Bloody Hell, Magic's Canceled Monster Hunter Card Just Landed in FREE Decks – What in the Multiverse Happened?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
A card originally slated for Magic: The Gathering's controversial and canceled *Monster Hunter* Secret Lair, Drakuseth, Maw of Flames, has unexpectedly appeared in the game's new free Welcome Decks, raising questions about Secret Lair value while offering a boon to new players. It's a head-scratcher of a move, blending premium product issues with a genuinely generous gesture for the community.
Right, so you know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit *too* well, or perhaps, not at all, and then a week later it just... appears somewhere else entirely? That's kinda what's happened in the grand, magical, and occasionally bewildering world of Magic: The Gathering, specifically with a card from a rather infamous *Monster Hunter* crossover.
I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. What starts as a tale of a cancelled product, quickly unravels into a fascinating peek at Wizards of the Coast's (WotC) internal value assessments and a surprisingly generous gesture for new players. According to a recent report by Polygon, a card intended for the ill-fated *Monster Hunter* Secret Lair is now being given away for free in Magic's new Welcome Decks. Talk about a plot twist!
Let's rewind a bit, eh? For those not fully steeped in the arcane arts of Magic, 'Secret Lairs' are these super-limited, direct-to-consumer drops of cards with unique art, often featuring crossovers with other beloved franchises like *The Walking Dead*, *Fortnite*, or in this case, *Monster Hunter*. They're designed to be collector's items, a flash of cool for those who grab them before they vanish into the ether, and usually come with a premium price tag for that exclusive flair.
Now, these Secret Lairs, while often visually stunning, haven't been immune to a bit of controversy. From discussions about print quality (ever seen a foil warp faster than a goblin caught in a polymorph spell?) to pricing debates, they're always a topic of lively chat in the community. But the *Monster Hunter* Secret Lair? That one was a real spell-gone-wrong moment. It was intended to be a multi-part release, but it hit a few snags before it even properly launched. There was a typo on one card, 'Champion of Kotoko' (it should've been 'Kokoto,' which is a pretty fundamental error for a major crossover, if you ask me!). More critically, the card selection itself felt, well, a bit *lacklustre*. And this is where our story gets properly juicy.
The Polygon piece highlights that one of the cards intended for this *Monster Hunter* Secret Lair was Drakuseth, Maw of Flames. Now, Drakuseth is a perfectly fine card, a big ol' dragon, but here's the kicker: it’s valued at a dollar or less on TCGplayer. It was meant to represent the iconic Rathalos from *Monster Hunter*, getting some swanky new art and, presumably, a much higher price tag as part of the Secret Lair package. Picture it: you're paying a premium for a card you could pick up for pocket change, just because it's got a Rathalos skin. Doesn't quite feel like casting a game-winning combo, does it? More like a mana screw on turn two.
This certainly wasn't the only cheap card getting a fresh coat of paint and a bumped price, and it became a flashpoint for players questioning the actual *value* in some Secret Lair drops. If the unique art is great, fair enough, but when the underlying card is barely worth the paper it's printed on, it makes you wonder what you're actually paying for. It’s like buying a fancy new spellbook only to find it's full of cantrips you already know.
To their credit, WotC did acknowledge the issues with the *Monster Hunter* Secret Lair back in November, announcing they'd go 'back to the drawing board.' That's good, right? A sign of listening to the community, perhaps. But then, *poof*, radio silence on the matter, until now. Because guess where Drakuseth, Maw of Flames – that dollar-or-less card with the Rathalos art – has just rocked up? In the new, *free* 40-card Welcome Decks for *Secrets of Strixhaven*!
This, mate, is where my inner digital wizard starts wondering 'what happens if…' and sees connections others might miss. On the one hand, it's brilliant for new players! These Welcome Decks are genuinely pretty great, packed with handy staples like Lyra Dawnbringer, Massacre Wurm, and Etali, Primal Storm, as Polygon points out. They're available for free at participating stores, which is a fantastic initiative to get fresh blood into the game. My old mate Jeff here just last week needed a bunch of red dragon cards for a deck and bought the singles, and honestly, the red Welcome Deck includes some handy bits. So, seeing Drakuseth in there, for free, is a win for onboarding new folks.
But for those who might have been eyeing the *Monster Hunter* Secret Lair, or for collectors wondering about the premium value of these limited drops, this is a rather curious development. It really highlights that, as cool as that Rathalos-skinned Drakuseth might be visually, it was never a high-value card from a gameplay or secondary market perspective. Its inclusion in a free deck practically screams: 'This isn't the kind of card you shell out serious cash for in an exclusive drop.'
It makes you wonder about the whole lifecycle of these cards. Was Drakuseth always destined for a Welcome Deck, and the Secret Lair version was just an attempt to wring a bit more value out of an existing asset? Or is this a clever, almost chaotic, way for WotC to salvage a piece of a cancelled product, giving it a new home where its value proposition actually makes sense? It's like a banished elemental finding peace as a common familiar rather than a sought-after (and overpriced) summoning spell.
This isn't just about one dragon, mind you. It’s about the perceived value and trust in these premium products. If a card that was pitched as a collectible gem ends up being a freebie, it can make players a little more skeptical next time a 'revolutionary' Secret Lair is announced. It definitely keeps my gentle skepticism engaged, even while my enthusiasm for new players getting good free cards remains sky-high.
So, what does this all mean for us curious gamers? Well, it’s a mixed bag. On one side, WotC is doing a genuinely good thing by providing solid, free Welcome Decks to bring new players into the fold – and that's something to celebrate. On the other, it's a stark reminder that 'exclusive' doesn't always equal 'valuable,' and sometimes the price of a cool crossover skin might not truly reflect the card beneath. Here's hoping WotC continues to go 'back to the drawing board' for future Secret Lairs, perhaps this time conjuring up something that feels truly special for *all* players, not just those picking up a free deck. Fair dinkum, wouldn't an Ur-Dragon reprint with Rathalos art be something, though? A wizard can dream, eh?
*** *Original reporting by Lloyd Coombes for Polygon.*
Tags: MagicTheGathering, SecretLair, MonsterHunter, TCG, GamingNews
Original article: Polygon