While preview season for the main MTG The Hobbit set has now ended, some of its associated Secret Lair Superdrop remains a mystery. Today, a bit more of that mystery was uncovered, as we saw the full lineup for the Secret Lair x The Hobbit: Smaug’s Spoils drop. Though it’s not the most exciting drop on paper, the long-term value here could actually be fairly substantial.
Secret Lair x The Hobbit: Smaug’s Spoils
Smaug’s Spoils initially seems incredibly boring in its card selection, consisting solely of artifacts we’ve seen reprinted many times before. Other than Liquimetal Torque, everything here has been printed in a Secret Lair before, too, multiple times in most cases.
As you’d expect, the low-end reprint value here is fairly dismal. Lightning Greaves is the priciest card at around $4, and it’s all downhill from there. With Liquimetal Torque at $3.30, Thought Vessel at $2.40, Sol Ring at $1, and Fellwar Stone at $0.60, this drop is a real dud. In total, this drop is worth just $11.30, making it one of the weaker offerings we’ve seen recently.
That said, it’s worth considering the potential Secret Lair price markup here, since it tends to come into play hard for staple cards like these. Thought Vessel and Fellwar Stone, for instance, are $11 cards in their Secret Lair printings, while Sol Ring is $7.50, and Lightning Greaves is $6. This brings us to a total Secret Lair value of $35.50, which is a good deal for the $29.99 asking price.
It’s also worth considering the artwork used for these cards, as it’s more generic than usual for Secret Lair. While there’s definitely Tolkien flavor, these really wouldn’t look out of place as borderless cards in a regular Magic set. On the one hand, this makes them easier to slot into decks, but on the other hand, it could dull some of the appeal and the price of these cards.
Overall, while it’s impossible to predict the future prices of cards, there’s a good chance that the Smaug’s Spoils drop will end up fairly valuable in the end. This makes it an easy, if boring, purchase to recommend, especially given how playable all five cards here are.
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