Secret Lair drops
Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic
Sealed kit for collectors who want all 26 alphabet cards and the chance of a halo foil
- Pro: 26 borderless cards, each by a different artist, individually wrapped
- Pro: Non-foil singles alone add up to $303.63 (13 November 2026)
- Pro: Chance of foil and halo foil cards, led by the $563.47 halo Urza's Saga
- Con: 1.6 times its $199.99 price
- Con: About $215 buys all 26 cards in their cheapest printings
Price
$326.36TCGplayer market, 13 November 2026
A to Z, and Then the Halo Foils
The Encyclopedia of Magic Secret Lair is the 2025 Secret Lair Countdown Kit: 26 individually wrapped Magic cards, one for each letter of the alphabet, from Altar of the Brood to Zo-Zu the Punisher. Wizards of the Coast sold it on 3 November 2025 for $199.99, and it sold out the same day.
On 13 November 2026 the sealed kit trades at $326.36 on TCGplayer, 1.6 times its price. Its 26 cards as non-foil singles add up to $303.63. Each card can also turn up in foil or, more rarely, halo foil, and the halo foil Urza's Saga ($563.47) is worth more than a whole sealed kit.
Below: all 26 cards with every finish and price, the bonus card and inserts, what the kit is worth sealed and opened, and how it compares with the 2022 kit and the 2026 Marvel Countdown Kit.
What is the Encyclopedia of Magic Secret Lair?
Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic is an advent-calendar-style box of 26 wrapped Magic cards, one per letter, that Wizards sold for $199.99 on 3 November 2025. Every card is a reprint of an existing Magic card with new borderless art, and every card has a different artist, "some of who are bringing their talents to Magic for the very first time" (Wizards).
If you don't play Magic: Secret Lair is Wizards' direct-to-fan store for limited, themed card drops, usually four to eight reprints with new art. Countdown Kits are its advent calendars, sold in 2022, 2025 and 2026. Our MTG Secret Lair guide explains how the drops, queues and shipping work.
| Detail | An Encyclopedia of Magic |
|---|---|
| Product | Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic |
| Announced | 21 October 2025 (StarCityGames, EDHREC) |
| On sale | 3 November 2025, MagicSecretLair.com only; due at 9 a.m. PT, started around 9:45 a.m. PT |
| Price | $199.99 ($7.69 a card); Book Club Bundle of two kits about $300 |
| Limit | Two per customer (StarCityGames); up to six kits counting Book Club Bundles (MTGRocks) |
| Sold out | The same day, after queue problems (Game Rant) |
| Shipping | From 5 November 2025 |
| Cards | 26 reprints, A to Z, borderless, a different artist on each |
| Finishes | Non-foil by default; some foil; rarely halo foil |
| Sealed, 13 Nov 2026 | $326.36 TCGplayer market (1.6× its price), lowest listing $325 |
| 26 non-foil singles | $303.63 |
It is not a 30-card kit. The 2022 and 2026 Countdown Kits have 30 cards; this one has 26 because the theme is the alphabet.
Encyclopedia of Magic card list: all 26 cards, A to Z
StarCityGames published the full list on launch day, 3 November 2025. Scryfall files the kit under Secret Lair Countdown (SLC): non-foil and foil share numbers 1–26, the halo foils are 28–53, and the bonus card is 27. Prices are TCGplayer market prices on 13 November 2026.
| Letter | Card | Artist | Non-foil | Foil | Halo foil |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Altar of the Brood | Josh Freydkis | $11.93 | $12.30 | $62.61 |
| B | Brain Freeze | Your Cinema | $4.38 | $7.79 | $78.11 |
| C | Crop Rotation | Marcuscus | $4.75 | $6.32 | $58.17 |
| D | Demonic Consultation | Edward Steed | $9.05 | $12.25 | $99.73 |
| E | Eerie Ultimatum | Alexander Khabbazi | $2.36 | $3.26 | $16.62 |
| F | Field of the Dead | Colby Nichols | $27.19 | $28.12 | $67.21 |
| G | Gray Merchant of Asphodel | Jack Hughes | $8.58 | $16.34 | $84.06 |
| H | Hymn to Tourach | Sophy Hollington | $0.69 | $1.17 | $11.04 |
| I | Isochron Scepter | Kieran Yanner | $9.72 | $9.28 | $28.19 |
| J | Junji, the Midnight Sky | Diego Andrade | $4.46 | $8.53 | $41.65 |
| K | Krark-Clan Ironworks | Jimmy Knives | $15.38 | $16.27 | $40.05 |
| L | Llanowar Elves | Ampreh | $11.89 | $17.36 | $91.35 |
| M | Myrel, Shield of Argive | Molly Mendoza | $18.71 | $25.47 | $97.33 |
| N | Narset's Reversal | Ben Newman | $4.15 | $6.94 | $48.82 |
| O | Ob Nixilis, the Fallen | Skinner | $6.57 | $10.37 | $37.11 |
| P | Phyrexian Altar | See Machine | $57.30 | $60.74 | $135.75 |
| Q | Questing Beast | Dan Hipp | $2.89 | $4.88 | $17.58 |
| R | Retrofitter Foundry | Nikki Radan | $0.86 | $1.33 | $11.43 |
| S | Sol Ring | Souther Salazar | $15.45 | $26.16 | $176.08 |
| T | Temple of the False God | Jon Vermilyea | $2.38 | $3.98 | $25.92 |
| U | Urza's Saga | Sadboi | $56.58 | $113.82 | $563.47 |
| V | Vesuva | Stephen Andrade | $5.45 | $8.84 | $59.24 |
| W | Wasteland | Aaron J. Riley | $15.39 | $15.92 | $38.48 |
| X | Xantcha, Sleeper Agent | Matthew Southworth | $1.20 | $1.51 | $16.36 |
| Y | Yarok, the Desecrated | Cacho Rubione | $1.85 | $5.04 | $44.93 |
| Z | Zo-Zu the Punisher | Mattias Lindström | $4.47 | $4.81 | $21.30 |
| All 26 | $303.63 | $428.80 | $1,972.59 |
All 26 are rare except four mythics: Junji, Ob Nixilis, Questing Beast and Yarok (Scryfall). Four cards carry most of the non-foil value: Phyrexian Altar, Urza's Saga, Field of the Dead and Myrel add up to $159.78, more than half the $303.63 total. At the other end, Hymn to Tourach ($0.69), Retrofitter Foundry ($0.86) and Xantcha ($1.20) are worth about a dollar each.
Urza's Saga (SLC 21)Non-foil $56.58, halo foil $563.47 on 13 Nov 2026
Phyrexian Altar (SLC 16)Non-foil $57.30, halo foil $135.75
Sol Ring (SLC 19)Non-foil $15.45, halo foil $176.08
Field of the Dead (SLC 6)Non-foil $27.19, halo foil $67.21
Foil, halo foil, the bonus card and the letter cards
Cards are non-foil by default. Some kits contain foils, and "on rare occasion" halo foils (Wizards). Wizards never published odds. StarCityGames added an editor's note before the sale that Wizards had corrected an earlier claim, and that the cards are "non-foil by default, with a small chance to appear in either traditional foil or halo foil treatments."
The community estimate, quoted by MTGPrice in March 2026, is about 1 in 4 cards foil and 1 in 25 halo foil. If that holds, a typical kit has six or seven foils and about one halo foil, but it is not an official figure and individual kits vary.
The halo foils are where the money is. All 26 halo foils together are worth $1,972.59, six and a half times the non-foil set. Halo foils have their own collector numbers (SLC 28–53), so a listing's number tells you which finish you are buying.
The bonus card: Alhammarret's Archive
Scryfall lists a foil Alhammarret's Archive (SLC 27, mythic, art by Simen Meyer) as a Secret Lair bonus card for this kit. It trades at $11.64 on 13 November 2026. MTGRocks wrote on 7 November 2025 that the choice made little sense for an alphabet theme. We found no source that says how Wizards handed it out, so don't pay extra for a sealed kit "with bonus" without a photo of the card.
The letter cards
TCGplayer lists 26 letter cards (A to Z) and a question-mark card as inserts from the kit, not legal for constructed play. They sell for about $0.27 to $0.80 each on 13 November 2026.
Urza's Saga halo foil (SLC 48)$563.47 on 13 Nov 2026
Sol Ring halo foil (SLC 46)$176.08 on 13 Nov 2026
Phyrexian Altar halo foil (SLC 43)$135.75 on 13 Nov 2026
Alhammarret's Archive bonus (SLC 27)Foil: $11.64 on 13 Nov 2026
How much is the Encyclopedia of Magic Secret Lair worth now?
$326.36 sealed on TCGplayer on 13 November 2026, with the lowest listing at $325. That is 1.6 times the $199.99 price and $10.64 more than on 1 November 2026, when our Secret Lair guide recorded $315.72.
| Date | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov 2025 | $199.99 (from Wizards) | Wizards |
| 3–4 Nov 2025 | Cards valued at $270.85 to $274.89 as singles | MTGRocks, Draftsim |
| 13 Mar 2026 | "Just under $300" | MTGPrice |
| 1 Nov 2026 | $315.72 | TCGplayer |
| 9 Nov 2026 | About $323 | TCGplayer |
| 13 Nov 2026 | $326.36 (lowest listing $325) | TCGplayer |
On launch day, MTGRocks put the cards' value at $270.85 in their existing printings, and Draftsim put them at $274.89 on 4 November 2025, using the lowest TCGplayer market price for each card. Both called the kit good value for $199.99, and the sealed price has risen since.
The most valuable Encyclopedia of Magic cards
The halo foil Urza's Saga, at $563.47, is the most valuable card in the kit and is worth more than a sealed kit. Nine of the ten most valuable cards are halo foils. TCGplayer market prices, 13 November 2026:
| # | Card | Finish | SLC no. | Market price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urza's Saga | Halo foil | 48 | $563.47 |
| 2 | Sol Ring | Halo foil | 46 | $176.08 |
| 3 | Phyrexian Altar | Halo foil | 43 | $135.75 |
| 4 | Urza's Saga | Foil | 21 | $113.82 |
| 5 | Demonic Consultation | Halo foil | 31 | $99.73 |
| 6 | Myrel, Shield of Argive | Halo foil | 40 | $97.33 |
| 7 | Llanowar Elves | Halo foil | 39 | $91.35 |
| 8 | Gray Merchant of Asphodel | Halo foil | 34 | $84.06 |
| 9 | Brain Freeze | Halo foil | 29 | $78.11 |
| 10 | Field of the Dead | Halo foil | 33 | $67.21 |
Just outside the top ten: the halo foil Altar of the Brood ($62.61), the foil Phyrexian Altar ($60.74) and the halo foil Vesuva ($59.24). The best non-foil cards are Phyrexian Altar ($57.30) and Urza's Saga ($56.58). For the most expensive cards in all of Magic, see our most valuable MTG cards of 2026.
You are paying for the art
Every card here has a cheaper printing. All 26 in their cheapest printing outside this kit cost $215.14 on 13 November 2026 (Scryfall, TCGplayer prices), $88 less than the Encyclopedia non-foils. The gap is widest on the Commander staples:
| Card | Cheapest printing | Encyclopedia non-foil |
|---|---|---|
| Sol Ring | $1.17 | $15.45 |
| Llanowar Elves | $0.29 | $11.89 |
| Gray Merchant of Asphodel | $0.69 | $8.58 |
| Urza's Saga | $32.10 | $56.58 |
| Phyrexian Altar | $53.95 | $57.30 |
| Field of the Dead | $27.95 | $27.19 |
Four cards go the other way: the Encyclopedia version is the cheapest printing of Field of the Dead, Zo-Zu the Punisher ($4.47 against $9.13), Xantcha ($1.20 against $1.66) and Eerie Ultimatum ($2.36 against $2.56).
Encyclopedia of Magic: sealed or singles?
To collect the whole alphabet, buy it sealed: it costs $22.73 more than the 26 non-foil singles and keeps the chance of foils and halo foils. To play the cards, buy cheap printings. To own one card, buy the single.
Opening a kit is a bet on the halo foils. If the unofficial community odds are right, an average kit's cards are worth about $400 at market price (26 cards at roughly 71% non-foil, 25% foil, 4% halo foil). But that average leans on the halo Urza's Saga and Sol Ring: a kit with no halo foils is worth about $335, close to the $326 sealed price, and selling 26 singles means 26 lots of fees and postage, which our guide to where to sell MTG cards prices out.
| If you want… | Do this (prices 13 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|
| The kit as a Christmas countdown or gift | Sealed, $326.36. It ships from a reseller's stock, so there is no wait for Wizards |
| Every card in the Encyclopedia art | Sealed is $22.73 more than buying the 26 non-foils one by one, and saves 26 orders |
| One card, such as the Sol Ring or Urza's Saga | Buy the single: $15.45 and $56.58 non-foil |
| To play the cards | Cheapest printings, about $215 for all 26 |
| A halo foil | Buy the one you want; halo foils run from $11.04 (Hymn to Tourach) to $563.47 (Urza's Saga) |
| An investment | Be careful. It already trades at 1.6 times its price, and the 2026 Marvel kit is on the market now |
Encyclopedia of Magic vs the Marvel Countdown Kit and the 2022 kit
The Encyclopedia of Magic has fewer cards than either other Countdown Kit, cost the most per card, and has risen more than the Marvel kit so far. TCGplayer market prices, 13 November 2026:
| Kit | On sale | Price | Cards | Per card | Finishes | Sealed, 13 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit | November 2022 | $149.99 | 30 | $5.00 | Non-foil or foil (30% chance per card) | $393.59 (2.6×) |
| An Encyclopedia of Magic | 3 Nov 2025 | $199.99 | 26 | $7.69 | Non-foil, foil, halo foil | $326.36 (1.6×) |
| Marvel's History of Heroes | 2 Nov 2026 | $199.99 | 30 | $6.67 | Non-foil, foil, surge foil | $267.59 (1.3×) |
- Theme. The 2022 kit had one card for each year of Magic from 1993; the Encyclopedia has one per letter; the Marvel kit covers eras of Marvel history and is the only one with new cards (two from Marvel: Darkhold Destiny).
- Card list in advance. Wizards showed all 30 Marvel cards when it announced the kit on 16 October 2026, more than two weeks before its sale. Before the Encyclopedia's sale only a handful of its cards had been shown (Wargamer counted six in a Wizards email); the full list came out on launch day.
- Price so far. The Marvel kit is less than two weeks old and its price is still settling: its TCGplayer market price on 13 November 2026 was $267.59 (see our advent calendar guide). The Encyclopedia took about a year to go from $199.99 to $326.36.
For the 2026 kit's card list, what its cards cost and a do-it-yourself calendar for about half the price, see our MTG advent calendar 2026 guide.
When the Encyclopedia of Magic sold, and how
It went on sale on 3 November 2025, sold out the same day, and was reported as limited to two per customer. It was a limited run, not print-to-demand.
21 Oct 2025
Wizards announces the kit: 26 cards, one per letter, $199.99, on sale 3 November. EDHREC reports three confirmed cards: Demonic Consultation, Llanowar Elves and Wasteland.
3 Nov 2025
The sale is due at 9 a.m. PT; MTGRocks reports the Secret Lair site had problems and the launch moved to about 9:45 a.m. PT. Players lose their place in the queue and the kit sells out the same day (Game Rant). StarCityGames publishes the full A-to-Z list.
5 Nov 2025
Shipping begins, per the Secret Lair store page.
13 Mar 2026
MTGPrice reports sealed copies selling for "just under $300" on TCGplayer.
13 Nov 2026
$326.36 sealed on TCGplayer, 1.6 times its price.
StarCityGames gave the limit as two per customer. MTGRocks wrote that there was no strict one-per-person limit and that one buyer could get up to six kits: two on their own and four in two Book Club Bundles.
What was the Book Club Bundle?
Two copies of the Encyclopedia of Magic in one product, sold for about $300, according to MTGRocks, which described it as a $100 saving. TCGplayer's product text lists the contents as "2x Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic".
On 13 November 2026 the bundle has a TCGplayer market price of $614.72 from past sales, but the cheapest listing is $742.99. Two single kits at market price cost $652.72, so the separate kits are the cheaper way to get two today.
Are Encyclopedia of Magic cards legal?
Yes. All 26 cards are reprints of existing cards, so each is legal wherever the original is, and all are legal in Commander (Scryfall). A few are banned or restricted elsewhere: Sol Ring and Demonic Consultation are banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage, Urza's Saga is restricted in Vintage, and Field of the Dead and Krark-Clan Ironworks are banned in Modern. The letter cards and question-mark card are inserts, not Magic cards you can play. For Commander decks to put them in, see our Commander precon guide.
Where to buy the Encyclopedia of Magic now
Only second-hand. Wizards sold it "in limited quantities" and we found no restock announcement as of 13 November 2026. On TCGplayer the sealed kit's lowest listing is $325 and the singles are listed by letter and finish, with halo foils under their own numbers (SLC 28–53). Our Secret Lair guide compares the places to buy a drop after the sale. If it's a present, our Magic: The Gathering gifts guide has other ideas by budget.
More Secret Lair guides
- MTG Secret Lair: how drops work and what every 2026 drop resells for.
- MTG Advent Calendar 2026: the Marvel Countdown Kit vs a do-it-yourself build.
- Goblin Storm Secret Lair: the Zada Commander deck that sold out in 34 minutes.
- Furby Secret Lair: the three Furby drops and their confetti foils.
- PlayStation Secret Lair: the October 2025 superdrop.
Citations & Resources
- Wizards of the Coast: Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic (3 November 2025)
- StarCityGames: MTG Secret Lair Reveals Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic, John Hall (21 October 2025, updated 22 October)
- StarCityGames: Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic Fully Revealed, Nick Miller (3 November 2025)
- EDHREC: Wizards Gives New Info on "An Encyclopedia of Magic" Secret Lair, Josh Nelson (21 October 2025)
- MTGRocks: Encyclopedia of Magic Countdown Kit full reveal, Allie Atkin (3 November 2025)
- MTGRocks: Alhammarret's Archive bonus card, Allie Atkin (7 November 2025)
- Game Rant (via OpenCritic): MTG's New Secret Lair Drop Is Already Sold Out After Queue Issues, Andrea Trama (3 November 2025)
- Draftsim: Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic, Timothy Zaccagnino (4 November 2025)
- Wargamer: The 2025 Secret Lair Countdown Kit, Matt Bassil (3 November 2025)
- MTGPrice: The A to Z of Buying The Encyclopedia of Magic, Cliff Daigle (13 March 2026)
- Wizards of the Coast: Secret Lair store product page ("Shipping begins November 5th", checked 13 November 2026)
- Scryfall: Secret Lair Countdown (SLC) 1–53, the Encyclopedia of Magic cards (artists, finishes, rarity, legality)
- TCGplayer: Secret Lair Countdown Kit: An Encyclopedia of Magic (660745), Book Club Bundle (662006), singles (662007–662097) and inserts (664105–664131)
- Prices: TCGplayer market and lowest-listing prices from the tcgcsv.com mirror of TCGplayer data, snapshot of 13 November 2026 (20:05 UTC). Cheapest printings outside the kit use Scryfall's TCGplayer prices on 13 November 2026, excluding gold-bordered and oversized cards. The 9 November figure is from our advent calendar guide and the 1 November figure from our Secret Lair guide.
Related Guides
- MTG Secret Lair: every 2026 drop and what it resells for
- MTG Advent Calendar 2026: the Marvel Countdown Kit vs DIY
- Most Valuable Magic Cards 2026: the most expensive cards in the game
- MTG Commander Precons: the retail decks, priced weekly
- Where to Sell MTG Cards: fees compared
- Magic: The Gathering Gifts: what to buy a Magic player