Wizards of the Coast has announced a whopping 10 Magic: The Gathering Secret Lairs, all arriving on October 13. Then two weeks later, seven more are coming with the Playstation drop. But we can only cover the 'Secret Scare' Superdrop right now, since the Playstation cards haven't all been revealed yet.
Here's the financial breakdown of every Secret Lair in the drop, with the current cheapest values for foil and nonfoil versions of every single card. Since every lair costs $29.99 or $39.99 in foil, that's about the value we're hoping to see. As you might expect, they're a mixed bag.
10. Secret Lair x Furby: Doo-ay Noo-lah
- Distant Melody - $0.50 Nonfoil / $2.50 Foil
- Explore - $0.25 Nonfoil / $1.25 Foil
- Inspiring Call - $0.25 Nonfoil / $0.40 Foil
- Chromatic Lantern - $2.38 Nonfoil / $3.40 Foil
- Sol Ring - $1.25 Nonfoil / $5 Foil
- Total = $4.63 Nonfoil / $12.55 Foil
This one's a bunch of junk; the option of a foil Sol Ring is the only thing that's even remotely notable. Get it if you adore the art, otherwise I'd say Doo-ay Noo-nah to this one.
9. Secret Lair x Furby: The Gathering
- Sphere of Safety - $2.50 Nonfoil / $3.48 Foil
- Miscast - $1.50 Nonfoil / $4 Foil
- Phyrexian Arena - $1.46 Nonfoil / $3 Foil
- Tormenting Voice - $0.20 Nonfoil / $0.25 Foil
- Tamiyo's Safekeeping - $2.45 Nonfoil / $4.11 Foil
- Total = $8.11 Nonfoil / $14.84 Foil
It's really not a great showing for the Furby lairs, as while this one has some useful EDH cards, they're are all very affordable.
8. Secret Lair x Iron Maiden: Album Art
- Lethal Scheme - $0.25 Nonfoil / $0.62 Foil
- Grave Titan - $0.76 Nonfoil / $3 Foil
- Animate Dead - $6.50 Nonfoil / $8.70 Foil
- Temporal Trespass - $2.70 Nonfoil / $4 Foil
- Unearth - $0.50 Nonfoil / $0.55 Foil
- Lignify - $0.36 Nonfoil / $9.15 Foil
- Total = $11.07 Nonfoil / $26.05 Foil
A six card drop, but where is the value? Of note, this Iron Maiden Secret Lair holds the first Lignify foil reprint since Lorwyn, which is a nice consolation prize if you opt for the shiny version.
7. Dreaming Darkly
- Glen Elendra Archmage - $8.85 Nonfoil / $15 Foil
- Guardian Project - $8 Nonfoil / $10 Foil
- Roon of the Hidden Realm - $0.40 Nonfoil / $0.50 Foil
- Soulherder - $1.92 Nonfoil / $3.55 Foil
- Total = $19.17 Nonfoil / $29.05 Foil
These cards would all work nicely in a Roon of the Hidden Realm blink deck. Glen Elendra Archmage and Guardian Project are nice pick-ups - if only there were more than four cards in this collection, maybe it would be higher up the list!
6. Secret Lair x Furby: The Oddbodies
- Hullbreaker Horror - $3.23 Nonfoil / $4.25 Foil
- Maddening Cacophany - $6.67 Nonfoil / $7.88 Foil
- Serum Visions - $0.74 Nonfoil / $1.14 Foil
- Umbris, Fear Manifest - $9.85 Nonfoil / $13 Foil
- Spellskite - $7.85 Nonfoil / $11 Foil
- Total = $28.34 Nonfoil / $37.27 Foil
The most interesting of the Furby Secret Lairs is also the most valuable. At $28 we're so close to the point where we can say with confidence you're getting a good deal. These cards could also all slot into the same horror tribal deck, and I have a feeling the novelty factor may drive the price up.
5. Trick or Treat
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose - $8 Nonfoil / $8.75 Foil
- Satoru Umezawa - $0.50 Nonfoil / $0.60 Foil
- Voja, Jaws of the Conclave - First Nonfoil / $8.22 Foil
- Wilhelt the Rotcleaver - $8.43 Nonfoil / $8.76 Foil
- Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter - $5 Nonfoil / $5 Foil
- Total = $21.93 Nonfoil and Voja / $31.33 Foil
Wait a sec, did the price total just go down? It did indeed, but that's because Voja has never appeared as a Nonfoil before and can't be factored into the price. This Secret Lair has a collection of decently valuable MTG commanders, with the gimmick being that they're all Halloween costumes.
4. Secret Lair x Jaws: Terror of Amity Island
- Jaws, Relentless Predator - Original card
- Descent into Avernus (Panic on Amity Island) - $10 Nonfoil / $10 Foil
- Reckless Endeavor - $7.60 Nonfoil / First Foil
- Sneak Attack - $5.89 Nonfoil / $5.74 Foil
- Abrade (You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat) - $0.25 Nonfoil / $0.25 Foil
- Blood token $0.20 Nonfoil / $0.40 Foil
- Total = $23.94 Nonfoil / $16.39 + Reckless Endeavor
I'm also ranking this one higher than the technically more valuable horror Furbies because it has a mechanically unique Jaws card. Looking at other unique SL cards I can't see that being worth less than $10 - even if it is eventually getting a Universes Within reprint.
Sneak Attack would've once been a big deal, but now it's one of the least exciting parts of this set - though speaking subjectively I really like the art. Pleasingly, the other red cards, reprints from the Dungeons and Dragons MTG sets, will slot perfectly into a Jaws, Relentless Predator deck.
Edit: It's been brought to my attention that this Secret Lair is more pricey than the rest - at $39.99 for Nonfoils and $49.99 for Foils. Factor that in to your assessment!
3. Secret Lair x The Office: Dwight's Destiny
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned (Dwight Schrute, Hay King) - $17 Nonfoil / $19 Foil
- Steelshaper's Gift (Dwight's Weapon Stash) - $9.60 Nonfoil / $11 Foil
- Swords to Plowshares - $1.15 Nonfoil / $2.80 Foil
- Baral, Chief of Compliance (Dwight, Assistant (to the) King) - $1.85 Nonfoil / $2.40 Foil
- Garruk Relentless (Recyclops, Eco-friendly) - $0.65 Nonfoil / $0.95 Foil
- Reaper King (Dwight, o'Lantern) - $13 Nonfoil / $6 Foil
- Total = $43.25 Nonfoil / $42.15 Foil
In case you weren't sure if Universes Beyond had jumped the shark yet, here's a confirmation for you. Price-wise though, this one's worth the cost of the lair - mostly thanks to the Heliod reprint, but Reaper King is a strong addition too.
2. Artist Series: Kieran Yanner
- Armageddon - $14 Nonfoil / $17 Foil
- Northern Paladin - $0.50 Nonfoil / $66 Foil
- Demonic Tutor - $49 Nonfoil / $63 Foil
- Lord of the Pit - $0.50 Nonfoil / $0.75 Foil
- Total = $64 Nonfoil / $146.75 Foil
Wow, now we're talking! It seems Wizards new bracket system has got them brave enough to reprint Armageddon, and Demonic Tutor's in here too! Northern Paladin is also notable, as its a 7th edition card. This was the first core set with foils, and as you can see, the foil cards are highly valuable to collectors. Lord of the Pit is also here.
1. Secret Lair x Iron Maiden: Eddie Unchained
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent (Eddie the Judge) - $45 Nonfoil / $52 Foil
- Windfall - $3.64 Nonfoil / $7.32 Foil
- Captain N'ghathrod (Eddie, Ghost of the Navigator) - $6.27 Nonfoil / $6.79 Foil
- Nekusar, the Mindrazer (Eddie, Lord of Light) - $2.10 Nonfoil / $3 Foil
- Iron Maiden - $9.08 Nonfoil / $35 Foil
- Mindcrank - $12 Nonfoil / $20 Foil
- Total = $78.09 Nonfoil / $124.11 Foil
I would not have put my money on the Iron Maiden Eddie set being the most valuable lair in this drop, but the numbers don't lie. Bruvac the Grandiloquent makes up a large chunk of the value, but the card quality is high throughout. This has everything you need for an Iron Maiden mill deck, at a budget price!
I just noticed that this superdrop has been refreshingly easy to read. This final set is the only one that messes around with the text.