Yesterday, the latest Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair set was announced, and it looks like the card game is headed for a pineapple under the sea. As revealed by Collider, Secret Lair and Magic: The Gathering will release a Spongebob Squarepants card set, filled with characters and memes from the popular cartoon. The set will reportedly go on sale on March 24th for “as long as supplies last” and fans already suspect scalpers will go in for this unusual pairing. But those hoping to resell for a high value may be the biggest customers for this meme-filled set, as initial Magic: The Gathering fan reactions have been lukewarm at best.
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The new Secret Lair x Spongebob Squarepants cards will arrive in three different sets, each with a different theme. The first will be a Legends of Bikini Bottom set, designed to highlight the personalities of the various colorful characters who inhabit Bikini Bottom. After that comes the controversial Internet Sensation collection, which features various memes that have become internet culture mainstays over the years. And finally, the third set will bring in a colorful tour of the Spongebob Squarepants universe by showing off environments in the Lands Under the Sea set.
Along with the announcement, fans got a first look at many of the card designs that will arrive with the new Spongebob Squarepants MTG set. And while a few Spongebob enthusiasts may be happy to see their favorite characters arrive in MTG, the overall reaction has been… not great. In fact, many fans initially thought the cards were a prank or joke when they came across posts about the new Secret Lair set in the Magic: The Gathering subreddit. But the cards are very real… or at least, they will be come March 24th when they go on sale.
Magic: The Gathering May Have Memed Too Close to the Sun with Spongebob Cards
After the initial reactions assuming this must be a joke, not an actual product from Wizards of the Coast, the new meme-filled set in particular is being poorly received. Some are even using Spongebob memes to express their displeasure, with the “ight, imma head out” meme being a popular response. Other popular Spongebob meme reactions to the set include Mr. Krabs asking himself, “Am I really going to defile this grave for money?” with a brief pause before he says “Of course I am!” Indeed, many fans think this big brand collab is more of a money grab than any real service to the Magic: The Gathering franchise or its players.
Many longtime Magic: The Gathering players are taking the turn towards pop culture poorly, even suggesting that it’s ruining the game. What was once a lore-rich, high-fantasy card game leaning into something like Spongebob Squarepants memes has some feeling that they don’t even recognize their beloved card game anymore. As one player puts it, “Look what they’re doing to the greatest card game ever.” Others are simply asking who this is supposed to be for, suggesting that the target audience for Magic: The Gathering is not here for Bikini Bottom memes in their card game.
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The reactions aren’t all negative, however. As many point out, the Secret Lair sets have always been intended as more niche collectors’ sets rather than big mainstream additions to Magic: The Gathering. Those who enjoy Spongebob are more than ready to gather the set, and point out that Secret Lair has a long history of unusual collabs. After all, there’s already been a Fortnite Secret Lair collection and a collab with virtual diva Hatsune Miku. While some fans are furious about the meme cards, others are more than happy to lean into the humor of this latest collab, expressing their hopes to see certain cards like the iconic “No, this is Patrick” meme included.
Clearly, Magic: The Gathering fans are divided about this Spongebob Squarepants Secret Lair release. How do you feel about this latest MTG collab? Let us know in the comments below!
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