Magic: The Gatheringis the hobby of choice for many people, and it is a hobby that takes many forms. For some, small competition with friends is far as the game goes, while others pursue more serious tournaments. For others, collection is the name of the game, with binders filled with at least one of each card being the ultimate goal. Others have even stranger goals, liketiling an entire floor withMagiccards.
The sheer amount of people who continue to flock to it shows what a diverse drawMagic: The Gatheringis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it should be no surprise that the physical card game side of things has slowed down, but that doesn’t mean the game has stopped with new material. The latest set,Zendikar Rising, is currently being slowly revealed, andMagic: The Gathering Arenais still doing great, providing a virtual avenue for players.
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For those who enjoy the collection aspect ofMagic: The Gathering, a new idea was introduced last year that introduced a whole new level of awesomeness and stress: the Secret Lair. Each Secret Lair is a limited card bundle release featuring exclusive alternate art versions of already released cards. For example, one Secret Lair featured several cards that were all different iterations of one character (Thalia), each with new art. One of the most memorable Secret Lairs featuredMagic: The Gatheringmonsters replaced byGodzillakaiju, mostly from theIkoriaset. Now a new Secret Lair has been revealed in a crossover that seems to have come out of left field:The Walking Dead.
To anyone unfamiliar with more recentMTGsets, this may seem like a strange choice. How could a fantastical, multi-dimensional magical game likeMTGintersect with a stressful, depressing story likeThe Walking Dead? Well, in terms of popularMTGthemes and cards, it actually makes a lot of sense. Zombies and the characters that use them have been one of the most popular parts ofMTGfor a while now, and Zombie swarms or combos have comprised several popular top tier decks. In fact, the class selected torepresent Black mana inMagic: Legendsis the Necromancer. Raising the dead is a popular passtime for many inMTG’s lore, and among its playerbase as well.
While the way the main characters fromThe Walking Deadwill be integrated (what cards they will stand in for) is not yet certain, other things are more clear cut. Already artwork for a new Zombie token has come out representing the common Zombie as Bicycle Girl fromThe Walking Dead. Certain locations from the show could also become Zombie producing lands or enchantments. Some ofMTG’s best Token generators, like Endless Ranks of the Dead are absolutely asking for aWalking Deadtouch.
Of course, how usable any Zombie cards are always depends on the current banlist inMTG. For example, aWalking Deadversion of Cauldron Familiar would be funny, but afterWizards' surprise ban listearlier this year, it wouldn’t see as much use as before. Still, the cards will make great collector’s items, and represent something more grounded thanMTG’s usual fantasy fare. Fans will have to keep track of it though, since Secret Lairs are only available for a limited time.
