Starting with Kaladesh, opening boosters will be a lot more exciting.
Announced in Mark Rosewater's column today, the Masterpiece Series is coming to Magic this September. The series is a continuation of the Zendikar Expeditions where premium versions of certain cards will be appearing in booster packs (at a rate of about 1 in 144 packs). These special editions will be tied thematically to the current Plane and will have a unique frame and expansion symbol. Both sets in a block will have cards from the same Masterpiece Series (they will have the same frame and expansion symbol) but different cards will appear in different sets. These sets will typically contain 50 cards and will normally contain cards not available in the block. One exception will be a potential cycle of cards from the current set, similar to how the rare cycle of lands from Battle for Zendikar were given the Expedition treatment. These cards will only be legal in formats for which their non-premium version is also legal.
Using Kaladesh as an example, the Series will be known as Kaladesh Inventions. Kaladesh will contain 30 cards in the series while Aether Revolt will contain 24. As shown in the article, Kaladesh Inventions include
The remainder of the Kaladesh Inventions will be spoiled later today.
Rosewater provides a complete outline of the Masterpiece Series in his article. Two of the goals are to continue to allow players to collect special editions of cards to help reflect their personal taste and to increase access to older cards. The latter element may help to allieviate issues pertaining to printing cards for Modern without having them pass through, and potentially warping, Standard.
The Masterpiece Series comes on the heels of an Announcement Day where several months of products were announced. Giving collectors something new to chase while also increasing the number of hard-to-find cards in circulation is a positive. At the same time it showcases the business side of the game.
What's your take on the Masterpiece Series? Will you be looking to use them in your Cube or Commander deck or trade them away for other cards you need?
Update:The remainder of the Kaladesh Inventions have been spoiled. We have provided the images below. Enjoy!
This post from Trick Jarrett showcases the premium treatment:
For those who are asking to see one of the Kaladesh Inventions reflect... #mtgkld #soshiny pic.twitter.com/koRAjT0Acx
— Trick @ Wizards (@TrickMTG) September 12, 2016