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On Tuesday, August 25th, MSCHF publicly released an announcement for Secret Lair, the likes of which we haven't seen before. For the first time, the drop series has a full set's worth of cards in it. Dubbed Zeta, this set is a bunch of reprints (as far as we currently know at the time of writing). The cards hearken back to the old playtest style of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma playtest cards. Read on, and we will showcase a few of these really cool reprints!

MSCHF's Secret Lair Collaboration

MSCHF, the Cultural Readymade-centric art collective from Brooklyn, NY, collaborated with Secret Lair in the past, providing innovative and frankly strange reprints in their drop. It's hard to forget cards like PlainsPlains, a card that people found could be peeled to become a Battlefield ForgeBattlefield Forge. Yeah, that's the kind of madness that MSCHF provides.

In any event, MSCHF's Zeta press release is below!

MSCHF is known for projects that turn familiar cultural readymades into something entirely new, whether through fashion, art, technology, or consumer products. For The Zeta set, MSCHF has designed 138 cards, making this the first set-scale collaboration through Magic’s Secret Lair program.

Magic: The Gathering’s original playtest cards (from the Beta -> Gamma playtest sets) were cut, taped, and Xeroxed from the materials their creators had on hand. MSCHF has used these same tools to create the Zeta set. Using archival print materials, physical objects from matches to toy soldiers, and handwritten annotations, the set is an homage to the collaged construction and appropriated imagery of those prototype cards. 

MSCHF frequently employs a working philosophy around Cultural Readymades - using parts of culture ranging from objects to images to businesses as working material - expanding the idea of sampling into a cross-industry practice. Concept above all else; create from what is around you.

The Zeta set will be sold in individual boosters, each of which includes 7 cards: 3 Commons, 2 Uncommons, 1 Wildcard of any rarity, and 1 Rare or mythic rare.

While the set itself contains 121 cards, there will be 17 bonus cards not yet revealed, as per Secret Lair tradition.

Zeta Preview Gallery

Below is a short gallery of all the card assets we have of Secret Lair x MSCHF's Zeta set.

We got a process shot for the last card shown, Go for the ThroatGo for the Throat. This is the nature of the Xeroxed-style cards of Zeta.

Note that some of the cards that are typically printed at rare or mythic have been downshifted to uncommon or common. However, Gavin Verhey has spoken on behalf of the Pauper Format Panel, saying this will not affect Pauper legality.

Hi all! I've received many questions about the Zeta cards previewed today and their common rarity. These cards listed from SLZ (such as Baleful Strix, but there are more) will not change Pauper legality. Secret Lair reprints are not meant to impact Pauper. Thanks!#wotcstaff

— Gavin Verhey (@gavinverhey.bsky.social) 2026-08-24T20:24:54.642Z

Conclusion

Secret Lair x MSCHF: Zeta comes out on September 2nd, at 9 AM PST/Noone EST. 7-card packs of the set will cost $19.92 apiece as homage to the 1992 playtests for Magic. Packs are limited to a 12-unit maximum. Stay tuned for more information as it comes!

And now, dear readers, it's time for us to hear from you! Are you excited for Zeta to release? If you're a Pauper player (of any variant), does this set still excite you, or does it incense you? Sound off in the comments below!