If it’s a fancy-looking Halo Foil, it’s probably worth something.
Magic: The Gathering continues to expand into the collector space at a blistering pace, offering timely (yet limited) releases of desirable cards from the growing Secret Lair Drop Series. Since 2019, the Secret Lair Drop Series has continued to go from strength to strength, adding a mixture of reprints and mechanically new cards along with some new aesthetics as seen with the recent Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Sony PlayStation collaborations.
With all of this in mind, it is effortless to overlook the value of some of these Secret Lair cards if you have never seen the card (or art) before, but in some cases, you’re likely getting more value on the secondary market over time due to these timed releases.
The Most Expensive Secret Lair Cards in Magic: The Gathering
Market Price: $89.20
Market Price: $51.69
Market Price: $81.11
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As mentioned above, Magic is becoming a serious market for collectors (more so with the release of Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY last year), where these quirky designs and themes can sometimes command a high price. These factors can vary from player demand to relevant pop culture releases, along with the scarcity of the product also being a key factor. With that, let’s run down the most expensive non-bonus cards from the Secret Lair Drop Series, which also includes cards from the Secret Lair Countdown Kits.
#10 Tiamat (Beadle & Grimm’s Here Be Dragons)
Tiamat
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
Dragons continue to be an evergreen fixture of Magic, so it isn’t much of a surprise to see Adventure in the Forgotten Realms’ Tiamat as one of the valuable cards from the Secret Lair Drop Series. In collaboration with Beadle & Grimm’s, Wizards of the Coast released the Here Be Dragons Secret Lair Drop that contains a selection of iconic Dragons (including Tiamat) along with exclusive dice, deck box, and sleeves.
Market Price: $10.32
Market Price: $34.26
Since the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Dragons have come to the forefront of Commander play once again and have influenced various price fluctuations on the secondary market, including the iconic goddess from Dungeons & Dragons herself. For a whopping seven mana, Tiamat allows you to find up to five Dragon cards (each with different names), where you put those cards into your hand and then shuffle. It’s this effect that’s caused Tiamat to spike in value since Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s release last year, simply because the set introduced a ton of incredibly strong Dragons to take advantage of Tiamat’s ability. In particular, it’s this stunning printing from the Secret Lair Drop that continues to soar in value and isn’t looking to come down anytime soon.
#9 Old Gnawbone (Beadle & Grimm’s Here Be Dragons)
Old Gnawbone
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
Another desirable card from Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is Old Gnawbone, who cares about creating Treasure tokens whenever a creature you control deals that much combat damage to a player. However, Old Gnawbone remains the queen of Treasure tokens from the release, where the Here Be Dragons Secret Lair Drop printing is one of the most desirable printings to own with Commander players.
Old Gnawbone from this Secret Lair is the second card from the Here Be Dragons Drop that continues to hold decent value since release, as it sees consistent Commander play thanks to the evergreen usage of Treasure tokens and the resurgence in Dragons due to Tarkir: Dragonstorm. For as long as Dragons remain a powerful (and desirable) archetype to play in Commander, the value of Old Gnawbone will remain high because the effect is strong as it is unique.
#8 Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima (Rainbow Foil – Secret Lair x Ghost of Tsushima)
Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima (Rainbow Foil)
Secret Lair Drop Series
Appearing in the Secret Lair x Ghost of Tsushima is Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima and has quickly become an expensive card to own from the Secret Lair Drop Series. For four mana, you gain access to a suite of interesting abilities that reward you for attacking with one creature to each player at the table. From giving a creature double strike or unblockable, Jin Sakai has quickly become an incredible option to lead a Voltron Commander strategy by using a bunch of Aura and Equipment cards to victory. Even with the Secret Lair being available to purchase in late 2025, it sold out almost instantly, with the namesake card already becoming a desirable card to own from the Secret Lair Drop Series.
The reason for this is because Jin Sakai is a mechanically new card, and it’s becoming more and more challenging for Wizards to reprint these as in-Magic versions in upcoming releases, meaning there’s a pseudo-Reserved List (of sorts) at play here that can hinder the possibility of these cards seeing a reprint. With that, it causes the secondary market to wildly fluctuate when it comes to card prices due to these considerations in mind.
#7 Thassa’s Oracle (Cool Ocean Breeze)
Thassa’s Oracle
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
One of Commander’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 and Doomsday in Legacy Constructed. Regardless of how you feel about Thassa’s Oracle in terms of raw power, it’s a popular card that will continue to see play because it’s one of the more versatile “you win the game” effects printed in recent times. Due to the release of Cool Ocean Breeze back in 2023, the Secret Lair printing of the Merfolk Wizard continues to climb in value — why? Commander mostly, but especially competitive Commander (cEDH).
Market Price: $29.89
A growing trend we’re beginning to see in Magic is these must-have Commander staples rising in value, especially if there’s a fancier printing of the card available to purchase. This has also happened with various printings of Chrome Mox over the last while, as Commander players are snapping up these fancy printings and putting them in their decks, meaning supply is slowly drying up as these are going into “forever homes”. The same is also true with 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.
#6 The Fourteenth Doctor (Secret Lair x Doctor Who: Regeneration)
The Fourteenth Doctor
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
Another mechanically new card on the list is The Fourteenth Doctor, which has become an incredibly valuable card from the Secret Lair Drop Series because of the widespread popularity of the BBC’s Doctor Who series. Perhaps the best Commander to play if you’re a budding Doctor Who enthusiast, The Fourteenth Doctor allows you to reveal the top fourteen cards of your library and put all Doctor cards revealed this way into your graveyard (and the rest go back into your library, shuffled). While that may seem an unsusual ability to have, The Fourteenth Doctor can enter as any copy of a Doctor card in your graveyard that was put there from your library this turn. What makes this iteration of the Doctor so exciting is that you can play every single Doctor card printed in the Universes Beyond set, with the opportunity to go into black if you have Clara Oswald as your Doctor’s Companion
Market Price: $24.45
Market Price: $33.09
As mentioned with Jin Sakai, these mechanically new (yet exclusive) Secret Lair cards have a higher ceiling than most in terms of secondary market value. Due to the combination of limited print runs and evergreen Commander demand, these cards can become quite valuable over time — which is happening with The Fourteenth Doctor, The Celestial Toymaker, and The Fifteenth Doctor at the time of publication.
#5 Dark Ritual (The Art of Frank Frazetta)
Dark Ritual
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
Featured in the incredible The Art of Frank Frazetta Secret Lair is Dark Ritual, which is perhaps the most iconic black card ever printed in Magic. First printed in Alpha, Dark Ritual comes with the elegant piece of text, “Add three black mana to your mana pool”, and since the spell itself costs one black mana, it does serve as a one-shot mana acceleration when playing Legacy Constructed or even Commander. When you often see a Dark Ritual cast, it can help cast a Necropotence, Liliana of the Veil, or Sheoldred, the Apocalypse without much issue. 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: $16.73
Market Price: $27.57
And given how popular Frank Frazetta is in the fantasy world these days, this Secret Lair became popular with players rather quickly, meaning the value of this printing of Dark Ritual rose in value in little to no time. At present, this Secret Lair printing of Dark Ritual is one of the more expensive variants outside of the Alpha, Beta, Amonkhet Invocations, and Judge Promo printings.
#4 Chrome Mox (Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit)
Chrome Mox
Secret Lair Countdown Kit, Mythic
Chrome Mox remains one of the more robust mana-generating artifacts you can play in Commander at the minor cost of exiling a nonartifact, nonland card from your hand. If you achieve this, then 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 any threats ahead of schedule. While the Secret Lair printing of Chrome Mox didn’t appear in your typical Secret Lair release, it was part of the Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit, where you received thirty individually wrapped cards with a small chance of opening a foil card. Within the pack of thirty cards, Chrome Mox is the card that carries the most value upon the Secret Lair: 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit’s release.
Market Price: $19.42
Market Price: $29.75
Market Price: $12.19
What makes this stunning printing of Chrome Mox so desirable is that it incorporates art by long-time Magic artist Dan Frazier, who has created works for some of the most iconic artifacts in the game, such as the Moxen, and even the Signets in a separate Secret Lair release. Returning to an earlier point, cards with exotic printings such as Chrome Mox are climbing in price as there’s evergreen demand with Commander players who have cash to burn, and it’s no different with this unique Secret Lair printing that dropped as part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations back in 2022.
#3 Sol Ring (Through the Wormhole – Galaxy Foil)
Sol Ring
Secret Lair Drop Series, Rare
Appearing in the highly popular Through the Wormhole Secret Lair, the Sol Ring from this space-tastic release is providing massive value to collectors. In particular, the Galaxy Foil printing is becoming pricey due to having a unique aesthetic while offering something exciting for Commander players to collect. For as long as Commander has existed, Sol Ring is a must-have card for Commander as it permits you to have explosive starts coupled with ample colorless mana generation.
Market Price: $87.93
Market Price: $30.51
Market Price: $12.41
As a result of Sol Ring’s continued presence in the casual format, fancy copies of the artifact often come at a premium as players continue to personalize their Commander decks. While traditional copies of the card can only set you back a couple of bucks, there’s evergreen demand for these special variants as they provide personality through the lens of playing Commander, and the space theme in the Through the Wormhole Secret Lair remains popular with players (especially with the release of Edge of Eternities). At the time of publication, this particular Sol Ring is the most valuable Secret Lair printing, with the Raining Cats and Dogs Secret Lair Commander Precon Deck version following shortly behind.
#2 Mox Opal (Dan Frazier’s Mox Box / Las Vegas Festival in a Box)
Mox Opal
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
Featured in Dan Frazier’s Mox Box Secret Lair (which was part of the Las Vegas Festival in a Box 2023 release) is Mox Opal, one of the more historically powerful artifacts to ever see print in the game. By utilizing Metalcraft, Mox Opal can tap for any color of mana as long as you control three or more artifacts on the battlefield. The card is that good; it was once banned in Modern Constructed but has since returned to the fold since late 2023, leading to incredible price movement (including this very Secret Lair printing) as players look to snap up copies for competitive play.
Market Price: $52.06
Market Price: $43.71
Market Price: $52.51
Continued competitive demand aside, Mox Opal still sees plenty of play in Commander (especially in competitive circles) as long as there’s a good density of artifacts to ensure you can regularly meet the Metalcraft demands. Much like many of Dan Frazier’s other Secret Lair cards, this printing of Mox Opal is popular since it incorporates the classic Retro Frame, which has become well-loved since its revival in Modern Horizons 2. Combining competitive and Commander demand along with the iconic impact Dan Frazier has had in Magic: The Gathering over several decades, it’s no surprise to see this become one of the most expensive non-bonus cards to own from the Secret Lair Drop Series.
#1 The Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic Halo Foils
Market Price: $400.10
Market Price: $120.91
Market Price: $116.68
Market Price: $100.30
Market Price: $86.16
Market Price: $85.64
Appearing in the Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic, the Halo Foils from this release are now some of the most valuable cards you can own from the Secret Lair Drop Series. In particular, it’s the gorgeous Urza’s Saga that is commanding the most value at the time of publication.
While you aren’t guaranteed to open a Halo Foil in your Secret Lair Countdown Kit, several of them look to be valuable with Urza’s Saga, Sol Ring, Phyrexian Altar, and Myrel, Shield of Argive being the ones in the three-figure range at present. With the Countdown Kit only being out in the wild in the last few months or so, prices are likely to cool off over time once demand for the Halo Foils continues to settle. That said, it’s very likely Urza’s Saga will remain the most valuable one out of the bunch due to extensive competitive play in Modern Constructed and other eternal formats.