Secret Lair "20 Ways To Win" Decklist Fully Revealed

Josh Nelson • November 27, 2024

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On Wednesday November 27th, Secret Lair: 20 Ways To Win finished its reveal season with its full decklist. The deck contains 100 cards in a coherent Commander preconstructed style. Ten of the cards in this deck, including eight of the alternate win conditions of this deck, have a Rainbow Foil treatment. Wizards of the Coast Senior Game Designer Daniel Holt painstakingly developed this deck with his team. 20 Ways To Win acts as coherently as it can to provide adequately diverse victories. A little over a week ago, we covered the initial teasing of this deck.

However, interestingly, there may be a perceived issue with the list and what it offers to players. Spoiler alert: If you think this is actually a problem, prepare to be pleasantly surprised, and read on!

Go-Shintai of Life's Origin, the commander of the "20 Ways To Win" Secret Lair Commander deck.
Go-Shintai of Life's Origin, the commander of the "20 Ways To Win" Secret Lair Commander deck.

An Issue With Winning?

In the list, while the deck boasts 20 win conditions, the deck itself only has 18 alternate win conditions within it. This is not false advertising, however, as the deck also allows its pilot to win through combat or by milling their opponents out. While the cards in this deck that facilitate such win-cons don't explicitly state "you win the game", the implications are there.

Revel in Riches, one of the ten Rainbow Foil-treated cards in the 20 Ways To Win Secret Lair deck.
Revel in Riches, one of the ten Rainbow Foil-treated cards in the 20 Ways To Win Secret Lair deck.

Is This Secret Lair Worth It?

Looking past the idea that the deck could have included more alternate win conditions, 20 Ways To Win certainly seems worthy of purchase if you like the aesthetics of the mythological interpretation of the tanuki. Furthermore, this deck contains many noncreature enchantment cards that use the new framing paradigm. This means this deck is debuting a few aesthetically unique cards beyond the Rainbow Foil centerpiece cards.

Most cards in the deck are easily obtained at reasonable prices, let alone under its price tag of $149.99. The art in this deck, while very thematic to the idea presented by the deck, could also appeal to an APAC market.

Helix Pinnacle, one of the ten Rainbow Foil-treated cards in the 20 Ways To Win Secret Lair deck.
Helix Pinnacle, one of the ten Rainbow Foil-treated cards in the 20 Ways To Win Secret Lair deck.
Because players will likely be purchasing this deck for its art alone, the question arises as to whether it'll be worth the price and effort to purchase it. The deck, based on past precedent, is apt to sell out quickly on Wizards of the Coast's Secret Lair website. The queues for drops have been long lately, with players quickly growing discontented with the site's faults. However, if you want this deck and you think you have a good shot at winning the queue lottery, then go for it!

But let's hear from you. Are you planning to purchase this Secret Lair Commander deck when it releases on December 2nd at 9AM Pacific Time (12PM Eastern)? Have you purchased other decks from the Secret Lair website before? 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".