Every year, it seems more and more unique Secret Lair and Universes Beyond sets are introduced into the world of MTG. While it may feel like the Secret Lair Summer Superdrop was just recently released, it appears as though there’s more Secret Lair products coming right away. Just recently, the Secret Lair Fall Superdrop went live, and will continue to be up for just over a month. From a baseball theme to a product all about bugs, these groups of cards with tons of unique artwork showcase plenty of original ideas. The question is, are these bundles worth the price?
Secret Lair products are generally pretty popular, though some products leave more to be desired. While there are certainly some heavy hitters in this round of Secret Lairs, it appears that some of the Secret Lairs showcase more valuable reprints than others. To get a better sense of which Secret Lairs feature the most expensive cards and, similarly, which Secret Lairs hold the most potential value, let’s start by taking a look at one product in particular that blows the rest of the competition out of the water.
Now on VHS!
The “Now on VHS!” Secret Lair takes a unique old-school movie approach to the artwork of the featured cards. Not only do the four cards look rather nostalgic, but there’s also an insane amount of reprint value between them. The most expensive card in this product, and by far the most expensive card in any of the Secret Lairs in the Fall Superdrop, is none other than The First Sliver. The First Sliver may have been printed in Modern Horizons, but it has Commander written all over it. Slivers is an extremely popular archetype in Commander and was even featured as the theme for a Commander Masters Precon.
Interestingly, the First Sliver was not featured in the Commander Masters Sliver Swarm Commander deck. Back in early July, the First Sliver sat at a decent price of roughly $23 according to TCGPlayer market price. However, soon after Commander Masters spoilers revealed that the First Sliver was not getting a reprint in the Sliver Swarm deck, the First Sliver spiked very quickly. The powerful typal Commander currently sits at $60 in traditional, non-foil form at the time of writing, making it the most expensive reprint in the Fall Secret Lair Superdrop by a huge margin.
Surprisingly, the First Sliver is not the only pricey reprint among the “Now on VHS!” cards. Food Chain also has a hefty price tag, currently sitting at $18. While Food Chain does enable an infinite mana combo in Legacy alongside Misthollow Griffin, it’s another excellent Commander card. Pair Food Chain with Prossh, Skyraider of Kher and you’re in business! Given that each individual Secret Lair is on sale for $29.99 and each foil Secret Lair is going for $39.99, this product in particular seems well worth the price.
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Best of the Rest
While Food Chain and the First Sliver certainly take the cake for most expensive reprints among these Secret Lair cards, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some other decent cards featured. One of the cards that is finally seeing its first reprint in the “Absolute Annihilation” Secret Lair is Mass Hysteria. Mass Hysteria provides a very simple effect, granting all Creatures Haste for one mana. Notably, this does include the opponent’s Creatures as well, but there are plenty of ways in Commander to break the symmetry. Mass Hysteria is worth about $11 at the time of writing, and seeing it get its first reprint since it first appeared many years ago in Mirrodin is very cool.
Another decent reprint, this time featured in the “Buggin Out” Secret Lair, is Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest. Mazirek can get out of hand very quickly in a go-wide sacrifice deck in Commander, growing your whole army every time any player sacrifices another permanent. Mazirek has a current price tag of $8 in its cheapest form.
Yet another card that is great in Commander, Vial Smasher the fierce, is being showcased in the “Keep Partying Hard, Shred Harder Than You Previously Thought Possible” Secret Lair. Vial Smasher the Fierce is an interesting Partner Commander that deals damage to an opponent chosen at random each time you cast your first spell in a turn. If you pair this with lots of expensive spells, the damage can add up quickly. Right now, Vial Smasher the Fierce sits at $8, and considering how popular this Commander can be thanks to the Partner mechanic, this variant could be surprisingly expensive.
Obviously, none of these cards hold a candle to the First Sliver with regards to price, showcasing just how strong the “Now on VHS!” Secret Lair is in terms of value.
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Reprints of Reprints
As mentioned, one of the big reasons the First Sliver is worth so much is that it didn’t receive a recent reprint until this Secret Lair Superdrop. A couple cards from these Secret Lairs, however, did not maintain their value thanks to recent reprints from other sets. For example, It That Betrays was worth roughly $17 in mid-July, but thanks to its printing in Commander Masters, the card has tanked all the way down to $6.50.
In a similar vein, 7th Edition and Urza’s Saga versions of Oppression currently sit at $14 or more. Oppression is featured in the “Absolute Annihilation” Secret Lair, but Oppression has recently been spoiled as a Wilds of Eldraine Enchanting Tales reprint too. The card’s Presale price has already dropped to $9 and given how low bonus sheet cards tend plummet in price, the card will likely keep going down in price.
It’s quite clear that the “Now on VHS!” Secret Lair has by far the most reprint value of any of the Secret Lairs. “Absolute Annihilation” has both Oppression and Mass Hysteria in it, but even still doesn’t come particularly close. Of course, the themes and artwork of these products are super cool, which definitely adds value to many players. So even though the “Magic: the Baseballing” Secret Lair doesn’t show off any overly pricey cards, for example, its uniqueness is nothing to scoff at. For anyone who enjoys off-the-wall MTG designs, the Fall Secret Lair Superdrop is definitely for you.
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