In September last year,Magic: The Gatheringfans were rocked by the news thatSheldon Menery had passed away following a seven-year-long battle with throat cancer. Menery was considered by Magic fans as the pioneer of the Commander format, which has gone on to become the most popular format of Magic: The Gathering, and his passing was greatly felt in the community.
Following the news, Magic: The Gathering revealed that it would bereleasing a special card in tribute to Menery, the artwork for which was shown off at MagicCon last year. We haven’t heard much about the card since then, but Magic: The Gathering has now announced that it will be included in a new charity Secret Lair called Sheldon’s Spellbook, and is a version of Inkshield that features Menery himself.
The cards included in Sheldon’s Spellbook were recently shown off on the Commander Rules Committee Twitch channel. On top of Inkshield, other cards included in Sheldon’s Spellbook are Teferi’s Protection, a valuable staple in Commander; Sheldon, the Commander, another card featuring Menery’s likeness, and an Italian version of Greater Good, designed to celebrate Menery’s Italian heritage. Wizards of the Coast’s Scott Larabee later shared a special video showing off the cards whichyou can find here.
During the stream, it was also explained that Secret Lair will be available to pre-order on February 26, and pre-orders will run until March 24, with half of every sale going to the American Cancer Society. All the cards were picked and designed in part by Menery and will have standard Magic backs. It was also explained that while the folks on the Commander Rules Committee didn’t know whether there is a secret card, it’s best not to expect one.
Sheldon’s Spellbook will come in both foil and non-foil, which will cost $49.99 and $39.99 respectively, and will be a timed-box release, meaning if you pre-order the set between the dates specified, you will definitely get one. Most Secret Lairs these days are limited releases, so it’s a nice gesture to see this rule bucked for a special one like this.
In other Magic news, Wizards of the Coast recently announced thatMagic: The Gathering will be getting two major crossovers every year starting in 2025, which will be of a similar scale to that of the recent Tales of Middle-earth crossover.MarvelandFinal Fantasycrossovers will be first crossovers out of the gate, having already been announced for 2025 releases.
