Wizards of the Coast has dropped a new Secret Lair Chaos Vault drop for Magic: The Gathering. Like all prior Chaos Vault drops, the cards and artwork is more random and experimental. However, this new drop isn’t just experimenting with style, but with how it is sold.
The Secret Lair Chaos Vault Prints Charming Announcement
In an official blog post, Wizards of the Coast highlighted the experiment at play with the new Prints Charming Secret Lair Chaos Vault drop.
At first glance, it appears to be no different from prior Chaos Vault releases. Instead of adorable foodstuffs, moody sci-fi vistas, or friendly competition between cats and dogs, this drop will feature woodblock-inspired storybook art takes on cards from Lorwyn Shadowmoor. That artwork is provided by Kathleen Neeley, Roman Klonek, Pedro Oyarbide, and Sophy Hollington.
The drop features the following four cards:
Nature’s LoreSkyshroud ClaimWood ElvesDryad Arbor
On the surface, these cards appear no different from other alternative card artwork. There is some creative playfulness with the border and the rules text being incorporated into the artwork. Given the fairy tale sensibilities of the release of the new Lorwyn Eclipsed set, this drop of cards would be right at home.
Here’s the twist. There are multiple price listings for the Prints Charming Secret Lair Chaos Vault drop. This isn’t an a la carte or a deluxe edition situation. You pay one of the listed prices, you get the same set of cards. Nothing more; nothing less. The post explicitly states this several times.
All Prints Charming listings, including non-foil and foil editions, contain the exact same cards and contents at every price point. The only difference between listings is the price. Higher-priced listings do not include anything extra.
The non-foil MSRP listings for the drop are $9.99, $19.99, $29.99, $34.99, and $39.99. If you want foil, your choices are $19.99, $29.99, $39.99, $44.99, $49.99
The business decision behind this Secret Lair Chaos Vault drop is questionable. From a certain perspective, it is a more restrictive version of the “Pay What You Want” option used by various independent artists and creatives on different platforms. But, it’s a high profile product by one of the largest tabletop companies in the world. That usually implies a certain premium price on their product.
Regardless, the Prints Charming Secret Lair Chaos Vault drop has sold extremely quickly. At time of writing, there is only one batch available: a foil drop at the $39.99 mark.