The next Magic: the Gathering Secret Lair drop is coming, bringing some Fortnite flair to the classic card game.
Magic: the Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast recently announced that the next drop in its limited edition Secret Lair series would feature Fortnite-inspired takes on some of the game's cards, and that drop is now available for preorder. New Fortnite cards include Shrinking Storm (Wrath of God), Supply Llama (Etherium Sculptor) and a handful of other Fortnite takes on classic Magic cards. Like most Secret Lair drops, Secret Lair x Fortnite is available in both foil and non-foil editions.
Another drop inspired by Fortnite, titled Secret Lair x Fortnite: Landmarks and Locations, is also currently available for preorder. This drop will include Magic: the Gathering's five iconic basic land cards (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain and Forest) with new full-color art inspired by locations from Fortnite. The Astrology Lands series, a set of drops featuring basic lands with art inspired by the twelve astrological signs, is also currently available for preorder.
The Secret Lair series has been around since 2019. The series consists of regular "drops" containing special alternative art centered around different themes and franchises. Secret Lair drops, usually among the most expensive primary market Magic: the Gathering releases, have focused on everything from LGBT pride to The Walking Dead to Mother's Day. Each drop is available for a limited time only (the Secret Lair website proudly states "Miss the window and poof, the drop is gone forever"), but the series is print-to-order, meaning that drops won't sell out during their window of availability.
While Secret Lair drops have been seeing steady releases since 2019, franchise crossovers are a slightly newer phenomenon for Magic: the Gathering. The series has had a few crossovers with other toy and game brands, usually for various promotions and charity events, but the first major crossover occurred in 2020's Ikoria set. Certain cards in the Ikoria set featured alternative art inspired by Toho's legendary kaiju movies -- a booster pack might contain Zilortha, Strength Incarnate, but it might also contain Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the exact same card with some added Godzilla brand recognition. Since then, most new crossovers have been relegated to Secret Lair drops, although there have been two Dungeons & Dragons-themed sets.
Secret Lair x Fortnite and Secret Lair x Fortnite: Landmarks and Locations are both currently available for preorder. The availability window will end on July 25.
Source: Magic: the Gathering