The latest Secret Lair drop for Magic: The Gathering was revealed on Wednesday, and will soon go up for sale on the official SL site. The drop contains seven new MTG Secret Lairs in total, each one a set of limited-edition reprints of existing cards with new, alternate art styles. They’ll be available to pre-order from Monday, April 11, but as usual with Secret Lairs, won’t stick around for long. If you plan to pick one up, you’ll have a window of just under one month in which to do so, as they’ll vanish from the Secret Lair website on May 9.
Perhaps the most unusual and immediately eye-catching set from the Secret Lair drop for April 2022 is Special Guest: Matt Jukes, a Secret Lair by a printmaking artist, who’s produced five incredibly minimalist interpretations of five land cards. Just Some Totally Normal Guys is another Secret Lair that stands out, with colourful, cartoonish characters drawn by Polish graphic designer Roman Klonek.
This April drop also has a Secret Lair that seems tailor-made for fans digging the artstyle from upcoming set Streets of New Capenna. Showcase: Streets of New Capenna Gilded Foil Edition is rather a mouthful, but consists of three lovely art deco reimaginings of some four-colour MTG commanders: Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice; Breya, Etherium Shaper; and Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder.
Finally! Left-handed Magic cards, which was teased by Wizards on April 1, in an April Fools half-gag, is being released in this drop. This Secret Lair features left-handed card frames, supposedly redesigned for lefties’ convenience.
The other three SLs in the April 2022 Secret Lair drop are all ‘Artist Series’ Secret Lairs, which give existing Magic: The Gathering artists the chance to strut their stuff. The first featured in this way is Magali Villeneuve. Particularly celebrated for her amazingly lifelike character artwork, she’s responsible for the artwork on more than 100 Magic cards, from Teysa Karlov to Chandra, Torch of Defiance.
There’s also an Artist Series Secret Lair for Sidharth Chaturvedi, whose work – known for telling great stories through pictures – appears on cards including Ajani’s Pridemate and Camaraderie; and for Wayne Reynolds, whose pieces, often action-packed and angular, feature on cards such as Feather, The Redeemed, and Fanatical Firebrand.
Phew, that’s yer lot.
If you need a recap, the complete April 2022 Secret Lair drop is:
- Showcase: Streets of New Capenna Gilded Foil Edition
- Special Guest: Matt Jukes
- Artist Series: Magali Villeneuve
- Artist Series: Sidharth Chaturvedi
- Artist Series: Wayne Reynolds
- Finally! Left-handed Magic cards
- Just Some Totally Normal Guys
The Secret Lairs from the April drop will be available in foil and regular versions on the Secret Lair website from April 11 – May 9. The foil version are prices at $39.99 / £39.99 and the regular editions at $29.99 / £29.99. Showcase: Streets of New Capenna Gilded Foil Edition is the notable exception. There’s only one version of this Secret Lair, and its asking price is $49.99 / £49.99.
If you’re keen to know more about premium, alt-art Magic cards, here’s our guide to the best Secret Lairs and where you can find them today. And if you want to find out why some Magic cards can never be reprinted, here’s the lowdown on the MTG Reserved List.