After nearly two decades without a reprint, Magic: The Gathering players will finally have another opportunity to get their hands on Soul Spike, a powerful black instant that has climbed to approximately $18 on the secondary market. First released in 2006 as part of Coldsnap, the card is returning in a new Secret Lair collection inspired by Reality Fracture.

Announced on October 13, the 怪異学校 — Strange School collection features five mono-black cards with dark, manga-inspired artwork created by Japanese artists and illustrators. Alongside Soul Spike, the drop includes several other valuable cards, making it an appealing option for both competitive players and collectors.

The collection will cost $29.99 for non-foil cards and $39.99 for traditional foil versions.

Soul Spike first appeared in July 2006. Its standard mana cost is seven, and its effect deals four damage to any target while allowing its controller to gain four life.

That cost might seem steep, but the card has a powerful alternative: players can exile two black cards from their hand to cast it without paying mana.

This ability makes Soul Spike particularly useful in strategies that generate large hands of cards. Rather than spending valuable mana, players can turn two black cards into direct damage and additional life, potentially changing the outcome of a game.

One of its notable competitive applications is in Modern's Necrodominance decks. These strategies use the namesake enchantment to draw additional cards by paying life. Soul Spike provides a way to convert surplus black cards into damage while recovering some of that lost life.

Its combination of flexibility and competitive potential has helped keep the card relevant. However, its market value also reflects its long absence from print.

Until this announcement, Soul Spike had received no additional paper printings since Coldsnap. That scarcity has helped push its non-foil market price to approximately $17.57, while original foil copies can command considerably higher prices.

The new Secret Lair release gives players an alternative version to pursue. However, the limited nature of the collection means the reprint is not guaranteed to significantly reduce the price of the original.

Soul Spike is a major attraction, but the five-card Strange School collection offers additional value for players interested in expanding their decks.

The complete lineup includes:

• Attrition: A black enchantment that can help remove opposing creatures.
• Bitter Ordeal: A powerful sorcery known for its ability to search an opponent's library for cards and exile them.
• Ophiomancer: A creature-generating card that can provide a steady supply of Snake tokens.
• Sign in Blood: A black sorcery that allows a player to draw two cards at the cost of two life.
• Soul Spike: A free-to-cast damage spell under the right conditions that also restores life.

Bitter Ordeal is another notable inclusion. Its original Future Sight printing has a market value of approximately $26, while Attrition is valued at around $19. Together with Soul Spike, these three cards have a combined market value that exceeds the $29.99 price of the non-foil collection.

Actual market prices can fluctuate, and the value of the reprints may change as more copies become available.

The artwork also gives the collection a distinct identity. Its dark, black-and-white manga aesthetic complements Hexhaven, the sinister interpretation of Strixhaven associated with Reality Fracture. For collectors, the visual theme provides another reason to consider the release beyond the cards' gameplay applications.

Wizards of the Coast has also announced Duality Distorted, another Reality Fracture-themed Secret Lair drop. This four-card collection features familiar cards with reinterpreted artwork from established Magic artists.

Its lineup includes:

• Thoughtseize
• Desperate Ritual
• Pyroblast
• Tribute to the World Tree

The collection also features retro card frames, giving the cards a nostalgic appearance that may appeal to longtime fans.

Like Strange School, Duality Distorted will cost $29.99 for the non-foil edition or $39.99 for the traditional foil version.

Both collections will be available individually through the Secret Lair Chaos Vault. Players can also choose from larger bundles incorporating the new releases, with prices ranging from $159.98 for the non-foil package to $234.99 for the Everything Edition. The latter includes both foil and non-foil versions of the two new drops.

With Soul Spike finally receiving another paper printing, Strange School offers a combination of competitive utility, collectible artwork, and sought-after reprints. Whether players are looking to strengthen their decks or add distinctive cards to their collections, the release provides another opportunity to explore the darker side of Magic: The Gathering.