Update February 22 9:55 AM: The 2 final cards have been announced for Secret Lair: Black is Magic. The final two cards to be added are Sol Ring, a one-drop white artifact that can tap for 2 colorless mana, and Path of Ancestry, a land card that sees play in the Commander format for adding an incredible amount of flexibility to a deck. These are two stellar additions to the set, and once again the artists, Thomas Zenteno and Julio Reyna have made some beautiful art that centers around black history and culture.
Update February 10 9:48 AM: 3 new cards were announced for the Secret Lair: Black is Magic drop. Cultivate, Kaya Ghost Assasin, and Teferi Hero of Dominaria have been added to the drop bringing the current total of known cards up to five. All 3 new cards have art from black artists and prominently feature black characters (including two black planeswalkers, with Teferi and Kaya being the first black male and female planeswalker respectively) from Magic the Gathering. New cards are expected to drop on February 26th.
Original story follows:
Popular trading card game Magic The Gathering is celebrating Black History Month in style with the pre-order release of Secret Lair: Black is Magic slated for later on this month.
Secret Lair: Black is Magic
Secret Lair: Black is Magic is a new product from Wizards of the Coast that aims to celebrate Black History Month 2021. The drop will include cards with some brand new art from black artists that celebrates various elements of black characters and culture. The set was also designed by black game designer Sydney Adams who previously worked on MTG sets such as Zendikar Rising and Ikoria Realm of Behemoths.
Like all Secret Lair products, this mini set will allow players to purchase the cards in small bundles in either regular style or in a shiny foil-backed variant. Between now and the set's release on February 22nd, new cards will be revealed via the Magic the Gathering website. Once the product goes on sale, all proceeds will be going towards Black Girls CODE, a non-profit organization aiming to give a technological education for black girls and women.
Black Girls CODE
The charity to benefit from the Secret Lair: Black is Magic drop has a strong personal connection for Adams who says the growing up it wasn't common to see women of color working or teaching in technology-based positions.
"Three years ago, I walked into a New York office in Chelsea and taught code to a room filled with intelligent and beautiful little Black girls. For many of them, it was the first time they'd been in a group of their peers. It was also the first time they'd been taught by someone who looked like them. It is an experience I myself have never had." - Sydney Adams
It seems like Secret Lair: Black is Magic is going to do some real good in the world and will be able to pre-order the drop at the Magic the Gathering website from February 22nd.
