A card from the scrapped Monster Hunter Secret Lair in Magic is now available for free in a new set.
Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair has rolled out a variety of crossovers in recent years, and while these aren’t full Standard sets but rather limited-time offerings, they’ve sparked their fair share of debate.
From concerns about the printing process to the pricing of identical cards, one of the more controversial releases has been the collaboration with Monster Hunter.
This set aimed to feature multiple cards representing Hunts, Hunters, and Monsters, but it faced several issues. For instance, there was a typo on Champion of Kotoko (it should have been Kokoto), and the overall card selection felt underwhelming—especially in light of the recent reveal of Secrets of Strixhaven’s Welcome Decks, which will include Drakuseth, Maw of Flames.
This card, valued at a dollar or less on TCGplayer, was meant to symbolize Rathalos, one of the most recognizable creatures from the Monster Hunter series.
It wasn’t the only low-cost card receiving new art and a higher price tag in the set, but now it’s being featured in a 40-card free deck for new players. This highlights that, while the card is visually appealing, it may not generate the excitement typically associated with a Secret Lair drop.
To Wizards of the Coast’s credit, they announced back in November that they would “go back to the drawing board” with the Monster Hunter Secret Lair, but there hasn’t been much communication since. Is it too much to hope for an Ur-Dragon reprint with Rathalos art? Probably, but we can dream.
If you’re interested, the Welcome Decks look pretty impressive. They’re available for free at participating stores, and the full decklists include standout cards like Lyra Dawnbringer, Massacre Wurm, Vizier of the Menagerie, and Sphinx of the Final Word.
Just last week, I needed several red dragon cards for a deck and ended up buying singles, but the red Welcome Deck features some useful staples like Carnelian Orb of Dragonkind, Kargan Dragonrider, and Etali, Primal Storm.