Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
14, Nov, 22

MTG’s Cutest Secret Lair Is Being Held Hostage!

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Article at a Glance

While some Secret Lair products aren’t without controversy, for the most part, Secret Lair Drops are a welcome addition to MTG’s release calendar. Providing interested players with fantastic art and often surprisingly cost-effective value. Usually, Secret Lair Drops are worth looking forward to. Unfortunately, as we alluded to, not all Secret Lair Drops are looked upon favorably by the MTG community. For instance, the 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit had a rather disastrous launch. Only being available in limited supply, many players claimed Wizards made this fantastic Secret Lair needlessly exclusive. Unfortunately, it seems that Wizards hasn’t succumbed to player demand, as another disappointingly exclusive Secret Lair has been announced. To make matters worse, this Secret Lair is potentially the cutest one to date. 

MTG Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties

Announced during last week’s WeeklyMTG Stream, the Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties drop quickly became a fan favorite. Featuring artwork by the Japanese artist Tatamepi, the Look at the Kitties Secret Lair is just so cute. Seriously, look at the art for Felidar Sovereign and try not to fall in love. With adorable faces all around, it’s no wonder that MTG players fell in love with this kitten-themed Secret Lair. On Reddit, for instance, players such as u/RWGlix simply stated, “These are incredibly adorable.” Showcasing similar enthusiasm, u/DivinePotatoe stated they “have a Lord Windgrace Landfall EDH deck. I NEED IT.” 

Unfortunately for players who’re smitten with these kittens, however, the Look at the Kitties SLD does have a major downside. Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties is only available via attending MagicCon: Philadelphia or purchasing the Festival in a Box. This makes Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties remarkably exclusive and expensive, requiring at minimum a roughly $100 investment. For that price, players can pick up a day ticket to MagicCon: Philadelphia ($60) and purchase the Secret Lair in person ($40≈). While already a steep increase over the usual $30$40 price for a Secret Lair, attending MagicCon: Philadelphia will have additional expenses such as travel, food, and accommodation if needed. 

Thankfully, physically attending MagicCon: Philadelphia isn’t the only way to get your hands on Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties. Unfortunately, this alternative method doesn’t come any cheaper. Outside of physically attending MagicCon: Philadelphia, Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties is only available via the accompanying Festival in a Box. Priced at $269, this is certainly not a cheap way to get a Secret Lair drop, to say the least. 

MagicCon: Philadelphia Festival in a Box

Exclusive MagicCon: Philadelphia Atraxa playmat
Exclusive MagicCon: Philadelphia Atraxa playmat

Thankfully, for the $269 price tag, Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties isn’t the only thing in the box. Similar to the Magic 30 Festival in a Box, the MagicCon: Philadelphia variant contains Commander Decks, choice foils, and a Mystery Booster box. Additionally, the latest Festival in a Box also includes an exclusive playmat, deck box, and all-important Secret Lair. According to Wizards, the Festival in a Box will “give you the opportunity to hold your own mini-MagicCon at home.” That is despite the fact that this time around, there won’t be any virtual tickets available for MagicCon: Philadelphia. 

Despite the lack of virtual tickets, thankfully, the Festival in a Box package isn’t actually bad value. Thanks to the inclusion of the Mystery Booster box, the Festival in a Box is actually a surprisingly amazing deal. According to TCGplayer, a Mystery Booster: Convention Edition typically retails for around $500. That’s enough to make up for the $269 cost and then shipping to even Australia if needs be! While already more than good enough, as we’ve already discussed, that’s not all that’s in the Festival in a Box. 

Admittedly, nothing comes close to the value of the Mystery Booster: Convention Edition box, however, more value is hardly a bad thing. Here’s a little breakdown of the Festival in a Box items and their respective prices (based on TCGplayer Market Price) 

  • Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties | $30
  • Mystery Booster: Convention Edition | $518.38
  • Zendikar Rising Commander deck | $20.66$18.91
  • Kaldheim Commander deck | $41.94$17.20
  • Exclusive MagicCon: Philadelphia Atraxa deck box and sleeve combo box | Unknown
  • Exclusive MagicCon: Philadelphia Atraxa playmat | Unknown (but potentially expensive)
  • 1 Traditional foil Arcane Signet promo card | $22.74

The Secret Lair Itself

Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties
Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties

While requiring a $100+ or $269 investment, the cards inside Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties are fairly lackluster. For instance, the most expensive card in the drop is Lord Windgrace, at just $8.97. Decendant’s Path offers a similar value at $8.21, however, Violent Outburst and Felidar Soverign respectively are only $5.05 and $2.05. This totals up to a rather meager prospective value of just $24.28. Thankfully, due to the gorgeous art by Tatamepi, it’s likely the Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties cards will be more expensive than their ordinary counterparts. Especially Descendants’ Path and Felidar Sovereign, which both work in Catmander decks helmed by Arahbo, Roar of the World.

While the cards themselves may not be hard to get ahold of, Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties’ exclusivity has aggravated some players. Reddit user u/Gprinziv, for instance, ranted, “God f*ck that. Legitimately, f*ck them for this. That’s some stupid sh*t.” Offering a calmer but similar sentiment, u/King_Chochacho simply stated, “F.” Unfortunately for already angry players, the exclusivity of Secret Lair: Look at the Kitties may not end there. 

Similar to the previous Festival in a Box and 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit, it’s highly likely the MagicCon: Philadelphia Festival in a Box isn’t print to demand. Subsequently, just like the 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit, the Festival in a Box is expected to sell out fast. As Reddit user u/Kiloken recalls, “Didn’t the last festival in a box sell out in like 10 minutes? … I like this lair a lot personally, so it’s gonna feel extra bad to not be able to click fast enough…” 

Read More: MTG 30th Cards Already Selling for More than the Real Thing

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