Wizards of the Coast has ushered in a number of major innovations to the Secret Lair product line throughout the years. In 2020, we got the very first Universes Beyond product, which has now become core to MTG’s identity. Last year, in January, Wizards massively changed up the Secret Lair shipping model, moving to a limited-run printing method. More recently, in 2025, Wizards created Chaos Vault to distribute even weirder and wonderfuler Secret Lair drops to players.
Now, it seems that Wizards of the Coast is testing the waters with another major Secret Lair change. If the latest Chaos Vault drop is anything to go by, we’re about to see a massive price increase to Secret Lair products going forward. While it’s too early to know what’s going on for certain, MTG players are nonetheless seriously concerned.
A Planned Price Hike?
Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast released the latest Chaos Vault drop, Adventures of the Little Witch. On the surface, this drop offered some truly amazing art on cards that didn’t quite match the drop’s price tag. In the grand scheme of Secret Lair, especially following the print model change, this is nothing new.
What was new, however, was the foil price of the Adventures of the Little Witch drop. Rather than being the usual $39.99 that players had come to expect, this variant is selling for $59.99. Weirdly, there wasn’t any mention of this increased price point on the store page, nor across social media.
Due to this lack of communication from Wizards of the Coast, it’s unclear exactly what’s going on here. This increased price might just be a thing for this specific Chaos Vault drop, however, that seems unlikely. Many MTG players are expecting this to be the first sign of a major change that we’ll see more of soon.
Technically, even at $60, the foil edition of Adventures of the Little Witch is still a good deal. Foil copies of Realms Uncharted and Serenity sell for $57 and $35, respectively, so technically there’s value there. In reality, however, foil Secret Lair drops rarely ever sell for the price of classic and scarce foils, since they’re significantly more accessible.
To further debunk this idea, Wizards of the Coast isn’t meant to care about secondary market prices. While the existence of chase cards and treatments refutes this somewhat, it’s nevertheless meant to be true. As a result, the foil price increase to the Adventures of the Little Witch Secret Lair looks like exactly that, a price increase.
$20 Too Far
As mentioned, a lot of MTG players really aren’t happy about this sudden change. Across social media and multiple Reddit posts, players were quick to voice their discontent. Unsurprisingly, a sudden $20 Secret Lair price increase is a bit much to stomach without any warning or explanation.
“As one of the few remaining foil enthusiasts I shall not be buying these if they’re going to be £60 going forward outrageous price increase”
The_Bird_Wizard
“60 USD is robbery.”
GoNubb
On top of bemoaning the shocking price, many MTG players specifically highlighted how ridiculous this pricing is. Reddit user Ikutto, for instance, stated, “You can buy the Oblivion remaster right now for 10$ LESS than the foil drop, insane pricing.” While not every MTG player will be an Oblivion fan, this comparison is wild.
Even if they’re collectible, getting four barely-playable MTG cards for more than a brand-new AAA game is obscene. What’s more worrying than this happening once, however, is the idea that this is a new trend Wizards are starting. While this has yet to be proven, a lot of MTG players expect this to be a done deal.
“They are seeing if you’ll pay double, don’t… Simple as that.”
Monkey0ps
“They are just testing how much money they can squeeze out of people. It has nothing to do with cost anymore.”
TheNesquick
The only hope that this price increase doesn’t stick long term is if Adventures of the Little Witch doesn’t sell well. Thankfully, this hasn’t happened immediately, as the foil edition has yet to receive a “low stock” warning. Ideally, this is good news, but there’s no telling how big the print run for this product is. For all we know, Wizards has printed tons of the foil edition, and it’s already been selling well.
Ultimately, we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens when more Secret Lair drops get revealed. Unless Wizards says something in the meantime, we’re not going to know about any potential trends until then. Clearly, the waters are being tested right now, but we can only hope that it gets stopped in its tracks.
A Worrying Future
While expensive foil variants obviously aren’t making anyone happy right now, a change to foil Secret Lair drops doesn’t have to be terrible. If supply is reduced while prices are increased, then players could still get their money’s worth. That way, foils are kept scarce, expensive, and deserving of a higher price point.
While this would work for reprint-focused drops, problems arise with mechanically unique Secret Lair drops. This price increase would make mechanically unique cards less accessible, especially if the supply is also reduced. If this price increase also finds its way to non-foil drops, then we’re really in trouble.
Thankfully, this worrying future hasn’t happened yet, and there’s no guarantee that it will. Until Wizards speaks out about this change or releases more drops, we won’t know what’s going on. We can only hope that it’s good news when we do finally get more information, whenever that’ll be.