MTG Stranger Things Guide: Cards, Prices & Commander Decks

Set Overview: Secret Lair Drop

Mechanics Deep Dive: Friends Forever

How it Works

"Friends Forever" allows you to have two Commanders if both of them have the keyword.

• The Catch: You cannot mix and match with standard Partner commanders (like Thrasios or Tymna). You must pair a "Friends Forever" card with another "Friends Forever" card.
• The Payoff: This allows you to mix colors freely. Pairing Eleven (Grixis - UBR) with Mike (Selesnya - GW) gives you a full 5-color WUBRG deck!

The Party: Character Profiles

Let's meet the kids and see how they translate to Magic mechanics.

The Powerhouse: Eleven, the Mage

Archetype: Spellslinger / Hand Size Matters

See our top picks above for detailed information about Eleven, the Mage and Chief Jim Hopper.

The Heart: Mike, the Dungeon Master

Archetype: Recursion / Group Hug

See our top picks above for detailed information about Mike, the Dungeon Master and Will the Wise.

The Specialists: Dustin, Lucas & Max

See our top picks above for detailed information about Dustin, Lucas, and Max.

The Threat: Mind Flayer, the Shadow

Archetype: Theft / control

See our top picks above for detailed information about Mind Flayer, the Shadow.

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 access to all five colors (WUBRG), allowing you to play the absolute best cards in Magic's history.
  • The Engine: Eleven provides card advantage and mana cheating. She wants you to have a massive hand size, which naturally leads to drawing tons of cards.
  • The Safety Valve: Mike (Othelm) is your insurance policy. If your big threats get removed, Mike brings them right back. His ability to recur creatures is invaluable in a deck that attracts a lot of hate.
• The Win Condition: You aren't winning with commander damage here. You are winning by casting Ruinous Ultimatum to destroy everything your opponents own, or Genesis Wave for X=20 to put your entire deck onto the battlefield.
• The 99 Essentials:
  • Ramp: Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, Chromatic Lantern.
  • Hand Size: Reliquary Tower, Thought Vessel, Sea Gate Restoration.
  • Big Spells: Expropriate, Rise of the Dark Realms, Aminatou's Augury.

2. Mardu Clues (Aristocrats & Value)

• Commanders: Chief Jim Hopper + Will the Wise (or Wernog)
• The Strategy: This deck is a text-book Aristocrats build that uses Clue tokens as its primary fuel source.
  • Hopper is your aggressive investigator. He generates clues just by attacking, and his secondary ability turns those clues into mana rocks, fixing your mana in standard Boros colors.
  • Will (Wernog) is your passive generator. Every time he enters or leaves, you and an opponent create a clue. By "blinking" him (exiling and returning him immediately), you can generate 4-6 clues in a single turn cycle.
• The Win Condition: You win by weaponizing the act of sacrificing clues. You don't even need to attack.
• The 99 Essentials:
  • Pingers: Mirkwood Bats, Marionette Master, Disciple of the Vault (whenever an artifact hits the grave, opponent loses life).
  • Doublers: Mondrak, Glory Dominus, Anointed Procession (make 2 clues instead of 1).
  • Utility: Goblin Welder (swap a clue for a big artifact robot).

3. Temur Artifacts (The "Zoomer" Combo)

• Commanders: Lucas, the Sharpshooter + Max, the Daredevil
• The Strategy: This is a high-speed, high-synergy artifact deck that plays differently than your standard Izzet artifact list.
  • Lucas (Bjorna) is a control piece in the command zone. He turns your trash (spare treasures, food, clues) into direct damage.
  • Max (Elmar) is the gas pedal. Her ability to untap a creature is the key. You can tap Lucas to shoot something, cast a second spell to trigger Max, untap Lucas, and shoot again.
• The Infinite Combo: With Freed from the Real or Pemmin's Aura attached to a mana dork that taps for Blue, you can generate infinite mana. Then, use Lucas to sacrifice infinite tokens to ping the entire table to death.
• The 99 Essentials:
  • Untappers: Seedborn Muse, Drumbellower, 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: While less popular, pairing Dustin with anyone gives you access to a Commander who taps for two mana.
  • In an Esper shell (with Will), you can build a heavy control deck that uses Dustin to power out massive artifacts like Portal to Phyrexia or Darksteel Forge way ahead of curve.
  • Dustin helps pay for the expensive activation costs of cards like Planar Bridge or Staff of Domination.

Financial Analysis: Secret Lair vs. Universes Within

• For Players: Buy the Universes Within versions. You can build the exact same deck for $10 instead of $180.
• For Collectors: The Secret Lair versions hold a premium because they are unique art pieces. If you love the show, the price tag is the cost of fandom.

The Upside Down (Land)

One special mention goes to the land card, Hawkins National Laboratory // The Upside Down. See our top picks above for detailed information.

Flavor Wins & Flops

Conclusion

The Stranger Things x Secret Lair drop remains one of the best executions of the "Universes Beyond" concept. By using the "Friends Forever" mechanic, Wizards captured the core theme of the show—strength in unity—while giving Commander players a highly customizable playground.

Whether you're assembling a budget version with Cecily and Othelm, or blinging out a full Hawkins crew, these cards offer a unique gameplay experience that stands the test of time.