The Best Cards From Fallout and the Secret Lair Winter Superdrop
Torrential Drops
Between Secret Lairs and
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,
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
Lastly,
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 | ||
| Reconnaissance | ||
| Sakashima of a Thousand Faces | ||
| Adrix and Nev, Twincasters | ||
| Circular Logic |
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
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.
The most popular card from the set by a considerable margin is the
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
Similarly overlooked is
Of particular note is its Proliferate payoff, which has seen renewed interest after years of terror from
| Ravages of War (Borderless) | ||
| Nuka-Cola Vending Machine | ||
| Nuka-Cola Vending Machine (Borderless) | ||
| Strong Back | ||
| Strong Back (Extended Art) | ||
| Radstorm | ||
| Radstorm (Showcase) |
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:
Matt Grzechnik
Matt Grzechnik started playing Magic with the release of Dragon's Maze. Since then he has tried and experimented with all of the formats before discovering his love for EDH and Pauper. Piloting the same Jund deck for the last 10 years, he now tries to both understand and break Sealed as a format.