Magic: The Gathering has been enjoying its crossover content lately. Fans that played while Ikoria was in production probably remember the long line of Godzilla-themed cards that were released as cross-promotions, for instance. Neither Godzilla, nor her many allies and enemies got cards specially designed for them. Instead, Wizards of the Coast designed special variants of Ikoria’s many monsters that happened to match a number of beloved and recognizable Godzilla characters. Recently, Wizards has developed a love for crossovers in a different area: the Secret Lair series. Magic: The Gathering has released quite a few of these extra small sets of cards in rapid succession, some of which are themed based on media outside Magic.
One famous example of these crossover sets was Happy Little Gathering, which had lands featuring Bob Ross art. Before that, though, there was a Walking Dead Secret Lair set. Many Secret Lair sets designed totally new cards exclusive to that set, and The Walking Dead got the same treatment. Wizards of the Coast designed a handful of legendary creatures depicting some of the most important characters in The Walking Dead series. Some fans were upset about the exclusive cards when they were first revealed, since they were essentially strong cards behind a paywall. Now that the controversy has died down, it’s worth looking back on The Walking Dead’s Secret Lair set and appreciating the designs.
Rick, Steadfast Leader
It seems appropriate that the main character of The Walking Dead has one of the best cards in the show’s Secret Lair. This small-town cop is thrust into the zombie apocalypse and does his best to coordinate and lead his fellow survivors against the threat of the Walkers. That’s fittingly represented in Rick’s attributes via Human-centric mechanics. The options he presents can buff an army of Humans in just about any way the player could ask for. He works great with Human-based tactics from the Innistrad sets, offering a huge buff if his controller can amass a certain number of Humans via other creature cards or tokens. Even if there aren’t other Humans for him to buff, his abilities affect himself, so at the very least Rick is a cost efficient creature that can be a big help defensively.
Michonne, Ruthless Survivor
Michonne is highly recognizable as the katana-wielding apocalypse survivor who travels with a couple of walkers to hide her from the rest of the undead. In Magic, Michonne is a very efficient creature. Michonne nets players a total of seven power across three creatures for only five mana, making her very ahead of the curve. The two Walker tokens she creates count as Zombies, and Michonne’s Magic card is in Green and Black, so she fits into Zombie-related strategies that can splash green. When attacking with Zombies, she’s extremely efficient. She demands a blocker and becomes indestructible with Zombies at her side, meaning she’s a serious threat for defending players.
Negan, the Cold-Blooded
The Walking Dead’s Negan was a significant human antagonist, standing out as a threat among the Walkers. Negan’s Secret Lair card is easily the most complicated of them all, but it’s worth it. He plays mind games with whichever player he targets. No matter which of creature each player chooses, the defending player is guaranteed to lose something valuable. On top of that, Negan will generate some valuable Treasure for his controller to use. After he enters the battlefield, Magic players can use Black and White spells to force more sacrifices, getting even more use out of Negan’s second ability. He’s tricky to play in three colors, but his tactical ability makes him a strong candidate for a sacrifice themed Commander deck.
Magic: The Gathering sets are available at game at game shops or digitally in Magic Arena.
