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Jan 31, 2024

MTG's Secret Lair Spring 2023 Superdrop Includes Rebecca Guay And A Very Good Sausage Dog

Take a look at everything in Magic: The Gathering's latest Secret Lair

Take a look at everything in Magic: The Gathering's latest Secret Lair Superdrop.

Magic: The Gathering has unveiled its second Secret Lair Superdrop of the year. The Spring Superdrop 2023 includes three tie-ins with the recent March of the Machine set, as well as Artist Series drops from well-known Magic artists Alayna Danner, Randy Vargas, and Rebecca Guay.

RELATED: Magic: The Gathering – The Most Valuable Cards From March Of The Machine

Like most Secret Lair Superdrops, these will only be available for a limited time, with the sale ending on June 28, 2023. These are one-time prints, and once the sale has ended, they likely won't be reprinted anywhere else. Here is everything in the Spring 2023 Superdrop

One of the most interesting things about March of the Machine was how it brought back old showcase frames to reflect the various planes the Phyrexians had invaded. For instance, we saw the travel posters from Zendikar Rising come back to represent Zendikar, and the storybook frame for Eldraine.

The first of three March of the Machine Showcase drops include five cards, all complete with the swirly Halo Foiling treatment:

As far as value goes, this has some decent cards. Questing Beast is practically a meme with how complicated and powerful it is, while Walking Ballista is a popular combo piece with Heliod, Sun-Crowned. The World Tree is a go-to for any God-heavy deck, and Olivia Voldaren is a relatively popular Vampire commander, although it has been supplanted in things like Evelyn the Covetous and Strefan, Maurer Progenitor.

Wheel and Deal is an interesting inclusion, though. This is the first time the card's been reprinted since Onslaught, and tying it into the crime-centric New Capenna is a really nice and flavourful decision. Considering this is a great card for Wheel commander decks, it could be the main reason to buy this drop for some.

Like all the Showcase drops, March of the Machine Vol. 1 is only available in Halo Foil, and costs $49.99/£49.99.

Much like the first drop, this release collects together five cards with plane-appropriate showcase frames:

Out of the three Showcase drops, this is the hardest sell. None of the cards here are massively valuable, with Higure, the Still Wind often fetching about $10 on the secondary market.

That being said, the cards themselves are interesting. Nezahal is a go-to for any blue card-draw decks, while Higure is a great inclusion in a Ninja deck. Xantcha is a really neat political commander, as it gives your opponent a creature and the rest of the table a way to draw plenty of cards.

This drop also includes two of the showcase frames that debuted in March of the Machine, with Ixalan and Tarkir not having showcases of their own before this set. We’re likely to see gold coins come back in Lost Caverns of Ixalan, but who knows when we’ll see this monochromatic Tarkir frame again?

Vol 2. Also costs $49.99/£49.99 for a Halo Foil edition.

The best of the three March of the Machine drops is the last, with multiple cards that see plenty of play:

Free counterspells are always powerful, and while Misdirection isn't exactly a Force of Negation, being able to shunt targeted spells onto other targets is fantastic. Utvara Hellkite is a staple of Dragon decks across multiple formats, thanks to its ability to generate a huge number of fliers.

Kogla is going to be of interest to lots of people, seeing as we just got an Ape commander in Jumpstart 2022 with Kibo, Uktabi Prince. But by far the most exciting inclusion here is Nyxbloom Ancient, a mana-tripling enchantment that can quickly swing the game in your favour if you can keep it in play for long enough.

Finally, there's Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain, one of the most popular Cheerios commanders. Seeing as lots of artifacts cost zero mana, playing them all with Jhoira out and replenishing your hand for free makes it a good, if not necessarily valuable, choice for your deck.

Like the other March of the Machine Showcases, Vol 3. Costs $49.99/£49.99 for a Halo Foil edition.

The first of three Artist Series drops highlights the work of Alayna Danner, who is probably best known for her lands like Otawara, Soaring City, Reflecting Pool, and Rejuvenating Springs. She's also done a number of high-profile cards, like Jeweled Lotus, Unexpected Windfall, and Grinning Ignus.

This time, her drop is Angel-themed, with:

Linvala is a big win for this drop, being a very popular Angel that can shut down large parts of your opponents’ decks. Sunblast Angel is a slightly odd choice when there are many more, much more in-demand Angels out there, but Danner's art on it is sublime.

Unfortunately, the main thing this Drop is noteworthy for is the art on Seraph Sanctuary. Shortly after revealing the drop, Wizards announced that the art was actually a work-in-progress version and not the final art, which will be included as the secret card in a future Secret Lair drop. It's a shame to have the unfinished art here instead of just changing it for the print, but even the WIP rendition is incredible.

Artist Series: Alayna Danner costs $29.99/£29.99 for the regular edition, and $39.99/£39.99 for a regular foil print.

Randy Vargas has quickly become one of the most prolific artists in Magic, with over 150 cards to his name, including Fierce Guardianship, Charming Prince, Heliod's Intervention, and Chandra, Hope's Beacon.

His drop is eclectic, featuring everything from Cleric Hatebear pieces to a very brave Dachshund:

Grand Abolisher is the easy winner of this drop. It prevents almost any interaction from your opponents, letting you pop off without fear of counterspells or removal on your own turn. Umezawa's Jitte is a close second, being the first non-promo, non-List reprinting of the card since Betrayers of Kamigawa and working fantastically in combat-heavy decks.

The remaining cards aren't incredible, even if the art on Selfless Saviour is heartwrenchingly cute. It's a shame Angel of Fury is the Akroma we got, as it is the least valuable and least effective of all three Akroma cards.

Artist Series: Randy Vargas costs the usual Secret Lair price of $29.99/£29.99 for a regular edition, or $39.99/£39.99 for a foil version.

One of the most famous MTG artists of all time is Rebecca Guay. While she hasn't contributed as much to the game recently, in her heyday she was producing favourites like Bitterblossom, Carpet of Flowers, Dark Ritual, and Aven Mindcensor. Even if you haven't played Magic for very long, chances are you’ve seen at least one Rebecca Guay card.

Her artist series drop is all about bringing "style and poetry" to cards, with some visually striking pieces that look nothing like any other artist for the game right now:

Serra the Benevolent gets its first-ever reprint, after first appearing in the original Modern Horizons. This is yet another card in this Superdrop that is great for Angel decks, buffing up your fliers and producing more of them.

Stoneforge Mystic is the main attraction for this drop, as it is a staple for any Voltron Commander decks, and the popular Hammertime archetype in Modern. Cleansing Nova, meanwhile, is a nice board wipe for Commander, even if it isn't in especially high demand.

The final card is Muddle the Mixture, a flexible counterspell that can be transmuted away to find a better spell if you don't have need for it. It's not a valuable card, but this striking art certain adds the finishing touches to the drop.

Artist Series: Rebecca Guay costs $29.99/£29.99 for the regular edition, and $39.99/£39.99 for foil.

Topping off this Superdrop are two themed drops, with the first being Nature is Adorable by Japanese artist Aya Kakeda, a collection of four green powerhouses:

While it isn't the biggest financial hit in this Superdrop, Nature's Will is an incredible card in any trample-heavy deck, as it lets you go into your second main phase (or your opponents’ turns) with all your lands untapped.

Joraga Treespeaker looks a little weird in the Secret Lair style thanks to its level up mechanics, but it's still a brilliant card for any Elf deck, as it turns all your Elves into powerful mana dorks. That’ll come in handy with Yeva, Nature's Herald, which lets you play green spells at instant speed.

Ulvenwald Tracker is the final card here. Again, it isn't a big money card, but works very nicely in green decks as a way to clear enemies out of the way by fighting them. The art is also adorable – pair this with your Goreclaw from the last Secret Lair, or last year's Bearscape, and you’ll have a very bear-heavy deck on your hands.

Nature Is Adorable costs $29.99/£29.99 for the regular print, and $39.99/£39.99 for foil.

The final Secret Lair of the Spring Superdrop is Cool Ocean Breeze, a merfolk-heavy drop that gives some of the strongest cards in this entire batch. With colourful, psychedelic art by Lauren YS, it combines high fashion with the deep seas:

The two standouts here are, of course, Thassa, Deep-Dwelling and Thassa's Oracle. The first is an incredibly powerful blink tool for blue, and as long as you keep your devotion down will be tricky for your opponents to get rid of it. Thassa's Oracle, on the other hand, is one of the game's most infamous combo pieces, working alongside cards like Enter The Infinite to win quickly and decisively.

Following them up, Llawan, Cephalid Empress feels a bit of a let-down. It shuts down blue creatures from being cast, but is very situational. Master of Waves also doesn't quite fit in; in a drop full of Merfolk, having one that cares about Elementals instead feels out of place. The art is still great, though.

Cool Ocean Breeze costs $29.99/£29.99 for the regular version, and $39.99/£39.99 for foil.

As you’d expect from any Superdrop, there are a number of bundles available.

The first is the March of the Machine Bundle, which costs $128.99/£128.99. This includes all three of the Showcase: March of the Machine drops, for a total of 15 cards. This is a lot cheaper than buying each drop individually, saving you almost $21/£21.

The Those Non-Foils Just Won't Let Up Bundle includes the non-foil versions of every drop, except for the March of the Machine showcases. For $128.99/£128.99, you’ll get one copy of all three Artist Series, Nature Is Adorable, and Cool Ocean Breeze.

Those Foils Are Really Coming Down bundles together every foil drop, including the March of the Machine showcases. This means you get foil drops of all three Showcases, all three Artist Series, Nature Is Adorable, and Cool Ocean Breeze for $299.99/£299.99.

Finally, there's the It's Raining Foils And Non-Foils Bundle, which includes every single drop. You’ll get all three Showcases, and foil and non-foil versions of the three Artist Series, Nature Is Adorable, and Cool Ocean Breeze. This is also the most expensive bundle, costing $423.99/£423.99.

NEXT: Everything You Need To Know About Magic The Gathering's Secret Lair

TheGamer's Tabletop Editor and Verified Card Boy, covering all things Magic: the Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dungeons & Dragons, and more. His favourite Pokemon is Porygon, and his favourite Commander is Kwain, Itinerant Meddler!