What's On My Mind About Secret Lairs | A Magic: The Gathering Introspective Dialectic

Go to BuyRaycon.com/... for 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon.
Magic: The Gathering Product Fatigue: • Magic: The Gathering P...
So It Has Come To This: The Collector Booster Box Game For Magic: The Gathering | Why? Why?: • So It Has Come To This...
A reminder that my Discord has a 100% free "Looking For Game" section, with games of everything from Commander to Modern (and even Pauper) firing off. So if you want to get some webcam Magic, just check out / discord
#MagicTheGathering #mtg #tolariancommunitycollege
►This episode is brought to you thanks to our wonderful Patreon community. Join to support the show, or just Shuffle Up & Play with other awesome people on our Patron Discord by going to / tolariancommunitycollege
►This show is made in part due to Card Kingdom. You can help us out by visiting our affiliate link at www.CardKingdo...

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Go to BuyRaycon.com/tolariancommunity for 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon.

[@shooter0404]

you should go for a buzz cut again like in the old secret lair thumbnail. looks sharp

[@cleanartcollective]

Hey Brian, is there a way to get a refund or something on the kickstarter project i helped support and now don't get my product because of a survey that took place 6 months ago in june or something? your support team on kickstarter is rude and unhelpful... looks really shady if you ask me. feels bad being scammed :( Any way you might be able to remedy this, or at least acknowledge that you're fucking up instead of ignoring the bad parts of your "very successful" kickstarter? I literally payed day 1 and waited and waited and waited only to be told i dont get the thing i payed for.... any ideas on that Prof?

[@EclecticCamel]

I don't know why, but hearing "NEW SECRET LAIR ALERT" brings warmth to my cold dead heart.

[@LadyLunarSatine]

Funny, it just has me wanting to hit the right arrow key to jump ahead 5-10 seconds.

[@rileymcphee9429]

This relatable shit right here

[@MrPFMneto]

It also brings a bit of panic lol

[@solsticepride3302]

I love when we get to see the profs thought free-form instead of scripted like normal

[@wormspeaker]

Absolutely. I know he says he's having 'fun' with the character when he does the over the top stuff, but it's just not what I come to the channel for.

[@notme222]

No offense to anyone, but I don't. I find it rambling and I didn't bother watching the rest of this video.

[@C._Bradford]

@notme222 I agree with you, definately a bit rambling which can be grating. However I also feel like he's letting down his guard. Just dropping all pretentions and being super real.

[@seanfsmith]

Same! It's why I'm such a fan of Dies to Removal

[@owlbedamned4034]

@@seanfsmith Bring it back!

[@slumdutchmillionare]

My biggest issue when buying foils is that sellers set their condition as “Near Mint” when it’s curled to high heaven.

[@magic_claw]

That’s not just Near Mint, but Mint 😂

[@jasonhogan1614]

I feel like the prof could do a state of magic grading video/series in June on whether the state of: modern; standard; commander; the local gamestore; arena; etc are in a good state or whether they need to do summer school to improve

[@ghostguin1398]

That sounds fun

[@salfontana5712]

I like this idea!

[@Starman_Dx]

A story about secret lair foils. I ordered the Post Malone set and the 40k orks set, both foil at the same time. I received them both opened them up and noticed the orks were already curling. Post's foils we're perfectly flat. Today, those same ork foils are causing a hard sleeve to bend. Post's? Perfectly flat in a binder. I have no idea what black magic (cuz it was a black set, hah puns!) they used for Post's but I'm super curious if anyone else noticed it. Or maybe I got extremely lucky.

[@jacksonwilliamson256]

I can attest. The post foils don’t curl. The other secret lairs in my deck curl insanely hard though

[@spookytanooky]

Same here. Post foils arrived flat but my Street Fighter foils were curled before I opened them.

[@aaron.k.]

Now there is a man who knows how to review Secret Lairs!

[@kellenmiller3391]

But has no idea how to open them! LOL

[@PhyrexianPraetor]

I adore the more subtle look of the etched foils

[@hallaloth3112]

Same, while I like a traditional foil occasionally. . .sometimes the etch foil just adds a touch of gilding that fits it perfectly.

[@seanfsmith]

Same: it reminds me of some of my favourite foil lands from Odyssey block

[@MrNbkelly]

I wanna see Garret on shuffle up and play, along with Chang, and Abed

[@kevincarter9164]

Garret was and brought a deck 100% secret lair cards

[@Okega]

@@kevincarter9164pretty sure you’re thinking of gavin verhey 🤔

[@copperbadge1]

Hey Prof, just wanted to let you know this format works very well in my opinion. Especially the freeform talking leading to a narrated block about the mentioned topic is something I enjoy. :)

[@wafflehaxxx]

Me and a friend ordered some secret lairs together to save on shipping. When the package finally arrived after several months, HALF the content was missing. Full taxes charged, the receipt listed our full order, yet there was only 3 packs inside when we ordered 6. Still no response from their customer support because they are experiencing a "high volume of contacts" which is no surprise if they manage to mess up shipping like this.

[@Skeeeewoah]

I'm curious, did y'all ever get the rest?

[@wafflehaxxx]

@@Skeeeewoah We did, we had to pay VATS again because they put the full price of the product on the packaging. When the cards arrived they were misprinted so heavily you could barely read the text on the cards. Tried to contact them about a replacement and they expected us to pay shipping to get it fixed (and probably VATS again on the return trip) so we just gave up. My friend swore to never buy secret lair products ever again.

[@Skeeeewoah]

@@wafflehaxxx I'm surprised to ever see a reply to this. But yeah, that's no surprise. I still have never bought a Secret Lair and while some of them I like, it's just not worth the hassle.

[@retro.7673]

NEW SECRET LAIR ALER - oh wait nvm. Good vid prof💜💜

[@BRand-oz9lu]

One of the things I've come to appreciate about the volume of Secret Lair, and really the volume of all MTG products, is that it forces me to reflect on my FOMO and help me overcome it because i cant possibly keep up with it all

[@stephennolan8806]

I was hoping for a 30 minute "NEW SECRET LAIR ALERT" video

[@pando1520]

i love these free form videos. It's nice to just hear the prof give his thoughts about where magic is headed and how its been doing

[@NCISfreak123]

This hybrid format is awesome - more if you can!!

[@XxJackFrostxX]

I actually prefer the textured foils. They have the brushed texture of etched foils all over the card, but the picture is bright, clear, and foil. I think it’s the best of both worlds and I love them.

[@billdoetsch]

Yes, but they are being used as chase variants and aren't widely available.

[@crazymembrane]

As far as the secret bonus card goes, i do wish they said if the bonus card had the same style as the secret lair, or if it is a generic extra card. Especially in the artist series.

[@antoniohenderson6090]

I absolutely love the etched foils. Not just for the aesthetics but for the lack of curling. I've had a lot of unsleeved etched foils sitting in a drawer now waiting to be tucked away into a deck and they are straighter than the Ikoria foils that were immediately sleeved.

[@twarnold14]

I’m fine with a lot of different art styles per secret lair drop. Gotta make sure there is something for everyone. I wish they had some consistency though, or at least tell us what it is if there is a consistency. Like, 2 drops related to the corresponding set, 2 drops that artist series, 2 off-the-wall things, and 1 basic land drop. Something like that so that we know what to expect. And that includes knowing the consistent amount of cards per drop. Instead each lair just feels so wildly different that it takes just even more to grok. It goes back to what you said about each set having a ton of different versions. Good that it can cater to different people, but it makes it such a mental challenge to comprehend it all!

[@Dawnfeethers]

Interesting contrast with the etched/brushed vs normal foils!

[@josephkoepke1251]

Etched Foil cards look so good. But also the foils from dominaria remastered were very solid.

[@nolanloughlin1793]

Before there was Secret Lair there was the From the Vault series which wasn't the exact same thing but something somewhat similar by reprinting cards throughout Mahic's history around a particular theme. Just without the alternate art.

[@Matt-qp1ek]

I’ve switched to Etched Foils whenever possible, I notice a lot less (if any) curling and like the style

[@dakotawolf1027]

Prof always making good insightful comments about MTG. I agree on many points about Secret Lair, they do release them too frequently and they need to do more WPN exclusives. We all need to recognize the potential for this game to get back on the tables this summer and make sure our LGS situations stay strong. Without dedicated places to play all card games are on a path to exile 😉

[@aj1604]

With how big the old boxes were I was shocked to find that I did not get at least a playset of all the full text lands

[@parc57]

Prof i just wanted to let you know that today i received my "Academic" deckbox. Great work. keep it up and thank you!!

[@irvingfaverman7419]

Etched foils, particularly the Dan Frazier talismans, are some of my favorite foils i opened mine as soon as I got them and they haven’t curled a bit (the ones not in commander decks are just in perfect fits)

[@mfsoab]

Personally I like the old foil style, where only parts of the art/card were highligted and the rest pretty much normal/non foil. Don't know where these came from, but I got some and they are gorgeous! All over foiling sometimes really ruins the visual experience. Regarding curling: AFAIK the curling happens, when the humidity in the printing facillity differs from the humidity in your area. Most times curling can be fixed by either readding/removing moisture to/from the cardboard. This can be achieved with packs that are used for humidifying plants/cigar boxes, or de-humidifiers like silica. There are some really good tutorials for this on YT! Once flat, just put them in a sealable inner and normal outer sleeve and they should not curl again.

[@ethantufts3591]

Yeah ETCHED FOIL never curls for me. I am not exxagerrating when I say I have bought most of the etched foils (non secret layer) that they have made, and not a single one has curled. That's one reason I love them so much.

[@ZackeroniAndCheese]

If anything will be the real death of Magic, it will be WotC killing local game stores. Secret Lairs are a big part of this issue

[@underscore_5450]

I'd love for secret lairs to not be only direct to consumer. I'm sure wotc could print extras and sell them at game stores or walmart or something.

[@asomelord]

That mock UN episode was one of my favourite episodes of community, but i completely forgot about the Crisis Alert. I just assumed Erik Charles Nielsen was a magic youtuber. I mostly just remember Troy's Georgian Accent from that episode

[@vinamacias7546]

Youve mentioned how unscripted videos can be tough for you to make, so I hope this mixed scripted-unscripted style was more comfortable! Another great video as always ^u^

[@weeaboojonez9685]

New secret lair video alert!!! New secret lair video alert!!! New secret lair video alert!!!

[@terraeon1536]

I personally like the etched foils a lot more than traditional foils.

[@ericbowers5968]

I like how genuine you are. I feel like I'm the one opening the secret lairs. Ty much for all you do

[@danabell2709]

I always figured the 'Secret Lair Alert' skits were all about the frequency. I always got the idea that your opinion on them was pretty much 'some are good, some are bad but there are too many' :)

[@ImmortalLorient]

The etched foils are some of my favorite cards. I really hope we see more of them.

[@BREAKERisDEAD]

These videos are such quality. The Prof really goes all out and it shows in how well made and informative they are

[@ourdorkyfamily523]

I have been so dissatisfied with foils that I have just gotten rid if as many as possible. My Masterpiece Ornithopter (which isn't too curled) and my Secret Lair Ornithopter (which is unplayable curled) don't have nonfoiled artwork available which is sad. So I haven't replaced them yet

[@KennethKnickerbocker]

I love the art of the. talismans. I picked up a talisman of dominance for my Wilhelt commander deck. Beautiful.

[@Digihubtcg]

I know you hate doing unscripted bits, but want you to know you did a really good job

[@3TailedKitsune]

I enjoy you going back and forth between scripted and free form.

[@StrikerX-]

Hearing the joy in your voice when you said this Felwar Stone is for Brian brought a smile to my face

[@dragonfire14x]

I liked Secret Lairs at their introduction. An end of the year super drop with various themes. Initially I thought they would continue like this, like over the year artist at Wizards would be able to experiment with cards, and at the end of the year they would do another drop. It wasn't until Secret Lairs became abundant and constant that I started to hate it as a product line. It just adds to the product fatigue, and it makes me not want to buy any secret lair, because what if next month there is a better one!

[@Zytri92]

I don’t think I’d love this game as much without you’re content Prof. Always fair, always informative, and always full of joy.

[@eighteentwilight8547]

I like this free-form style of discussing. It feels more relatable and organic.

[@fivefourtwo4498]

My Thalia Secret Lair foils are comically curled, to the point of being pringles EDIT: After finishing the video, definitely thought it was a well balanced, honest set of statements about how Secret Lairs have improved while still having some way to go.

[@bobross8585]

I just double sleeve mine and then slowly curl them against a large aerosol spray can. Works wonders.

[@fivefourtwo4498]

@@bobross8585 I will try this

[@DarktoneX]

Hey Prof, I dont play MTG anymore unfortunately but I still have a love for the game. Im not a consistent viewer of your videos, but whenever I get a chance to watch, you are ALWAYS spitting FACTS!!! Thank you for looking out for the community.

[@benjaminschomburg7746]

Regarding the question about preferred foiling method: since foils are not special any more, I'd rather have no foiling at all so I can best enjoy the art ^^

[@MTGUnpacked]

Enjoyed hearing your unscripted thoughts on these! They've definitely improved the foils since the earlier iterations, despite them still curling. Aside from non-curling foils, my other Secret Lair wishlist item is that they stop including basic lands as the secret bonus card. I'll take a Sliver any day of the week!

[@chaelsonnen1]

Patiently waiting for the Prof secret lair

[@sstankfish]

Prof, I appreciate who you are and what you've done for the community. I truly hope I can play in a pod with you some day. Or even play my jank modern decks (inspired by your videos) against your merfolk!

[@pk0a0gundam]

Your shuffle up n play series has brought me so much joy over the past year. This product is amazing and what you have made after continues to be of the same quality!

[@daniellambeth6769]

OH MY GOD an episode with Erik Charles Nielsen (Garrett) would be the greatest thing ever. That actor is hilarious, Community is my favorite piece of media of all time. I would love to see him play, but even just having him talk would be cool.

[@ozzwich]

After so many ads... I finally bought some raycons. Well done professor.

[@corbenmurphy1807]

" 'Hella' Curled"!🤣 Accurate and good use of the word. Keep it up prof

[@ChiralWolf]

The elder dragons aren't traditional foils, they're the more expensive set that uses the stained glass foiling treatment from dominaria united

[@CreditedJester2]

Could call videos like this “after hours” it’s very laid back and relaxed great video as always!!

[@jasonloss5582]

I love this format! I want more calm sleeving having a chat videos

[@hearmth6618]

I prefer the shininess of traditional foils over etched foils 🌞💛

[@HughMurphy395]

Don't forget that the Stranger Things were also printed in SLDs, and then got Universes Within versions too.

[@Hamond1989]

That mixture of free-form and scripted was really something, sets an interesting pace, combining imo the best of both worlds, hope you'll make more like that in the future :)

[@pluralkumquat]

On the subject of foils, I vastly prefer the Etched foils from some of the secret lairs and commander legends over current foils or even some of the new variants of etched foils. However, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for classic foils. When they do retro border cards and they foil them correctly I love it. I run all foil basics in my Windgrace deck and I use Mercadian Masques foils.

[@Shannon_Vlogs]

Actually love the pacing of this video. It was nice to chill out as I get ready for bed

[@keylockmvp]

I keep staring at the street fighter secret lairs but like I'm worried about curling and its literally the only reason I'm second guessing it and this kind of plays into what this video is about.

[@gamertrojan4038]

Loving the new free form you. And also loving my new kickstarter deckbox and accessories. It finally arrived. Well worth the wait. Thanks for everything you do Prof!

[@PeterNXavier]

Love this opinion piece. Also you have to start the pull from the left. If you start from the right, it will break.

[@zagmir4727]

37 minutes? Hell yeah, love the long videos Prof.

[@TheChitownboi93]

I like the quality of the foils from Dominaria Remastered. They had a mild shine to them that looked luxurious and classy to me.

[@bavarianwolf3806]

i dont know this guy he dont know me but he has almost the same flavour of good cards / good looking card then myself.. a true magic enjoyer with a great eye for beautiful cards

[@kobe9886]

it would be so awesome if you could get eric on, id love to hear him talk about literally anything

[@Asrugan]

Just imagine getting enough basic lands in a SL to actually run those lands in a deck without having to augment that with other things? That would be amazing!

[@anthonydelfino6171]

100% agree about basic land offerings. Granted I proxy 99% of the cards I play with through a professional printer, and as a digital artist I can drop in whatever art I want... I realize not everyone else can do this. And with any 3-color commander deck I typically run 6 of each basic land, that put someone who wants a specific art currently into needing to buy about a half dozen of them just to build a deck. In almost every format, you need multiple basic lands in your decks, so offering several printings of the art style should be the norm so people can actually use them in their decks.

[@1GoodBean]

I really agree with the basic land sentiment. I would love to get more in the bundle. I also think that a possible nice option would be to buy bundles buy color. a pack that is 10 of just one basic for example. It would be really nice for folk wanting them for specific commander decks knowing you don't need ALL the basics.

[@mawtaus]

I used to enjoy getting foils for their (perceived) rarity, but I've since decided I'd rather have my whole deck in a single style and it's cheaper to do that with non-foils. However, I do like the less shiny etched foiling, so I might come around to picking up a few of those eventually.

[@matthewyoho5422]

Etched foils wouldn't really have a reason to curl, ever (unless you do something to the cardboard itself that warps it) because what makes the cards that use the traditional foiling process curl is their foil layer: a shiny, metallic holographic sticker, affixed to cardboard backing, that the artwork is then printed on top of, with the layers of ink applied lightly enough that light gets through the ink to reflect off that holographic backing (the parts where the card isn't shiny are just where enough layers of ink are applied to make them fully opaque, the entire face of the card from edge to edge is the part that's shiny). If you've ever seen a custom foil card someone's made using the "foil peel" technique, what they were doing was physically separating that sticker from the cardboard, and washing away the ink printed onto it, to apply their own art. The cardboard backing absorbing/releasing moisture causes it to expand/shrink, but because there's a sticker on the one side that doesn't expand or contract at that same rate, the card bends up or bends down, depending on whether it's too much or too little moisture that cause the curl in the first place (modern card curling, out of the package, is nearly always the "dry curl", aka, being caused by the cards having been printed in an exceedingly moist environment initially, and then leaching that moisture out, and shrinking, when moved to drier climates - the sort where cards curl because you're in the humid environment, and they were printed in a mostly dry climate, is where the edges curl up towards you as you look at the card face). With etched foils, what's making the shiny parts of the card reflective of light is specialized metallic ink, chemically etched onto the card face directly (hence the name), so there's nothing there to make the card curl when the cardboard takes on or releases moisture.

[@jacksonwilliamson256]

That tireless tracker is straight adorable. Gonna have to buy that now

[@evilporkchops2866]

Hey Prof, random viewer from Switzerland here. This is unrelated to the video but I just got my deckbox from your kickstarter and I love it, thanks a lot!🥳

[@hallaloth3112]

That's basically where my thoughts are at. They're very much "Are these some of your favorite cards? Here they are with new art and even in foil for the first time" If you like it (and have the money to spend on it) then get it. On Foils. . I actually like the etched foiling even more than the full foil treatment. . .I think it has the effect of giving the cards a little gilding without being completed foiled and it looks better in my opinion. Weirdly most of the older foils in my bulk seem to have very little curl. . . nothing that a sleeve (if I bothered) wouldn't deal with if people were grumbly about it. Land Drops. . .just. . .let us buy land packs already. People absolutely want to bling on their decks with awesome art for their lands. . . let us buy them in bulk at $0.50-$1.00 a piece depending on treatment. I think it sucks that Ichor lands were released in such a limited fashion. . .if full arts are going to offered alongside (sometimes with multiple treatments themselves) why keep stripped basics at all? The full art and phyrexian lands for ONE were amazing.

[@cakgrim]

Hey Prof, Would love to see an updated Sliver Overlord deck tech!!

[@Aerix]

How I wished secret lairs worked... Wizbro releases new set complete with showcases. Wizbro also releases secret lairs along side release and the life of the set revisiting old staples from in-theme cards in the new showcases most likely from a previous visit to featured plane. Could also add updated showcased classics to "the list." Example: when they released neon dynasty it would have been cool to see secret lairs for staple and $$$ cards like yuriko, higure, etc for one or multiple ninja secret lair in that anime art style. Could also do this for samurai, dragons, etc. Also would have been nice for the midnight hunt showcases for old werewolves and crimson vow showcases for vampires from previous innistrad sets. And maybe controversial the double feature showcases with new art intended to be black and white instead of just desaturated.

[@thedude3445]

Sometimes the Secret Lairs have tied into the sets, but I really wish there was a lot more of it. It's a great chance to expand the brand-new planes as well, with cool reprints in the new sets' styles.

[@exotic5898]

My dad owns a small commercial printing company, I like to say he has about 3 1/2 employees not including himself. He does a lot of different printing jobs for people and since COVID and because of COVID, paper pricing as well as many other things in this world has gone up in price. And one reason is accessibility, supply and demand, WoTC use less quality paper than 20-30 years ago, simply because of supply and demand of the card stock itself. I personally think $4 a booster is still high, but I’m stuck on the 99 cent boosters from when I was 7. Company’s, mainly newer company’s, around 25 years old or younger haven’t gone through a change like the covid incident, ever. So if major things change on the business side that haven’t happen before, customers tend to question and not like the outcome, if those changes are negative.

[@Beeegdix]

I came from yugioh and Pokémon and it’s insane the quality difference between a standard non-promo Pokémon/magic foil and that of collectors booster promo from a couple years ago

[@travis_approved]

You should try and get garret on an episode of shuffle up and play and do something beginner friendly like jump start or card kingdom battle decks. I love community so it would be an interesting crossover!

[@egahhd]

The brushed foils are pretty dependent on the art for me. More traditional magic art(like the talismans) and things that truly look like paintings of the era they are mimicking in a set i prefer the brushed foils. It looks great. But for more flashy artwork, like basically anything in neon dynasty and the warhammer cards, i really love the obnoxious shiny bright foils

[@hallaloth3112]

Same here. Sometimes a card just need a little gilding, hence brushed/etched. . . othertimes it deserves to be bold and flashy. . .I like traditional best on borderless cards personally.

[@Theorak]

Bought the Talisman collection as well, it is a surprisingly great print.

[@Nephalem2002]

My opinion on them is this; They should be in the Core Sets as one per case pulls in their particular Secret Lair Artwork. They seriously do not need a secondary product to print them in.

[@KyXnline]

I actually really like the subtle foils and the more extravagant ones. I mostly prefer when certain aspects are foiled instead of the entire card being rainbow foiled. I think subtlety can be good!

[@WilsonChoo]

prof dissociating himself and brian is somehow really funny to me

[@oscar_likes_stuff]

I really hope the slivers in secret lairs are a teaser for something more substantial for slivers down the road.

[@charleslynn7420]

Loved the video prof! Speaking of DMR collector foils I bought a box and can say they look absolutely STUNNING. I was however very disappointed with the curling. Where I am is not excessively arid or humid and the curling was slightly worse than the traditional foils shown around 16:00. It’s a lot of money to spend for the frustration that curling causes when sleeving, shuffling, storing, playing, and just appreciating the cards. WotC makes money hand over fist and the idea that their product is not some technological achievement in the scale and quality of printmaking speaks to their prioritization of the wrong kind of paper

[@QuietAsHeimdal]

When you mentioned "Standard" I genuinely had to take a minute to remember what that is, not just being facetious (been playing MtG for 18 years).

[@underscore_5450]

I don't like every Secret Lair, but I do like them as a product. Being able to get my hands on the OG Praetors with phyrexian text or a phyrexian text blinkmoth nexus is something that is only possible for me through Secret Lairs (or proxies). Offering unique printings and art for certain cards is a great product idea, especially for a game like Magic that has such an emphasis on blinging out your decks. I just wish that Wotc didn't let the secondary market affect their card choices so often.

[@AtriumXP666]

If I'm writing to WotC about standardizing foil treatments, I want them in the raised oil slick treatment. Every card.

[@death_valley_paige]

Would love to see Erik on an episode of Dies to Removal or even Shuffle Up and Play.

[@AeynYT]

Love the video format and the analysis. Thanks for your thoughts Prof!

[@usernameunknown69]

“The vocal assistant in your phone “ lmfaooooo oh prof

[@Captainmaximus87]

Hey prof my post didn't upload on the TCC reddit but I just received my Acedamic and I wanted to say thank you To you and your team at TCC Keep it up to good work

[@mikep2661]

Something I hope you touch on eventually is the shipping cost being $9, as there is no realistic way that sending that envelope of cards out costs $9 in the slightest

[@danacoleman4007]

handling