One of the finest MTG Spider-Man spoilers yet arrived yesterday, the blue instant spell Secret Identity. This card is flavorful, has an interesting effect, is a playful reference to another card from 1999, and it's powerful to boot - so why am I more inclined to meet it with jeers than cheers?
Well, because it gives an unnecessary boost to Vivi Ornitier, that's why. Revealed by Bleeding Cool on September 4, Secret Identity is a one mana spell that lets you temporarily turn a creature into a 1/1 Civilian with hexproof or a 3/4 hero with flying and vigilance. So you can either use the card as protection when you're targeted with a removal spell, or as evasion (and potentially a buff) when you want to attack.
That's a really nice versatile modal spell, and I can see it being great for EDH - especially for decks that are super dependent on their MTG commander to win. It's also a reference to Unmask, a story-relevant card from the 1999 Magic: The Gathering set Mercadian Masks - Wizards even commissioned the same illustrator!
The trouble is that this card is the perfect playmate for Vivi Ornitier. It protects the accursed Wizard, and both halves actually buff his stats, allowing the card to generate mana rather than cost it. Finally, it allows him to swing in the air for potentially enormous damage. Boo! Boo and hiss!
The only saving grace is that I'm pretty sure the most popular Vivi deck won't need this card. The biggest Standard deck of the moment relies on Agatha's Soul Cauldron, which means you'd actually rather have your Vivi in the graveyard than on the field. Protecting him isn't your highest priority.
There's still Izzet Prowess, however, waiting in the wings for Soul Cauldron to be placed on the MTG banlist. This card compares damn favorably to Shore Up, which currently sees play in that deck.
So yeah, overall this is a great card, WotC. Thanks, (but) I hate it.
If you despise the Final Fantasy wizard as much as me, you're welcome to join the Wargamer Discord for more tabletop discussion (Cauldron players keep out!) You could also check out our MTG release schedule guide to see everything coming up in the next 12-ish months.