Magic Monday: Wizards Delays Monster Hunter Secret Lair; Listening at Last?

When Wizards of the Coast announced the Monster Hunter Secret Lair for Magic: The Gathering, expectations were sky-high. Fans imagined colossal beasts rendered in mythic art, weapons and gear translated into flavourful mechanics, and cards that felt both collectable and playable. What arrived instead was a set of reprints with Monster Hunter skins; unpolished and hollow. 

The problems piled up quickly. Some of the most popular monsters were missing entirely. Equipment, the lifeblood of Monster Hunter, was barely represented, and when Dual Blades finally appeared, they were disappointing, stripped of the impact players expected. One card was even revealed with a typo, a small but telling sign of rushed execution. 

Beyond aesthetics, the cards lacked meaningful value. Abilities didn’t match the creatures they depicted, leaving Rathalos, Lagiacras and others feeling like generic reskins rather than living threats. And in a game like Magic, value isn’t just about collector appeal, it’s about playability. Most players want cards that matter in a deck, not just in a binder. Without strong mechanics or format relevance, the drop felt like a missed opportunity. 

The backlash was swift, and for the first time in Secret Lair history, Wizards delayed the release, pushing it into 2026 for a full rework. That decision is unprecedented, but it might signal something important: are Wizards listening? They recognised that art and mechanics aren’t decoration, they’re the bridge between worlds. Without them, a crossover risks becoming a hollow brand exercise. I think there’s already a fair criticism to be made by some that Secret Lair and Universes Beyond might be seen as brand ads that WotC manage to get us to pay for.

I don’t see the delay as a stumble. It feels more like a recalibration. Magic has always thrived on the tension between art and play, between the spectacle on the card and the strategy at the table. By pausing, Wizards acknowledges that a good crossover should be about honouring both games’ identities. The community spoke up about missing monsters, neglected weapons, weak mechanics, and even typos, and Wizards chose to listen. If the reworked drop can capture the drama of the hunt and deliver cards that matter in play, it will prove that dialogue between players and designers is itself part of the game. 

You can click here to read WotC’s announcement.

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