On Friday, Wizards announced the arrival of a new Secret Lair Superdrop. Dubbed Cats Are The Best, this collection of cards features artwork of some cool cartoon felines. We were first introduced to Garfield and Felix crossovers, and now, some other sweet designs from talented artists have been revealed. This includes a pricy Commander enchantment that can set up a wide range of combo kills.
Aggravated Assault
Of all the cards revealed in this Superdrop thus far, the most appealing from a reprint value perspective is certainly Aggravated Assault. While it does require a lot of mana to use this card, there are seemingly endless ways to take infinite combat steps with it. Continuously connecting in combat with mass Treasure makers like Old Gnawbone does the trick, for example. Alternatively, you can simply tap mana dorks that collectively net enough mana to activate Aggravated Assault, which in turn untaps your mana dorks to set up additional activations.
Even outside of its combo potential, using Aggravated Assault to load up on The Ur-Dragon attack triggers or get extra activations out of Krenko, Mob Boss has some value. As such, it isn’t too shocking that the enchantment appears in 169,000 Commander decks, according to EDHREC. Its vast appeal has helped Aggravated Assault maintain a high price tag all these years. Even with a bonus sheet reprint in Wilds of Eldraine and multiple other Secret Lair appearances, this card still sits at roughly $26 in its cheapest form.
Dark Ritual
Dark Ritual is undoubtedly one of the best Ritual spells in MTG. Thanks to being so outrageously efficient, it sees tons of Legacy and Vintage play. Whether you’re using it to cast Doomsday ahead of schedule or reanimate a creature on turn one, there’s few cards that can fill this card’s role.
Once you factor in Dark Ritual’s massive Commander demand in Storm decks and beyond, it makes sense why this common still holds a $4 price tag. This comes in spite of the fact that there are 56 different variants of the instant according to Scryfall. Ultimately, Dark Ritual is no stranger to Secret Lair printings, but its popularity makes it a decent choice for reappearances.
All-Seeing Toby//Sovereign Okinec Ahau
While Sovereign Okinec Ahau doesn’t see as much play as Aggravated Assault or Dark Ritual, he still has some Commander appeal. The legend makes for an interesting +1/+1 Counters build-around, rewarding you heavily for buffing your whole squad. Sovereign Okinec Ahau also commonly appears in the 99 of dedicated Cat Commander decks.
Even with these applications, though, this card’s demand isn’t super high, so it only sells for $3.50. Nonetheless, given the card’s lack of reprints, it’s still nice to see Sovereign Okinec Ahau receive a cool alternate art variant.
Sheltered by Ghosts
Since its debut in Duskmourn, Sheltered by Ghosts has seen tons of play across multiple formats. Thanks to its Ward ability, once it sticks, it’s not always easy for the opponent to kill your threat. Add on Lifelink, and racing becomes nearly impossible.
These benefits make Sheltered by Ghosts a staple in Selesnya Landfall decks in Standard as well as Orzhov Greasefang decks in Pioneer. Plus, Auras Commanders like Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice and Three Dog, Galaxy News DJ make great use of this enchantment.
Unfortunately, even with its versatility, Sheltered by Ghosts’ reprint value took a hit following its reprint in the Silverquill Influence precon. This card is available for purchase for under $1 in its cheapest form as a result. The good news is that players seem to absolutely love this variant’s artwork. If there’s a full Secret Lair featuring just art from Simzart, it may garner a lot of interest.
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