Since its introduction, the Chaos Vault MTG program has always been a bit of an oddity. As a sub-brand within the existing Secret Lair sub-brand, Chaos Vault was the place for all of Wizards’ wildest experiments. For better or worse, Wizards has certainly delivered on that, offering all manner of wild drops and products. Despite living up to its name, however, this product line hasn’t managed to escape controversy.
Between dubious pricing models that amplified FOMO concerns and the random drops catching players off guard, Chaos Vault was far from perfect. Thankfully, Wizards has already responded to part of this during a livestream, but it seems they’re not stopping there. Today, Chaos Vault fans have received a bizarre self-defeating email that teases an upcoming drop.
New Chaos Vault on Monday
Judging by a new email, posted to Reddit by Artorioos, it looks like we’re getting a new Chaos Vault drop very soon. There’s not really any doubt about this; in fact, as the email doesn’t mince its words. The only room for speculation is about exactly what will be revealed when Monday, February 23rd, rolls around.
While you never know what you’re going to get with a Chaos Vault drop, there’s a chance it’s already been partially spoiled. Earlier this week, Brain Dead took to Instagram to reveal a new Secret Lair that’s “releasing next week.” Titled “Brain Dead: New Earth Mentality,” four pieces of art for this drop have already been revealed.
On top of the artwork, the names of each MTG card in the Secret Lair have just been revealed. Thanks to Brain Dead selling playmats using the art of each card, we now know what to expect in this upcoming Secret Lair drop. Unfortunately, outside of one pricy reprint, the value here is far from fantastic.
Brain Dead: New Earth Mentality
Out of the four cards in Brain Dead: New Earth Mentality, only Miren, The Moaning Well is worth anything. Selling for $18.50 on average, this unique land lets you sacrifice your creatures in exchange for gaining life. While this can be useful, especially in Toughness Matters or sacrifice-themed decks, it’s by no means a format staple.
Instead, Miren, The Moaning Well is expensive thanks to having been printed only in Saviors of Kamigawa. Technically, the new Secret Lair variant may even drop its price a little bit, but that remains to be seen. Depending on supply, this new Brain Dead version of Miren, The Moaning Well could easily end up selling for more.
Sadly, while Miren is a very strong reprint, the rest of the cards aren’t anywhere close to it. That being said, the striking reprint of Sakura-Tribe Elder does have a lot of potential. This card might sell for just $0,33 on average, but it appears in over 600,000 Commander decks. Due to this, Secret Lair printing could easily sell for $10+, like the past Secret Lair variant.
Somewhat similarly, Mirror Entity is a pretty cheap MTG card, but it sees play everywhere. Appearing in 135,000 Commander decks, this Shapeshifter has a lot of potential, even if you can pick up copies for just $0.51. With no past Secret Lair printing or any fancy variants, there’s no telling where this version could end up.
Despite selling for around $3.71, Master of the Feast may actually end up being the dud of the drop. Since it only really gets played within discard-focused or forced card draw decks, it’s hardly a Commander staple. While this could cause it to be surprisingly cheap, the new art does admittedly look absolutely fantastic.
Not So Chaos Vault
Notably, while the dates do seem to line up, there’s no guarantee the Brain Dead: New Earth Mentality is what’s coming on Monday. Potentially, there could even be more cards in this drop when it does get released. While we’ll just have to wait and see what Monday brings, we can remain baffled about why Wizards chose to do this in the meantime.
Considering Chaos Vault is meant to lean into Wizards’ chaotic side, preannouncing a drop is entirely unexpected. Typically, drops pop up without warning, for maximum surprise and chaos. While this lives up to the name of the brand rather well, it’s hard to say that MTG players loved this approach.
Without any heads up, Chaos Vault drops can often sell out before many players realize they exist. This is always frustrating, but it’s especially so when Chaos Vault drops offer insane deals and deep discounts. Drops like Flower Power and the cheaper variants of Prints Charming, for instance, sold out in under an hour.
Unsurprisingly, these lightning-fast sales have hugely exacerbated FOMO concerns, and Wizards’ past solution wasn’t perfect. While there technically is a specific Chaos Vault mailing list, those subscribed only got emails upon a drop’s release. Now, however, it seems Wizards is being a bit more forthcoming about when new Chaos Vault drops are actually going to happen.
Even if this goes against the chaotic nature of the sub-brand, it’s a very welcome move. Considering the speed at which some of these drops can sell out, players need to be prepared so as not to miss out. Sadly, this whole thing does reek of FOMO, but that seems to be part of Chaos Vault’s whole deal…
Fingers on Buzzers
Ultimately, for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what Monday brings, and hope that this prior warning improves things. While an exact time for this Chaos Vault drop’s release wasn’t specified, typically, they take place at 9 am PST/midday EST. Hopefully, whatever Chaos Vault drop does get released, there will be enough of it to go around.
As for pricing, sadly, there’s no telling exactly how much Wizards will sell whatever is being released for. Should the standard $29.99 non-foil pricing be used, then the Brain Dead: New Earth Mentality drop wouldn’t be a bad deal at all. Since this upcoming Secret Lair offers at least $23 of value, there’s a good chance players will end up breaking even if nothing else. Ultimately, however, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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