With Secret Lair releases, we have seen classic Magic cards done up with artwork by famous artists, made to resemble retro arcade cabinets, and even SpongeBob SquarePants memes. While some have landed better than others for me, the upcoming Spider-Man Superdrop revealed today has perhaps my favorite with the Daily Bugle Breaking News drop.
Revealed as a part of the big Spider-Man Superdrop alongside Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Heroic Deeds, Mana Symbiote, Venom Unleashed (Colors), Venom Unleashed (Inks), and Villainous Plots, Daily Bugle Breaking News presents its five cards in a style that resembles front-page headlines of J. Jonah Jameson’s newspaper. Included in this drop specifically are some great cards, too, including “Fact or Fiction,” “Frantic Search,” “Scheming Symmetry”, “Blasphemous Act”, and “Impact Tremors” to sweeten the deal.
What I really enjoy about this treatment is the small attention to detail that each card has, which makes it look like a real newspaper. Short subheadings accompany each card’s name, like you would see on an actual front-page spread, such as Blasphemous Act’s “Daily Bugle Under Attack” or Fact or Fiction’s “Spidey Good for the City?”. Each of the offerings also comes complete with different bend and crease effects printed to make them appear as something that could be seen blowing down the streets of New York City or flung by the explosion caused by a pumpkin grenade. And of course, the top of each card features the traditional Daily Bugle header.
In the comics, one of the ways that Peter manages to make money at the Bugle is by taking great pictures of himself—er… of Spider-Man—and selling them to JJ. Some of the included cards manage to convey this idea better than others (sorry, but skilled as he is, I don’t see him webbing up his camera to take the picture featured on Impact Tremors), and I wish Wizards had the artist lean a bit more into this idea. What they came up with is good, but I would have loved to see shots that look as though Pete staged them a bit more (or even cooler, recreating the iconic thumbs-up pose from Capcom’s Marvel vs. fighting games). It would have been the cherry on top. Or shmear on top of the bagel.
Despite my appreciation for their visuals, the Bugle cards, similar to any of the highly stylized treatment cards, are a bit too hard to quickly pick the important card bits out on—things like mana cost, effects, or color identity. I will happily enjoy these cards on a surface level, but tend to avoid adding them to any of my decks for this reason, including the Bugle cards.
All six of the sets included in this Marvel’s Spider-Man Super Drop will be available to try and thwip onto starting on September 22, 2025, over at MagicSecretLair.com, releasing right between the Marvel’s Spider-Man set pre-release starting on September 19 and the full release on September 26.
For those who want full details on the pricing and cards offered in each set, check below!
Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Daily Bugle Breaking News
Contents:
- 1x Fact or Fiction
- 1x Frantic Search
- 1x Scheming Symmetry
- 1x Blasphemous Act
- 1x Impact Tremors
Price:
- Non-foil: $29.99 USD
- Rainbow foil: $39.99 USD
Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Heroic Deeds
Contents:
- 1x Ephemerate
- 1x Three Visits
- 1x Lightning Greaves
- 1x Sol Ring
- 1x Command Tower
Price:
- Non-foil: $29.99 USD
- Rainbow foil: $39.99 USD
Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Mana Symbiote
Contents:
- 2x Plains
- 2x Island
- 2x Swamp
- 2x Mountain
- 2x Forest
Price:
- Raised foil: $59.99 USD
Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Venom Unleashed (Colors)
Contents:
- 1x Damnation
- 1x Dark Ritual
- 1x Peer into the Abyss
- 1x Surgical Extraction
- 1x Tendrils of Agony
Price:
- Non-foil: $29.99 USD
- Rainbow foil: $39.99 USD
Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Venom Unleashed (Inks)
Contents:
- 1x Damnation
- 1x Dark Ritual
- 1x Peer into the Abyss
- 1x Surgical Extraction
- 1x Tendrils of Agony
Price:
- Non-foil: $29.99 USD
- Rainbow foil: $39.99 USD
Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man: Villainous Plots
Contents:
- 1x Deadly Dispute
- 1x Go for the Throat
- 1x Lightning Greaves
- 1x Sol Ring
- 1x Command Tower
Price:
- Non-foil: $29.99 USD
- Rainbow foil: $39.99 USD
