The Secret Lair machine keeps churning, and for Halloween month, we’re getting a set of eight drops that are themed appropriately.

Amazingly, there are no lands on this list, and nothing in a regular frame. Only one drop even has a showcase frame, the rest are borderless or esoteric, which suits me just fine. 

So let’s get into the cards, the IP offerings, and my current purchase plans.

Hatsune Miku: Electric Entourage

Elspeth Tirel (50¢ to $24, 15,000 decks)

Jace, Unraveler of Secrets ($4 to $19, 13k) – Zombie and Hieroglyph SDCC versions!

Liliana of the Dark Realms ($16 to $400, 29k) – Textured foil from BLB and SDCC black versions!

The Royal Scions (50¢ to $3, 5k) 

Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury ($2 to $6, 31k plus 1500 as Commander)

Chandra, Flamecaller (50¢ to $17, 11k decks)

This is the third Miku drop and there’s not much new to say about the singer or Vocaloids. I’d forgotten that this version of Jace was in two consecutive SDCC sets, and yet is still not very popular. Liliana of the Dark Realms was just in Bloomburrow, and also has a silver-on-black SDCC version that is impossible to read in person. 

I fully expect this drop to be the first one to sell out, just like the first two did. My current plan once the fourth drop arrives later this year is to repackage all four into complete sets and sell them that way. I’m also going to be heavily targeting the English foils, as those are the big gainers. The Japanese-language cards haven’t really grown in value yet. 

Featuring Peach Momoko

Psychic Corrosion ($6 to $15, 41k decks)

Visions of Beyond ($7 to $10, 17k)

Time Sieve ($7 to $33, 33k)

Aetherize ($1 to $3, 118k decks!)

Drown in Dreams (bulk to $2, no foils, 37k decks)

Peach Momoko is a big artist in the Marvel world, doing some very cool variant covers. This is a fun set of blue cards, mostly mill-themed, and that’s a set that many casual players love. Aetherize is one of my favorite Commander plays, as there’s no defense aside from counterspells and can be deployed politically. 

I expect this lair to do well and sell out. There’s no big anchor card but there doesn’t need to be, with a theme like this and with fantastic art. 

Tome of the Astral Sorceress

Back to Basics ($4 to $40, 21k decks)

Preordain ($1 to $35, 251k decks!)

Sphinx of the Second Sun ($1 to $20, 36k decks)

Teferi’s Ageless Insight ($2 to $6, 117k decks!)

I really want to like this drop. I like some abstract art, I like having two strong staples. However, I have to acknowledge that Poker Faces, Goblingram, and Deceptive Divination are the closest analogies we have for this sort of thing and those haven’t lit anything up yet. If I end up with any of these, it’ll be because I bought all-foil bundles. Otherwise, I’m skipping it.

Showcase: Duskmourn

Phyrexian Metamorph ($5 to $25, 155k decks)

Dauthi Voidwalker ($10 to $90, 195k decks)

Magus of the Moon ($6 to $26, 34k decks)

Cauldron Familiar ($2 to $10, 27k decks)

Witch’s Oven ($1 to $3, 32k decks)

If there wasn’t a Miku drop and a set of nostalgia-heavy cards, this would be my lock. Oven-Familiar is not in a lot of Commander decks but it’s a four-of combo in sacrifice decks for Pioneer and Modern. Voidwalker and Metamorph are staples of the format, and I am going to be getting extras here.

Monstrous Magazines

Ravenous Chupacabra (bulk to $10, 99k decks) – SL from 2021

Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest ($9 to $20, 39k deck plus 1900 as Commander) – SL from 2023

Uril, the Miststalker ($1 to $6, 3500 as Commander) 

Koma, Cosmos Serpent ($4 to $13, 52k decks plus 5k as Commander)

Doom Whisperer ($1 to $12, 37k decks)

Two of these already have a SL version, and I have to say this art is better all around. Doom Whisperer especially is a card I want to have in a deck, even if it does look like three-handed AI art. This is a solid drop, with a lot to offer, including how the Chupacabra bears an eerie resemblance to the big dogs from the original Ghostbusters movie.

Edit: As a bonus, on the official summary of the Lairs, because of the Koma misprint, all versions will be $5 off, making this $35/$25 and even more appealing.

Child’s Play

Kardur, Doomscourge (bulk prices, 60k plus 4500 as Commander)

Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire ($2 to $7, 53k, plus 1800 as Commander)

Twinflame ($3 to $12, 70k decks)

Phyrexian Reclamation ($4 to $24, 87k decks)

Genesis Chamber ($2 to $23, 32k decks)

Kardur is more popular than I would have guessed, but looks like a blast to play. When the table builds up, you get to set it all off! Reclamation is a hard card to beat, and while this isn’t a big set of cards financially, the theme is good enough that I’ll probably get a couple of extras. As I wrote last week, it’s not about the cards being my cup of tea; I just need the tea to be popular and Chucky has been popular enough to spawn seven movies after the first one.

Ghostbusters: Slimer

The Mimeoplasm (bulk to $5, 5k as card and 5k as Commander) – SL in 2020

Trickbind ($15 to $90, 12k decks) – First Reprint Ever

Windfall ($2 to $7, 295k decks) – first special frame (30th promo)

Incarnation Technique ($8 to $9, 27k) – First Foil

Pernicious Deed ($5 to $60, 18k) –

Trickbind getting its first reprint ever means it’s a scarcity price, not a demand price. Incarnation Technique is a delightful political card, and this should be the most expensive Windfall pretty quickly. Slimer is iconic, and while I would have picked some different movie moments for the drop, I’m pretty sure this will be gone within a few hours. 

The Real Ghostbusters – Animated

Unlicensed Hearse ($1 to $5, 18k decks)

Boros Charm ($2 to $20, 257k decks)

Careful Study ($1 to $40, 23k decks)

Eladamri’s Call ($7 to $20, 114k decks)

Living End ($4 to $22, 2500 decks)

Again, we’ve got a card that is a four-of in its Constructed deck, but also two fantastic staples. Boros Charm was in Valentine’s Day 2021, and while this is less cute, it’s more iconic. This is the first special version for Eladamri’s Call, and that alone would have me thinking it’s worth the drop, but add in the greatness of the cartoon and we are there. 

So, with all this in mind, here’s my current thinking for what I’ll be buying: First off, lots of Miku. The English foils are the fastest risers and if you just want a quick flip that’s where you should be. I have confidence in the whole set long-term, but it’s easy to see where the fast money is. I’m a believer in the Ghostbusters drops and the Chucky too, and definitely the Showcase.

Given that the all-foil bundle discount is usually around 13-15%, I’ll have to do some thinking about if that’s worth it to end up with the Tome of the Astral Sorceress. The Monster Magazine will probably be fine long-term, but the Tome Drop feels like a dud when compared with others in that sort of art style, so the exact amount will be the determining factor.

We usually get a mini-bundle of all four Miku, and if that’s offered again I’ll probably get three of those plus five of the EN foils. I’m hopeful for a mini-bundle of Ghostbusters (maybe with Chucky?) because I plan to max out on those as well as the Showcase. 

Good luck and happy buying on Monday!

Cliff (@WordOfCommander) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the official substitute teacher of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.