A Magic collector’s dream.
Magic: The Gathering continues to expand into the collector space in a tremendous way, offering timely yet limited releases on desirable cards from the growing Secret Lair Drop Series. Since its inception in 2019, the Secret Lair Drop Series has gone from strength to strength, adding a mixture of reprints and new-to-Magic cards, even some cards offering new aesthetics as seen with the recent Hatsune Miku collaboration. With that in mind, it is easy to ignore the value of some of these Secret Lair cards if you have never seen the card or art before, but it is always worth checking the price if in doubt.
For those who are newer to Magic and aren’t fully onboard with Secret Lairs, well, what are they?
What is the Secret Lair Drop Series in Magic: The Gathering?
Market Price: $67.40
Market Price: $59.35
Market Price: $12.05
The Secret Lair Drop Series is an ever-growing sub-brand of Magic: The Gathering, which is a series of cards incorporated into small collectible sets called drops, often appearing with unique art styles and themes. Starting in 2019, the Secret Lair Drop Series is Wizards of the Coast’s full foray into selling cards directly to players. After a while, Wizards extended the Secret Lair into popular intellectual properties such as The Walking Dead and Stranger Things, which are now grandfathered under the Universes Beyond banner.
Even now, the Secret Lair Drop Series offers players and collectors the opportunity to acquire something unique through official Wizards channels, where in some cases, these cards can become incredibly valuable. These Secret Lair products are sold for a limited time with a fixed print window directly through Wizards, making them ideal for card collectors and those who like to own sealed products. Sometimes, never-seen-before card designs appear in these Secret Lairs, such as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, which will eventually see in-Magic variants as part of the subset called Universes Within if you don’t care for the overlap of intellectual properties.
As mentioned earlier, Magic is entering a broad collector space where these quirky designs and themes can command a high price depending on varying factors. Let’s run down some of the most valuable cards from the Secret Lair Drop Series, including cards from the Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit. This doesn’t include any of the bonus cards you can find in Secret Lairs, but if you are curious about the value of those, you can read all about it right here!
#10 Dark Ritual (The Art of Frank Frazetta)
Dark Ritual
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
/456562.jpg)
Appearing in the stunning The Art of Frank Frazetta Secret Lair is Dark Ritual, one of Magic’s most iconic cards. First printed back in Alpha, Dark Ritual comes with an elegant piece of text that says “Add three Black mana” and since the spell itself costs one Black mana, it does serve as a “ramp” of sorts when playing Legacy, Vintage, or even Commander. Often you see Dark Ritual played where it can help cast a Necropotence or a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse ahead of schedule. As for the Secret Lair itself, Frank Frazetta is widely regarded as the Godfather of modern fantasy art, bringing noted characters such as Conan the Barbarian to life.
Market Price: $22.80
Market Price: $17.49
Market Price: $12.63
And given how noted Frank Frazetta is in the fantasty space, the Secret Lair became a popular one. Normally, you see Dark Ritual in flavors of Storm in Legacy and Vintage, where you want to chain a selection of spells to hit a Storm count of ten and then cast Tendrils of Agony to finish the opponent. In Commander, Dark Ritual is often more fairer ordeal but remains a strong option especially when talking about Commander in a competitive sense. At the time of publication, this Secret Lair printing of Dark Ritual is one of the more expensive variants outside of Alpha, Beta, Amonkhet Invocations, and Judge Promo printings.
#9 Gisela, the Broken Blade (Angels: They’re Just Like Us but Cooler and with Wings)
Gisela, the Broken Blade
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
/511865.jpg)
As part of one of the Secret Lair releases that was a Commander Precon in Angels: They’re Just Like Us but Cooler and with Wings, this stunning printing of Gisela, the Broken Blade is becoming one of the more expensive cards you can own from a Secret Lair release. Angels remain one of the more popular creature types you can play in Commander so it wasn’t much of a surprise that this unique Secret Lair Commander Precon became a must-have in a matter of seconds.
Market Price: $48.10
Market Price: $27.47
Market Price: $51.15
What makes this particular printing of Gisela so good is that it pairs with Bruna, the Fading Light to a point where they merge into an Eldrazi abomination into Brisela, Voice of Nightmares. While melding the two Angel cards can be tricky in Commander, the cards individually are powerful enough and fill the angelic theme rather well. We’re entering a phase in Commander where aesthetics play a huge role as much as playing it. So, whenever Wizards release a Secret Lair Commander Precon, there’s a really good opportunity for players to express themselves with an exotic build of their favorite strategy.
#7 Field of the Dead (Secret Lair x The Evil Dead)
Field of the Dead
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
/517872.jpg)
Released late last year as part of the Secret Lair Spookydrop 2023 is Field of Dead, which was part of a collaboration with Wizards and The Evil Dead film series. The Evil Dead is one of the most iconic horror movies ever created and carries a trope that is seen in popular culture today, even the upcoming release of Duskmourn: House of Horror has a card called Chainsaw as a nod to the series.
Market Price: $15.67
Market Price: $16.36
As for the card, Field of the Dead remains one of the most powerful land cards you can play in Commander. Any Commander strategy can incorporate where it rewards you for playing a bunch of lands, but also a bunch of differently-named lands! Being able to create a 2/2 Zombie each time you play a land once you meet Field of the Dead’s criteria is tremendously good, especially in a world where Fetch Lands exist. It’s that good of a card, Field of the Dead is banned in Modern, Pioneer, and Standard when Core Set 2020 was around. With the upcoming release of Duskmourn: House of Horror impending, it does mean there’s an interest in horror-related cards that have been released under the Secret Lair banner, which is why this particular Field of the Dead printing is on the move.
#7 Kodama’s Reach (Purrfection – Pulse Con Exclusive)
Kodama’s Reach
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
/251975.jpg)
The Secret Lair Drop Series printing of Kodama’s Reach from the Purrfection – Pulse Con Exclusive is valuable card for a couple of unique factors. First, no one really knew this Secret Lair was readily available to buy at Pulse Con in 2021. Furthermore, this Secret Lair also had a much lower print run compared to other releases, and many skipped this release due to the selection of unexciting cards which questioned the overall value at the time of release. As it turns out, there’s a lot of value in the Purrfection Secret Lair, as Kodama’s Reach is one of the most expensive Secret Lair cards right now, with foils commanding an even higher premium.
Market Price: $27.84
Market Price: $18.50
Market Price: $26.74
A long-time Commander staple, Kodama’s Reach offers ample ramp for any strategy that incorporates Green, and this printing is by far and away the most exotic and rarest you can own, which means there are Commander players who will snap up a copy or two to put in their decks. It’s also worth noting Ayako Ishiguro (wife of Junji Ito, who also has their own Secret Lair) also created the artwork for this Secret Lair, which adds a further premium to this selection of expensive cards.
#6 Eldrazi Temple (Art Series: Aleksi Briclot)
Eldrazi Temple
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
/456576.jpg)
With the release of Modern Horizons 3, the Eldrazi are back in a massive way, which has caused spikes with cards that appear in the stunning Art Series: Aleksi Briclot Secret Lair. In particular, this printing of Eldrazi Temple has soared into becoming a high-value card due to the popularity of the spaghetti beings in Modern and Commander. Furthermore, Thought-Knot Seer from the same Secret Lair Drop is also seeing notable movement, as players want to buy the most exotic variants for their Modern and Commander Eldrazi builds.
Market Price: $25.10
Market Price: $14.47
Market Price: $11.15
While the Eldrazi hype will continue for a while due to the exciting Eldrazi Incursion Commander Precon from Modern Horizons 3, it continues to be a good time to sell into the hype if you have any of these unwanted Eldrazi Secret Lair cards. However, one exciting aspect of this series created by Aleksi Briclot is how the cards create a panorama of the Eldrazi invading Zendikar, with Inquisition of Kozilek depicting a poor a Kor solider who’s met with an unfortunate fate.
#5 Old Gnawbone (Beadle & Grimm’s Here Be Dragons)
Old Gnawbone
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
/275789.jpg)
A popular card since the release of Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Old Gnawbone cares quite a bit about creating Treasure tokens when dealing combat damage. During the release of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Treasure tokens became a very pushed aspect of Commander since many new cards introduced ways to create these tokens effectively. However, Old Gnawbone remains the queen of Treasure tokens from the release, where theShowcase Secret Lair printing remains a desirable card to own amongst Commander players. In a collaboration with Beadle & Grimm’s, Here Be Dragons Secret Lair contains a selection of iconic Dragons (including Old Gnawbone) from the Adventure in the Forgotten Realms release along with exclusive dice, deck box, and sleeves.
Market Price: $41.36
Old Gnawbone from this Secret Lair remains the most valuable from the selection, as it sees regular Commander play since creating Treasure tokens upon your creatures dealing combat damage to a player is rather strong. Furthermore, Dragons remain a popular creature type to play in Commander as The Ur-Dragon saw a recent reprint in Commander Masters, giving players another chance to acquire the iconic card through more affordable means. For as long as Dragons remain a desirable creature type to play in Commander, the value of Old Gnawbone will remain reasonably high.
#4 Thassa’s Oracle (Cool Ocean Breeze)
Thassa’s Oracle
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
/493980.jpg)
One of Commander and Modern’s most popular win-conditions is also one of the more valuable cards you can collect from the Secret Lair Drop Series. First printed in Theros Beyond Death, Thassa’s Oracle became a must-have for those looking to combo with Demonic Consultation in Commander, Underworld Breach in Modern, and Doomsday in Legacy. Regardless of how you feel about Thassa’s Oracle in terms of power, it’s a popular card that will continue to see play in these formats because it’s one of the best “you win the game” effects seen in recent times. And due to the release of Cool Ocean Breeze last year, Secret Lair printing of the Merfolk Wizard continues to climb in value. Why? Commander mostly, but especially competitive Commander.
Market Price: $19.04
A trend we’re beginning to see in Magic is these must-have Commander staples rising in value, especially if there’s a more exotic printing of the card available. This is also happening with copies of Borderless Chrome Mox from Double Masters, as Commander players are snapping up these printings and putting them in their decks, meaning supply is slowly drying up as these are going into “forever homes.” The same is also happening to this Secret Lair printing of Thassa’s Oracle as it’s the most unique printing you can own of the card at the time of publication, meaning monetary momentum on this printing of the Merfolk Wizard won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
#3 Sol Ring (Through the Wormhole – Galaxy Foil)
Sol Ring
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
/528288.jpg)
Appearing in the highly popular Through the Wormhole Secret Lair, the Sol Ring from this space-tastic release is beginning to provide massive value to collectors. In particular, the Galaxy Foil printing is seeing the most notable surge in price due to the card being wholly unique in aesthetic while offering something exciting for Commander players.
Market Price: $41.92
Market Price: $35.72
Market Price: $11.41
Sol Ring is a must-have card for Commander as it permits you to have explosive starts coupled with ample mana generation. As a result of Sol Ring’s staple presence in the singleton format, exotic copies of the artifact card often come at a premium due to Commander demand. While normal copies of the card Sol Ring can set you back a few bucks, there’s evergreen demand for these unique variants as they provide personality through playing Commander, and the space theme in the Through the Wormhole Secret Lair is a popular one with players.
#2 Chrome Mox (Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit)
Chrome Mox
Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit, Mythic
/448904.jpg)
Chrome Mox remains one of the more powerful mana-generating artifacts you can play in Commander at the cost of exiling a card from your hand. If you do this, Chrome Mox taps for one mana of the exiled card’s colors, which is excellent if you want to propel on mana in the early turns and cast those threats ahead of schedule. While Commander is where Chrome Mox sees the most play, it also crops up in Vintage and Legacy, with the latter appearing in Goblin Stompy builds. While this stunning printing of Chrome Mox didn’t appear in a typical Secret Lair release, it was part of the Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit, where you received 30 individually wrapped cards with a 30% chance of opening a foil. Unsurprisingly, Chrome Mox is the most expensive card from this range, with Lotus Field and Necropotence falling way behind in second and third.
Market Price: $12.29
Market Price: $13.90
What makes this particular printing of Chrome Mox a desirable one is that it incorporates art by the iconic Dan Frazier, who has done a variety of works for some of the most iconic artifacts in Magic, such as the Moxes, Sol Ring, and even the Signets in a separate Secret Lair release. Going back to an earlier point, cards with exotic printings such as Chrome Mox are climbing in price as there’s a demand with Commander players who have cash to burn, and it’s no different with the Secret Lair printing that dropped as part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations in 2022.
#1 Mox Opal (Dan Frazier’s Mox Box / Las Vegas Festival in a Box)
Mox Opal
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
/516539.jpg)
Appearing in Dan Frazier’s Mox Box, which was part of the Las Vegas Festival in a Box Secret Lair is Mox Opal, one of the more powerful artifacts to see print in Magic.
Market Price: $21.57
Market Price: $14.68
Market Price: $13.16
Through using Metalcraft, Mox Opal can tap for any color of mana as long as you control three or more artifacts on the battlefield. It’s that good, the card saw an eventual ban in Modern since it was effortless to have access to Mox Opal’s mana as early as turn one. However, the card sees plenty of play in Commander (especially in competitive Commander) as long there’s a decent density of artifacts to ensure you can meet the Metalcraft criteria. Much like many other Dan Frazier’s Secret Lair cards, this printing of Mox Opal is popular as it offers the iconic Retro Frame that has become well-received since its revival in Modern Horizons 2. At the time of publication, this Secret Lair printing is the most expensive card from the series (that isn’t including bonus cards).