The Value of the Hatsune Miku Secret Lair Drops
Secret Lairs are a consistent part of product releases, and with many new players joining the game, it's hard to remember a time before them. Combining this with the Universes Beyond, the balance between full releases and one-off gimmicks is hard to achieve. So, for those not ready for another full Universes Beyond set just yet, and for those craving more than a single crossover release, we have a series of drops.
A new approach for product innovation and capturing the character(s) in different forms, Hatsune Miku's crossover with Magic: The Gathering was a series of four drops spread across a year that has been received with mixed emotions. These emotions were associated with the IP rather than the delivery method, as the cross between the two media was relatively niche. For those who couldn't be happier about this product, the price point has at times been driven through the roof on the secondary market - but more on that later.
Sakura Superstar
With spring came the Sakura Superstar drop, featuring a mix between a meaningful reprint in
To start, the Secret Lair sold out almost instantly, which began to rapidly increase secondary market prices. This buyer behavior also dictated how the next releases in this series, concerning Miku cards, would perform. All in all, the sale came and went rather quickly.
Over time, the prices of all the cards in this Lair began to climb, reflecting the product scarcity. For Feather, the original is trending at $0.90, with the Miku variant oscillating around a $20 average. For Azusa, the overall increase wasn't as sharp due to the legend's playability in a variety of decks. The regular average is comfortably sitting at $10, with reprints and other Secret Lair treatments in recent memory. The Miku equivalent is currently at a $29 average, which seems to be tied to the resale value of the drop.
Digital Sensation
The Digital Sensation drop was also met with disappointment from the community due to the limited stock available for purchase. The Secret Lair site had stock for roughly under six hours, which was a threefold improvement over the first drop. The card selection had also been improved, featuring a five-color legend in the form of
Looking over the card prices retrospectively, there is a consistent increase in value over time, associated with the scarcity of the secondary market. Thinking about it further, I don't believe these cards will ever be reprinted with this IP. Due to this, the best time to buy these would have been yesterday, and the best time to hold these is for as long as possible. The Sol Ring, notably, is also one of the top three highest-priced Sol Rings from the Secret Lair series.
This surge in value underscores the unique position these cards hold within the collectors market, driven by both their artistic appeal and their exclusive nature.
Electric Entourage
Approaching autumn, the next drop was the Electric Entourage. A fun fact for those looking at the Japanese version of the cards: as of this writing, the Secret Lair is still available in foil. The above fact should be an indicator of the card set's desirability. This drop was a bit of a disappointment in terms of presented value and card selection, though it did improve upon the shopping experience.
The standout card here is
Winter Diva
The final Secret Lair in the series was the Winter Diva, which contained two Miku-style legends but didn't make any significant financial impact on the release. The standout card here was
Outside of Swan Song, the rest of the cards were low-value reprints with no major impact on the overall financial landscape.
Flash(back)
So with the reducing value of the subsequent drops and a limited number of players seeking these styles of cards, why were the Secret Lairs so successful? The answer lies in scarcity, both in the form of the products themselves and the rare drop bonus card,
Encore Electromancer, a variant of
Conclusion
Reflecting on the overall delivery, availability, and concept of these cards, I feel this idea has fizzled out rather quickly and ineffectively. However, it can be improved upon, and it's easy to see this concept being implemented with Marvel products.
For example, we might see three more dioramas of Spider-Man as additional Secret Lairs soon enough. But perhaps the lesson should have been learned here: many of the cards don't need to be reskinned simply to generate revenue for Wizards. Let's not deceive ourselves about how Magic's foundations have shifted over the last five-plus years. All I can hope for is an improved supply and better card selection for those of us willing to purchase Secret Lairs from Universes Beyond.
Join me again next time as I explore Tarkir and its ties to Dragons.
Further Reading:
Matt Grzechnik
Matt Grzechnik started playing Magic with the release of Dragon's Maze. Since then he has tried and experimented with all of the formats before discovering his love for EDH and Pauper. Piloting the same Jund deck for the last 10 years, he now tries to both understand and break Sealed as a format.