Magic: The Gatheringhas been enjoying its crossover content lately. Fans that played whileIkoriawas in production probably remember the long line ofGodzilla-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 ofIkoria’s many monsters that happened to match a number of beloved and recognizableGodzillacharacters. Recently, Wizards has developed a love for crossovers in a different area: the Secret Lair series.Magic: The Gatheringhas released quite a few of these extra small sets of cards in rapid succession, some of which are themed based on media outsideMagic.
One famous example of these crossover sets wasHappy Little Gathering,which had landsfeaturing Bob Ross art. Before that, though, there was aWalking DeadSecret Lair set. Many Secret Lair sets designed totally new cards exclusive to that set, andThe Walking Deadgot the same treatment. Wizards of the Coast designed a handful of legendary creatures depicting some of the most important characters inThe Walking Deadseries.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 onThe Walking Dead’s Secret Lair set and appreciating the designs.
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Rick, Steadfast Leader
It seems appropriate thatthe main character ofThe Walking Deadhas 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. InMagic,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, andMichonne’sMagiccard 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.
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Negan, the Cold-Blooded
The Walking Dead’s Neganwas 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,Magicplayers 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.
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