MTG Secret Lair production hit with major change & fans are worried

MTG Secret Lairs may become harder to get ahold of in the future, as Wizards is switching to a limited-run model for future releases.

Secret Lairs occupy a unique niche within MTG, often appealing more to collectors than casual players. These small sets offer unique art and cards based around a specific theme, ranging from crossover like The Princess Bride to aesthetics like Heavy Metal.

Wizards of the Coast has announced that MTG’s Secret Lairs will soon be switching from their existing print-to-demand model to a more limited printing. We’ll walk you through what this means for future Secret Lairs and how your MTG purchases might be impacted.

Secret Lairs switch to limited print runs

WOTC/Paramount

Secret Lair products in MTG naturally come with less demand than standard sets. As Secret Lairs are designed to appeal to a smaller slice of the MTG market than usual, it makes sense for them to work via print-to-demand. Secret Lairs are announced, orders are placed, and then copies of the Secret Lair are printed to match the number ordered, ensuring that everyone who ordered the product will receive it.

This Secret Lair model has worked so far, with the only downside being that waiting until orders are in to print the product necessitates a long wait time between ordering and receiving the Secret Lair, often several months.

Now, Wizards of the Coast has decided to change this model, printing Secret Lairs ahead of time in limited runs. Now that there is enough Secret Lair sales data to work from, ideally, these limited printings should both meet demand and cut down on wait times. But the community reaction has been less than enthusiastic.

Wizards taking advantage of FOMO for Secret Lairs?

As pointed out by Reddit User SnarkySharky21:

“There is a precedent for MTG’s limited releases selling out extremely quickly, with the 30th-anniversary countdown kit selling out within a few hours of going live.”

Reddit user asmallercat added:

“My guess is that secret lairs have been trending down in sales for the last year [plus], and instead of thinking about offering better value, they are instead gonna turn to FOMO.”

Despite an often lengthy wait time for Secret Lair shipments, it appears that players would still rather wait longer for their product to arrive if it means less chance of missing out in the first place. Hopefully, the new Secret Lair model will still satisfy Magic players and collectors looking to splash out on these unique sets.