Secret Lair Stranger Things and Universes Beyond

Matt Morgan • June 11, 2021

News
secret lair stranger things
Art by Pauline Voss

Just when we had time to breath after finishing up Modern Horizons II previews, players got even MORE product announcements. This week gave details on future Secret Lair products and our first drop in the new Universes Beyond phase - the announcement of Secret Lair Stranger Things was huge and that was just the tip of the iceberg.  With that, let's get into it!

Universes Beyond

To start the week Wizards of the Coast gave an update about the MTG Universes Beyond initiative, which was started earlier this year.

This year Universes Beyond will begin showing more crossover-type products including the upcoming Forgotten Realms Dungeons and Dragons crossover coming this summer. From the announcement, there were three major takeaways:

  • Create and print versions of the mechanically unique Secret Lair Universes Beyond cards that are set in Magic's Multiverse approximately six months (the exact time may vary) after their release in Secret Lair.
  • The in-Magic versions will be available on The List, findable in Set Boosters for as long as players are still interested in opening them. To start, they'll appear on The List more frequently than other cards to make them easier to find. In the future, we may reprint these cards in other products—we'll have that flexibility.
  • These cards will be considered equivalent game pieces—meaning you could only play four copies (or one copy) of either the Magic version or Universes Beyond version in your deck.

With the announcement one of the biggest criticisms of The Walking Dead Secret Lair is being addressed. Many players were upset about the mechanically unique aspect of the cards included. Since cards were mechanically unique players had to purchase the Secret Lair drop in order to get them. This lead to much negative feedback around the product. With updates to the largest piece of feedback we should have a better product moving forward.

Secret Lair Stranger Things

To follow up the Universes Beyond updates, we were shown the next Secret Lair part of the new movement: Secret Lair Stranger Things.

Even though details are still scarce on the contents, we do see a few key moments in the Stranger Things story. It will be interesting to see how Eleven translates onto a Magic card along with other Universes Beyond settings. Additionally, Gavin Verhey gave details in his video blog Good Morning Magic as well leading to more discussion about what might come.

Once details come in about Universes Beyond and the Secret Lairs the hype will surely continue to rise. Stranger Things is a surprise to be coming to the Magic tabeltops but surely will appeal to lots of players out there. What are you hoping to see with Secret Lair Stranger Things? Will the Upside Down be shown or any characters come across? Let us know what you hope to see in the comments!

Matt Morgan

Matt Morgan

Matt is a member of the EDHRECast, formerly grinding pro points until he let the inner Timmy take over and shifted his attention to Commander. He appreciates bad wordplay as much as a good alpha strike. A diverse nerd, you might also see him maining Leona support in League of Legends as well or on the deadlift platform at the gym.