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They sell 400 basic lands for about $40. Even given the premium on bespoke art from non-contract artists 5 lands (which you need up to 24 for an average mono-colored deck) is overpriced by a ton in Secret Lairs. 20 of each for $50 would still be a massive profit in comparison.
@@krimhorn it's not only that. the fact that you can get only one of each means you always need to buy 5x more than if there were on sl version for each type
The one upside for me is that if Secret Lairs are going to start selling out so quickly I probably won’t get a chance to buy any more because I’m too busy to keep up with every last release as it happens. So this change might save me a lot of money.
I was frustrated when I found out I missed this deck by an hour. Then I realized that Wizards just saved me $150 on this deck. As much as I love the art, and would have bought it, I see the money savings as an upside given I won't buy these cards on the secondary market.
This reminds me of the speculative meaning I give to one of my favorite online merchants ASTRO BASE. Treated like an acronym it becomes: A Store That Runs Out Because All Sales End
Anyone who doesn't believe this is a fool. While it makes the shipping of it much quicker, they are printing smaller runs to increase collectability in a time where there is a big push for reducing the price of 'game pieces' instead of collector items. WotC is trying to milk this cash cow as much as it can before the inevitable crash. Look at the comic boom of the 90's with the millions of variants. We're seeing a lot of the variant cover stuff again now in the industry, but even so, it's a shell of what it once was. Readership has TANKED in comparison to it's heyday. See the Collectors Coin Market of the 80's too, there are so many of these hobby's that have burned themselves out due to industry greed it's pretty sad.
It's wizards of the coast..of course it's to make more money after they shitcan all those employees who made them their absurd profit margins. They don't care about consumers or employees..just the almighty dollar
I got the email that there was a secret lair, clicked the link, it was sold out. Definitely purely a business decision. I'm probably done buying secret lairs now. You'd think they wouldn't need these shenanigans with laying off 20% of all Hasbro huh?
@@pascalsimioli6777 foot down or not I'll likely not get the chance cuz they'll all be scalped early. The good ones anyways. But yeah I told myself I wouldn't buy firsthand after those layoffs (mostly because they were stupid about it) but then I did buy one Ravnica Remastered pack. Just one though.
With how quickly it sells out it sucks for people who are at work and want to buy one. They should do print to demand for 24 hours so those who want it can get it
Or for a week, cuz payday varies for some people. Mine is on Fridays, and I had just handled bills, so I wasn’t able to afford a Monday Morning drop like this, especially when they typically DO their drops on Fridays (prerelease weekends and such)
@@thek838 They launched it at 4am Australian time. Most of us have jobs, we couldn't sit around til 4am hoping to one of the non-scalpers to snag a copy.
As a casual Magic fan whose main interaction with the game at the moment is just watching your videos, I really appreciate how products are now being put out that have such a limited availability that they are no longer for sale by the time I even hear about them. It really saves me from being tempted to pay Wizards of the Coast any money and support the game!
I have no idea how you guys didnt hear about this, you can sign up for updates on the website, facebook has it spamming everywhere, and its even on insta. I got the email, stayed on an hour queue, had no website troubles, and done. Easiest x2 of my life.
One thing that you didn't touch on with the fear of missing out model is that there's going to be people with Bots that are going to buy up all the secret layers because there is a limited amount. In the previous model where we had time to wait and choose and consider whether we wanted at secret lair or not there was no reason for scalpers to buy out all of the stock of that product. Wizard of the coast made a horrible decision. And scalpers are going to have a field day.
One problem with your logic. Hasbro gives zero shits whether normal consumers or scalpers end up with the lairs, so they see everything selling out ASAP as an absolute win.
This deck is $350+ on the secondary market now for those interested, and due to the scalper friendly nature of the new distribution system that is the base MSRP effectively.
It was $350+ even the same day I missed being able to buy it buy a few hours after the drop started and was thinking of popping on tcgplayer and.its.obscene it doubled in price on even the same day it dropped
Always wait for release day to buy. Only real stores can sell on TCG as pre-release, so on release day, you have plenty of people dumping them for a lot cheaper. "Release day" was today, they're already down to $230
The problem with these limited release inventory items is that it is getting scooped up by the secondary market solely for resale purposes. People can just make bots to auto buy and have done so in the past. It's really annoying.
I ordered it because I'm in the middle of making a cat deck and i thought "I can buy this and put half of it in my cat deck," now I see that I has sold for close to $400 on tcgplayer I'm starting to feel like that idea is pretty stupid and I should just sell it instead 😢
@@PhoneAccount-l6z Sell the cards you won't use, but don't give into the temptation to scalp. Remember, this is commander, you can always proxy the arts of the new cards, even the double-sidedness
It just means Hasbro can get away with charging even more for the Secret Lair Limited. Idiot scalpers will pay whatever and then try to sell it for double until it isn't profitable anymore. All the game company cares about is that someone buys it, does not care if it is someone who collects, plays, or resells.
you are totally right about the "fear of missing out" strategy. I was considering buying this product and it sold out before I could even look into it to see if it was worth it too me. I would've gotten it in hindsight but it definitely feels like you got to buy first ask questions later with WOTC products nowadays.
Same boat. I had actually checked it and knew I might be tight on funds, so I was giving myself and hour to decide. Came back deciding “Worth It”, but it was gone. I’m checking online right now and people are selling if for anywhere from $350 to $1000. Guess I’mma just go buy Singles instead
Yeah, man, it's ridiculous, I usually watch prof's vids before I go into buying anything as well cause I'm often too busy to look up all the details I'll get from here, but Secret Lair product sells so fast these videos end up just me kicking myself for not getting it lol.
2:05 For an off the cuff comment, being told to put on my leash and go out for walkies is pretty good way to describe how I feel that Wizards treats me as a consumer.
@@deezboyeed6764 I think you misunderstood, I believe they meant the where talking about the way that they are treated while being a consumer instead of the fact that they are being treated as a consumer.
To be honest the reason shipping improved was because they started pre-printing a portion of the secret lairs. Also after the first deck all of the commander decks were limited print.
I didn't even know about this product and when i looked at the website it was already sold out. Think it's too expensive though, but damn that art is amazing! Well done artists!
Honestly the whole secret lair limited run is tiring me but it led a realization. I was ecstatic when i heard it cause there's new art of the cards I play and even though I already build a Rin and Seri deck, it intrigued me. Then it was at a price I'm not prepared to take. THEN it sold out before I even made a choice. Then I realized why does it even matter? I'm an artist dammit. The art in them is gorgeous but a project of ~100 digital alter proxies of a deck I already own is much more interesting, involved, and meaningful than buying into another predatory tactic. And that, I feel, can encompass a brand new perspective on how I go about the hobby. We're all playing casual anyway. Buy proxies. MAKE Proxies. Put your heart and passion into the hobby instead of money.
The art is gorgeous? It looks like it's made to appeal to the average social media nobody. All the animals are drawn in a cutesy "you probably saw this face in a meme" way. I mean, hell, the fact the entire deck is about cats and dogs should tell you that they're aiming for the lowest common denominator, could you be anymore generic?
Totally agree! Getting custom art by either making it yourself or commissioning others to make it can be so incredibly satisfying, especially when done for an entire deck. It's very personalized.
The best of both worlds option is that if you order before the item "sells out" means you get the item quickly, but still leave the option for customers to go on a waitlist or order list for a certain amount of time after, and then if there are enough additional orders to justify another print run for the print to demand, then Wizards will let those on the waitlist know their order will be charged and processed, and they'll get their item after the next print run, which may come with that significant delay you saw previously since it has to go into the schedule with the production company, but still allows them to get more sales of the item, and lets more players get the cards they wanted. This is of course proposed as the middle ground between their current limited supply system and full print to demand as a way to try to appease both groups.
I have no clue why WotC doesn’t do this. Their claim that they looked into how many people buy to ensure there was enough is BS because by saying it was limited print, the undid their prediction because of course people are going to buy more of them with the scarcity and scalpers will resell. Whoever legitimately thought that was a good idea needs to be fired but let’s be honest - it’s just a money grab at this point.
So many people are happy that it lasted for whole 6 hours! I just can't wrap my head around it. It was MERE 6 hours (more for Europe). It's especially baffling since USD region has allocation shared between USA, big chunk of Asia, Australia and more. For some people the sales started and ended while they were asleep. As an European, I was busy spending time with my family for about 8 hours, starting 1 hour before sales started. I still got my copy afterwards, but if I was from USA I wouldn't be allowed to have my life if I wanted my toys.
I had a friend go “yeah that’s not bad! If you really wanted it you could just take a break from work” and I was just like…that is such a privileged statement bro.
I'm surprised you didn't mention how this change to Secret Lairs really puts players at a disadvantage and will create a scalper market for these products. I fell this will be similar to the PS5/XBOX series X release, scalpers will have the knowledge and resources to purchase the Secret Lairs only to relist them on Ebay for twice or three times the price.
My thought exactly. And furthermore, scalpers do have the resources and don't care the least if they even resell, so long as they can keep the price high - higher than initially, that is. And WotC being oh so unknowing of the secondary market (or shall I say blatantly ignorant, pretending it doesn't exist or play a role) only need to look at their own sales to claim the system works. They couldn't care less if the product actually reaches the hands of someone who really wants it instead of someone who sees it as a means to make money with ethically doubtful methods, who will hold onto it if necessary if they can't make 100%, 200% profit margin. It sells out within hours -> success. Only a fraction of players and collectors will actually get their hands on it for a reasonable price (if you can call secret lair prices that, seeing the complete value fail the last drop of 2023 was) and the rest will dust in some scalpers' storages, i.e. freight containers or their mum's basement. But I digress... To put it short: in my opinion, deliberately and knowingly creating a fear of missing out by artificially limiting product availability is never in the interest of the target customer a company pretends to make the product for, no matter the excuses they throw around. It is quite the opposite, proof or at least a hint that said company does not/no longer care about their originally intended customers and fans but instead just want to throw out whatever they can at everyone willing to throw money back at them without second thought about the product itself. They've basically become actioners. Sell as fast as possible with as much pressure as possible for a price as high as possible.
With your turn around time, the typo @13:47 is not only forgiven, but applauded as the only one I noticed for a video rushed out in such short amount of time. Good job, crew.
I remember the very first Secret Lairs they did.... I got mine days after ordering so obviously they had some preprinted even with a "print to order" system. So from the very start it was something that was in their power to not be the big problem it later became (and then got resolved).
I know the last few secret lair commander decks were also limited number after Heads, I win took so long. I feel like there should be a regular secret lair that accompanies the commander decks with just the 5 cards with new art for people who want those but not the whole deck
I didn't even know about this Secret Lair until about 2 hours after it went live, I just happened to check the website. Took a quick look at the deck list, added it to the cart, hesitated at first, but pulled the trigger on it and got my order confirmed. If I'd backed out after having it in my cart like that, I would have had massive FOMO for the next one for sure. I hope they weren't lying about better shipping times for this one!
I got my shipping confirmation this morning in the US. Some people got it yesterday. If you're in the US, you'll get your tracking number soon (if you haven't already).
The other thing about seeing the "2 month window" was for me looking at people doing box opening videos and seeing what the "secret" card was and if that makes it more worth it.. Helped alot with me deciding
I feel like the rush tactic is also to prevent folks like the Prof from doing financial analysis on every lair and thus they can hopefully get more buyers.
They definitely get less buyers - judging by everyone who wanted one but found it sold out. But it probably saves them a lot in production costs to plan out fixed sized print runs ahead of time.
This is the one deck I was looking forward to getting. I signed up to notifications for its release and everything. Heard nothing, check to see when it's out only to hear it's sold out and unlike other secret lairs it's not a preorder it's a buy it before it's gone. I'm genuinely heartbroken. I was looking forward to this all month. I might just have to get a "playtest" version custom printed in protest.
@@cardriverxxx it honestly doesn't make sense to me, they're losing who knows how many possible sales to people like us. Unless they have a stake in proxy companies lol
@@cxlys2249 it's so frustrating, I'm sorry it happened to you :( honestly it makes no sense, they could have sold more and made more money. Doing this limited run is a lose-lose for everyone
I already have a Rin and Seri deck and have most of those cards, but I was still really tempted to pick it up for the art. I’m happy to say I resisted and really glad I did as it didn’t make sense to me. Never bought a Secret Lair, but moving to the new system is likely better for WotC. FOMO is quite a powerful sales tool.
I bought heads I win tails you lose. I love that deck and I would never be able to buy the cards to make a deck like that for as cheap as it was. But cats and dogs though… I love playing Naya but there are other better cheaper ways to play this kind of commander deck. My Jetmir Nexus of Revels of deck is so much fun and I was able to bling it out with full art deco lands for pretty cheap. And it sucks it sold out, because I might have bought it for some cool alt art and interesting cards. But this price hike and the fact it sold out is just a drab.
They’re being resold by scalpers. Just buy it from the scalper and start a credit card dispute over item not being as described. Buyers win 100% of the time.
6 hours is a time Window in which a lot of people can have no access to the web, most likely due to being all that 6 hours at a job (or sleeping) that forbids phones and stuff. So yeah. It is too fast for consumer friendlyness @@charun8200
One thing to keep in mind specifically for the commander decks is, after the heads i win tails you lose fiasco all of the complete decks have been limited print.
Honestly I've been thinking about a Rin and Seri deck for a long time and when this dropped I knew I had to snatch it up. 150 is worth it for many of the singles. The deck is interesting in that it has some bangers and some absolute DOG cards. I guess that's just wotc pre-cons
@@CatManThree Yeah it's nuts how fast that was. I hate to say it but the upside is my copy from wotc has shipped already, so selfishly i dont' mind the system right now. I know it's bad overall but damn is it faster now.
Wizards: We are adding artificial scarcity because is what players want Players: But why? Cardboard is literally endless. Wizards: Trust us, this is for you!
We got our deck within 3 days. It was the fastest lair my wife and I had ever purchased! My Wife was so happy to play with this deck and even open it with quite excitement. It made me happy :)
I feel bad for my friends who really wanted the deck but had to wait until payday for it. They missed out and now must pay exorbitant costs if they want any of the cards in the deck. Also can't wait for the Behind the Campus Video. Give us a closer look at the book shelves behind you and what you're looking at when you speak to camera.
For the record, there isn't really a change in when it arrives on your door step with limited print runs; there is just less time between you ordering and it arriving. All limited print run does is change the order of events from {You find out} -> {You order} -> {They print} -> {They Ship} to {They print} -> {You find out} -> {You order} -> {They Ship}. All of these actions take the same amount of time no matter the order (other then it taking an insignificant amount of additional to print due to increased sales). Yes there is less time between ordering and receiving. Essentially what I'm saying is for a Secret Lair you ordered to arrive in December, they changed when you order to be at the end of November instead of mid-October. You're still getting it in December, you just ordered it later in their process.
I'm not afraid to admit it: the full art lands and the dog theme got me. I'm very thankful I didn't get the lisa frank Rin and Seri because this one has infinitely better art.
Same, almost no communication from wotc so limited run instead of print to command is hilarious to. It's like "guys, let's use artificial scarcity to boost command of the product but not spend any money or effort on advertisement which completely destroys the artificial scarcity!"
Let's not forget about the people who would want this that don't live in the US and would have to be awake at stupid o'clock for a chance to get a Secret Lair before they are sold out
Something I would have also liked pointed out is that these commander decks have always been limited run. I don't think I caught you discussing that aspect, but know you touched on that that's how secret lairs are going to be in the future. Still a great video all the same prof thank you for all the hard work you put in and hope by the time you read this that your face is better! :).
I really wanted this one. Unfortunately when I logged into my (personal) computer Monday around noon it was gone. Can’t say I like this new model as it will probably be sold for double and at $250-300 it is NOT worth it.
@@ghoulfarts what time zone? Or do you just enjoy shaming/criticizing people? Because let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter the thing sold out quicker than I could get it on the 22nd at god only knows what time when I logged in on a non work computer! And it was definitely before 6pm which would be under the 6 hours it sold out in!
Secret Lair's aka Scalpers Paradise! Glad i was able to purchase this deck, wish I purchased a second ine to sell to an actual fan or collector at the face value, not the inflated scalpers prices.... $400-$600 for this deck online 🤦
Think this is a much better improvement over waiting months for the product. It literally shipped the next day! I’m much more inclined to purchase anything if I know it will ship ASAP
Only if you think so. I wanted it and got it at regular price luckily. I absolutely would rather buy 2+ booster boxes for $300 than one deck, even though the art is adorable
4:14 art reserved list: this so far has actually not been entirely true!… remember Dan Frazier’s arcane signet has now appeared in at least two separate secret lairs. 10:59 shipping times being solved is also not true. It still takes them months to ship lairs if the lairs aren’t already printed. The issue is that they were doing a hybrid model where they printed a bunch, and if they over sold, they’d just print more, so for those of us that ordered at the last min, it was very common to have to wait quite a while to get our lairs (2~ months), which honestly has made it pretty complicated for even just keeping track of what you ordered and received when diff SLs are being sold every month, and well, they all look the same. 11:22 regarding sales, I’d also disagree. I think part of the problem is that people end up feeling comfortable with being able to order, then become complacent and forget to order… or just decide to spend their $ elsewhere, so it makes sense that for the most part, this is going to be better for everyone involved: wizards makes more, those who really want it, get it, and those that do get it, get it faster.
For comparison, the Murders at Karlov Manor precons are currently about $50 and have around $190 in reprint value I know what I'll be spending my money on
This is exactly what happened to me. I saw an ad on Facebook for the deck, went immediately to the Secret Lair website, only to find it sold out... how disappointing!
Artificial scarcity has been implemented since Alpha. That's why there are print numbers common through mythic rarity. It puts the collectible in CCG lol . Great video! Keep them coming!
This was the first secret lair deck I really wanted. I signed up to be notified when it was on sale as in the UK I was at work when it went on sale. I got no email and when I checked after work it was gone already
😍😍😍 I LOVE that you did an update of Secret Lair decks priced TODAY. I've really been curious on that info. Please do a more indepeth video for price today.
I think a mix of both models would be the best choice. 1. Print a finite number, like 10 000 units. The first 10 000 sales will get them faster, providing a better customer experience. 2. Still offer a larger window of purchase after the sale of the first 10 000 units, but with the warning of the longer delivery time. That way the people who are in a rush, will get the decks they want fast, but people who want to think, will still get it, but a bit later.
You didn’t mention one of the biggest downsides to limited-print runs: scalpers. It sells out in 6 hours, in part, because people will drop $1500 to buy 10 of them and mark them up for $250 each!
My one note is this was exactly like the angels deck, that one was limited as well and didn't sell out in 6 hours. No one has mentioned it though. So it could be scalpers, related to the fact of how well the angels deck price has been. Or just cats and dogs being more desirable than angels. But I am happy I got one I think it looks good, also I love dogs and wanted to make a tin and seri deck anyways.
This was my second secret lair set. Coming from Pokemon, I was REALLY impressed with the virtual wait in line before ordering. I wish Pokemon Center had that because when big items went live on that site, it would literally crash within minutes sometimes.
Love how the professor ending , is exactly what happened and now the secondary and third markets are soaring prices of over double to triple the base cost.
I was planning on buying the Cats and Dogs deck since I heard about it being announced, but I wasn't aware of the limited print run, so I woke up to learning that it was no longer available. Thank you Wizards of the Coast for not letting me buy this deck.
I picked up one of the last copies by accident, I went and checked at around 430pm est day one, I was told by someone else they checked at 5pm and it was sold out. Ive been thinking about building Rin and Seri for a while so this coming out was perfect timing since it dropped two days after my (30th ironically) birthday!
I like the scarcity element to the change. I've always been bothered by reprints repeatedly devaluing nice cards of the past. Just imagine if you were the holders of a card like Anointed Procession, only to see its price flop bc there was a nearly unlimited reprint for a time-frame with a much more unique artwork. If they miss out on Cats and Dogs, they can always look forward to the surprises coming in future lairs unannounced, and each should hold value over periods of time and feel more special to have as time's passed when you're one of few locally to take advantage of utilizing such copies with others.
There's data that shows how well cute cats and puppies sell and no other secret lair was drip fed to us like this one was. They knew exactly what they were doing and it's going to set the tone for how they handle secret lairs moving forward
The professor, once being an English professor, made this video to stand as a master class in textbook dramatic irony. "Hopefully this has not sold out by the time you watch this" he says of a product long sold out.
Secret lairs should be a mix of preprinted and print to demand. That way people can get it when it starts and still get it if they were missed but with slower shipping. The sheer amount of scalpers makes this kinda thing necessary.
let’s not forget that a big factor in some of those shipping delays were due to COVID. From the printing, to the actual shipping. That hasn’t been an issue for some time now.
I was prepared for it to come out and didnt expect it to even last 6 hours. I waited in like for 30 minutes and got mine at retail. I didn't care about the value or collectability, i just wanted the cute kitty deck!
I recently got my wife to start playing Magic and she wanted a Dog deck. I was hoping to surprise her with this Secret Lair that I was waiting later this week to buy but looks like I’m building the deck from scratch instead since this was the one Secret Lair to be limited.
Hey, this the first secret lair that's actually appealed to me, and I'm finally in a financial situation where I can afford to buy it! Can't wait to - oh...
One of the worries that I, as a non-USian, have with the new Secret Lair sales model is shipping. Previously, I could get some friends together, we all figure out what we want, we order it, and we save a bunch on shipping by combining our orders. Now, with a 'order quickly!' prerogative, we might not be able to co-ordinate as easily, which means more money for UPS, and less for us.
I disagree about Secret Lairs. It isn't about selling through artificial scarcity or FOMO, but controlling production costs. Made-to-order can result in uneven amounts of orders for printing as well as total orders not meeting development cost while limited releases will be developed and printed with exact sales expectations in mind. Secret lairs always sold out no matter what so market manipulation wasn't really necessary Edit to add, no this isn't consumer friendly their bs is just marketing guff
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Unlucky timing but a good message that these run out fast
I hate this new direction. You helped me alot when it came to SL. I normally waited for your review before I brought any.
Penguin walk, Professor. We want you safe and making us smile for years to come. :)
Remember that you can proxy in commander, you don't need to pay the scalpers over double the price for this
Wotc needed a reason to go back to the fomo model
i never get tired of the professor's constant salt over $39.99 for 5 basic lands
A very deserved salt
They sell 400 basic lands for about $40. Even given the premium on bespoke art from non-contract artists 5 lands (which you need up to 24 for an average mono-colored deck) is overpriced by a ton in Secret Lairs. 20 of each for $50 would still be a massive profit in comparison.
@@krimhorn it's not only that. the fact that you can get only one of each means you always need to buy 5x more than if there were on sl version for each type
It is so freaking disgusting as a product.
Lands should be free
The one upside for me is that if Secret Lairs are going to start selling out so quickly I probably won’t get a chance to buy any more because I’m too busy to keep up with every last release as it happens. So this change might save me a lot of money.
But you could have bought 2 sold one and paid for both, they’re selling for $400
I was frustrated when I found out I missed this deck by an hour. Then I realized that Wizards just saved me $150 on this deck. As much as I love the art, and would have bought it, I see the money savings as an upside given I won't buy these cards on the secondary market.
Haha, yes! Extremely good point. I don't need to consider whether or not I should buy one because it doesn't even matter!
@@earthpond8043ah yes. Scalping, an act generally regarded as goodwill
I feel the same!!!
I 100% believe the change to a limited print run is to create artificial scarcity.
creates FOMO
This reminds me of the speculative meaning I give to one of my favorite online merchants ASTRO BASE. Treated like an acronym it becomes: A Store That Runs Out Because All Sales End
Anyone who doesn't believe this is a fool. While it makes the shipping of it much quicker, they are printing smaller runs to increase collectability in a time where there is a big push for reducing the price of 'game pieces' instead of collector items. WotC is trying to milk this cash cow as much as it can before the inevitable crash. Look at the comic boom of the 90's with the millions of variants. We're seeing a lot of the variant cover stuff again now in the industry, but even so, it's a shell of what it once was. Readership has TANKED in comparison to it's heyday.
See the Collectors Coin Market of the 80's too, there are so many of these hobby's that have burned themselves out due to industry greed it's pretty sad.
It's wizards of the coast..of course it's to make more money after they shitcan all those employees who made them their absurd profit margins. They don't care about consumers or employees..just the almighty dollar
@@Christopher_Lefevre I mean it’s only a matter of time before proxies are completely indistinguishable from the real thing.
I was so upset as it went on sale and sold out during my shift at work. I literally could not have bought this product.
This.... This right here is exactly why this business model is completely fucked....
Edit: I am sorry you missed the chance at this. :c
"If you're a regular full-time-working adult, this product is not for you, so just don't interact with it." - WotC, probably
Ugh, that sucks. Sorry to hear that 😞
Exactly what happened to me ans many others commenting on here.
No poop break?
I really hate the fact that the question is not "Is it worth it" but "Was it worth it" and only after 6 hours it went on sale.
I got the email that there was a secret lair, clicked the link, it was sold out. Definitely purely a business decision. I'm probably done buying secret lairs now.
You'd think they wouldn't need these shenanigans with laying off 20% of all Hasbro huh?
"probably" my man is so addicted he can't even brim himself to put his foot down lmao
@@pascalsimioli6777 foot down or not I'll likely not get the chance cuz they'll all be scalped early. The good ones anyways.
But yeah I told myself I wouldn't buy firsthand after those layoffs (mostly because they were stupid about it) but then I did buy one Ravnica Remastered pack. Just one though.
@@nateinthenorth1999 ngmi
With how quickly it sells out it sucks for people who are at work and want to buy one. They should do print to demand for 24 hours so those who want it can get it
Or for a week, cuz payday varies for some people. Mine is on Fridays, and I had just handled bills, so I wasn’t able to afford a Monday Morning drop like this, especially when they typically DO their drops on Fridays (prerelease weekends and such)
@@phobiawitch835same😢
@@phobiawitch835 Tbf they did start previewing it weeks before it came out giving one time to have the money.
@@thek838 They launched it at 4am Australian time. Most of us have jobs, we couldn't sit around til 4am hoping to one of the non-scalpers to snag a copy.
@@RayneOfSalt Don't believe I was talking about when it was released or Australia so I fail to see how that has anything to do with my point.
Finally I know if it's worth it to buy... Aaaaaaand it's gone
Hahahaha
"Wait what?"
"Your Secret Lair. It's gone. Goodbye now."
That's why I haven't bothered buying Magic for several sets. The way Wizards does business sucks.
I thought this was just a joke, but nope, already sold out.
Same
As a casual Magic fan whose main interaction with the game at the moment is just watching your videos, I really appreciate how products are now being put out that have such a limited availability that they are no longer for sale by the time I even hear about them. It really saves me from being tempted to pay Wizards of the Coast any money and support the game!
This!
That’s true, because I definitely would have purchased this.
I have no idea how you guys didnt hear about this, you can sign up for updates on the website, facebook has it spamming everywhere, and its even on insta.
I got the email, stayed on an hour queue, had no website troubles, and done. Easiest x2 of my life.
One thing that you didn't touch on with the fear of missing out model is that there's going to be people with Bots that are going to buy up all the secret layers because there is a limited amount. In the previous model where we had time to wait and choose and consider whether we wanted at secret lair or not there was no reason for scalpers to buy out all of the stock of that product. Wizard of the coast made a horrible decision. And scalpers are going to have a field day.
GW did this for a good bit, it did not go well. Everything sold out fast and was on ebay for x2 or more the price. Good luck yull.
One problem with your logic. Hasbro gives zero shits whether normal consumers or scalpers end up with the lairs, so they see everything selling out ASAP as an absolute win.
Sounds like wizards has the best bots in town, and they're about to scalp their own shit. Way to even the playing field for humans!
this deck is already being sold for like 300. By the time I knew it was out it was sold out
@@OnattamatoHASBRO might give zero shits, but I can almost guarantee there's at least one person working for Hasbro who can abuse this system.
The answer, as always, is "it doesn't matter, it sold out before the video came out"
This deck is $350+ on the secondary market now for those interested, and due to the scalper friendly nature of the new distribution system that is the base MSRP effectively.
It was $350+ even the same day I missed being able to buy it buy a few hours after the drop started and was thinking of popping on tcgplayer and.its.obscene it doubled in price on even the same day it dropped
I was curious and I saw sold auctions on eBay before it was even sold out.. What?
Lol hi from the future... on of these decks sold for 1k
This is what irritates me the most - they limit the stock, then allow scalpers to buy multiple copies. Infuriating.
Always wait for release day to buy. Only real stores can sell on TCG as pre-release, so on release day, you have plenty of people dumping them for a lot cheaper. "Release day" was today, they're already down to $230
The problem with these limited release inventory items is that it is getting scooped up by the secondary market solely for resale purposes. People can just make bots to auto buy and have done so in the past. It's really annoying.
I ordered it because I'm in the middle of making a cat deck and i thought "I can buy this and put half of it in my cat deck," now I see that I has sold for close to $400 on tcgplayer I'm starting to feel like that idea is pretty stupid and I should just sell it instead 😢
@@PhoneAccount-l6z Sell the cards you won't use, but don't give into the temptation to scalp. Remember, this is commander, you can always proxy the arts of the new cards, even the double-sidedness
It just means Hasbro can get away with charging even more for the Secret Lair Limited. Idiot scalpers will pay whatever and then try to sell it for double until it isn't profitable anymore. All the game company cares about is that someone buys it, does not care if it is someone who collects, plays, or resells.
True this
@@ZombieMinion1992 LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK.
you are totally right about the "fear of missing out" strategy. I was considering buying this product and it sold out before I could even look into it to see if it was worth it too me. I would've gotten it in hindsight but it definitely feels like you got to buy first ask questions later with WOTC products nowadays.
Same boat. I had actually checked it and knew I might be tight on funds, so I was giving myself and hour to decide. Came back deciding “Worth It”, but it was gone. I’m checking online right now and people are selling if for anywhere from $350 to $1000. Guess I’mma just go buy Singles instead
Yeah, man, it's ridiculous, I usually watch prof's vids before I go into buying anything as well cause I'm often too busy to look up all the details I'll get from here, but Secret Lair product sells so fast these videos end up just me kicking myself for not getting it lol.
Commander Decks have always been limited print runs.
2:05 For an off the cuff comment, being told to put on my leash and go out for walkies is pretty good way to describe how I feel that Wizards treats me as a consumer.
'Treats me as a consumer' every company bigger then few stores treats you like that.
@@deezboyeed6764 I think you misunderstood, I believe they meant the where talking about the way that they are treated while being a consumer instead of the fact that they are being treated as a consumer.
“So put on your leash!”
I was sure you were about to make a comparison to our relationship with WotC 😂
😂...😢
Denji from chainsawman meme entered here...
Our? Is there something you're not telling us?😅
@@goldcreeper7376 yes, I’m having a secret love affair with WotC. Don’t tell Hasbro, though - they get jealous.
@@goldcreeper7376okay seems my first joking comment got hidden by UA-cam, but in all seriousness I just meant the player base’s relationship with WotC
To be honest the reason shipping improved was because they started pre-printing a portion of the secret lairs. Also after the first deck all of the commander decks were limited print.
OK than do that for a portion but keep the print on demand model
I didn't even know about this product and when i looked at the website it was already sold out. Think it's too expensive though, but damn that art is amazing! Well done artists!
Honestly the whole secret lair limited run is tiring me but it led a realization. I was ecstatic when i heard it cause there's new art of the cards I play and even though I already build a Rin and Seri deck, it intrigued me. Then it was at a price I'm not prepared to take. THEN it sold out before I even made a choice. Then I realized why does it even matter?
I'm an artist dammit. The art in them is gorgeous but a project of ~100 digital alter proxies of a deck I already own is much more interesting, involved, and meaningful than buying into another predatory tactic. And that, I feel, can encompass a brand new perspective on how I go about the hobby. We're all playing casual anyway. Buy proxies. MAKE Proxies. Put your heart and passion into the hobby instead of money.
Indeed. I will proxy this with the New art. Wamted this for My daughter
I was doing that, but I'm going to MagicCon Chicago. Gotta fill out those decklists for real now.
WOTC: "buy our proxies" proxy all cards i cant get you say? seems like of them, thanks for the permission! wotc:"no not like that!"
The art is gorgeous? It looks like it's made to appeal to the average social media nobody. All the animals are drawn in a cutesy "you probably saw this face in a meme" way. I mean, hell, the fact the entire deck is about cats and dogs should tell you that they're aiming for the lowest common denominator, could you be anymore generic?
Totally agree! Getting custom art by either making it yourself or commissioning others to make it can be so incredibly satisfying, especially when done for an entire deck. It's very personalized.
The best of both worlds option is that if you order before the item "sells out" means you get the item quickly, but still leave the option for customers to go on a waitlist or order list for a certain amount of time after, and then if there are enough additional orders to justify another print run for the print to demand, then Wizards will let those on the waitlist know their order will be charged and processed, and they'll get their item after the next print run, which may come with that significant delay you saw previously since it has to go into the schedule with the production company, but still allows them to get more sales of the item, and lets more players get the cards they wanted.
This is of course proposed as the middle ground between their current limited supply system and full print to demand as a way to try to appease both groups.
I have no clue why WotC doesn’t do this. Their claim that they looked into how many people buy to ensure there was enough is BS because by saying it was limited print, the undid their prediction because of course people are going to buy more of them with the scarcity and scalpers will resell. Whoever legitimately thought that was a good idea needs to be fired but let’s be honest - it’s just a money grab at this point.
So many people are happy that it lasted for whole 6 hours! I just can't wrap my head around it. It was MERE 6 hours (more for Europe). It's especially baffling since USD region has allocation shared between USA, big chunk of Asia, Australia and more. For some people the sales started and ended while they were asleep. As an European, I was busy spending time with my family for about 8 hours, starting 1 hour before sales started. I still got my copy afterwards, but if I was from USA I wouldn't be allowed to have my life if I wanted my toys.
I had a friend go “yeah that’s not bad! If you really wanted it you could just take a break from work” and I was just like…that is such a privileged statement bro.
I wasn't aware this was released. I didn't hear the "NEW SECRET LAIR ALERT!!!" Alert.
I'm surprised you didn't mention how this change to Secret Lairs really puts players at a disadvantage and will create a scalper market for these products. I fell this will be similar to the PS5/XBOX series X release, scalpers will have the knowledge and resources to purchase the Secret Lairs only to relist them on Ebay for twice or three times the price.
My thought exactly. And furthermore, scalpers do have the resources and don't care the least if they even resell, so long as they can keep the price high - higher than initially, that is. And WotC being oh so unknowing of the secondary market (or shall I say blatantly ignorant, pretending it doesn't exist or play a role) only need to look at their own sales to claim the system works. They couldn't care less if the product actually reaches the hands of someone who really wants it instead of someone who sees it as a means to make money with ethically doubtful methods, who will hold onto it if necessary if they can't make 100%, 200% profit margin. It sells out within hours -> success. Only a fraction of players and collectors will actually get their hands on it for a reasonable price (if you can call secret lair prices that, seeing the complete value fail the last drop of 2023 was) and the rest will dust in some scalpers' storages, i.e. freight containers or their mum's basement. But I digress...
To put it short: in my opinion, deliberately and knowingly creating a fear of missing out by artificially limiting product availability is never in the interest of the target customer a company pretends to make the product for, no matter the excuses they throw around. It is quite the opposite, proof or at least a hint that said company does not/no longer care about their originally intended customers and fans but instead just want to throw out whatever they can at everyone willing to throw money back at them without second thought about the product itself. They've basically become actioners. Sell as fast as possible with as much pressure as possible for a price as high as possible.
With your turn around time, the typo @13:47 is not only forgiven, but applauded as the only one I noticed for a video rushed out in such short amount of time. Good job, crew.
I remember the very first Secret Lairs they did.... I got mine days after ordering so obviously they had some preprinted even with a "print to order" system. So from the very start it was something that was in their power to not be the big problem it later became (and then got resolved).
I know the last few secret lair commander decks were also limited number after Heads, I win took so long. I feel like there should be a regular secret lair that accompanies the commander decks with just the 5 cards with new art for people who want those but not the whole deck
I'm really bummed I missed this one. I didn't realize when it went live and got to it too late. Really bummed, but oh well. It is what it is!
I didn't even know about this Secret Lair until about 2 hours after it went live, I just happened to check the website. Took a quick look at the deck list, added it to the cart, hesitated at first, but pulled the trigger on it and got my order confirmed. If I'd backed out after having it in my cart like that, I would have had massive FOMO for the next one for sure.
I hope they weren't lying about better shipping times for this one!
I got my shipping confirmation this morning in the US. Some people got it yesterday. If you're in the US, you'll get your tracking number soon (if you haven't already).
@@ecoKady Noted! I just checked my order history and I do in fact already have a tracking number!
The other thing about seeing the "2 month window" was for me looking at people doing box opening videos and seeing what the "secret" card was and if that makes it more worth it..
Helped alot with me deciding
Yeah, I think this change just leads to the end of my Secret Lair purchases.
I feel like the rush tactic is also to prevent folks like the Prof from doing financial analysis on every lair and thus they can hopefully get more buyers.
They definitely get less buyers - judging by everyone who wanted one but found it sold out. But it probably saves them a lot in production costs to plan out fixed sized print runs ahead of time.
I'll buy that tinfoil hat theory
@@totallycarbon2106 they most likely are reselling them on the secondary market , it has been something they wanted to get into.
@@jaredbarton6161sorry tinfoil hats are already sold out
I had no idea this was even going to be on sale and I totally would have tried to buy it :(
That annointed procession art is amazingly cute though and love that cat forest!
But 160 euro for this deck seems too expensive to me.
This is one of the few secret lairs I wish I got. Sucks it was limited supply
They’re going for $370 on tcg so you could still technically get one if you wanna eat the +2x price buy in
@@earthpond8043might as well just buy the cheapest singles at that point
@earthpond8043 yeah I'm good. Too much at that price 😆
This is the one deck I was looking forward to getting. I signed up to notifications for its release and everything. Heard nothing, check to see when it's out only to hear it's sold out and unlike other secret lairs it's not a preorder it's a buy it before it's gone. I'm genuinely heartbroken. I was looking forward to this all month.
I might just have to get a "playtest" version custom printed in protest.
I'm genuinely quite upset. I was really excited for this deck with them teasing new art every week. Only for it to be gone immediately.
@@WafflePrince I feel ya, I have already submitted Proxies to be printed so I am doing what I can :/
@@cardriverxxx it honestly doesn't make sense to me, they're losing who knows how many possible sales to people like us. Unless they have a stake in proxy companies lol
Same, I signed up for notifications and just didn't get anything. It's a shame
@@cxlys2249 it's so frustrating, I'm sorry it happened to you :( honestly it makes no sense, they could have sold more and made more money. Doing this limited run is a lose-lose for everyone
I already have a Rin and Seri deck and have most of those cards, but I was still really tempted to pick it up for the art. I’m happy to say I resisted and really glad I did as it didn’t make sense to me.
Never bought a Secret Lair, but moving to the new system is likely better for WotC. FOMO is quite a powerful sales tool.
It sold out before I got home to buy it.
I hope you never stop doing these videos. I love your honesty and your perspective on value.
I bought heads I win tails you lose. I love that deck and I would never be able to buy the cards to make a deck like that for as cheap as it was. But cats and dogs though… I love playing Naya but there are other better cheaper ways to play this kind of commander deck. My Jetmir Nexus of Revels of deck is so much fun and I was able to bling it out with full art deco lands for pretty cheap. And it sucks it sold out, because I might have bought it for some cool alt art and interesting cards. But this price hike and the fact it sold out is just a drab.
Who knows? It sold out instantly
But don't worry them doing set amounts won't affect others from getting it...
They’re being resold by scalpers. Just buy it from the scalper and start a credit card dispute over item not being as described. Buyers win 100% of the time.
if by instantly you mean 6 hours. sure
6 hours though. 😂😂😂
6 hours is a time Window in which a lot of people can have no access to the web, most likely due to being all that 6 hours at a job (or sleeping) that forbids phones and stuff. So yeah. It is too fast for consumer friendlyness @@charun8200
One thing to keep in mind specifically for the commander decks is, after the heads i win tails you lose fiasco all of the complete decks have been limited print.
Honestly I've been thinking about a Rin and Seri deck for a long time and when this dropped I knew I had to snatch it up. 150 is worth it for many of the singles. The deck is interesting in that it has some bangers and some absolute DOG cards. I guess that's just wotc pre-cons
It sold out in 6 hours.
And don't forget it's sold out
well ofc it has dog cards
@@alexanderficken9354 lol
@@CatManThree Yeah it's nuts how fast that was. I hate to say it but the upside is my copy from wotc has shipped already, so selfishly i dont' mind the system right now. I know it's bad overall but damn is it faster now.
Wizards: We are adding artificial scarcity because is what players want
Players: But why? Cardboard is literally endless.
Wizards: Trust us, this is for you!
Wow almost got there before it sold out
We got our deck within 3 days. It was the fastest lair my wife and I had ever purchased! My Wife was so happy to play with this deck and even open it with quite excitement. It made me happy :)
I feel bad for my friends who really wanted the deck but had to wait until payday for it. They missed out and now must pay exorbitant costs if they want any of the cards in the deck. Also can't wait for the Behind the Campus Video. Give us a closer look at the book shelves behind you and what you're looking at when you speak to camera.
If they have to wait payday to spend 150 dollars I feel they have bigger issues to focus on than buying cards
Living paycheck to paycheck, not sure buying Magic cards is really what they should be spending their money on.
Lol I wanted it but worked over night the night before and was asleep when these went live
For the record, there isn't really a change in when it arrives on your door step with limited print runs; there is just less time between you ordering and it arriving. All limited print run does is change the order of events from {You find out} -> {You order} -> {They print} -> {They Ship} to {They print} -> {You find out} -> {You order} -> {They Ship}. All of these actions take the same amount of time no matter the order (other then it taking an insignificant amount of additional to print due to increased sales). Yes there is less time between ordering and receiving. Essentially what I'm saying is for a Secret Lair you ordered to arrive in December, they changed when you order to be at the end of November instead of mid-October. You're still getting it in December, you just ordered it later in their process.
I'm not afraid to admit it: the full art lands and the dog theme got me. I'm very thankful I didn't get the lisa frank Rin and Seri because this one has infinitely better art.
What got me is the Yoshimaru bonus card. It's genuinely one of my favorite SL art ever.
@@kevinnieves3331It can be that card, or the nine lives enchantment
I give you and this video the grade of A+ for the awesome Principal Skinner joke. Love it!
I had no idea this was even a release. 🎉 I would have gotten one. Booo
Same!
Same, almost no communication from wotc so limited run instead of print to command is hilarious to. It's like "guys, let's use artificial scarcity to boost command of the product but not spend any money or effort on advertisement which completely destroys the artificial scarcity!"
Let's not forget about the people who would want this that don't live in the US and would have to be awake at stupid o'clock for a chance to get a Secret Lair before they are sold out
I checked on Monday when i was on lunch, and it was already gone. I would have bought the last 2 commander decks if i had the chance to
As a children(a 28 year old magic player) who got into magic about a year ago. The angel secret liar deck is by far my favorite. :)
Me and my wife love your videos Prof! Best magic the gathering channel on youtube.
Something I would have also liked pointed out is that these commander decks have always been limited run. I don't think I caught you discussing that aspect, but know you touched on that that's how secret lairs are going to be in the future. Still a great video all the same prof thank you for all the hard work you put in and hope by the time you read this that your face is better! :).
Was the Heads & Tails deck limited run? If so, why was there such a long delay in shipping?
@@JasonOshinko pretty sure it was, and because their logistics suck honestly.
I really wanted this one. Unfortunately when I logged into my (personal) computer Monday around noon it was gone. Can’t say I like this new model as it will probably be sold for double and at $250-300 it is NOT worth it.
it went up at noon and took 6 hours to sell out so youre lying about something
@@ghoulfarts what time zone? Or do you just enjoy shaming/criticizing people?
Because let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter the thing sold out quicker than I could get it on the 22nd at god only knows what time when I logged in on a non work computer! And it was definitely before 6pm which would be under the 6 hours it sold out in!
@@girlhunter2102 u mad
@@ghoulfarts You need a hug bro?
Great video! Sorry to hear about your Tragic Slip, ironically the ice that bruised you might also be the best medicine.
Secret Lair's aka Scalpers Paradise!
Glad i was able to purchase this deck, wish I purchased a second ine to sell to an actual fan or collector at the face value, not the inflated scalpers prices.... $400-$600 for this deck online 🤦
Think this is a much better improvement over waiting months for the product. It literally shipped the next day! I’m much more inclined to purchase anything if I know it will ship ASAP
Looks like it's ..... too late. 🤘🦁🤘
speediest of recoveries Prof... need you 100% for Game Knights live domination!
Is it worth it to buy it for $300-$400 though? 🤔Because that seems to be the initial price the scalpers are reselling it.
Only if you think so. I wanted it and got it at regular price luckily. I absolutely would rather buy 2+ booster boxes for $300 than one deck, even though the art is adorable
4:14 art reserved list: this so far has actually not been entirely true!… remember Dan Frazier’s arcane signet has now appeared in at least two separate secret lairs.
10:59 shipping times being solved is also not true. It still takes them months to ship lairs if the lairs aren’t already printed. The issue is that they were doing a hybrid model where they printed a bunch, and if they over sold, they’d just print more, so for those of us that ordered at the last min, it was very common to have to wait quite a while to get our lairs (2~ months), which honestly has made it pretty complicated for even just keeping track of what you ordered and received when diff SLs are being sold every month, and well, they all look the same.
11:22 regarding sales, I’d also disagree. I think part of the problem is that people end up feeling comfortable with being able to order, then become complacent and forget to order… or just decide to spend their $ elsewhere, so it makes sense that for the most part, this is going to be better for everyone involved: wizards makes more, those who really want it, get it, and those that do get it, get it faster.
Sure wish I could
For comparison, the Murders at Karlov Manor precons are currently about $50 and have around $190 in reprint value
I know what I'll be spending my money on
Shame you cant, its sold out lol
Wish we saw this sooner. I bought one thankfully because it seemed like a fun deck to introduce my wife or son with.
This is exactly what happened to me. I saw an ad on Facebook for the deck, went immediately to the Secret Lair website, only to find it sold out... how disappointing!
Artificial scarcity has been implemented since Alpha. That's why there are print numbers common through mythic rarity.
It puts the collectible in CCG lol .
Great video! Keep them coming!
This was the first secret lair deck I really wanted. I signed up to be notified when it was on sale as in the UK I was at work when it went on sale. I got no email and when I checked after work it was gone already
6 *HOURS* !!!
Well, yeah....oh, that's also why the 'Angels' SL deck sealed sells for that: Scarcity. They did _NOT_ print enough of them.
😍😍😍
I LOVE that you did an update of Secret Lair decks priced TODAY. I've really been curious on that info. Please do a more indepeth video for price today.
This is my first ever secret lair drop and was a deck that i was looking forward to building when i started playing magic earlier this year
I'm not a magic player or someone who has ever played magic with cards but I enjoy your videos.
I think a mix of both models would be the best choice.
1. Print a finite number, like 10 000 units. The first 10 000 sales will get them faster, providing a better customer experience.
2. Still offer a larger window of purchase after the sale of the first 10 000 units, but with the warning of the longer delivery time.
That way the people who are in a rush, will get the decks they want fast, but people who want to think, will still get it, but a bit later.
You didn’t mention one of the biggest downsides to limited-print runs: scalpers. It sells out in 6 hours, in part, because people will drop $1500 to buy 10 of them and mark them up for $250 each!
The news is this deck dropped right after purchased the "90s Notebook" secret lair. Thankfully i hadn't bothered fully building a R&S deck beforehand
My one note is this was exactly like the angels deck, that one was limited as well and didn't sell out in 6 hours. No one has mentioned it though. So it could be scalpers, related to the fact of how well the angels deck price has been. Or just cats and dogs being more desirable than angels. But I am happy I got one I think it looks good, also I love dogs and wanted to make a tin and seri deck anyways.
I got into line at 0902. And waited in line for 27 minutes. I got mine, I hope you got yours.
This was my second secret lair set. Coming from Pokemon, I was REALLY impressed with the virtual wait in line before ordering. I wish Pokemon Center had that because when big items went live on that site, it would literally crash within minutes sometimes.
Love how the professor ending , is exactly what happened and now the secondary and third markets are soaring prices of over double to triple the base cost.
I was planning on buying the Cats and Dogs deck since I heard about it being announced, but I wasn't aware of the limited print run, so I woke up to learning that it was no longer available. Thank you Wizards of the Coast for not letting me buy this deck.
I picked up one of the last copies by accident, I went and checked at around 430pm est day one, I was told by someone else they checked at 5pm and it was sold out. Ive been thinking about building Rin and Seri for a while so this coming out was perfect timing since it dropped two days after my (30th ironically) birthday!
I like the scarcity element to the change. I've always been bothered by reprints repeatedly devaluing nice cards of the past. Just imagine if you were the holders of a card like Anointed Procession, only to see its price flop bc there was a nearly unlimited reprint for a time-frame with a much more unique artwork. If they miss out on Cats and Dogs, they can always look forward to the surprises coming in future lairs unannounced, and each should hold value over periods of time and feel more special to have as time's passed when you're one of few locally to take advantage of utilizing such copies with others.
It is a [Trading] Card Game after all. We still need to make the trading part relevant and take caution not to burn all prices to the floor.
There's data that shows how well cute cats and puppies sell and no other secret lair was drip fed to us like this one was. They knew exactly what they were doing and it's going to set the tone for how they handle secret lairs moving forward
Professor really thought he would sneak in that Ghostbusters reference, and nobody would notice. 😂
The professor, once being an English professor, made this video to stand as a master class in textbook dramatic irony. "Hopefully this has not sold out by the time you watch this" he says of a product long sold out.
Secret lairs should be a mix of preprinted and print to demand. That way people can get it when it starts and still get it if they were missed but with slower shipping. The sheer amount of scalpers makes this kinda thing necessary.
9:13 Nice to hear the Prof's thoughts on this too
let’s not forget that a big factor in some of those shipping delays were due to COVID. From the printing, to the actual shipping.
That hasn’t been an issue for some time now.
I was prepared for it to come out and didnt expect it to even last 6 hours. I waited in like for 30 minutes and got mine at retail. I didn't care about the value or collectability, i just wanted the cute kitty deck!
I recently got my wife to start playing Magic and she wanted a Dog deck. I was hoping to surprise her with this Secret Lair that I was waiting later this week to buy but looks like I’m building the deck from scratch instead since this was the one Secret Lair to be limited.
Can't wait for all the scalpers, printer goes brr
I may need just a single copy of that mountain with the dog park.
To paraphrase Princess Leia: “The tighter you squeeze your fist [WotC], the more [players will print proxies].”
Hey, this the first secret lair that's actually appealed to me, and I'm finally in a financial situation where I can afford to buy it! Can't wait to - oh...
One of the worries that I, as a non-USian, have with the new Secret Lair sales model is shipping.
Previously, I could get some friends together, we all figure out what we want, we order it, and we save a bunch on shipping by combining our orders. Now, with a 'order quickly!' prerogative, we might not be able to co-ordinate as easily, which means more money for UPS, and less for us.
I got two while they were available!
Oh wow! Didn't know the Angels one went up so much! I have two as well.
They can't just print the cutest Sol Ring to ever exist and not expect me to want one for every single Commander Deck I have
I disagree about Secret Lairs. It isn't about selling through artificial scarcity or FOMO, but controlling production costs. Made-to-order can result in uneven amounts of orders for printing as well as total orders not meeting development cost while limited releases will be developed and printed with exact sales expectations in mind.
Secret lairs always sold out no matter what so market manipulation wasn't really necessary
Edit to add, no this isn't consumer friendly their bs is just marketing guff