If you’ve never heard of Hatsune Miku, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Hatsune Miku is not a real person; rather, she is a virtual persona created by Crypton Future Media, a music technology company based in Japan. Using a song synthesizing technology called “Vocaloid,” users can input lyrics and sounds, which are then transformed into music videos featuring Miku.
Despite her virtual nature, Hatsune Miku has a massive following and has become a symbol of the potential of digital art and music. Fans can create and share songs, artworks, and even live concert performances featuring Miku. This virtual idol has transcended traditional media boundaries, showcasing the power of technology to inspire creativity and connect people worldwide through a shared passion for music and digital culture.
With such a massive worldwide following, Wizards of the Coast has teamed up with Crypton Future Media to produce a Hatsune Miku Secret Lair featuring six cards from Magic’s history to showcase the young singer. While this is clearly another attempt at Wizards widening the Magic community by acquiring fans from a different community, there is a major question that Magic players want answered: Is it worth it to buy this Secret Lair?
Shelter
Number of Previous Printings: 4
Least Expensive Non-Foil: $.04
Most Expensive Non-foil: $0.28
Least Expensive Foil: $0.12
Most Expensive Foil: $9.02
Formats played in: Commander
If you buy Secret Lairs purely for value, Shelter is not where you should be looking. Originally a common from Odyssey, Shelter has been printed four times previous to this secret lair, and the only reason the most expensive foil is somewhat high is because old foils are almost always expensive due to their low quantity.
There are only two types of people who will want this card: people who love the Hatsune Miku artwork and Commander players who play Shelter in their white Commander deck. Art is subjective, but I would much rather have the foil Odyssey Shelter than this.
As this card only sees play in Commander, it is unlikely that any other types of players will want this. It isn’t legal in Modern, Pioneer, or Standard and is too underpowered to impact Legacy or Vintage. I guess it could potentially see play in Premodern; however, I think using this version over the Odyssey version in a Premodern deck is blasphemy and will quickly get you booed out of any respectable Premodern event (not that we condone gatekeeping in any way).
Chandra’s Ignition
Number of Printings: 4
Least Expensive Non-Foil: $5.83
Most Expensive Non-foil: $6.05
Least Expensive Foil: $15.84
Most Expensive Foil: $21.73
Formats played in: Commander
Chandra’s Ignition is one of the only cards from this Secret Lair that has the obvious potential to be very valuable. While there are four different printings of this, two of them come from Magic Origins (the original and the prerelease version), one is from a different Secret Lair (Heads I Win, Tails You Lose), and one is from a Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander deck.
Since this card has only two previous foil printings, the Rainbow Foil version is likely to be high in value, potentially surpassing the prerelease promo's value. The non-foil version is more likely to have a lower value, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it land in the same place as the others, around $6.
As with Shelter, Chandra’s Ignition is only a Commander card, as it is too low-powered to have any real effect on other formats. If you’re buying this Secret Lair just for the value, this will be one you want to hold onto.
Harmonize
Number of Printings: 30
Least Expensive Non-Foil: $0.20
Most Expensive Non-foil: $3.04
Least Expensive Foil: $0.78
Most Expensive Foil: $6.58
Formats played in: Commander
Harmonize is in the same boat as Shelter, except it has 30 previous printings instead of four. Like Shelter, Harmonize's most expensive foil version is its oldest printing, Planar Chaos, and most other foil versions are all around $2. With tons of cheaper options, including a full-art Player Rewards version, Harmonize will likely not hold onto any real value.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Number of Printings: 11
Least Expensive Non-Foil: $4.44
Most Expensive Non-foil: $43.91
Least Expensive Foil: $5.10
Most Expensive Foil: $77.72
Formats played in: Modern, Commander
Azusa is the second card from this Secret Lair that has obvious value. The first card on our list to see play outside of Commander, Azusa has been a playable card in Modern for a very long time, finding a home in Amulet Titan, a complicated tier-one deck.
Initially printed in Champions of Kamigawa, from which it boasts a foil worth $77, Azusa has been printed a decent number of times. However, she has maintained her value throughout the years, and the absolute cheapest version of her is still $4.
I see potential demand for this card, with a non-zero number of Modern and Commander players wanting her for their deck. Looking at all the cards included in this Secret Lair, if any of them cause it to hold its value, it’s most likely this one.
Feather, the Redeemed
Number of Printings: 4
Least Expensive Non-Foil: $0.58
Most Expensive Non-foil: $0.61
Least Expensive Foil: $2.26
Most Expensive Foil: $10.29
Formats played in: Commander
Feather will be an interesting card to watch since she has a unique ability that saw play in Standard for some time, but her previous versions are incredibly cheap. The most expensive version of her is the foil old-border card from Time Spiral Remastered, which makes sense due to the low quantity.
Being only playable in Commander hurts this card’s potential value, although Feather may have some potential in Pioneer if she ever becomes useful for Heroic-style aggro decks. Currently, I don’t see this card as having much value in the short term. However, if she suddenly becomes playable in Pioneer, that could definitely change.
Inspiring Vantage
Number of Printings: 7
Least Expensive Non-Foil: $1.31
Most Expensive Non-foil: $11.24
Least Expensive Foil: $1.32
Most Expensive Foil: $11.74
Formats played in: Standard, Pioneer, Commander
When looking at Magic’s history, rare dual-lands usually hold their value better than most card types. However, that is no longer the case with the introduction of Collector booster packs and the high quantity of cards being printed.
For example, Inspiring Vantage from Kaladesh was $12 at its highest. Today, that same card is $6, and you can get one from the newest set for only around $1. While Inspiring Vantage is a highly used land in both Standard and Pioneer, getting them is also very easy, which hurts their value considerably.
This is not the first time that Inspiring Vantage has been in a Secret Lair; it was also part of the Secret Lair x Doctor Who: The Dalek Lands in 2023. If the Hatsune Miku Secret Lair had been printed in late 2023, Inspiring Vantage would have a good amount of value, considering the Doctor Who Secret Lair version was around $20.
However, that Inspiring Vantage is only around $10 today and reached as low as $8 when Outlaws of Thunder Junction was released. Based on what happened to the last Inspiring Vantage from a Secret Lair, this version will likely follow the same trend.
The only real saving grace for this card is its artwork. Considerably different from the rest of the cards in this Secret Lair, some players may want four copies of this land for their Standard Boros Convoke deck.
At the same time, the fact that only one of the ten fast-lands was printed with this style of artwork is a pain for players like myself, who enjoy collecting playsets from all the same sets. Wizards could have at least done one of each of the enemy fast-land so that you could have some semblance of uniformity. But that’s just me yelling at clouds.
Final Thoughts
After looking at this Secret Lair, the word “value” does not come to mind based on the chosen cards. Shelter, Harmonize, and Feather all seem pretty worthless, with Inspiring Vantage, Chandra’s Ignition, and Azusa all having potential worth (but not guaranteed).
The real thing that will give this Secret Lair its value is how popular Hatsune Miku is and whether there are enough fans in the Magic community to buy this product. I had never heard of Hatsune Miku before this Secret Lair was released, so for me, the excitement isn’t there, but for some people, this might be the greatest Secret Lair ever.
I wouldn't recommend getting this one for your average Magic player who has never heard of Hatsune Miku. The chosen cards are sub-par, and nothing is screaming that this will be worth hundreds of dollars in the future.
This Secret Lair feels like another one of Wizard’s attempts to pull other fan groups into the Magic community. Some people who love Hatsune Miku will see it and become engrained MTG players. While this is great for the growth of the Magic community, it does very little for the average MTG player. Personally, this is one of those products that I sadly look at and say, “This product just isn’t for me.”
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