MTG Stranger Things Guide: Cards, Prices & Commander Decks

Set Overview: Secret Lair Drop

Mechanics Deep Dive: Friends Forever

How it Works

Rule 702.124i says a "Partner—[text]" ability lets you have two commanders if each has the same "partner—[text]" ability.

• The Catch: You can't pair a Friends forever card with a plain Partner commander like Thrasios or Tymna. Both commanders need Friends forever. As of October 2026, only these seven cards (and their Universes Within versions) have it.
• The Payoff: You can combine colors freely. Eleven (Grixis: blue, black, red) with Mike (Selesnya: green, white) gives you all five colors.

The Party: What Each Card Does

Every card below is described from its Oracle text on Scryfall. The Universes Within name is in brackets.

The Powerhouse: Eleven, the Mage (Cecily, Haunted Mage)

{1}{U}{B}{R}, 3/5. Your maximum hand size is eleven. Whenever she attacks, you draw a card and lose 1 life. Then, if you have eleven or more cards in hand, you may cast an instant or sorcery from your hand without paying its mana cost. She rewards a deck that draws a lot and holds expensive sorceries.

The Chief: Chief Jim Hopper (Sophina, Spearsage Deserter)

{2}{R}{W}, 4/4 with menace. Whenever he attacks, you investigate once for each nontoken attacking creature. That's one Clue for Hopper himself, plus one per other nontoken attacker. He has no mana ability; the Clues are for drawing cards or for sacrifice payoffs.

The Heart: Mike, the Dungeon Master (Othelm, Sigardian Outcast)

{1}{G}{W}, 2/2. {2}, {T}: return a creature card from your graveyard that was put there from the battlefield this turn. It comes back tapped. He can only rescue something that died this turn, so leave mana and Mike untapped during opponents' turns.

The Cleric: Will the Wise (Wernog, Rider's Chaplain)

{W}{B}, 1/2. When he enters or leaves the battlefield, each opponent may investigate. Each opponent who doesn't loses 1 life. Then you investigate once, plus once for each opponent who investigated. In a four-player game that's between one and four Clues for you each time he triggers.

The Specialists: Dustin, Lucas & Max

• Dustin, Gadget Genius (Hargilde, Kindly Runechanter): {2}{W}{U}, 2/3. {T}: add {C}{C}, spent only to cast artifact spells or activate abilities of artifacts.
• Lucas, the Sharpshooter (Bjorna, Nightfall Alchemist): {U}{R}, 1/3. {T}, sacrifice an artifact: 1 damage to target creature, and goad that creature. He can't hit players.
• Max, the Daredevil (Elmar, Ulvenwald Informant): {1}{R}{G}, 3/2 with haste. Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, untap target creature, then investigate.

The Threat: Mind Flayer, the Shadow (Arvinox, the Mind Flail)

{4}{B}{B}{B} mythic legendary enchantment creature, 9/9. At the beginning of your end step, exile the bottom card of each opponent's library face down. You can look at those cards and cast permanent spells from among them, spending mana as though it were any color. It's only a creature while you control three or more permanents you don't own. It isn't a Friends forever card, so it's a pick for the 99 or a mono-black commander, not a partner.

Commander Strategy Guide: Best "Friends Forever" Pairs

1. The "Full Party" (5-Color Goodstuff)

• Commanders: Eleven, the Mage + Mike, the Dungeon Master
• The Strategy: This pair gives you all five colors.
  • The Engine: Eleven draws a card each time she attacks, and with eleven cards in hand she casts an instant or sorcery for free. Big sorceries are the payoff.
  • The Safety Valve: Mike returns a creature that died this turn, so a removal spell on a key creature doesn't have to stick.
• The Win Condition: Big sorceries that Eleven can cast for free, like Ruinous Ultimatum (destroy all nonland permanents your opponents control) or Expropriate.
• The 99 Essentials:
  • Ramp: Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, Chromatic Lantern.
  • Hand Size: Reliquary Tower, Thought Vessel, Sea Gate Restoration.
  • Big Sorceries: Expropriate, Rise of the Dark Realms, Aminatou's Augury, Genesis Wave.

2. Mardu Clues (Aristocrats & Value)

• Commanders: Chief Jim Hopper + Will the Wise
• The Strategy: An Aristocrats build that uses Clue tokens as fuel.
  • Hopper makes Clues when you attack, more of them the more nontoken creatures attack with him.
  • Will makes Clues when he enters and again when he leaves. Blink effects and sacrifice outlets trigger him twice.
• The Win Condition: Drain opponents each time a Clue is created or sacrificed.
• The 99 Essentials:
  • Drain: Mirkwood Bats (whenever you create or sacrifice a token, each opponent loses 1 life), Marionette Master, Disciple of the Vault.
  • Doublers: Mondrak, Glory Dominus, Anointed Procession (two Clues instead of one).
  • Utility: Goblin Welder (swap a Clue on the battlefield for an artifact in your graveyard).

3. Temur Artifacts (Lucas + Max)

• Commanders: Lucas, the Sharpshooter + Max, the Daredevil
• The Strategy: A spells-and-artifacts deck that picks off small creatures.
  • Lucas turns spare artifacts (Treasures, Food, Clues) into 1 damage to a creature, and goads it so it attacks someone else.
  • Max untaps a creature when you cast your second spell each turn, and gives you a Clue. Tap Lucas to shoot, cast your second spell, untap Lucas, and shoot again. Max's Clue can feed Lucas.
• No infinite combo here: Max only triggers on your second spell each turn, so this is a two-shot turn, not a loop.
• The 99 Essentials:
  • Untappers: Seedborn Muse, Quest for Renewal.
  • Artifact Fodder: Sai, Master Thopterist, Third Path Iconoclast.

4. The Science Bros (Azorius Artifact Ramp)

• Commanders: Dustin, Gadget Genius + Will the Wise (Esper: W/U/B) or Mike (Bant: G/W/U)
• The Strategy: Dustin taps for two mana toward artifact spells and artifact abilities.
  • In Esper, you can build a control deck that uses Dustin to cast big artifacts like Portal to Phyrexia or Darksteel Forge early.
  • Dustin also helps pay activation costs on artifacts like Planar Bridge or Staff of Domination.

Financial Analysis: Secret Lair vs. Universes Within

Non-foil prices on Scryfall, October 2026:

• For Players: Buy the Universes Within versions. They play the same.
• For Collectors: The Secret Lair versions cost more because they carry the show's art and characters.

The Upside Down (Land)

Hawkins National Laboratory // The Upside Down (Havengul Laboratory // Havengul Mystery) is a legendary double-faced land. The front taps for {C}, and {4}, {T} lets you investigate. At the beginning of your end step, if you sacrificed three or more Clues that turn, it transforms. When it becomes The Upside Down, you return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. The back taps for {B} if you pay 1 life, and it flips back when that returned creature leaves the battlefield. It fits best in the Hopper + Will Clue deck.

Flavor Wins & Flops

Conclusion

The Stranger Things x Secret Lair drop is one of the better Universes Beyond Secret Lairs for Commander players. Friends forever captures the show's theme of friends sticking together, and lets you mix colors freely.

Whether you build a budget version with Cecily and Othelm or a full Hawkins crew, these cards still make for fun, distinct commander pairs.

Related Guides

• Most Valuable MTG Cards 2026 — where Secret Lair drops sit in the wider value market
• How to Value MTG Cards — pricing a sealed or opened Secret Lair accurately
• Where to Sell MTG Cards — the venue that nets the most for a Secret Lair drop
• MTG Game Changers and Commander Brackets — how these commanders fit the bracket system
• Complete Guide to MTG Formats — what Eternal-only legality actually restricts
• Every Universes Beyond Set — where the Secret Lair drops sit in the crossover line