It’s no surprise that I love Secret Lairs. From their unconventional art to their propensity for high-demand reprints, Secret Lairs have proven popular for a reason. In fact, the new Spring Superdrop gives us eight brand-new Lairs that are jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to buy a Superdrop in its entirety, however; sometimes people just want singles. But which single is the best? Each lair contains some pretty snazzy pieces and some snazzy pretty pieces, so I can’t help but share with y’all my favorite cards from each of the new drops.
Showcase: March of the Machine Vol. 1
Starting out strong, we have the first of three March of the Machine (MOM) alternative-border Lairs. This is one of the Lairs I immediately clung to because of how good the reprints are. In my opinion, this is the best out of all the MOM showcase Lairs, with Vol. 3 coming at a close second.
This Lair comes with five cards with special frames and Halo foil effects, and boy, these cards are value city. Walking Ballista, Questing Beast, Wheel and Deal, you name it. This iteration of Walking Ballista alone is valued at $40 in a foil; however, it’s not my favorite out of the bunch.
I can’t help but be in love with this Secret Lair’s depiction of The World Tree. This isn’t the most expensive or valuable card in the Lair, not by a long shot, but I find the Kaldheim art treatment to be absolutely stunning. This Lair was originally teased during MagicCon Philadelphia, and it 1000% has a place in my all-Secret Lair deck. Mana-fixing isn’t easy, especially in a deck with such intense limitations.
Showcase: March of the Machine Vol. 2
In my opinion, Vol. 2 is the weakest MOM Lair out of the three. The cards aren’t bad, but none of them really entice me to buy this as a standalone product. However, that is more of a personal taste thing than actual value, because this Lair has its nuggets as well.
In fact, this Lair’s highest value pieces just so happen to be my favorites: Higure, the Still Wind and Xantcha, Sleeper Agent. Higure is an exciting addition because this is the second foil printing of this card ever! This is huge, especially with the original foil being at $124.
Xantcha, while just as exciting, is a bit harder to pinpoint. Her only foil printing comes in the form of a Love Your LGS promo in Chinese, with seemingly zero information on pricing. The lack of pricing makes Xantcha’s new foiling a bit hard to gauge, and yet, I am excited for it nonetheless. Both of these cards are powerhouses in Commander, and I love seeing cards become more accessible to newer players.
Showcase: March of the Machine Vol. 3
We are at the last of the three March Showcases! This one got a squeal of delight out of me because of Nyxbloom Ancient.
This is one of my favorite green cards ever, and I don’t think I need to even explain why. However, if you’re not a Nyxbloom fan, this Lair still has plenty of value to offer.
Utvara Hellkite is a well-loved Dragon-tribal piece. It also is subject to the “only one foil printing ever” trope, making it highly valuable. The price of the original foiling is currently at $60, which is $10 more than the entire foil Lair itself. I live for value being reprinted, especially in such a unique way, which makes me love this Lair.
Artist Series: Alayna Danner
Finally! We finally have an Alayna Danner-dedicated Secret Lair. I am a huge fan of Alayna’s work, and it is beyond exciting to see her get a Secret Lair of her own. Seriously, this entire Superdrop is full of some iconic Magic artists who deserve the spotlight.
Alayna’s Lair contains four cards, two of which are lands, with the other two being Angels. It’s so hard to choose a favorite! But choose, I must. This was rather difficult because, while I love the artist, none of these four cards are really in my wheelhouse. I don’t really do Angels, or tribal decks in general.
However, after some introspection, my favorite card from the Lair has to be Emeria, the Sky Ruin. No matter which way you slice it, this is such an amazing value reprint. This card is not only a pricey foil, but also a pricey non-foil too! Foil, non-foil. It doesn’t matter to me, but I am beyond excited to see it reprinted and with such stunning art too.
Artist Series: Randy Vargas
The hits keep coming with this Superdrop’s Artist Series selections. Randy Vargas has done some insanely stunning and iconic work that I’m sure you’re aware of. He did Allosaurus Shepard, Fierce Guardianship, and the borderless Avacyn, Angel of Hope. With such iconic pieces, you know we are in for a treat with his Artist Series.
I feel as though you expect me to choose Grand Abolisher, and I get it. I really do. C’mon, it’s Grand Abolisher. It’s expensive, it’s good, it’s a powerhouse. And while yes, I will be snagging this Lair in a foil, this card is not my favorite out of the bunch.
I’m sorry, but it has to be Selfless Savior. I am not joking when I said this card brought me to tears. Randy Vargas posted a picture on Twitter, highlighting that this card’s cute little doggie is an homage to his old dog.
Even the flavor text is an homage, as the speaker of it is just an anagram of Randy’s last name. Magic artists have paid homage to loved ones many times before in cards, and it is heartwarming to see this one join their ranks.
Artist Series: Rebecca Guay
I don’t want this to seem like a copout, but I can’t help it. All the cards in Artist Series: Rebecca Guay are my favorite.
I mean it.
I don’t care if the cards are pieces I would never originally play.
That doesn’t matter.
I will make myself play them. They are all perfect. Full send.
Nature Is Adorable
Okay, no more copouts, although I will say Nature Is Adorable was close to becoming a “full send, every card is my favorite” because wow, this art is perfect. And I mean that wholeheartedly. I love Lairs so much because they allow artists a higher level of creative freedom. I adore unconventional art and seeing it applied to straight-up good cards. So which one of these four beauties is my winner?
After spending ages looking at these stunning cards, I have to say that Nature’s Will takes the cake for me. Joraga Treespeaker was a close second, however, as I equally weighed art and value. However, Nature’s Will stole the show for me. This is yet another card with only one foil printing ever. There sure are a lot of these in this Superdrop.
The value is definitely there with this card, and yet the art steals the show for me. I love pink, cute things and this art is pink and adorable!! I saw this art teased in Philadelphia and immediately fell in love with it. Whether you’re a Lair fan or not, I recommend snagging this single.
Cool Ocean Breeze
We’ve reached our final Lair! And Cool Ocean Breeze is a bit of an odd one for me, as it too falls into the category of “stunning art on cards I will never play.” It’s a sad fact, but ultimately a true one. If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it 100 times: I love pinks in Magic cards. It’s just a shame that I probably won’t use these pieces ever.
That being said, I do have one that gives me the fuzzies more than the others. It’s Thassa’s Oracle. What can I say? This is an exciting win for all my cEDH pals out there. It can be exciting and fun to see your favorite combo piece get such a unique and gorgeous art treatment. When these Lairs were previewed, Magic Twitter blew up with the iconic combo’s visage. And I don’t blame them. While Thoracle is not for me, I can’t help but cheer alongside my cEDH companions (pun not intended).
Secret Lairs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you don’t like them, that’s fine. Just don’t be hateful towards those who do. The Spring Superdrop of 2023 raises the bar on multiple levels. Whether you’re an art lover or a reprint connoisseur, this Superdrop has a lot to offer. And remember, buying singles is always an option if you aren’t a fan of the full Lair. Happy brewing, deckbuilders!
