The change to Secret Lair products this year has seriously changed the game for the MTG brand. Previously, Secret Lairs have mostly been printed to demand. This ensured that any customer who wanted a Secret Lair was able to get one. Citing long shipping times as a major issue with this business model, Wizards of the Coast has made the decision to switch things up this year.
Nowadays, everything is pre-printed, and quantities for each Secret Lair are limited. While this does improve shipping times, it does so at the cost of availability. It’s not uncommon for a high-demand Secret Lair to sell out on the first day of the sale. Frustratingly, these can be very difficult to acquire after they’ve sold out.
In the most recent Secret Lair sale, one Secret Lair sold out in just a few hours. The Hatsune Miku crossover was incredibly popular, selling out in an extremely aggressive manner. Whether MTG players, Hatsune Miku fans, or scalpers who were interested in this product, there was a lot of demand for this crossover.
If you’re interested in acquiring this Secret Lair or its contents, you still can. That said, everything is now absurdly expensive.
Hatsune Miku Secret Lair
Getting a copy of the sold-out Hatsune Miku Secret Lair is still possible, but you’ll have to part with more money than you may think. Just a few days ago, a bundle for all of the Hatsune Miku Secret Lairs sold on TCGplayer for a whopping $500! Individual Hatsune Miku Secret Lairs are going for between $130 and $200 depending on the variant, and sales seem to be rather consistent. This is absurdly expensive for a Secret Lair that was sold at $30-40 depending on the variant.
Focusing on Singles showcases just how crazy the markups for these Hatsune Miku cards really are. Let’s take a look at Miku, the Renowned for example. This is a skinned reprint of Feather, the Redeemed, a card first revealed in War of the Spark. While this is a somewhat popular Boros Commander, there isn’t a lot of demand overall for Feather.
Typically, a normal variant of Feather, the Redeemed will set you back about 50 cents to purchase. Miku, the Renowned, however, costs $35-40 depending on the variant. Worryingly, the listed prices on TCGplayer are even more absurd.
Other Miku Reprints
While Miku, the Renowned may be the most egregious price spike of the bunch, other reprints found in the Hatsune Miku Secret Lairs have also experienced shocking price spikes. Miku, Lost but Singing, a reprint of Azusa, Lost but Seeking, goes for about $20 in its nonfoil Japanese variant, and will occasionally go for $30 or more in its English variant. Outside of other premium variants, Azusa, Lost but Seeking only goes for about $5, with a general lack of a foil multiplier.
Similarly, normal variants of Inspiring Vantage are hardly exciting, even if they are a popular and playable Boros fast land. If you’re looking to save some cash, this card can be picked up for as low as $1.25, which isn’t bad by any means. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we now have the new Hatsune Miku variant, which sells for between $18 and $22!
Chandra’s Ignition, featured as Miku’s Spark, is probably the least egregious price spike of the bunch between variants. Unlike the other cards on this list, Chandra’s Ignition actually needed a reprint. This card often sees Commander play, fueling some nightmare-inducing combos between itself and cards like Blightsteel Colossus. As a result of this, the financial value of Chandra’s Ignition is relevant, going for about $8-9. In comparison, Miku’s Spark was going for $20 but appears to be spiking towards $40 at the moment.
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The Slops
The last two Hatsune Miku reprints are definitely the most forgettable. In the case of Miku, Lost but Singing, Inspiring Vantage, and Miku’s Spark, there are obvious homes for these cards across Magic’s various decks. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the other cards in the Secret Lair x Hatsune Miku: Sakura Superstar drop.
Compared to the other reprints, Harmonize and Shelter really miss the mark. While Harmonize does see some budget Commander play, I personally really dislike the card. It feels incredibly clunky to use in a game. Ultimately, there are so many more efficient cards to use.
Harmonize has no secondary market value for its cheaper variants. Despite this, the card still has some serious secondary market value as a Hatsune Miku reprint. Japanese variants appear to be going for about $11.75, while English ones hit $30!
Shelter, despite seeing little to no play at all, still goes for about $24 for its Hatsune Miku variant. Once again, this reprint has no secondary market value for its cheaper variants.
Don’t Wait!
These comparisons reveal just how much scarcity and valuable intellectual property can catapult the value of MTG cards. Anyone who cashed in on these Hatsune Miku Secret Lairs has the potential to make some serious profit. Sadly, this means that some players who genuinely wanted these cards as collectibles or as game pieces will have to pay higher prices for them than they probably should.
Either way, this serves as a great reminder for players to get in on the Secret Lairs they are really passionate about quickly. While there will always be an opportunity to find what you are looking for, you may need to pay more than you’re willing to acquire them.
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