The Universes Beyond Fallout Commander set has a lot of great MTG cards. From
Agent Frank Horrigan
Agent Frank Horrigan
Trample
Agent Frank Horrigan has indestructible as long as it attacked this turn.
Whenever Agent Frank Horrigan enters or attacks, proliferate twice. (To proliferate, choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
to
Young Deathclaws
Young Deathclaws
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Each creature card in your graveyard has scavenge. The scavenge cost is equal to its mana cost. (Exile a creature card from your graveyard and pay its mana cost: Put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to that card's power on target creature. Scavenge only as a sorcery.)
there’s a lot to love. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the set’s first Secret Lair. Revealed back in February, this Secret Lair was pretty pants honestly, with the reprints not nearly being worth the price of admission.
Thankfully, now that the surprisingly late 2024 Equinox Superdrop is almost here, we’ve now seen two new Secret Lair drops. Both of these drops continue the Fallout theme, reprinting some Commander-favorites in the Vault Boy aesthetic. Beyond fitting the set’s Fallout theming, these new Secret Lairs are actually rather good for a change!
Secret Lair X Fallout: Vault Boy
To kick off with the big ticket item, the upcoming Vault Boy Secret Lair is absolutely incredible. It may only contain four cards, but almost all of these are value all-stars. In total, the four cards in this Secret Lair total over $60 in value, making them more than worth the usual (albeit unconfirmed) $29.99 asking price.
At the low end of the spectrum,
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
White spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Blue spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Spells your opponents cast cost {1} more to cast.
is worth just $3.50 on a good day. While this price isn’t too exciting, the fourth Augustin does see some decent Commander play, thanks to their cost-adjusting abilities. Playable in both Stax decks, as well as Azorius lists, this card has a lot of potential.
Moving on up in value, you might start to sense a theme with the next card being
Winter Orb
Winter Orb
As long as this artifact is untapped, players can't untap more than one land during their untap steps.
. Usually selling for around $11.50, this card has yet another devastating Stax effect, preventing players from untapping multiple lands. Just like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Winter Orb sees Commander play, especially at the competitive level. Thanks to this, there will undoubtedly be demand for this new Vault Boy variant.
Jumping up in value once again,
Trinisphere
Trinisphere
As long as this artifact is untapped, each spell that would cost less than three mana to cast costs three mana to cast. (Additional mana in the cost may be paid with any color of mana or colorless mana. For example, a spell that would cost {1}{B} to cast costs {2}{B} to cast instead.)
is yet another Stax auto-include. By increasing the cost of any spell lower than 3 mana, this card can completely hose aggressive and controlling strategies. Thanks to this utility, Trinisphere sees a good amount of both competitive and Commander play. Currently, Trinisphere sells for around $15.
Last, but by no means least, Sphere of Resistance is finally getting a reprint. Last seen as a Kaladesh Invention, Sphere of Resistance sells for at least $32 thanks to its universally punishing ability. Once again, Sphere of Resistance is a beloved auto-include in cEDH and Stax decks, so this reprint should make players happy.
Secret Lair X Fallout: Points of Interest
As if two Fallout Secret Lairs weren’t enough, MTG players are getting three of them! Sitting between the other two drops in terms of value, the Points of Interest Secret Lair still has a lot of potential. Thanks to containing nothing but land, there’s a good chance these new Fallout-themed reprints could fetch above market value. Even if they don’t, this Secret Lair isn’t half bad!
Speaking of half-bad,
Bojuka Bog
Bojuka Bog
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, exile target player's graveyard.
{T}: Add {B}.
and
Reliquary Tower
Reliquary Tower
You have no maximum hand size.
{T}: Add {C}.
aren’t exactly the best reprints. Selling for around $1.50 each, both these cards hardly break the bank, but they do see good play. This is especially true of Reliquary Tower which is a true Commander staple with many high-priced fancy variants.
Offering slightly more value,
Reflecting Pool
Reflecting Pool
{T}: Add one mana of any type that a land you control could produce.
is another Commander-staple reprint that’s great to see. Typically, this card sells for around $5.80, however, chase variants usually sell for closer to $15. Considering the land’s ability to potentially offer any kind of mana, it’s no wonder this Commander darling sells well.
If you’re after a more guaranteed way to find any color of mana,
Fabled Passage
Fabled Passage
{T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Then if you control four or more lands, untap that land.
does exactly that. Provided you control four or more lands, that fetched basic land even comes into play untapped! Thanks to this utility, Fabled Passage sells for around $5.50. While this may flaunt the value progression of this list, past Secret Lair variants sell for upwards of $32!
Wearing the undisputed value crown,
Command Beacon
Command Beacon
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}, Sacrifice this land: Put your commander into your hand from the command zone.
is the best reprint in this Secret Lair drop by far. Selling for $9.20, this land sees a huge amount of play thanks to avoiding Commander Tax through hand-based shenanigans. Like many of the lands on this list, fancy foil variants of Command Beacon sell for around $30.
A Brilliant Bonus Card!
As if a compelling suite of lands and Stax cards weren’t good enough, the Fallout Secret Lair drops have one last trick up their sleeves. Like all Secret Lairs, these drops will come bundled with an extra, sometimes random, bonus card. For the 2024 Equinox Superdrop, it seems one of these Bonus Cards is
Mana Vault
Mana Vault
This artifact doesn't untap during your untap step.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may pay {4}. If you do, untap this artifact.
At the beginning of your draw step, if this artifact is tapped, it deals 1 damage to you.
{T}: Add {C}{C}{C}.
.
Costing $43 for the cheapest variant, Mana Vault is another Commander all-star thanks to its immense ramp potential. While normal variants are by no means cheap, this new bonus card could blow those prices out of the water. Thanks to being a rare Bonus Card, this new variant will likely be in very short supply.
Much like copies of
Persistent Petitioners
Persistent Petitioners
{1}, {T}: Target player mills a card. (They put the top card of their library into their graveyard.)
Tap four untapped Advisors you control: Target player mills twelve cards.
A deck can have any number of cards named Persistent Petitioners.
this bonus card could be worth $100+! Should this new variant be as rare as the Kaladesh Invention, the price could even exceed $380! For now, there’s no telling exactly how rare this bonus card will be, but I wouldn’t expect it often.
Unfortunately, while Mana Vault is an insane potential find, the other bonus cards that have been revealed aren’t as exciting. Costing just $0.16 and $0.61 apiece,
Codex Shredder
Codex Shredder
{T}: Target player mills a card. (They put the top card of their library into their graveyard.)
{5}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
and
Wastes
Wastes
{T}: Add {C}.
aren’t that special. Thankfully, while these bonus cards might not be too amazing, the Secret Lair drops themselves still boast some compelling value.
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