Magic: The Gathering's "Secret Lairs" have given Wizards of The Coast a means of reprinting sought-after cards with brand-new art, albeit for a limited time only. Each of these Secret Lairs possess a theme that links each card contained in the product together. Secret Lairs have ranged from including numerous gods from the pantheon of Theros, iconic women of the Commander format, and even numerous copies of the same modern staple, each with unique art.
There's a great deal of flexibility and a bottomless well of possibility when it comes to future Secret Lairs, but who doesn't love speculation? So today we're going to delve into the themes that we'd love to see made into Secret Lairs!
Updated March 4, 2022 by Paul DiSalvo: Over the past year, Wizards of the Coast has released a staggering number of Secret Lairs, and they don't seem to be slowing down. Throughout 2021, Secret Lairs have been used to provide cards with alternate art treatments that reflect other franchises such as Arcane and Dracula. Secret Lair has also been used quite regularly to incorporate a wide variety of art styles from Pixel Art to art reminiscent of vintage horror film posters within the context of a Magic card.
10 Enemy Swords
When it comes to powerful equipment cards, few are as iconic and useful as the cycle of "enemy" Swords. Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Feast and Famine, Sword of War and Peace, Sword of Light and Shadow, and Sword of Body and Mind each supply their equipped creature with protection from two colors as well as two abilities that correlate with their respective colors.
These iconic swords are mainstays of the Commander format, and while they're not each of equal power, they are sought after cards that would make a great addition to any player's collection.
9 Classic Commanders
In the current state of Magic: The Gathering, Commander has blossomed into one of the most, if not the most, popular format in the entire game. Every year Wizards of the Coast releases numerous pre-constructed Commander decks that are beloved by fans.
While every Standard Set now comes along with at least two Preconstructed Commander decks, many of the original headlining commanders of the early days of preconstructed decks aren't as easy to acquire as they used to be. Perhaps a Secret Lair filled with iconic Commanders from various Preconstructed decks could not only help the accessibility of these cards, but celebrate the format with specialty alternate art versions of classic commanders.
8 "Transform"
While traditionally, every Magic card possesses the same uniform back, there are numerous cards (primarily from Innistrad) that are double-sided, possessing the transform mechanic.
We've seen a wide variety of transform cards from Planeswalkers, to modern staples such as Huntmaster of the Fells, to Pauper all-star Delver of Secrets. These cards possess a wide variety of mechanics, whilst containing a unifying factor giving them sense of cohesion that could make them a perfect selection for a Secret Lair.
7 Eldrazi
Considered to be one of the most powerful threats in Magic's multiverse, the interplanar Eldrazi have a warm place in many players' hearts. Often defined by their size, colorless nature, and pension for destruction, Eldrazi are often brought up when discussing the largest in most powerful creatures within the game.
Of the Eldrazi, few are as noteworthy as the three Eldrazi Titans, Emrakul, Ulamog, and Kozilek. As these cards are beloved by many players and are some of the most noteworthy antagonists Magic has seen, we doubt that players would complain about a secret lair focusing on the Eldrazi Titans, providing each of their initial incarnations with brand new art!
6 Partners
Partner commanders are popular options for those seeking to play three or four colors, allowing a player to utilize two Commanders at once. While Commander Legends added a wide range of new Partner commanders to the game, the original two-color partners of Commander 2016 are among the most sought after by players.
Releasing a Secret Lair focused on these partner commanders could provide numerous commander possibilities directly out of the box, as players could pick any two and begin constructing a deck around them, all whilst providing these now-iconic cards with alternate art treatments for the first time.
5 Gods Of The Multiverse
Alongside the release of Theros: Beyond Death, Wizards of the Coast released Secret Lairs that featured the various gods of Theros that had appeared in past Magic sets, providing each with alternate art. While the gods of Theros are quite popular, they are far from the only gods within Magic, with Planes such as Amonkhet and Kaldheim being home to their own pantheons. Perhaps Secret Lairs would be a means for many of the more popular and widely played gods such as Tergrid, God of Fright to receive special alternate art treatments. As Magic is now regularly crossing over with Dungeons & Dragons through sets like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, perhaps a Secret Lair could be used to re-flavor gods of Magic into various gods from the D&D pantheon.
4 Tribal Staples
Tribal decks are an incredibly popular deck option, especially within the Commander format, with new tribal commander options released in nearly every set. While many popular tribes such as Goblins and Elves have a wide variety of exclusive tribal cards, there are a wide variety of great tribal cards that allow a player to name a specific creature type, allowing them to function in nearly any type of tribal deck. A tribal focused Secret Lair would not only help put such cards in player's hands, but it would open up the potential for many tribal staples to potentially be printed with artwork reflective of specific popular tribes,
3 Sol Ring
Sol Ring is by and large the most played card within the Commander format, optimally fitting within nearly every deck in the entire format. Despite its massive popularity and widespread reprints, the card has received a shockingly low number of art options for players to include in their decks. While Secret Lairs have been used to provide players with several alternate art versions of Basic Lands, perhaps Secret Lair could provide Wizards of the Coast with a means of printing several stylish alternate versions of this Commander classic, allowing players with additional means of expressing themselves when building their decks.
2 Figures Of Dominaria
Tthe set, "The Brother's War" is slated to retell one of the most integral events to take place within the Plane of Dominaria. As Dominaria is Magic's plane with the deepest well of history and lore, perhaps this set could be used as a segue to reprint many key figures from the history of Dominaria with brand new art, or even retro frames. As many key Dominarian characters such as Urza, Jhoira, Yawgmoth, and Karn have received potent new cards in recent years, Secret Lair could be used to provide these new school card designs with old school alternate art.
1 Fine Art Lands
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As mentioned, Secret Lairs have already been used as a means of printing specialty art lands such as the recent Synthwave full-art basic lands and even lands that feature artwork painted by the legendary Bob Ross. As basic lands are the most simplistic cards within the game and can easily function without rules text, they are the perfect place to experiment with what can be done with a card's art. Additionally, as the Bob Ross basic lands have shown that previously existing works of art can function as the artwork for a basic land, perhaps Secret Lair could be used to print basic lands that feature legendary artwork by world-renowned fine artists from Monet to Van Gogh.