WotC Announcement: Secret Lair

[Judaspriester]

Hey,

WotC has anounced some sets with alt-art cards, some of them look really great. more infos here:
https://secretlair.wizards.com/us

If someone is asking (like me) about shipping outside US, this is what I've found:
https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/e1p1zv/secret_lair_shipping_locations_canada_is_included/

I'm really thinking about the bitterblossom package, since I really like the art, and still need that card for my collection anyway.
The cat package also looks very nice, but at least for me, the cards itself aren't interesting enough for me.

/edit: thanks to CleanBelwas for the related article link (I've just got the landing page link yesterday):
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/secret-lair-recap-2019-11-25

[CleanBelwas]

Full list of shipping locations can be found at the bottom of the page here:

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/secret-lair-recap-2019-11-25

It looks fairly comprehensive so should be available for a lot of people.

I'm with you JudasPriester, the Bitterblossom package looks sweet, and good value.

I also personally like the Restless in Piece and Kaleidoscope Killers options.

Generally though, it seems like a kind of cool idea. The biggest pro for me is that it's being printed to order so there shouldn't be any real scarcity issues hiking up the prices on the secondary market. If you want one, you can just pick one up at the agreed price. No running out of stock or anything like that. Seems pretty decent.

[Spinsane]

I’m really curious what the shipping charges will be like; there are 4 I’m tempted by (Blossom, Kaleidoscopic and Restless are definite grans, and the gobbos a possibility), but without any way to know what shipping will be like per set vs for the bundle, it’s somewhat irksome...

[Judaspriester]

Generally though, it seems like a kind of cool idea. The biggest pro for me is that it's being printed to order so there shouldn't be any real scarcity issues hiking up the prices on the secondary market. If you want one, you can just pick one up at the agreed price. No running out of stock or anything like that. Seems pretty decent.

After I've read the article (thanks for that), it's not that easy. Every package is available for 24 hours only (starting at 2th of december with the full package). They print as much as ordered (max 10 per customer) but if the timewindow is over, you'll have to rely on the secondary market again.

[CleanBelwas]

Generally though, it seems like a kind of cool idea. The biggest pro for me is that it's being printed to order so there shouldn't be any real scarcity issues hiking up the prices on the secondary market. If you want one, you can just pick one up at the agreed price. No running out of stock or anything like that. Seems pretty decent.

After I've read the article (thanks for that), it's not that easy. Every package is available for 24 hours only (starting at 2th of december with the full package). They print as much as ordered (max 10 per customer) but if the timewindow is over, you'll have to rely on the secondary market again.

Sure. Sorry, I didn't clarify my point properly and include the info about the time windows. I meant that as long as you order within that time window, your order will be honoured. It shouldn't be like the farce with the brawl pre-cons where finding it in stock was a huge headache. They see how many orders they get, print them, then ship them. So if you place an order, you will get your order. And the price you pay for that order is all specified ahead of time. Sounds like it should be a smooth process so long as you operate within the time window. After that it will just be down to the secondary market, but hopefully the smoothness of the process will mean that people are able to pick them up during and not have to worry about it.

[Judaspriester]

I'm already thinking about getting the bitterblossom package twice. One for framing it above my desk and one that doesn't get touched for the next 1-2 years for some speculation. Since Bitterblossom is a tournament reelevant card, I don't think the risk is that high on the long term. And if it doesn't work in my favour, I still have some beautyful cards to play with.

[Morganator 2.0]

I will bet you a Bitterblossom package that at some point, the server is going to crash from too many people logging on at once. I'm calling it now.

Also, release calendar for each package:


Orders will be available to:
Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States. Note that Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea may need to pay customs fees.

[CleanBelwas]

I'm already thinking about getting the bitterblossom package twice. One for framing it above my desk and one that doesn't get touched for the next 1-2 years for some speculation. Since Bitterblossom is a tournament reelevant card, I don't think the risk is that high on the long term. And if it doesn't work in my favour, I still have some beautyful cards to play with.

Seems like a decent shout. Currently where I am in the UK a bitterblossom will set you back around £45-50, and with the exchange rate the price for the secret lair package is £23. Assuming shipping won't be astronomical, it should be a great option from a purely financial perspective. And these alternative arts tend to hold their value pretty well, so I don't see the fact that it's print to order being too detrimental.

And like you say, if it does end up worth less than you paid for it, it is a super nice collectors item so keeping hold of it isn't going to feel bad. It'll always look nice on your wall regardless of what happens with the price.

[Blong]

I do fear the scalpers though

[Spinsane]

I do fear the scalpers though

What do you mean? It's a Print on demand, so if you want any of the boxes, just get it. Scalpers usually refer to people gouging limited supply items and then selling them at a premium, which they can't do here.

Sure, people who miss out on the limited windows of opportunity might end up paying more later down the road if they end up wanting some of those cards, but I wouldn't call that scalping.

[Judaspriester]

I do fear the scalpers though

I agree with Spinsane here. There is a very limited time window, but all placed orders will be supplied, besides that, there is a limit of 10 units per customer. Sure, there will be some scalpers that invest in this sets. But since they can't buyout the stock, this will be more of a long term investment, since alt-art cards are usually more price stable.

[Red_Wyrm]

I will bet you a Bitterblossom package that at some point, the server is going to crash from too many people logging on at once. I'm calling it now.

I'm gonna agree with you on that one. Does that mean we'll both get that bitterblossom package if we are right?

Hopefully they have learned from their past errors when it comes to the online ordering situation. I guess we will find out. At the very least, there shouldn't be the issue of orders not going through because of lack of inventory.

[Blong]

Tbh, I only like the Kaleidoscope one because of how they look. I dont like the new Bitterblossom art, but I absolutely love the new Sliver Overlord art. That looks lit lmao

[Judaspriester]

I've got 2 bitterblossom packages. I just wasn't expecting that they will end up at 40€ each, including taxes and shipping. 

[CleanBelwas]

I've got 2 bitterblossom packages. I just wasn't expecting that they will end up at 40€ each, including taxes and shipping. 

Yea the shipping really hits us Europeans. Still, 40€ is about the going rate for a Bitterblossom, maybe even a little cheaper, and that's without the alternate art and sweet panoramic tokens. Still seems like a decent deal. They should hold their value pretty well too.