent grow even larger.
Technically, this is not Murktide Regent’s first Secret Lair appearance, but it is the first time Murktide Regent has been available for anyone in a Secret Lair drop. The card’s first appearance was as a Secret Lair Showdown promo. Because that card is exceptionally difficult to come by, copies of it are worth thousands of dollars.
Sadly, this Murktide Regent won’t retail for anywhere near that. The card’s cheapest variant is worth no less than $11, but we expect this particular copy of the card to push the $20 range thanks to both the beautiful artwork and the premium that Secret Lair cards commonly see attached to their printings.
Shorikai, Genesis Engine
Shorikai, Genesis Engine is an incredibly scary Commander. Commonly appearing in Vintage Cube, Shorikai is a terrifying draw engine that routinely sees cEDH play. It’s easy to control the game with Shorikai in play, especially if you can partner it with an untapping effect like Unwinding Clock. The constant flow of card draw plus cheap bodies should put you in a position to react to anything.
Proteus Staff in combination with Hullbreaker Horror is a common finisher in more competitive Shorikai strategies. This allows the player to completely control the flow of the game, slowing beating the stuffing out of your opponents while denying every action.
While this Control Commander may be a powerhouse, it doesn’t exactly see a lot of demand. Despite only having a single printing in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander, Shorikai only goes for a bit over a dollar. That said, this artwork of Shorikai is absolutely gorgeous, and will likely have a lot of admirers. Anyone trying to add some flare to their Shorikai Commander decks will likely pick this up. As a result, we would not be surprised if this card had quite the premium in comparison to its other printings.
Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice
Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice is a staple in Boggles decks across formats. Sadly, while suiting up an evasive creature with a nightmarish amount of Auras is some incredibly nostalgic Magic, it’s not very popular nowadays. Despite that, Boggles-style decks still routinely appear in Pioneer, Modern, Historic, Explorer, and more, so Light-Paws does see some fringe competitive play.
In Commander, Light-Paws plays a similar role. This creature will appear in any white Aura-focused deck. Sadly, those aren’t very popular in Commander, either, leaving Light-Paws high and dry at just a $1 secondary market value.
Lightning Bolt
After all these years, it appears that the bird is finally Bolting us.
Lightning Bolt is the most iconic red card in all of Magic: The Gathering. Originating from Alpha, Lightning Bolt is incredibly efficient, capable of acting as creature, Planeswalker, and player removal as needed. The card commonly sees play in Modern and Legacy, as it has done for literal decades. The card is a bit less exciting in Commander. Spending one mana for such a linear option is usually superseded by cards that affect the entire table.
Lightning Bolt has a ridiculous amount of reprints, with many different Secret Lair variants included. Considering that the card has more than 50 different variants, it’s unsurprising that the card’s cheapest secondary market value does not eclipse a dollar. While that may be the case, other Secret Lair variants of Lightning Bolt average around $4-$5.
Dragon or Bust
From a financial perspective, this Secret Lair is not an impressive one. Murktide Regent is a fantastic reprint, but none of the other cards included have a very significant secondary market value. That said, the artwork from an iconic TCG artist is absolutely beautiful, and that is bound to have an effect on this Secret Lair’s success.
Proving that point somewhat, many players have already stated that they will be hunting for individual Singles in this Secret Lair. While the reprint value of these cards is not great, many of them have rabid fans.
If you, too, want a copy of this spectacular Murktide Regent, this Secret Lair will be available for sale alongside the many other Secret Lairs revealed recently on February 10th.