From the moment it was announced, everyone knew the Secret Lair Marvel Superdrop was going to be massive. Five brand new Secret Lairs, each containing a mechanically unique card and stellar reprints, is already a huge deal. The fact these cards kicked off a years-long collaboration with Marvel ensured they’d go down in history.
While there’s no doubt the first Marvel Superdrop will go down in history, infamy might be a better word. Long before this drop launched, it was expected that it would sell out incredibly quickly. Even an increased print run would struggle to cope with the sheer hype and interest from players, fans, and collectors alike.
Unsurprisingly, just as Chris Cocks predicted, the first Marvel Secret Lair drops didn’t take long to sell out. After just a few hours, the first drops became temporarily unavailable, before selling out completely. Since we’ve been writing this article, more and more of the Marvel drops have been selling out. Now, there’s nothing left at all.
Everything Must Go
It is absolutely no surprise that all of the Marvel Secret Lair drops have been selling out so quickly. As mentioned, these Secret Lairs are the perfect storm of desirability. The new cards are exciting, and, for now, this is the only place to get them. On top of that, the selection of reprints is fantastic too, with many drops more than breaking even.
When you factor in the fact these drops showcase some of Marvel’s most beloved and iconic characters, it’s no wonder so much sold out so quickly. Prior to the Superdrop going on sale, Hasbro’s CEO, Chris Cocks, boasted to investors that these drops would sell out “immediately.”
While it’s not the fastest Secret Lair sale ever, the speed of sales has certainly been rather immediate. Sadly, this is bad news for almost everyone involved. If you didn’t manage to buy what you wanted, secondary market prices are likely to be obscene. Considering how desirable each of the new mechanically unique cards is, there’s almost no chance they’re cheap.
Technically, there is some hope that the expanded print volume of this Secret Lair drop will let things settle over time. There’s obviously a rush of demand right now, but that doesn’t necessarily have to last forever. Whether or not we’ll actually see reasonable prices in a few weeks or months, however, remains to be seen.
A Perfect Problematic Storm
To start with the obvious, Wizards of the Coast didn’t print enough of the Marvel Superdrop. Not only have a huge number of players missed out on cards they wanted, but Wizards have hurt themselves too. As much as Cocks might have been able to brag about it, these drops selling out so fast is a bad thing.
Essentially, Chris Cocks managed to brag to investors that they haven’t printed enough to accurately meet demand. Sure, Hasbro might have made a lot of money, but there’s also tons being left on the table. Unless Marvel demanded that only so many cards be printed, this is bad news for literally everyone involved.
Beyond Wizards shooting themselves in the foot, this Secret Lair sale has been an absolute disaster. Long wait times to reach the checkout are nothing new, but the Marvel Superdrop pushed it to the extreme. Even those who rushed to complete their orders in seconds were met with hour-long wait times.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Secret Lair website crashed due to the overwhelming demand. Shortly after the website was restored, drops started selling out, which caused problems for excited players. Due to the length of the queue time, many players were reaching the checkout only to find their carts had been emptied and sold already.
Admittedly, the fact this happens isn’t all too surprising, since adding items to a card doesn’t mean anything. It’s only when you complete the checkout process and your order is confirmed that cards are secured. That being said, this is still incredibly disappointing and infuriating for fans and is a problem that requires addressing.
Do Better
At the end of the day, we can only hope that Wizards of the Coast will do better in the future. As impressive as it may be to have an entire Superdrop sell out so quickly, no one is really happy. Many players are upset that they didn’t get the cards they want, and investors won’t be happy about money being left on the table. For the sake of everyone involved, Wizards should do better.
Annoyingly, Wizards of the Coast even knows how to do better. The last Secret Lair drop offered a new hybrid shipping model that would have made everyone happy. Offering both pre-printed supply and print-to-demand after the fact, this system would have worked perfectly. Hopefully, Wizards will recognize the potential of this experimental model and use it more in the future.
