In recent years, MTG players have been increasingly concerned with the number of products being released. This issue reached its breaking point last year when Hasbro was accused of killing MTG, its golden goose, through overprinting. Double downgrading Hasbro’s stock, the Bank of America lambasted Hasbro for their dubious business practices, much to the communities delight. Despite the damage done to their stock, however, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast remain committed to their current release strategy. Unfortunately for already overwhelmed fans, this means WotC won’t be slowing down their chockablock release schedule. In fact, just one month into 2023, it appears the overproduction problem may be getting even worse!
Phyrexia: All Will Be Products
During Phyrexia: All Will Be One’s First Look Livestream, Wizards revealed the set has a lot of products. Alongside the usual Set Boosters, Draft Boosters, Collector Boosters, Jumpstart Boosters, Commander Decks, Prelease Packs, and the Bundle, Phyrexia: All Will Be One had a handful of additional MTG products. These included Welcome Boosters, the gorgeous Bundle: Compleat Edition, and a handful of Secret Lair drops to commemorate the set. Thanks to these new items, Phyrexia: All Will Be One’s product lineup comprises a staggering thirteen unique products. Despite how overwhelming that cacophony of products seems, MTG players are surprisingly supportive of everything that’s being released.
The new Bundle: Compleat Edition, for instance, is a highly prized addition to the release calendar. Launching shortly after the set itself in March, the new $80 bundle promises gorgeous art and foil treatments. Alongside the visually stunning Oil Slick Raised Foil cards, the Bundle: Compleat Edition also features a highly prized EDH accessory. While it’s only available at select stores, the Click-wheel life counter is back, much to the delight of MTG fans. Alongside the commemorative Bundle: Compleat Edition, another new MTG product has seen a surprisingly warm reception.
During the latest Weekly MTG Livestream, players admired Phyrexia: All Will Be One’s trio of Secret Lair drops. Despite further filling the already bloated release calendar, upon being revealed, MTG players were absolutely delighted by what’s on offer. Comprised of Commander favorites, the Showcase: All Will Be One and Phyrexian Faves Secret Lair drops are well worth looking forward to. Alongside these drops, which are available in the upcoming Winter Superdrop, Wizards also teased the “More Borderless Planeswalkers” SLD. Showcasing a manga-styled Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God players will, unfortunately, have to wait until MagicCon: Philadelphia to learn more.
Phyrexia: All Will Be Secret Lairs
As you might expect, each of the freshly revealed Secret Lair drops features a stunning visual style to delight fans. The Showcase: All Will Be One drop, for instance, utilizes the Borderless Ichor treatment from the main set. The Phyrexian Faves drop, meanwhile, uses the Phyrexian Language treatment on a quintet of iconic Phyrexian cards. Offering a unique look to fan-favorite cards, the art alone makes these Secret Lair drops more than worthwhile to some. More than just looking good, however, both the Phyrexian Secret Lair drops promise seriously compelling value.
Out of the Secret Lair drops, the Phyrexian Faves drop is by far the most profitable. Boasting roughly $49 in value, this Secret Lair drop is an excellent way for players to acquire some iconic cards. As usual, not every card in this Secret Lair drop is worth an immense sum. A standard version of Glistener Elf, for instance, can easily be acquired for just $1. On the other hand, some cards in this Secret Lair Drop are seriously expensive. Inkmoth Nexus is at least $33, for example, and K’rrik, Son of Yawgmoth, typically sells for $10. These cards alone make the drop worthwhile, making Blighted Agent and Batterskull just added value.
Unfortunately for eager investors, the Showcase: All Will Be One drop isn’t nearly as valuable. Featuring cards currently worth only $22, this Secret Lair drop certainly won’t be for everyone. Out of that $22, much of the value is carried by Phyrexian Crusader, which typically retails for $13. Following this, Phyrexian Unlife and Glissa, the Tratior are each roughly $3. Last and definitely least, Plague Engineer and Ertai, the Corrupted, are barely $1 each.
Phyrexia: All Will Be Desired
While the Showcase: All Will Be One drop didn’t promise profit, that didn’t stop MTG players from getting excited. On Reddit, for instance, several players such as u/Time-did-Reverse lauded the Secret Lair drop’s gorgeous artwork. “That Glissa is absolutely amazing.” Alongside this, the Borderless Ichor Phyrexian Unlife also saw praise from u/Samuelofmanytitles. “Oh, that Unlife is just beautiful!”
To go along with the Borderless Ichor treatment, the Showcase: All Will Be One Secret Lair drop is also uniquely available in the Step-and-Compleat foiling technique. While this will ensure the Secret Lair drop matches your other foiled Phyrexian forces, there’s no telling how much this foiling technique will be worth. If the effect is deemed to be too flashy to enjoy, this technique could even negatively affect the card’s value. While there’s no telling how much these Step-and-Compleat foils will be worth, they can be purchased for $49.99.
As you might imagine, due to its compelling value, the Phyrexian Faves drop was also highly praised across social media. On Reddit, for instance, u/Kyleometers highlighted how this Secret Lair is incredible for devoted Infect players. “As a diehard modern infect player – oh no, I want it.” Similarly, u/ElToberino reiterated this point, commending Wizards for how they’ve been constructing recent Secret Lair drops.
“I like that a lot of secret lairs lately have featured multiple cards that go in the same deck. I don’t play infect in Modern, so this isn’t for me, but it’s better than when a secret lair has four cards that go in different, unrelated decks and I only want one of them, so I might as well just wait and buy it as a single.”
u/ElToberino
Read More: Huge Phyrexia Leak Spoils New Card Type and Anticipated Mythic!
