BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Another month has come and gone, and with the transition from September to October comes a new set of Secret Lair bundles. These packs are a great way to add a more "personalized" touch to their Magic: The Gathering decks based on their interests — but as some buyers will tell you, they can also be a great way to obtain expensive cards for a low cost. As one might expect, this month's offerings are themed to the Halloween season. Enter Camp Totally Safe: A collection of frightful and fun Lair drops that are perfect for fans of both MTG and the macabre. Although the theme of these releases may be slightly different from the norm, they retain the same traits of Secret Lairs that collectors battle for every month: An assortment of limited-edition cards featuring redesigns of player favorites and tie-ins with guest artists or other media franchises. To help you learn what to expect from this month’s jumbo-sized assortment before it releases in the coming days, KX has ventured into the campground early to investigate which packs are the best picks in terms of market value, using up-to-date pricing information from Scryfall. (DISCLAIMER: The prices and components listed below do not count any "bonus" cards that may be added to the Secret Lair Packs outside of their initial offerings. All purchase suggestions and price guides are based on currently existing financial data, and card values may rise or fall over time.) Gaming: Secret Lair Showcase: Dungeons and Dragons 50th Anniversary Showcase: Duskmourn Duskmourn was once an unnamed world like any other, and featured advanced technology as well as barriers between the physical and spiritual realms. Unbeknownst to many of its residents, though, a certain stately manor in a small town was hiding a big secret: An ancient and highly malevolent demon known as Valvagoth imprisoned within its basement. While the fiend was unable to break the seal keeping him within the home, he found a way to work around it by redefining and expanding its boundaries (and thus, what constituted his prison). After his seals were loosened, Valvagoth eventually managed to absorb the entire Plane into his cell, and constantly grow stronger by feeding off the fear of its residents. While this would be bad enough on its own, the recent introduction of "Omenpaths" (passages between worlds that can be accessed by anyone) means that the Terror Eater has been able to lure more and more people into his tomb from across the Multiverse. What used to be an idyllic and modern world has been transformed into an endless labyrinth of boiling furnace rooms, murky bogs, flooded passages, and woodlands that blur the line between inside and out, all of which are constantly changing as Valvagoth's power grows. His prison is now an entire world of fear, where groups of hardy survivors and unlucky travelers fight an endless losing battle against his twisted designs. The lines between the spiritual and physical realms have blurred, bringing both mortal nightmares and the demon's daydreams to life — and the cultists and mindless killers that have been driven to madness by his fiendish whispers only serve to make matters worse. Although the various Creatures and Artifacts featured in this Showcase set may not call Duskmourn their home, they would certainly not be out of place in the unending house of horrors. Each entry in the Showcase features a new twisted appearance and deadly effects that are enough to terrify opponents at any table. Magus of the Moon can cripple multicolored Mana bases, Phyrexian Metamorph copies any valuable effect on the field, and Dauthi Voidwalker single-handedly shuts down decks focused on Graveyard recursion. Cauldron Familiar and Witch's Oven, meanwhile, are both extremely effective in strategies themed around Food Tokens, and can even be used to create an infinite combination when used alongside Clock of Omens and a token creator like Pitiless Plunderer or Academy Manufactor. Like other Showcase Lairs, the Duskmourn bundle serves more as a supplemental to the main set than anything else — but this is never a bad thing, especially when these special features are all valuable in their own right. In addition to a fairly strong "main" entry in Voidwalker, both Phyrexian Metamorph and Magus of the Moon are also more expensive than the standard fare, putting the entire collection above an average set's price. Putting aside the typical Lair discussion, there is almost certainly something peculiar about one of this drop's entries: The long string of numbers present in Magus of the Moon's flavor text. While obviously a sendup to the idea of mysterious unexplained broadcasts (specifically the "Numbers Stations" believed to relay covert intelligence to spies in foreign territory), the code itself can be translated — each number or pair of numbers corresponds to a single letter of the alphabet, with unpaired zeroes representing spaces (for example, "KX News" would be written as 112401552319.). If one changes the numbers to letters using this formula and adds punctuation, the card's description spells out "The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Moon grows." To many players, the actual number itself is far more interesting than its meaning for one peculiar reason: If this specific version of Magus is sacrificed to Pygmy Giant, it can deal 200,805,002,121,515,040,131,515,140,180,919,051,902,008,050,021,215,150,401,315,151,400,718,152,319 (roughly two hundred trevigintillion) damage to a single Creature without damage doublers or infinite combinations, all of which can be redirected towards a player if targeting Stuffy Doll or Barbed Servitor. While this is by no means an actual strategy (mostly because Pygmy Giant is a joke card banned in all formats), the idea of such a hilarious level of overkill is more than enough to convince some players to seek out a copy of the entire Showcase. Monstrous Magazines Although Duskmourn is far more terrifying than most of Magic's different Planes, it is far from the only one spawned from a love of darker media: The world of Innistrad (a Plane full of Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, and the humans they all feast on) is heavily themed after gothic tales of terror, and the entire Phyrexian Empire owes its existence to the idea of "alien horrors" beyond our world or understanding. In contrast to these ideas, Valvagoth's domain takes more inspiration from the slasher boom of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, where classic movie monsters were replaced by grotesque abominations and psychotic killers. Outside of films, the era had a major impact on fear of every form, including genre-focused booklets. The Monstrous Magazines drop pays tribute to these publications by replicating their pulpy art style, and creating multiple new faces of terror in the process. The series of high-cost Creatures featured in this bundle have each received new graphic artwork courtesy of Ed Repka, a graphic artist known for his detailed work on metal album covers (including multiple pieces for Megadeth). This allows every entry to stand out on the battlefield for reasons other than their incredibly powerful effects. Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest grows stronger every time an opponent sacrifices a permanent, Doom Whisperer allows a player to fill their Graveyard and fix their draws for a small cost, and Ravenous Chupacabra's simple destruction effect can be abused to great effect in any Reanimation or Blink-based strategy. This same strength also extends to the non-Black options in the set — Uril, the Miststalker is an evasive wrecking ball that can tear through players when given Auras, and Koma, Cosmos Serpent can quickly overwhelm opponents with a steady stream of Coil Tokens or consume them for powerful effects (the card is misprinted here, and actually produces one on each player's upkeep). Gaming: Secret Lair Showcase: Inside an Elevator The Monstrous Magazines collection features fantastic artwork and strong entries, but when it comes to Secret Lair Drops, the value of the cards themselves is also important. Sadly, the pack leaves something to be desired on that front. Both foil and non-foil variants of each Creature, except Mazirek, are available for under $4 each — and even the Death Priest's higher price is not enough to warrant the price of admission. Child's Play As one might expect from a world built on modern horror, it only stands to reason that Duskmourn features plenty of shout-outs to some of its iconic names and faces. References to films like The Shining, Children of the Corn, and The Ring can be found throughout the booster pack, and individual characters have even received their own MTG variants (Arabella, Abandoned Doll, for instance, is a clear stand-in for Annabelle from the Conjuring series). In this limited edition drop, though, one of these serial slashers — Chucky, the star of the Child's Play franchise — descends upon the Multiverse to bring his unique blend of mischief and murder to a play table near you. The story of Child's Play begins when a serial killer, bleeding out after a fatal confrontation with the law in a toy store, recites a voodoo chant to transfer his soul into a nearby talking "Good Guy" doll. Despite being destroyed at the end of the first film, Chucky has returned time and time again to continue his slaughter sprees — and both his persistence and cruelty are on full display in this booster pack. The double-sided Kardur, Doomscourge allows players to spark wars between other players while punishing deaths, Phyrexian Reclamation brings dead Creatures back for a fairly low cost, and Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire helps call the exact card any player seeks to the top of their deck when they need it most. His mass-produced nature, too, is represented through cards like Twinflame (which creates copies of multiple Creatures) and Genesis Chamber (a Token producer that facilitates a great number of infinite combinations). The interesting collection of cards in this Lair drop may be a treat for Chucky aficionados, but there are still some aspects that can be enjoyed by collectors as well: namely, the extremely rare foil reprint of Phyrexian Reclamation. Outside of this, however, the set leaves much to be desired in terms of price, as no other card boasts a price above $11. The Real Ghostbusters October is a perfect time for Magic's Universes Beyond program to collaborate with the darker aspects of popular culture, and while many would expect this to result in more tie-ins just like Chucky's bundle, the other more "terrifying" crossovers in this month's release lean more towards a more humorous version of the other side. 1984's Ghostbusters is already regarded as one of the greatest "horror comedy" films ever made, but rather than focus on the original movies, this drop reintroduces players to a rather unusual part of their history: The Real Ghostbusters, a 1986 television show following the team's continued exploits battling phantoms around the world. As was the case with many popular movies at the time, an animated series seemed like a logical step — but this was slightly complicated by the fact that a show with a similar name (The Ghost Busters, which featured two sleuths and a gorilla) already existed. As a direct result of this, the first official Ghostbusters spinoff was christened "The Real Ghostbusters" to eliminate any confusion that may have remained between the two. To nobody's shock, the cartoon was a hit, and still retains a cult following to this day. Now, the toon team has descended into Camp Totally Safe in search of new terrors to take down — and while the Magic Multiverse's horrors are more "challenging" than their usual fare, the useful tricks they bring to the battlefield allow them to be more than a match for these fiendish foes. Crossover packs often find it difficult to strike a balance between theming and the actual cards they replace, and while the Real Ghostbusters tie-in falls into the same trap in that many of its entries do not work together in the same deck, this is offset by the a strong staple selection: Careful Study is a cheap discard/draw engine, and Eladamri's Call is one of the best Creature tutor cards in the history of Magic, especially for its low Mana cost (although it probably should have been renamed "Who Ya Gonna Call?"). On the offensive side, Boros Charm has a variety of uses, and Living End is a great way to recur dead Creatures while punishing players who keep their Graveyards empty. The inclusion of the ECTO-1 as Unlicensed Hearse, on the other hand, is more of a flavor choice than anything else, but still incredibly thematic and useful against enemies who do care about the cards in their Graveyard. Despite this mostly random selection of cards, the Real Ghostbusters set does start this month's SuperDrop on a promising note: Foil variants of Careful Study and Eladamri's Call are both fairly expensive, and make up for most of the set's price. That being said, the previous Secret Lair printing of Boros Charm has received a price spike in recent times — which suggests that the bundle could be even more valuable than one may expect, especially when combined with the popularity of the Ghostbusters as a whole. Gaming: MTG Secret Lair Showcase: Summer SuperDrop 2024 Ghostbusters: Slimer The Ghostbusters themselves are certainly famous in their own right, but the phantoms they do battle with seem to be more well-known than the actual stars of their respective movies. While the franchise's most beloved ghost (the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man) only makes a single appearance in ECTO-1's art, one significant former adversary is more than worthy of his own bundle: The mischievous green glutton known as Slimer. This strange spirit was nothing more than a nuisance in the original film, but served as the team's mascot in The Real Ghostbusters — and 40 years after his first appearance, he can serve as both the ally and enemy to an entirely different group of four at your local Commander table. Although this drop's name and appearance suggest a Secret Lair themed to Spirits and Oozes, the Slimer bundle instead features a collection of Instants and Sorceries designed to cause as much chaos as the ghost it is named after. Pernicious Deed can be adjusted to eliminate both weak and strong targets, Windfall dumps potentially problematic hands, Trickbind excels at locking down a single problematic ability, and Incarnation Technique helps fill Graveyards while benefitting another player for added table politics. This selection is capped off by the inclusion of Slimer himself as The Mimeoplasm — who can not only serve as the star of a Commander deck including every other entry in the pack, but also reuse the Creatures they mill, destroy, and discard to boost his own power. This leads to a strong if somewhat clunky synergy between different entries, which is always appreciated in Lair bundles. This synergy is far from the only curious thing about the Slimer bundle: In surprising contrast to some other tie-in drops, this pack boasts a selection of cards that are valuable even without the added brand name. While the Mimeoplasm and Windfall are fairly cheap on their own, Incarnation Technique, Pernicious Deed, and especially Trickbind each fetch above-average prices on the secondary market. This is especially true in the more expensive variant: Incarnation Technique has never been printed in foil before, and Trickbind's foil variant is enough to pay for two Secret Lair drops on its own. Hatsune Miku: Electric Entourage After two releases in the year's Spring and Summer SuperDrops, the virtual idol Hatsune Miku has returned in perhaps the strangest possible time for her third appearance out of a promised four — and this time, she isn't alone. While some of her more famous friends have appeared on previous Secret Lair cards in the collection, the Electric Entourage bundle grants each of them their own time in the spotlight, creating a treat for any long-time followers of her universe. The latest pack in this crossover quartet consists entirely of Planeswalker cards, each of whom is represented by a different member of the Vocaloid Project (the same group behind Miku). While the characters themselves may not be known to most players, the figures they replace certainly are, mainly for their powerful abilities and important places in MTG history. The Royal Scions can provide both hand advantage and damage, Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury has a multitude of useful effects for Green players, and the ultimate ability of Jace, Unraveler of Secrets can effectively shut down entire strategies. These three instances, though, are only the opening act when compared to the set's main attractions: Elspeth Tirel supports Token-based decks through Life gain and one-sided board wipes, and Liliana of the Dark Realms is an incredible way for Black players to ramp up to their more powerful spells while disposing of enemy Creatures. The new Vocaloid skins, while not essential and sometimes questionable (Why is KAITO replacing Jace when Magic already has a Planeswalker named Kaito?), allow players to slot their favorite idols into their favorite decks — which is always appreciated in a crossover pack like this. In general, the Hatsune Miku series of drops are a mixed bag: While both of the previous packs themed to the idol (Sakura Superstar and Digital Sensation) have been panned for their strange selection of cards and at times uncanny art, their highly sought-after nature (as well as the possibility of pulling an extremely rare Encore Electromancer as a bonus) has led to even more disappointing bundles seeing resurgence in price later. Fortunately for Electric Entourage, Liliana of the Dark Realms is both popular and pricey, and even some of the set's less valuable entries (namely Jace and Elspeth) boast surprisingly expensive foil variants. These strong offerings, combined with the same chance to obtain one of Magic's most expensive crossover cards, suggest that this set will upstage the Miku bundles that came before it... but only time will tell whether or not the final collaboration pack can do the same. Gaming: MTG Secret Lair Showcase: Spring SuperDrop 2024 Featuring: Peach Momoko October's Featured Secret Lair artist is Peach Momoko, an illustrator who has quickly become an incredibly well-respected name in illustration (even if that name is a pseudonym). In the past, her work has appeared across galleries, on t-shirts, in manga, and adorning the covers of splatter films. Recently, she signed on with Marvel Comics — where she serves as an award-winning cover artist, and has even spearheaded her own line of stories that fuses the universe's characters with traditional Japanese folktales. Now, to celebrate an upcoming collaboration between Magic: The Gathering and Marvel, she lends her skills to a series of cards that are just as spellbinding as her typical creations. Unlike most Featured Artist packs, Peach Momoko's collection does not include any Creatures, but more than makes up for this with an assortment of powerful Instants, Enchantments, and Artifacts: Drown in Dreams and Visions of Beyond are generally useful draw cards that scale well into the late game, Psychic Corrosion eats away at enemy resources for every card a player draws, Aetherize can eliminate an entire army of threats, and Time Sieve has an incredible effect for players who are capable of paying its massive cost. While not every one of these cards can fit into the same strategy, the focus on draw and mill tactics makes most entries fantastic additions to strategies like Bruvac the Grandiloquent and Captain N'gathrod, as well as any deck that can create copies of Artifacts or needs an emergency attack deterrent. While many are excited to see this showcase for its implication that Peach Momoko will contribute to the full Marvel set, it should be noted that the cards in this bundle are also worth getting excited about to some extent: nearly every entry in the collection is somewhat average on its own, with Psychic Corrosion serving as the standout entry. However, it should be noted some expect these values to rise over time due to their beautiful designs and Momoko's popularity — meaning that players seeking these peachy picks would do well to harvest them as early as possible. Tome of the Astral Sorceress The world of MTG is full of spells and enchanted beings of every kind — and in many cases, the stranger either seems, the more powerful it tends to be. With this variety, it should come as no surprise to some that no record can hold them all — but every so often, an archive is created that contains those that its creator has deemed particularly useful. The Tome of the Astral Sorceress is one of these books, and features a selection of strikingly-designed spells that would be useful in any Blue Mage's arsenal. Although most Secret Lairs tend to feature heavily detailed designs, the Tome's illustrations are fairly minimalist— which, ironically, makes this group stand out more than some other, more extravagant drops. This idea of simple effectiveness is replicated in the spells contained within its proverbial pages: Preordain is a standard draw cantrip, Teferi's Ageless Insight doubles the reward for casting draw spells, and Back to Basics shuts down multicolored decks or those that lean towards using effect Lands. Lastly, Sphinx of the Second Sun is the odd card out of the collection, but does possess an interesting niche in allowing a player to recycle their Untap, Upkeep, and Draw steps. This works incredibly well with any strategy where effects apply during this phase, as well as any Blue deck in need of untapped Mana and extra cards (which is essentially all of them). Unfortunately, Tome of the Astral Sorceress faces the same problems as a drop like Monstrous Magazines — namely, that the value of the entries is simply not enough to justify a purchase for some collectors and players. The set relies heavily on Back to Basics to maintain any reasonable value, which is especially disappointing considering its size. While the individual entry could very well see a spike over time, the pack itself is simply not worth the investment up front for the cards themselves. Gaming: MTG Secret Lair Showcase- Equinox Financial Picks: Ghostbusters: Slimer and The Real Ghostbusters If the success of the Monty Python and The Princess Bride crossover sets is any indication, tie-ins between Magic and beloved films are almost always highly sought-after, and the fact that the Ghostbusters collaborations also include a surprising amount of reprint value makes them even more exciting for many players. Both bundles in the set feature high-ticket entries (Trickbind for Slimer and Eladamri's Call/Foil Careful Study for The Real Ghostbusters) that are worth the price of admission on their own. This results in a pair of packs that are impressive from every standpoint, and that will certainly be among the first to sell out when Camp Totally Safe opens up for business. Columnist's Schticks: Hatsune Miku: Electric Entourage If one considers the fact that even the last two underwhelming Hatsune Miku packs (both of which were foolishly listed on our 'Set to Kick' in previous columns) have gone on to become fairly pricey, it only makes logical sense that a bundle including more valuable cards and featuring the same growth potential would be a strong choice for Columnist's Schtick. The combination of Miku, powerful cards, and the ever-present chance of pulling an Encore Electromancer is more than enough for players to justify purchasing this bundle, even for those uninterested in the Vocaloid Project to begin with. Sets to Kick: Monstrous Magazines and Tome of the Astral Sorceress While the artwork on both Monstrous Magazines and Tome of the Astral Sorceress has been widely praised by players, the financial value of the cards themselves sadly does not live up to the same hype. Outside of single entries that cost slightly more than the "average" Lair addition, the total cost of each card is only half the price of a typical drop in both foil and non-foil variants — leaving these three sets somewhat lacking when compared to their counterparts. At the time of our article’s publication, no bundles have been announced — but this page will be updated if and when more information becomes available. All Secret Lair drop orders over $100 will receive free shipping. A photograph of our columnist pondering why the horror SuperDrop was themed to a sleepaway camp if it featured no references to Jason Voorhees whatsoever. Perhaps he's exhausted after the Friday the 13th earlier this September. The Camp Totally Safe Superdrop will launch at 11:00 a.m. CST on Monday, September 30, and last until all sets are sold out. To access the limited-time shop, sign up for the mailing list, or learn more about any of the monthly selections, visit the Secret Lair website here. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW