Frasier MTG Secret Lair Isn't Real... But It Could Have Been

Maybe you've seen an image going around the MTG side of the internet for a Frasier (the 90's sitcom) Secret Lair drop. Worry not if you didn't see it; I'll show you the image below. Either way, it's fake news. There is no Frasier Secret Lair... And once upon a time, a fake like this wouldn't have fooled anyone. The fact that this could have been (and tricked many people into thinking it was) an actual drop says a lot about the current state of Magic: The Gathering.

So, in this article, I'll cover that the Fraiser drop isn't real and talk about why it was an excellent choice for a fake. And then, finally, discuss what this says about the current state of Magic: The Gathering as a whole. So, let's get started.

What The Fake Fraiser Secret Lair Says About MTG

This is the image making the rounds on the internet. Now, as I said, this isn't really happening. It's a fake. However, many many viewers thought that it was real. First, whoever made this did a pretty good job on the image. I'll talk about where they messed up here in a few. Next, the series is getting revamped here in just a few days, so it was a somewhat logical choice.

Lastly, and most importantly, nothing seems beyond the possibility for Wizards to turn into a Secret Lair drop or Universes Beyond set. And that says a lot about where the game is at. Coming off the recent Lord of the Rings set, the best-selling MTG set of all time, Wizards of the Coast has shifted their focus toward other famous IPs.

You May Also Like: Bidding For The Serialized 001/001 One Ring Is At Two Million Dollars!

The Universes Beyond Era

If you're new to MTG, this current state may seem like the norm, but it's vastly different compared to the not-so-distant past. Once upon a time, there were no famous actors like Jeff Goldbloom (Ian Malcolm, Chaotician) and Norman Reedus (Daryl, Hunter of Walkers) on Magic cards. Furthermore, the idea of having such crossovers in the game was met with quite a bit of pushback from the player base.

And yet, here we are. For the first 27 years of the game, these things didn't happen. Instead, WOTC put off its time, money, brain power, creative juices, and whatever else you add to the MTG IP - The cards, mechanics, art, storytelling, and lore. In the three years these have existed, we've had crossovers with:

• The Walking Dead
• Stranger Things
• Arcane (Reskins)
• Fortnight (Reskins)
• Warhammer 40,000
• Transformers
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Street Fighter
• My Little Pony
• Lord of the Rings
• Dracula
• Godzilla

We currently have the following on the horizon:

• Evil Dead
• Creepshow
• The Princess Bride
• Jurassic Park / Jurassic World
• Doctor Who
• Assassin's Creed
• Final Fantasy
• Fallout

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against Universes Beyond cards or sets. I am a big fan of many of these and am/was excited for the sets. So, I'm not pooh-poohing the idea altogether. That said, the LOTR set's massive success forever changed the game's landscape and the perspective of those who make it. And that will continue to cause problems for the actual MTG IP.

Magic has been steadily declining in set/format balance, card quality, storytelling, and lore since UB sets have existed. The core things that made the game what it is over the last 30 years are suffering. Look at how little effort went into March of the Machine: The Aftermath. Then, by comparison, look at the Doctor Who spoilers - If you know anything about the show, you can tell the effort is there regarding the UB cards.

If you're familiar with sets from years past, you can tell the effort is not there with current releases. And that's the problem. Reaching out to other popular franchises is a great way to bring new players to the game. However, you can't neglect the long-term players for the quick cash of people who may dabble in the game.

You've got to think, though, when doing UB sets, Wizards and Hasbro save a lot of time and money compared to a quality, on-cannon MTG set. They don't have to design new worlds, characters, lore, etc. And they even get a clear, established direction to take each set mechanically. We won't stop seeing crossovers anytime soon, leading to the question of where this ends.

Where's The Line?

Let's return to the initial topic, the fake Frasier Secret Lair. The only way people could tell this wasn't a legit product was an error in the copyright section that gave ownership of the series to the wrong people. Now that's interesting. Because not long ago, if you saw a Lord of the Rings or Transformers card, you knew someone had made it themselves.

These days, you don't know. To the point where even bizarre crossovers like Frasier seem real. Which is another thing that gives me pause. Lord of the Rings is very on flavor for Magic: The Gathering. Many of the same elements, and even races, exist in both IPs. But some of the upcoming crossovers are strange in other ways.

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger as a cereal box

Take Final Fantasy, for example. Final Fantasy already has its own trading card game! Albeit not particularly popular, Final Fantasy cards are already being made. And we recently had a drop that looked like signed sports cards, too. I don't want to stretch too far in connecting the dots here, but that would be like having an MTG/Pokemon crossover... Which, again, could happen.

And if it showed up on Reddit tomorrow, no one would be able to say with any confidence that "No. This isn't real. Magic wouldn't/couldn't crossover with that." because we don't know anymore. At the risk of sounding dramatic, Magic has lost a significant piece of its identity.

Again, if the game was thriving at its core, knock yourself out with collabs because everyone wins. Hardcore MTG fans have the thought-out, balanced, quality cards that made the game a beast and the phenomenal art and deep lore pool that have caused many a nerd to fall in love with MTG. And fans of LOTR, Warhammer, etc, who have never played have a great excuse to come and play.

As it stands, the long-time fans are largely unhappy with the state of the game. So much so that I would say the majority of the player base has a generally negative outlook on the game in the present and very little optimism for the future.

You May Also Like: Hasbro Acknowledges Product Fatigue - Looking At The Current State Of MTG

As for the new fans brought on by the Universes Beyond collaborations, I think most won't stay and continue to play the game outside of whatever franchise brought them in. Those who become bonified players will probably quickly realize that the game outside UB sets is in shambles once out of the honeymoon phase.

Conclusion

I'm not particularly eager to dwell on negative things, but I believe the points I mentioned are valid. As a long-time player, the game is slowly becoming less and less the game I fell in love with. Perhaps that's okay. Maybe I am just taking my sweet time (along with all the other older players) to adjust to the current landscape. But that's a tough sell when the core aspects are struggling.

On a positive note, WOTC does seem to notice some of these things, and recent announcements about changing Standard rotation and bringing back competitive Stanard events in 2024 is a great sign. At the very least, the fact that things aren't great is on WOTC's radar, and they're taking the proper steps to improve.