Magic: The Gathering’s next batch of expensive but pretty Secret Lair cards is on its way with the Winter Superdrop 2024. Six different card treatments have been revealed, and we’ve broken the available cards down by price below, to show you exactly how they rank in terms of value for money.
Be ready for a scramble. As Wizards of the Coast announced earlier this year, MTG Secret Lairs are no longer print-to-order. That means when this lot go up for sale on Monday, February 5, they’ll only be available in limited numbers, and once they’re sold out, that’s it. They go up for sale at 9am PST, so we reckon you need to know what’s worth buying before then.
We’ve already seen that this new release method can have frustrating consequences, with the extremely popular Raining Cats and Dogs MTG Commander deck selling out within hours, then going up on the secondary market for more than double the price.
Six Secret Lairs have been revealed, each with between four and five cards. Assuming regular pricing, these collections will each cost $29.99, and $39.99 for the foil versions.
First up we have Hard Boiled Thrillers, which – tied in loosely with MTG Murders at Karlov Manor – reimagines popular MTG cards as crime or detective paperbacks. As well as a really cool theme, this so far seems like one of the best value drops of the bunch, with two cards over the $5 mark and two more surpassing $10 (all prices taken from MTG Goldfish).
Hard Boiled Thrillers
- Obeka, Brute Chronologist – $0.50
- Dire Undercurrents – $11
- Black Market – $5.10
- Reconnaissance – $12
- Jace Wielder of Mysteries – $6.43
- Total: $35.03
We wouldn’t be surprised if this Lair sells out the fastest!
The next four cards are directly linked to the latest MTG set, as they feature creatures not from Ravnica in the Karlov Manor showcase style that looks like a detective’s dossier. In terms of card value, there’s really only Vilis worth mentioning. The other three cards are pretty unspectacular.
Showcase: Murders at Karlov Manor
- Gonti, Lord of Luxury – $0.25
- Vilis, Broker of Blood – $8.46
- Grenzo, Dungeon Warden – $0.52
- Anowon, The Ruin Thief – $1.00
- Total: $10.23
As you can see, this one’s pretty dismal! It looks to be the worst value for money in this entire Winter Superdrop.
Prismatic Nightmares is a Lair with a lovely colorful paint style. The value for money is a bit mediocre, however, with just a couple of medium-priced cards, and three cheapies.
Prismatic Nightmares
- Simian Spirit Guide – $1.16
- Prince of Thralls – $8.82
- Arcane Denial – $3
- Rain of Filth – $5.50
- Nightscape Familiar – $0.56
- Total: $19.04
This next lair, The Beauty of the Beasts is full of colorful animals. They’re a disparate lot. Some of the cards are notable for their combo potential in the MTG Commander format, others are just big monsters.
The Beauty of the Beasts
- Felidar Guardian – $1.80
- Peregrine Drake – $0.25
- Voracious Hydra – $4.80
- Serpent of Yawning Depths – $9.80
- Scourge of Valkas – $2.05
- Total: $18.70
A fairly unimpressive collection this time price-wise. Unless you’re making a sea monster deck, you’d probably only get this one if the awesome art speaks to you.
Deceptive Divination is a mishmash of different cards, all illustrated with this neat black-and-white minimalist artwork. While they look pretty awesome, it is pretty difficult to know what MTG Color these cards are, and for some reason, the MTG Counter spell Circular Logic has been printed as a Sorcery?! Never mind my misgivings, let’s get to the price breakdown.
Deceptive Divination
- Price of Progress – $3.70
- Eternal Witness – $1.07
- Wall of Omens – $0.42
- Circular Logic – $0.20
- Scheming Symmetry – $5.40
- Total: $10.59
Good grief.
We said Hard Boiled Thrillers would be the chase Lair of the batch, but that was written before Just Add Milk 2 was brought to the table. The cereal box idea was such an innovative one, and the fact it’s been brought back a second time suggests it was popular. While you only get four cards, they’re presumably double-sided. The card list is promising too.
Just Add Milk: Second Helpings
- Krark, the Thumbless – $0.81
- Adrix and Nev, Twincasters – $13
- Yargle, Glutton of Urborg – $0.15
- Sakashima of a Thousand Faces – $29
- Total: $42.96
Overall, this one’s the best value on a pure monetary level, though the value is very uneven, split as it is across just two of the cards.
Of course, it may not matter so much how valuable the cards in Secret Lair drops are. Now that they’re only available in limited supply, this could have dramatic consequences on their price on the secondary market. Only time will tell for sure.
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