Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair Revealed

Josh Nelson • August 13, 2024

News
The art for Astarion's Thirst, a card notably absent from the Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop. Illustrated by Winona Nelson.

Hot on the heels of another Dungeons & Dragons-themed Secret Lair drop reveal, Wizards of the Coast has revealed another D&D drop! This one, called Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst, contains five cards sure to be sought after by Aristocrats-archetype players, Vampire lovers, and fans of the video game Baldur's Gate 3.

Astarion's Thirst, while notably missing Astarion's Thirst, nevertheless has five cards that showcase the insatiable blood cravings of the vampire Astarion, one of the main character's potential adventuring companions in Baldur's Gate 3. Astarion, quite often, is portrayed as a rakish hedonist who emphasizes the "lust" in the term "bloodlust". This Secret Lair drop does not disappoint in that respect.

Astarionm the Decadent, a card from the Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Astarion the Decadent, a card from the Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
First, shown above and as revealed by Wizards of the Coast earlier this month, we have the titular character Astarion, the Decadent. Originally printed in Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur's Gate, Astarion is a legendary creature that many Aristocrats players seem to overlook. This is in part due to the overprinting of the set mentioned above. Astarion, the Decadent a six-mana creature with power and toughness slightly below rate for the cost. However, despite this, Astarion is not a bad card in Aristocrats strategies due to its suite of abilities.

Get A (Removal) Suite!

Additionally, Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst contains two removal spells that also show Astarion's assets (as a competent party member):

Mortify, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Mortify, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Anguished Unmaking, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Anguished Unmaking, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
While Mortify, a card printed many times since its original printing in 2006's Guildpact set, has been largely obsoleted by stronger options, it is still a solid removal spell that is used in many preconstructed decklists made by Wizards of the Coast for their Commander decks. Anguished Unmaking, appropriately enough, is one of those cards that has outclassed Mortify a few magnitudes over. Both also feature new art in this Secret Lair drop.

An Indulgent Combo In Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst

Finally, in another move that many combo players will surely devour (pun intended), Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst contains two halves of an iconic and very powerful game-winning Aristocrats combo:

Exquisite Blood, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Exquisite Blood, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Sanguine Bond, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
Sanguine Bond, a card from the Astarion's Thirst Secret Lair drop.
According to its primary entry on Commander's Spellbook:

csb logo

For this truly indulgent combo, need we honestly say more?

According to Polygon, the site that broke the news of this drop's list, this drop, as well as the other Dungeons & Dragons drops, will hit the Secret Lair webstore on August 27th. This drop will have a price tag of $29.99 for nonfoil copies and $39.99 for foil copies. As Wizards of the Coast has now embraced a limited print run model for the Secret Lair initiative, anyone thirsty for this drop should opt to prepare themselves for long queues online and for a potential sellout of both iterations of the drop. This note is strictly based on past precedent.

Are you planning to get ahold of Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion's Thirst? Feel free to sound off below!

Josh Nelson

Josh Nelson

Josh Nelson wears many hats. They are a music journalist when not writing gaming news. Beyond this, they're a scholar of the Sweeney Todd urban legend, a fan of monster-taming RPGs, and a filthy Aristocrats player. Josh has been playing Magic since 2001 and attributes their tenure to nostalgia, effort, and "aesthetic".