A couple of weeks back, Wizards of the Coast announced one of the best Secret Lair drops Magic: The Gathering has seen in quite some time. Titled Nuestra Magia, this is a nine-card drop celebrating Latin American art and culture. Value-wise it has a stellar lineup, packing over $50 in cards for the usual $30 Secret Lair asking price. Even better, it was also a charity drop, with 50% of the proceeds going to the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures. Unfortunately, this charity Secret Lair drop has just been hit by a surprise price increase.
This sours what was otherwise a fantastic deal, and doubly so since there’s a charity element involved. As you’d expect, players are none too happy about Wizards’ decision here. The fact that it came unannounced gives it an extra sneaky edge, too. While a deserving charity getting extra money certainly isn’t a bad thing, it’s hard not to feel like Wizards has misled the player base a bit with this one.
The Nuestra Magia Charity Secret Lair Price Increase
The Nuestra Magia charity Secret Lair price increase was pointed out by TeaRex14, in a post on r/MagicTCG. In the original announcement, the drop was priced at $29.99 for the standard version, $39.99 for the Rainbow Foil. Today, however, the Secret Lair website lists it as $39.99 standard, $49.99 Rainbow Foil. This increase affects all versions of the drop, too, not just the US one.
As you’d expect, this change comes as the drop goes live for purchase. It’s unfortunate timing, to be sure, and players in the comments of TeaRex14’s thread were quick to voice their disappointment.
“Yes, this lair has had an unannounced, last-minute price increase from $29.99 for non-foil to $39.99 for non-foil, etc.. I know it’s “for charity”, but this is very slimy.”
_st_sebastian_, via r/MagicTCG
This change went unannounced on the Secret Lair store page, nor did it receive a short, dedicated article informing players. To Wizards’ credit, however, the original announcement has been amended to acknowledge the increase. It notes that the product price has been “corrected,” implying that the original listed prices were a mistake.
Looking back at past charity Secret Lair drops, this makes a ton of sense. Both the Extra Life 2024 drop and the Sheldon’s Spellbook drop were sold at the same prices. As Madnoir points out: “I’m not saying it’s not a bad look, but all the charity secret lairs have been that price. It’s pretty clear they messed up on the article.”
This could very easily be a genuine mistake on Wizards’ part, and most likely is. The original announcement was nearly two weeks ago, mind you, and the correction appears only to have been issued today. That said, the price was never misrepresented at the point of purchase, so it’s hard to be too angry overall.
Still Worth Buying?
Whether you choose to give Wizards the benefit of the doubt or not, the Nuestra Magia charity Secret Lair price increase definitely affects the value proposition of the drop. When we looked at it originally, we praised its fantastic price to value ratio. The total base value of the included cards comes to around $50. For $30, you were nearly doubling your money. For $40, the margins get much slimmer.
“$30 originally was a good price, $40 is meh.”
carbonara3, via r/MagicTCG
Those who were drawn in by the initially-marked low price will be disappointed by today’s developments. That said, the drop is still a pretty solid deal overall. The value of the cards included clears the asking price by $10 easily, potentially much more by the time the dust settles. Many normal Secret Lair drops struggle to even be worth their $30 asking prices, so this is a big improvement over the average.
It’s still definitely worth picking up Nuestra Magia from a financial perspective, then. Even if you don’t enjoy the aesthetic here, there’s a good chance that these singles will retain their value. Both Extra Life 2024 and Sheldon’s Spellbook are now worth over $70 in terms of individual cards, and this drop will likely follow a similar trajectory.
In the end, this seems like an honest mistake. The main upshot here is that players will make slightly less profit on their purchases, and NALAC will get a bit more money instead. The disappointment today for those who hoped to grab the drop at $30, however, is definitely understandable. Hopefully Wizards can avoid, or more quickly address, similar missteps in future.
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