The Best Cards From Fallout and the Secret Lair Winter Superdrop

Torrential Drops

Between Secret Lairs and Universes Beyond: Fallout, a surge of new products has recently been introduced to the game. Additionally, there is a discernible impact on other cards, particularly notable in recent shifts concerning cards like Mesmeric Orb and Mindcrank, resulting in their average prices doubling or even quadrupling, depending on the printing.

With a constant stream of drops and releases all bidding to grab players' attention, let's break down these recent releases and noteworthy developments worth monitoring or even investing in.

Secret Lair: Winter Superdrop 2024

The Winter Superdrop 2024 failed to deliver any substantial value or market impact to the game. Whether this was due to the subpar card selection or the lingering positive impression left on me by the previous time around remains uncertain. Either way, through close examination of the individual card selection across the various products, certain cards may stand out to warrant more attention.

Let's kick off with first-time reprints, Dire Undercurrents and Reconnaissance from the Hard-Boiled Thrillers Secret Lair. Both cards are rather aged in terms of effect and printing, hailing from Shadowmoor and Exodus, respectively. While both can be considered fringe EDH and lack relevance in other formats, their reprint has brought them back into public discussion.

$15.99$18.99

$22.00$27.99

Reviewing the graph data from the last few years, both cards experienced a steady increase in value likely attributed to age-based scarcity. However, the reprint announcement has surprisingly led to a climb in price for the original cards with a large percentage of players discovering them for the first time. This rather unique effect opposes the typical post-announcement price trend. Considering their current downward trending pricing of $4 and $15, respectively, opting for reprints appears to be the safer pickup than the original prints.

Moving on to the Just Add Milk: Second Helpings Secret Lair, which essentially pays for itself. This features the first reprint of Sakashima of a Thousand Faces, coveted by both the CEDH and EDH communities, experiencing a price increase over the past year towards the low $30s. The reprint serves as a welcome price stabilization point, with new copies settling near the $23 mark. Expect this price to rebound closer toward the original pricing in the coming weeks as demand continues to rise.

Adrix and Nev, Twincasters, features a significant value proposition within the Secret Lair. Despite originally averaging around $28, its recent inclusion in a Karlov Manor Commander deck has undercut its premium printing, reducing the original price to $4 and stagnating the impact of the reprint to $11. While it remains a solid addition to any EDH deck focusing on token generation, the cheaper alternative is hard to argue against unless specifically seeking premium artwork.

Lastly, Circular Logic in the Deceptive Divination Secret Lair presents an intriguing case. A misprint of the card, which is labeled as a sorcery instead of an instant, has propelled its value well beyond initial projections, reaching the $10 range from its nominal $0.20 value. 

It's uncertain whether this misprinted version will retain its allure among collectors and sustain its current price. My personal prediction would suggest it follows the same fate as other unpopular Secret Lair cards, eventually settling in the $2-$5 range within the coming weeks.

Dire Undercurrents	CardKingdom $6.99	TCGPlayer $4.49
Reconnaissance	CardKingdom $18.99	TCGPlayer $15.99
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces	CardKingdom $27.99	TCGPlayer $22.00
Adrix and Nev, Twincasters	CardKingdom $4.99	TCGPlayer $10.95
Circular Logic	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $9.12

Universes Beyond: Fallout

Wrapping up the product lineup, we encounter Universes Beyond: Fallout, comprising four Commander decks and introducing a variety of characters from the games into card form. This offering emerges as a resounding success in terms of flavor integration, with each deck embodying a distinct feel and gameplay style, precisely balanced akin to Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000. Among the decks and Collector Boosters, several standout cards already boast decent market value or strong potential.

Ravages of War (Borderless) marks its first reprint since its appearance in Portal Three Kingdoms. The original copy, due to its origin, holds a $299 average for what is effectively a reskin of Armageddon, obtainable for less than $7, depending on the print. 

The borderless Vault Boy treatment of Ravages of War currently holds steady at $27, presenting a substantial reduction from its original counterpart. However, this price is unlikely to remain at its current level for long, given factors such as limited availability of Collector Boosters causing a smaller circulation of this treatment.

$20.06$17.99

$3.09$4.49

The most popular card from the set by a considerable margin is the Nuka-Cola Vending Machine. Its popularity can be attributed to the surge in projecting Food tokens over the past year, with this card serving as a potent passive engine for Food payoffs. Pairing it with cards like Academy Manufactor facilitates effortless infinite token loops. 

While the price has already surpassed its initial peak of $25, averaging at $17 presently, it shows signs of continued incline. Personal expectations point towards a resurgence in price towards the $25-$30 mark or higher, depending on further support for Food-related strategies.

Flying under the radar amidst the waning popularity of Voltron strategies is Strong Back. Priced at $3.30, this card offers a discount on Equipment and enchantment costs while also buffing the creature's stats by +2/+2 for each. Capable of changing our Commander into a lethal threat or helping rebuild after recasting, its potential in price suggests a gradual increase over the next 2-3 years towards the $10 mark, or potentially accelerated growth depending on the quality of Voltron support cards introduced in the interim.

Similarly overlooked is Radstorm, witnessing a notable decline from $25 to $5 on average in recent weeks. Despite this downturn, several factors indicate the potential for a rebound. The prominence of Storm mechanics as a significant aspect of the card's power, coupled with its unique playstyle demands, distinguishes it from straightforward win conditions like Tendrils of Agony or Empty the Warrens. 

Of particular note is its Proliferate payoff, which has seen renewed interest after years of terror from Atraxa, Praetors' Voice. Developments in sets such as Phyrexia: All Will Be One create a prime position for Proliferate to start acting as a major support mechanic. With the upcoming release of Modern Horizons 3 and its Energy counter-based Commander deck, the future may revive the archetype since its arrival and subsequent death in Kaladesh.

Ravages of War (Borderless)	CardKingdom $29.99	TCGPlayer $25.75
Nuka-Cola Vending Machine	CardKingdom $17.99	TCGPlayer $20.06
Nuka-Cola Vending Machine (Borderless)	CardKingdom $34.99	TCGPlayer $32.00
Strong Back	CardKingdom $4.49	TCGPlayer $3.09
Strong Back (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $7.49	TCGPlayer $3.72
Radstorm	CardKingdom $7.99	TCGPlayer $6.76
Radstorm (Showcase)	CardKingdom $12.99	TCGPlayer $6.50

Going Once, Going Twice…

Indeed, the cards mentioned above harbor some untapped potential, and undoubtedly time will reveal the extent of their impact. However, the market and the recent volatility of cards offers a rewarding space for those unafraid to invest preemptively in synergistic pieces that fit within a wide range of strategies. As the continuing stream of products are released leading into the summer months, they might be hard-pressed to replicate the same level of impact and speed in market adjustment. Hopefully my New Horizons series, which will now be released on a monthly basis, will keep you attuned to emerging trends and help navigate the evolving landscape of card markets.

Join me again next month as we put on some boots and a 10-gallon hat.

Further Reading:

Five Standard Magic Sets on the Upswing

When Magic Products Fail