Secret Lair Collectors Boycott Amid Product Fatigue and Inflated Prices

Last updated on May 14, 2025

Samut, Voice of Dissent – art by Aleksi Briclot

Magic's Secret Lair Ultimate Pencil Superdrop has failed to excite collectors. While previous releases like the SpongeBob or the Cats Versus Dogs Secret Lairs sold out in a matter of hours, everything from the Ultimate Pencil Superdrop Bundle is still available, and hasn't even reached “low stock” status.

And MTG collectors are actually rejoicing about this latest SL offering doing poorly.

“Ngl,” says u/TrouserBorn on Reddit, “everytime that I hop on the website and see the [Everyone's Invited SL Commander Precon] not being sold out brings me a little joy to see.”

This poor performance is so strongly different that some Magic players are wondering if Secret Lair collectors are actually on strike, although “boycott” is probably a more apt term.

How It's Going

Smothering Tithe – Illustration by Mark Behm

“Not certain we are striking, but this drop doesn't seem exciting,” notes u/TreeplanterConnor about the Everyone's Invited EDH precon. “Lackluster commander deck with a price increase. Secret lairs with little to now real value and a new foiling that's extremely expensive.”

A detailed financial breakdown of the Pencil Superdrop and Everyone's Invited! Deck reveals that the KEXP Secret Lair and the Commander precon are not terribly bad value, if you are interested in all these MTG cards. But the majority of players seem to agree on their general disappointment.

Many Magic players note that it's probably a sort of perfect storm with several factors at play, including poor card selection, product fatigue, Festival in a Box dropping next week, and above all Final Fantasy being right around the corner.

Final Fantasy x MTG Is Coming In Hot

Source: Secret Lair 

“Final Fantasy is right around the corner and this drop is pretty underwhelming,” notes u/DocHogFarmer, summing up the two most common factors that Magic players bring up. There's just not enough money for everything that WotC throws at players these days. Between Tarkir: Dragonstorm selling like crazy, and the Final Fantasy x MTG crossover being righ around the corner (at crazy prices!) credit cards are begging for their lives and posting “I'm tired, Boss,” memes.

To prove these comments right, the Final Fantasy Secret Lair was just announced on the official SL site, and reveals are rolling in right now.

Grok's translation from the above tweet reads:

Today, at the FF×MTG collaboration product launch PR event

New card announcement!

Secret Lair FINAL FANTASY

“Game Over” (Focuses on BOSS characters)

“Weapons” (Focuses on main characters' equipment)

“Grimore” (Focuses on characters' magic)

Promo card: Gilded Lotus

The Final Fantasy Secret Lair seems to include top-shelf Magic bangers like Heroic Intervention, Lightning Bolt, Cyclonic Rift, and Prismatic Ending – definitely the sort of stuff that can squeeze bank accounts dry.

“I'm glad none of the cards in the previous drop appealed to me,” noted u/Kirbychao about the Ultimate Pencil Superdrop, when learning about the upcoming FF SL, “so I do have the funds to pick up any potential FF cards that I want.”

Poor Card Choices

Illusion of Choice – Illustration by John Severin Brassel

Poor card choices is the other reason cited for why Magic players have skipped the Ultimate Pencil Superdrop.

“I had 1 KEXP bundle in my cart,” says u/rangersnuggles, “then realized nearly $60 after shipping was too much for the one card I want. will just pick up the single on TCG Player.

“I wanted it, and never made a SLD purchase before,” says u/I-Love-Tatertots about the EDH precon. “Once I saw that $200 tag I noped out real fast.” The Commander precon in particular is getting a lot of criticism for being having a 5-color commander with not a single shock land or fetch land.

There's definitely a market for what WotC is selling here, above all considering that this bundle is all reprints of existing Magic card and a lot of the appeal is the gorgeous art. But even those who consider that the bling is worth the extra bucks mention they are just interested in a couple of cards.

“I did pick up the pre-con, but that’s almost exclusively for the Sol Ring and Bitterblossom”, says u/SeatKindly. “May as well get the extra cards for the cost of those singles after all.”

“Picked up the Jay Howell set because the art is cool,” writes u/FieryFruitcake, “but actually super disappointed at the rest of it.”

To rub salt on the wound, the bonus pencil (yeah, you get an actual pencil) is seen as tateless, and on top of that not too high quality.

“The free pencil thing that popped up when I went to the site is hilariously tone deaf,” says u/ironman288. “I can't recall the last time I used a pencil, but the last time I bought one I paid a nickel.”

“A bonus card is nice,” jokes u/BoardWiped, “but a pencil can proxy anything!”

General Product Fatigue

Battle of Bywater – illustration by Tomas Duchek

“It is more like consumer burn out and lack of appeal on these products,” notes u/joe8628. “Looks like too many products were rushed and people are noticing.”

Even WotC has noticed that product fatigue is a thing, with Magic's Head Designer Mark Rosewater noting that they are releasing few sets this year for this reason.

But it looks like Secret Lairs haven't gotten than memo, and the Pencil may have been a Superdrop too far, and the money in the hobby is being stretched thin.