The Masterpiece Series
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Sept. 12, 2016, 10:52 a.m. by ducttapedeckbox
In a nutshell, we're getting a version of Expeditions for every set. In this case, they're dubbed the Kaladesh Inventions, but are part of a larger Masterpiece Series.
They're at an even higher rarity than mythic rare, with an open rate of about 1 per 144 packs.
The Kaladesh block will have 54 of these bad boys, spread across Kaladesh and Aether Revolt. This number will vary, but stay around 50 for each block.
This series will be included in every block, with the "theme" tied to the block (i.e. all of the Kaladesh Inventions will be artifacts)
They will be almost all reprints, with the exception of a few - like how the BFZ lands were also expeditions
The reprints have to be conceivable on Kaladesh, so we won't be seeing Umezawa's Jitte in this set
They are legal in Limited and any constructed format that the cards are already legal in
Check out the full article here
So far we have four of these: meh, eh, ooh, and DAMN!
Discuss & post new spoilers!
APPLE01DOJ says... #2
Those Swords look so nice. What kind of price does every one expect?
September 13, 2016 5:39 p.m.
Pre order where I am for around $150 for fire and ice
September 13, 2016 5:45 p.m.
SCG has a list up, but I expect it to change dramatically. Crypt is currently the front runner at $199, same with Vault.... but I cant see Vault being worth more then Crypt, and I cant see this Crypt holding at $199....
Sol Ring is listing @ $150 ATM....
September 13, 2016 5:49 p.m. Edited.
00xtremeninja says... #6
I am tempted to pre-order the crypt at 200 and sell some stuff I don't need to balance it out and still keep my scalding tarn exp
September 13, 2016 8:34 p.m.
The expeditions settled at an average of $87.56 after almost a year, that's where I'd put the Masterpieces:
Just saying, the Gearhulks will be the next battle lands. Sorry in advance!
September 13, 2016 8:43 p.m.
00xtremeninja says... #8
Went and got crypt. I have a bunch of modern stuff in my binder that I am not using and will sell that off to pay for the purchase. I know the price will drop but that one will be the most sought after one.
I will try and trade for the red gear hulk one as those will be next to nothing after all is said and done
September 13, 2016 8:51 p.m.
Skalle_the_Reckless says... #9
Given that the second set of Amonkhet is titled Hour of Devastation, I have a feeling there's going to be an emphasis on board wipes for the Masterpiece series.
Damnation reprint, anyone?
September 13, 2016 10:55 p.m.
Just preordered Mana Crypt at $199.99
I figured why not, that is the same price a Foil version from Eternal Masters is going for. It will be beautiful in my deck.
September 14, 2016 1:34 a.m.
these are the only 2 cards i want but i hope these masterpiece reprints are so rare that its impossible to get
September 14, 2016 5:50 a.m.
iAzire I think $199 on the crypt is safe, I cant see it going anywhere but up.
September 14, 2016 6:32 a.m.
Are you any more or less likely to pull these in the prerelease sealed events? (Not the foil promo, the booster packs themselves)
I feel like I remember reading that you were more likely to pull expeditions at the bfz and ogw prereleases than anywhere else
September 14, 2016 9:42 a.m.
Wizards has never, and never will confirm that they pad the pre-release packs, and the first initial print runs with more copies, hence a higher open rate. But, I can confirm that IMHO, they do. I have historically seen much better pull rates from pre-release packs and boxes opened within the first few weeks of a set release.
September 14, 2016 9:46 a.m.
At my LGS 1/6 pre release boxes for both BFZ and OGW had an expedition. That is 1/36 packs. That is MUCH more frequent then the rate they tell you of 1/244. That being said, Wizards will NEVER, as xGhostx has already said, confirm this. But, everyone I meet seems to have similar experiences.
September 14, 2016 10:22 a.m.
EpicFreddi says... #16
We had a guy open two expeditions - one in his pre-pack and one in his single winning booster.
September 14, 2016 10:27 a.m.
00xtremeninja says... #17
Wish they would have done all of the swords. Maybe aether revolt will have those, staff of domination, etc.
September 14, 2016 11:31 a.m.
iAzire I love your casualness :). "I figured why not", yeah why not :D. Congrats on your purchase! I hope you'll see it in every opening hand from now on :)
September 14, 2016 2:46 p.m.
00xtremeninja says... #19
i was honestly shocked when i saw vault was sold out at 199 vs crypt not so much. happy i picked up a crypt because I can see it going well beyond that over time.
I just hope they got the foiling process right on these cards unlike the expeditions. some of the expeditions had wearing on the sides where it looked like it flaked off or was damaged. I will be interested to see how this copper effect comes out in real life.
September 14, 2016 3:24 p.m.
The idea of masterpieces is a good way of sliding reprints in without them feeling too obnoxious. That said, I think they should think long and hard about killing off mythic rare to make room for more masterpieces. Reprints do eventually need to depress prices and 1 in 144 is not going to affect prices at all.
September 14, 2016 6:50 p.m.
Skalle_the_Reckless, we'll probably see Damnation again on MM3 or the masterpieces for Hour of Devestation, not the set itself. Wizards has made it clear they won't bring back anymore eternal staples to Standard.
September 14, 2016 9:55 p.m.
Skalle_the_Reckless says... #22
Atony1400 I was thinking Damnation would show up in the Amonkhet Masterpiece series, not the block itself.
September 14, 2016 11 p.m.
It's possible, but there's been dozens of chances to reprint it in almost every block, but It's not here yet....
September 14, 2016 11:12 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #24
It is disappointing that the cards in the masterpiece series shall be so expensive, but the fact that WotC is making such a series is evidence that they realize that older cards are becoming expensive, which hinders entry into eternal formats, so this series, combined with Eternal Masters. is evidence that they are, indeed, still supporting eternal formats.
Atony1400, why would WotC not wish to reprint eternal staples in standard? What reason is there to not do so?
September 15, 2016 12:45 a.m.
Hey thanks smackjack!! I hope to see it in every opening hand. I hope the luck you are sending works!!
September 15, 2016 1:46 a.m.
Bobbbyyy They don't replace anything. They are included as an extra.
September 15, 2016 3:09 a.m.
EpicFreddi says... #29
iAzire that can't be true, otherwise people would just weigh them to find them.
September 15, 2016 3:15 a.m.
Technically they replace a Common slot. But you aren't losing anything. Replacing a Common isn't replacing anything imo.
Figured I should clarify before somebody tells me I'm wrong.
Edit: A little too late lol
September 15, 2016 3:16 a.m. Edited.
iAzire can you get a masterpiece and a foil in the same pack?
September 15, 2016 3:38 a.m.
EpicFreddi Actually, a pack with a foil card in it weighs ever so slightly more than a pack with no foil card in it. Not something you could pick up on a conventional set of scales, we are talking on the scale of >0.001grams difference. I might also hypothesise that this new foiling treatment might also make the card weigh more (they're using copper on the border instead of ink).
It's why you should NEVER buy individual packs online. Not to mention the weighing, but the box the pack was in is likely to have been mapped. You probably know this already, just making sure : )
September 15, 2016 3:43 a.m.
EpicFreddi says... #34
Guftders Even though the foil slightly weighs more, an additional cards weight would be definitely meisurable.
September 15, 2016 3:47 a.m.
Yeah, I forgot to mention you can pick up the additional weight with a set of scientific scales, just not conventional ones you'll find at home- there's loads of videos on youtube showing this.
September 15, 2016 5 a.m.
ChiefBell i think your maro bashing is a bit strong. from the article:
"Third, all of Zendikar Expeditions (with the exception of the Battle for Zendikar rare duals) were cards that players had wanted reprints of. We had already tried putting old, powerful reprints into Standard-legal sets, but the impact on Standard was problematic. Zendikar Expeditions got the reprints into booster packs of a Standard-legal set without creating this problem. It wasn't a total solution, but it was at least another step in helping alleviate it. It also allowed us to find a solution that our bread-and-butter sets could help with. Hmm, a way to address challenge #2."
and later:
"So when we stood back and analyzed what Zendikar Expeditions had done, we realized that it made Standard more accessible, it got players access to older cards, and it provided alternatives for deck building. It wasn't a total solution for every challenge, but it helped address all of them."
emphasis mine
maro does typically get excited about pretty much everything, but i think he spoke reasonably in this case. the masterpiece series will definitely help drive down the price of standard, and he says multiple times it's not a total solution for reprints, but they are trying to take steps to make formats accessible.
September 15, 2016 11:13 a.m.
Actually, I think that the frames and even artwork on these are hideous.
September 17, 2016 10:06 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #38
Isnt it crazy how taste is so subjective? I'm in the middle on these tbh. I love the new art, the semi-full art nature, the unique look of the copper boxes, and the flavor text shift from the old cards, but im not a pimper of decks.
September 17, 2016 10:19 a.m.
grumbledore says... #39
I generally like to get the earliest printing possible of a given card (I won't do alpha though; just beta lol). So my interest in these is mainly to just drive down the pricing on the older prints.
September 17, 2016 12:51 p.m.
Serendipitous_Hummingbird says... #40
I'm just thrilled that it will keep the prices of all the other cards down.
September 17, 2016 2:11 p.m.
Serendipitous_Hummingbird says... #41
that said if I have the opportunity to get my hands on a lotus petal...
September 17, 2016 2:13 p.m.
It will hopefully provide just enough supply so that the prices won't spike, but not enough to prevent rising prices.
September 17, 2016 2:22 p.m.
Serendipitous_Hummingbird says... #44
scrotality what pauper deck are you playing with lotus petal?
September 17, 2016 10:06 p.m.
September 18, 2016 11:14 a.m.
I just want to see what they look like in person, the metallic finish has me intrigued
September 18, 2016 12:59 p.m.
Atony1400 where do you submit the Invention cards at? Kaladesh Inventions won't let me do it.
September 18, 2016 8:42 p.m.
Zaueski, I believe we're putting them under Kaladesh for the time being.
September 19, 2016 6:54 a.m.
Sooo each of the three Swords feature the sword itself and a stand in their respective artworks- With regards to Sword of Fire and Ice, who can tell me where the stand end and begins?
September 19, 2016 9:18 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #50
From what I can tell, the stand ends at those curls.
xGhostx says... #1
Way to drag me back in Wizards.... I was enjoying my time away from Magic, then you had to go and do this....
I ordered a case of Kaladesh today....I'm not proud of myself...
September 13, 2016 3:35 p.m.