Dungeons & Dragons: First Beholder Secret Lair Drop Revealed

Josh Nelson • August 14, 2024

Dungeons & Dragons, one of the biggest tabletop role-playing games in the world, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. As such, Wizards of the Coast is commemorating this momentous occasion with five new drops for Magic: The Gathering's Secret Lair initiative. We have covered two of the drops revealed this week, but here's one more for you! Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I celebrates the 50th Anniversary of D&D by showcasing one of its fiercest monsters: the Beholder. Will it hold up? Let's take a look, shall we?

Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, a card from the Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I drop for Secret Lair.
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, a card from the Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I drop for Secret Lair.

The Contents of the Drop

Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I contains six reprinted cards. Those cards are as follows:

Each of the cards in this drop apart from Xanathar are reskinned as various Rays that a Beholder can inflict upon a hapless victim. These reskins are as such:

  • Bribery has been reskinned to "Beholder's Charm Ray"
  • Stifle has been reskinned to "Beholder's Sleep Ray"
  • Delay has become "Beholder's Slowing Ray"
  • Blood Money has been reskinned to "Beholder's Petrification Ray"
  • Finally, Drown in the Loch has become "Beholder's Fear Ray"

With some wild new art by a group of very talented Magic artists, this Secret Lair drop is sure to appeal to a wide variety of players. Let's look at some of the art on these cards!

Beholder's Charm Ray, a reskinned version of Bribery. Found in Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I, a new Secret Lair drop.
Beholder's Charm Ray, a reskinned version of Bribery. Found in Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I, a new Secret Lair drop.
Beholder's Sleep Ray, a reskinned version of Stifle. Found in Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Sleep Ray, a reskinned version of Stifle. Found in Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Slowing Ray, a reskinned version of Delay. Found in Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Slowing Ray, a reskinned version of Delay. Found in Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Petrification Ray, a reskinned version of Blood Money. Found in Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Petrification Ray, a reskinned version of Blood Money. Found in Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Fear Ray, a reskinned version of Drown in the Loch. Found in Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.
Beholder's Fear Ray, a reskinned version of Drown in the Loch. Found in Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I.

Will Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I Be Valuable?

At the time of writing, the contents of Death in the Eyes of the Beholder I aren't much to write home about value-wise. The drop fails to meet the price tag of $29.99 for nonfoil, $39.99 in its foil version. However, due to the D&D theming and the amazing art, paired with some individually powerful cards, don't necessarily let this discourage you.

Right now, the most expensive card on the drop list is Stifle, weighing in at about $14. After this, Bribery, a classic Commander staple for most any blue theft deck, is about $6.50 at time of writing. The other four cards are under $4 apiece. However, all of these cards seem to have a home in decks in the control archetype in various formats.

We wish to stress yet again that because the Secret Lair print model has changed from on-demand to limited print runs, we anticipate that this drop will likely sell out in short order thanks to past precedent.

Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I will launch with the other D&D drops on August 27th. You can find them then on the Secret Lair webstore. Are you excited for any of these drops? Sound off below!



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".