Cash Grab or Cool Collectible?

Since recording, editting and uploading I have learnt that NO ONE in Europe has their copies yet. We have a later release/dispatch. And thus, this price HAS to fall once Europeans start opening theirs.

It blows my mind that people are cool with WOTC being able to artifically control the number of Direct to consumer "Chase" cards that will be available to players based on orders. If lootboxes legally have to list the percentage of your chance of getting a certain rarity of drop, then Secret Lairs should too. It's literally gambling at that point that WOTC has an invested interest and ability to fix the percentage of cards that actually get to people since they know the number of orders. That just seems ridiculously shady to me. Especially if early reports from people unboxing them are to believed, Mana Vault definitely isn't 1 in 3 chance of being received.

I dont have gotten my either. "Your order is estimated to ship on Shipping begins May 22nd."

I think retroactively making the Masterpiece frame THE Kaladesh art frame was indeed a misplay considering it's first appearance as chase, special case cards. They could've easily made one that was different yet still sufficiently Kaladesh. Same with the Amonkhet and Mystic Archive frames from Strixhaven. They're not the "Plane frames." they're the "Chase frame treatment" frames but Wizards changed them to be the definitive frames of the planes, probably to save money on designing new frames.

Last week I recieved my winter drop so I don't expect it for 4 months haha... living in the UK sure is great with the new secret lair model to make them ship "faster"

Vault Boy Mana Vault should have been the chase of the Fallout Collector Booster. They shifted from Reserve List to Reserved Art (on highly managed reprintable cards). Players get game pieces collectors get to set money on fire. They pulled this same trick with Mana Crypt in Caverns of Ixalon....use a CEDH lottery hit to sell collector packs.

When secret lairs were announced as being temporarily available with one time arts, a couple of people commented that they were a pseudo-reserved list. This is just the first time we've seen an RL like spike with one occur.

What the heck I haven’t even received the Sheldon’s Spellbook, how did this secret lair get to people before that one????

Across my playgroup, out of 30 secret lairs that were ordered between us, 23 wastes, 7 codex shredders. The LGS discord group I’m in was filled with complaints that no one got any. It’s pretty absurd, I’m a huge fallout fan and I was hoping to get one :c

glad to see you're calling universes beyond cards what they are, a second reserved list. keep up the consumer advocacy!

I opened one of these Mana Vaults in the Vault Boy / Stax secret lair, and am trying desperately not to think about what it is selling for. It has a home in one of my commander decks, and I am happy it is actually being played.

I agree - Wizards has the tendency to push hard on working concepts until they break. Hence: more specialized art/style from Universes Beyond on desirable cards to make them into chase version for fans/collectors. See e.g. the serialized Sol Rings from LotR. Later, Marvel also offers a huge variety of "special items" or characters to use as skins/alternate art etc. It will be used for sure to push sales.

@PlesentKenobi do you think they will reprint One Ring as the non LOTR card or this will be harder to get the further we move from the initial print ?

I got the mana vault. I wasn’t chasing it but I’m happy I got it.

I got two Wastes and one codex shredder

I feel like with Godzilla they solved the universes beyond problem, and it's driving me crazy that they're continuing to print mechanically unique cards that another company has an IP claim on, and the ability to prevent reprints.

all i got to say is yo ho ho printer go go go

2:20 Alpha and Beta are over $2k.

Cool, I like the art on these. Time to go print one at the same quality for ~20 cents depending on how big my order is. Gotta make another order soon anyways. I want another $2500 worth of cards so I am gonna print them and this for $60. I don't need to buy from Wizards if they don't want to sell it to me themselves. Instead just being gambling.

I was very bothered by the price and i still hate the way they did this they should have just made it a guaranteed bonus card.