It looks like Wizards of the Coast is pulling out all the stops for the MTG Star Trek set. Not only do we have four Commander precons, a pair of Scene Boxes, and plenty of main set goodies, but we’re getting a Secret Lair Superdrop, too. Launching on November 9th at 9 a.m. PT, the Set Phasers To Superdrop contains a staggering $73 worth of reprints, but not all drops are made equal.
MTG Star Trek Beam Me Up! Secret Lair Drop
Rather fittingly, as GameSpot points out when revealing this Superdrop the “Beam Me Up!” Secret Lair is Blink-based. Each of these cards is a staple in every Blink-focused Commander deck, so it’s great to see them altogether. Beyond just being thematic, the reversible art here is fantastic, showing the before and after of warp on each card.
Sadly, while the Beam Me Up! drop looks good, from a financial perspective, it’s pretty terrible. At best,
Eerie Interlude
Eerie Interlude
Exile any number of target creatures you control. Return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.
is worth a little under $7, thanks to being a fantastic way to dodge board wipes and exploit enters abilities. Sadly, after this strong reprint, prices fall off fast, as the next most expensive card is
Conjurer’s Closet
Conjurer’s Closet
At the beginning of your end step, you may exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under your control.
.
Following reprints in Innistrad Remastered and Aetherdrift Commander, Conjurer’s Closet now sells for around $2.70 on average. While this isn’t very impressive in terms of raw reprint value, this card is a real Commander staple. As such, there could be a huge Secret Lair tax with this card, but that remains to be seen right now.
Sadly, after these two potentially lucrative cards, values fall off pretty quickly, as
Essence Flux
Essence Flux
Exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If it's a Spirit, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
is only worth around $1. While this card is one of the most cost-effective ways to blink a creature, its latest printing at common has kept it cheap. Notably, this card also doesn’t have a premium printing to date, so it could be worth watching.
Finally,
Momentary Blink
Momentary Blink
Exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
Flashback {3}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
is the dud of this Secret Lair drop, being worth just $0.14. While this card isn’t awful, thanks to having Flashback, it’s not amazing, either, so I wouldn’t hold out much hope for it. All in all, this last reprint brings the total value of this drop to a hair under $11, which is a long way off the $29.99 asking price.
MTG Star Trek KHAAAAAAAAN! Secret Lair Drop
Despite containing six cards, the KHAAAAAAAAN! Secret Lair Drop is pretty poor in the reprint department. In total, the raw reprint value of this drop is only around $9.30, putting it a long way off the purchase price. While this isn’t ideal, the art here is rather charming and should be a big hit with fans of the 1992 Wrath of Khan movie.
Out of the reprints in this drop, only a few-
Commandeer
Commandeer
You may exile two blue cards from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Gain control of target noncreature spell. You may choose new targets for it. (If that spell is an artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker, the permanent enters under your control.)
,
Buried Alive
Buried Alive
Search your library for up to three creature cards, put them into your graveyard, then shuffle.
, and Wrath of Skies– are worth much of anything. Selling for $3.60, $2.25, and $2.20 respectively, these reprints aren’t entirely terrible, but one is far better than the others. With a past Secret Lair printing going for $29, Buried Alive is definitely the reprint worth watching from this trio.
Unlike Commandeer and Wrath of Skies, Buried Alive sees tons of play in Commander, as it’s a stellar graveyard-based tutor. While they’re not quite as popular,
Genesis Wave
Genesis Wave
Reveal the top X cards of your library. You may put any number of permanent cards with mana value X or less from among them onto the battlefield. Then put all cards revealed this way that weren't put onto the battlefield into your graveyard.
and
Fracture
Fracture
Destroy target artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker.
are also up there in terms of play rate. These cards may only be worth around $0.37 and $0.24, but their premium printings could go the distance.
Sadly, it’s unlikely the same will happen to
Illusionist’s Gambit
Illusionist’s Gambit
Cast this spell only during the declare blockers step on an opponent's turn.
Remove all attacking creatures from combat and untap them. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase. Each of those creatures attacks that combat if able. They can't attack you or planeswalkers you control that combat.
. While it is played in around 43,000 Commander decks, its raw reprint value is barely over $0.30. Still, even if this new reprint isn’t worth much more than usual, the KHAAAAAAAAN! Secret Lair drop does have some interesting potential.
MTG Star Trek Lower Decks! Secret Lair Drop
While the Lower Decks crew have appeared in the main set with photorealistic versions, this Secret Lair utilizes the show’s aesthetic. Not only is this great news for fans of the series, but from a reprint perspective, this drop is actually solid, too. Thanks to
Thrasios, Triton Hero
Thrasios, Triton Hero
{4}: Scry 1, then reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped. Otherwise, draw a card.
Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)
being reprinted, the total value of this drop is around $28.
As if Thrasios, Triton Hero being reprinted wasn’t exciting enough, this iconic legend has never had a Secret Lair printing before. Potentially, should people enjoy the new art of Tendi, this could push prices up far more than the $18 Final Fantasy-themed variant. Even if the Secret Lair just matches this past price point, it’s undoubtedly a great reprint to see.
The same is also true of the
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
Whenever one or more tokens your opponents control enter, for each of them, create a tapped token that's a copy of it. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Whenever one or more tokens you control enter, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
reprint, which has a value of around $5. As a fairly popular Commander and solid token stealer, the new Boimler reskin could prove quite popular. The same is also true for
Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
Deathtouch
Whenever Silas Renn deals combat damage to a player, choose target artifact card in your graveyard. You may cast that card this turn.
Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)
, who has been reskinned here as Rutherford.
While Silas Renn only sells for around $2.22 on average, this Partner Commander is hugely popular. Without a proper premium printing to date, too, this Secret Lair reprint could end up being rather valuable. While it’s unclear if that’ll happen in the long run, it’s definitely worth watching come November 9th.
Sadly, despite being the show’s main character, Mariner’s reprint of
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
Whenever you attack, you may discard a card. When you do, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature. It gains trample until end of turn.
Whenever you discard one or more cards, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card until your next end step.
is only worth $1.16. The
Weatherlight
Weatherlight
Flying
Whenever Weatherlight deals combat damage to a player, look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a historic card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
Crew 3
reprint is barely worth $1.30, too, so the U.S.S. Cerritos isn’t stellar, either. Still, with the total value of this drop very nearly breaking even, it’s hard to be too upset.
MTG Star Trek tlhIngan maH! Secret Lair Drop
Like the Beam Me Up! Drop, the cards in the tlhIngan maH! Secret Lair drop are all reversible. While this does give them an interesting edge, the reverse face of each card won’t be easily readable for most MTG players. This is thanks to this Secret Lair being half printed in Klingon, which also explains the name that translates to “We are Klingons!”
Flavor aside, the reprints in the tlhIngan maH! Secret Lair drop are a pretty mixed bunch. At the top end,
War’s Toll
War’s Toll
Whenever an opponent taps a land for mana, tap all lands that player controls.
If a creature an opponent controls attacks, all creatures that opponent controls attack if able.
is a very solid card which sells for around $11. Notably, though, while it is a solid disruption piece, it’s not massively popular in Commander, with supply as the main price driver.
For better or worse, this may mean that the new reprint of War’s Toll doesn’t end up being that impressive. Thankfully, the same is unlikely to happen to
Seething Song
Seething Song
Add {R}{R}{R}{R}{R}.
, which usually sells for a little over $8. With this card appearing in over 375,000 Commander decks, it’s no surprise that premium printings are in demand.
Sadly, after this solid start, values fall off a cliff pretty quickly, as
Relentless Assault
Relentless Assault
Untap all creatures that attacked this turn. After this main phase, there is an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase.
is only worth $2.25. With
Demand Answers
Demand Answers
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or discard a card.
Draw two cards.
going for $0.52, and
Warstorm Surge
Warstorm Surge
Whenever a creature you control enters, it deals damage equal to its power to any target.
just $0.46, as well, this drop ultimately falls short. In total, the tlhIngan maH! Secret Lair drop only contains around $23 of value, which is hardly ideal.
MTG Star Trek New Worlds Secret Lair Drop
The last Secret Lair in the Set Phasers to Superdrop drop is, for better or worse, all lands. For $29.99, you’ll get two of each basic, which is fine, but obviously not amazing if you want a playset of each. Sadly, it’s very difficult to pin down the secondary market value of these lands, too, since it’s usually dependent on art and supply.
While we don’t know how many copies of this drop Wizards has printed, the art looks absolutely fantastic. Admittedly, it’s unlikely to be to everyone’s taste, but personally the bright colors and overall style just hit right. In theory, this could make these lands rather expensive, but it’s really too early to tell.
Set Phasers to Superdrop Promo
Finally, it’s worth noting that the Set Phasers to Superdrop also has a promo that you can pick up. Given out to those who spend $200 or more in a single order, this copy of
Return of the Wildspeaker
Return of the Wildspeaker
Choose one —
• Draw cards equal to the greatest power among non-Human creatures you control.
• Non-Human creatures you control get +3/+3 until end of turn.
isn’t a bad get. In terms of value, technically this reprint is worth just $1.55; however, it’s a true super staple in Commander.
Appearing in over 500,000 Commander decks, the demand for this promo could be seriously high. Notably, this card hasn’t had a Secret Lair or chase printing in the past, too, so its top-end value is entirely unknown. Like the lands, we’ll have to wait and see how much this promo ends up being, but it definitely has some spicy potential.
With all of this together, the Secret Lair x Star Trek Set Phasers to Superdrop looks pretty okay, really. From a value perspective, it’s a bit of a flop, with no drop breaking even, but the cards’ potential remains high. If you’re in the market for any of these new drops, the Superdrop launches November 9th at 9 a.m. PT, as usual.
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