It took just more than a day of the Secret Lair X The Walking Dead cards to hit Magic Online before showing up in a 5-0 Legacy League decklist.
Greg Orange, a Pro Tour champion and member of the Rivals League, posted a tweet just past midnight showing off the finish with a screenshot of the deck in action. The image shows Rick, Steadfast Leader and Michonne, Ruthless Survivor on the battlefield alongside some usual stapes in the Humans Legacy deck. Orange’s opponent has two copies of Engineered Plague naming “Human” on the battlefield, but the +2+2 from Rick allowed Orange’s army to live on and even attack for the win.
Two other characters from The Walking Dead appear in the graveyard as well, with Daryl, Hunter of Walkers and Negan, the Cold-Blooded looking like they met their demise earlier in the game. It’s unclear whether Glenn, the Voice of Calm or Lucille made Orange’s take on Humans or how many copies of each new card were in his deck, though multiple copies of Rick are shown. All cards pictured in the screenshot include:
- Rick, Steadfast Leader
- Michonne, Ruthless Survivor
- Daryl, Hunter of Walkers
- Negan, the Cold-Blooded
- Noble Hierarch
- Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- Thalia’s Lieutenant
- Mother of Runes
- Reflector Mage
- Champion of the Parish
- Palace Jailer
- Tomik, Distinguished Advokist
- Imperial Recruiter
- Phyrexian Revoker
- Aether Vial
- Unclaimed Territory
- Cavern of Souls
- Ancient Ziggurat
- Wasteland
- Karakas
- Horizon Canopy
While physical copies of the Secret Lair X The Walking Dead haven’t even shipped yet, players who bought the drop got access to the cards on Magic Online immediately. Concerns over the mechanically unique cards showing up in a Secret Lair circulated quickly, especially with no way to acquire the cards other than buying them directly from Wizards of the Coast in the one week they’re for sale.
Aaron Forsythe, Magic’s Vice President of Design, said on Weekly MTG last week with the cards not being Standard, Modern, or Pioneer legal they (design) shouldn’t have to worry about them being so powerful that they are must-have cards for specific formats. He also said the cards are aimed at casual and Commander players where customization is the motivating factor to play the cards, not power-level.
Though Humans has been a rogue deck in Legacy for a couple years, the archetype continues to get new tools in almost every set. Notably, all of the cards from Secret Lair X The Walking Dead are Humans and look to fit into the deck’s gameplan, with Rick being a standout lord with plenty of upside. Whether or not these new cards push the deck over the top will have to proven as more players get the cards and take them into competition.
The tweet also made it near the top of the Magic: the Gathering Reddit page with mixed reactions.