After a 20-year absence, the Magic: The Gathering card Soul Spike is being reprinted. The black instant, originally released in the 2006 Coldsnap set, has become a valuable commodity due to its competitive utility and lack of previous reprints. Wizards of the Coast announced the card's return as part of a new Secret Lair drop themed around the "Reality Fracture" multiversal concept.
The "Strange School" Secret Lair drop, revealed on October 13, will feature five mono-black cards with new artwork from Japanese artists. Soul Spike is the standout inclusion, but the collection also includes other notable reprints. The set will be available for $29.99 in non-foil and $39.99 in traditional foil.
Soul Spike was originally printed in July 2006. It costs seven mana and deals four damage to any target while granting its controller four life. However, its true power lies in its alternate casting cost: players can exile two black cards from their hand instead of paying its mana cost. This allows players to deal damage and gain life without expending any mana, albeit at the cost of card advantage.
This alternative cost has made Soul Spike a staple in Modern decks like those utilizing Necrodominance, an enchantment that allows players to draw cards by paying life. Soul Spike provides a way to convert excess black cards into direct damage and life gain, maintaining its relevance in competitive play. The card's scarcity, stemming from its single printing in Coldsnap, has driven its price to approximately $17.57 for a non-foil copy, with original foil versions being significantly more expensive.
The reprint arrives amid a surge of interest in older Magic cards, with many previously overlooked cards gaining value in Commander formats and other sets impacting card prices. Soul Spike's valuation is a direct result of consistent competitive demand and the two-decade gap between printings. While a Secret Lair release may not drastically reduce the original card's market value, it offers players a long-awaited alternative.
Beyond Soul Spike, the "Strange School" drop also features Attrition, Bitter Ordeal, Ophiomancer, and Sign in Blood. Bitter Ordeal, originally from Future Sight, is currently valued at around $26, while Attrition is approximately $19. The combined value of these three cards alone exceeds the $29.99 price of the non-foil Secret Lair set. The collection's black-and-white manga aesthetic aligns with the darker themes of Reality Fracture.
Wizards of the Coast also announced a second themed drop, "Duality Distorted," which includes Thoughtseize, Desperate Ritual, Pyroblast, and Tribute to the World Tree. This set features established Magic artists reinterpreting their previous work with retro frames. Like "Strange School," it will cost $29.99 for non-foil and $39.99 for foil versions. Both drops will be available individually, as well as in larger bundle packages, including an "Everything Edition" for $234.99.