Magic: The Gathering players who bought last year’s Heads I Win, Tales You Lose Commander deck Secret Lair are reporting they have still not yet received the deck, almost 11 months after having paid for it.
After numerous delays, apologies from Wizards, and even complementary booster packs as apology over the last year, the decks still haven’t arrived, forcing customers to take to Reddit to vent their ire.
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose was part of the Secretversary 2021 Superdrop held in November 2021, and was one of its various “drops” available for only a limited time. Costing $100, it included five double-sided cards with new art worked into a full Commander deck designed by MTG senior designer and Commander figurehead Gavin Verhey. At the time, Wizards promoted the deck as coming with 100 cards, a life tracker, deck box, and even a coin to go with the deck’s random coin-flipping theme.
On Reddit, multiple users are now complaining about the delays, with user Katzkarts saying the delay has been “the biggest money saver”, as they refused to buy any more Commander products until they received the deck. In response, other players have been sharing their own frustrations, including one who bought the deck to play at their local store that has since shut down, while another mentions how they quit the game entirely and sold their collection.
While Secret Lairs often take months to arrive after being preordered, numerous drops released after Heads I Win, Tales You Lose are already in players’ hands. In a statement released in April, Wizards confirmed that the decks were delayed due to “unforeseen production issues”, and would be releasing separately from the other drops included in the Secretversary 2021 Secret Lair in Autumn 2022. It also revealed that those who had ordered the deck would receive two Collector’s booster packs of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty as compensation – something players then reported not receiving until three months later.
Despite all the delays and anger, it appears as though the end may finally be in sight. Another user on the subreddit, the1gameaddict, shared a screenshot of an email allegedly from Wizards’ customer support, claiming that the decks may finally be shipping on October 24, 48 weeks after it was first revealed. Wizards has not officially confirmed this is the date the decks will begin shipping, however if you bought it you will be able to check the progress of it on your Secret Lair order page.
It feels as if the backlash to Heads I Win, Tails You Lose is just part of a larger anger against Wizards’ constant push of Secret Lair, Universes Beyond, and other limited-edition releases that ask for a bigger financial investment than other products. It is possible that this deck and the 30th Anniversary Edition might be the straws that break the camel’s back, as players simply aren’t willing to drop large amounts of money on an endless parade of limited-time releases they can’t even be sure they’ll actually receive.