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Kaladesh Inventions is a thing and the question that is on a lot of player's mind is "Is this good or bad for Magic?"

This edition of the Magic Market Index will answer that question. 

Note: This is not replacing the normal Magic Market Index article this week.

If you have not heard, Kaladesh will have Battle for Zendikar style additional set of alternative art cards called Kaladesh Inventions. Battle for Zendikar Expeditions are no longer a unique thing in the multiverse and will be a part of Magic blocks moving forward in what is called the Masterpiece Series. These sets will be tailored to each block and may be different in terms of what is reprinted, what the theme is, how many are in the set, and other aspects.

There will be 54 cards in total with 30 in Kaladesh and 24 in Aether Revolt. The inventions in Kaladesh will contain the five Gearhulks and 25 reprints of cards ranging from Modern and Legacy all star Aether Vial to the Commander favorite Sol Ring. The full list is:

The Masterpiece Series is a way to reprint certain cards in a limited number with new art while achieving multiple goals. These reprints do not radically affect the prices of the older cards, while providing players who buy a pack or box of Kaladesh the opportunity to open a card worth more than the price of a box. Masterpiece Series allows for reprints of very powerful cards to be in a Standard set without warping the format, such as what Thoughtseize did. These reprints are a small way to help increase the number of cards in the market. The reprints also appeal to a section of Magic players who want to have foils in their decks or unique arts that your average Magic player will not have. These factors, when weighed against their negatives, are an overall positive for the Magic community and the market.

The announcement of Zenikar Expeditions at Pax West in 2015 created a stir, printing of cards at a higher rarity than mythic. When it was spoiled that the cards would be lands that many players had been asking for to be reprinted, there was a lot of excitement.  Mark Rosewater said that these cards would be slightly more common than foil mythics, but that was not a solid number. Some buyers decided to roll the dice and see how many expeditions they could pull.

Battle for Zendikar sold well in its pre-releases, with stories of people opening expeditions at higher rates than expected. This drove interest in Zendikar Expeditions up as some players thought that Wizards was overplaying how hard the cards were to open. Magic players ordered and opened several packs and boxes in hopes of opening Zendikar Expeditions. Many had hoped to open a lot of Expeditions, and most failed to do so. It soon became known that on average, there would be around one Expedition per every three or four boxes. However, customers were still opening Battle for Zendikar products for the expeditions, not for the contents of the set.  With all the amount of product for Battle for Zendikar being opened, the set took a serious hit in value. When few cards showed any promise of Standard competitive play, the set tanked in value and never really recovered.  The only reason to buy packs of Battle for Zendikar was for Limited or the hopes of opening an expensive expedition.

Unlike Battle for Zendikar, Kaladesh Inventions is not starting out fresh  Players are aware this time of exactly how rare the inventions are.  Players are unlikely to buy massive numbers of boxes of this set hoping to open these cards.  As well, the exact ratio was posted in that there will be one per 144 packs opened (1:144), or roughly one per every four boxes. This may not be completely accurate when it comes to practice, but it gives a definite number and is not likely to mislead people into cracking multiple boxes of Kaladesh in order to chase inventions. This knowledge will also help prevent the set from being devalued like Battle for Zendikar. Kaladesh appears, so far, to be a strong set like Shadows Over Innistrad. There are several interesting mechanics like Vehicles, energy, and exciting new cards like the Gearhulks and Smuggler's Copter. 

One big difference this time around is that most of the cards that were printed in the Inventions are not cards that are critically needed in other formats. The expeditions were reprints of desperately-needed lands, whereas almost all of the cards printed in Kaladesh Inventions are cards that have reasonable non-invention versions. Yes, Mana Crypt is expensive, but the recent Eternal Masters reprint lowered the price significantly. As Wizards claims, this version is for players who want more expensive foils for themselves. If you open one, you just got a great bonus with the option to trade it for other cards you need.   

If you look at Oath of the Gatewatch expeditions, almost none of the cards were high-demand reprints like the ones in Battle for Zendikar. (The once exception of Wasteland also got a meaningful reprint in Eternal Masters earlier this year.) Mass amounts of product were not bougth like Battle for Zendikar, and Oath of the Gatewatch is a solid set that sees a lot of play in Standard, Modern, and older formats. This is will most likely be the fate of Kaladesh and Kaladesh Inventions. 

The Kaldesh Inventions are not problem free. They will not be opened in great enough numbers to affect their demand, really only appeal to players looking to foil out their collection or deck. The card choices that matter the most are Aether Vial and Mana Crypt. Aether Vial is an expensive, widely-used competitive card, while Mana Crypt is the overall most expensive card in this set. Some of these cards are only worth a few dollars in their non-invention versions, leading to some sour feelings when a player opens one of these less-valuable inventions. The inclusion of inventions will no doubt lower the value of Kaladesh, a problem shared with Battle for Zendikar.

The last problem is the Masterpiece Series in general is a replacement for Modern and eternal format reprints. This has two direct effects. The first is most reprints will be coming from reprint sets like the Masters series. Sealed product such as Duel Decks and Commander Decks will not have product designed as reprints since those would be bought up by collectors and competitive players, leaving them unavailable to casual players. The other problem is that it's unlikely Legacy and Vintage cards will be reprinted into Modern since Wizards does not want to warp Standard with their presence.

However, there are several good points that help push these over all the negative points that the inventions have.  One of those reasons is that the art on these cards are nothing short of breathtaking. They are among some of the most beautiful art ever produced in Magic, just like the previous Zendikar Expeditions. They feel majestic, and most of them would look great in foiled-out decks or as the centerpiece of a collection. This is not something to be idly dismissed; a lot of the allure of Magic is the art, and many players fell in love with the art of the expeditions. The other point is that while the top end of the inventions are higher than the others, there is little filler in the 30.  Even the new gearhulks have playability outside of Standard, and will have more value then some of the expeditions. As said earlier, the set is a lot stronger than Battle for Zendikar and players will not go into Kaladesh ordering multiple boxes. The inventions are going to be what they are meant to be: a bonus to opening a box and not the main selling point of the set. The reprint issue is something beyond the scope of what Masterpiece Series is trying to do in lowering the price of cards needed for older formats. Hopefully Wizards of the Coast will address this issue in the Masters series and reprints cards in a way that pleases the players, both casual and competitive, and collectors.

Overall, Kaladesh Inventions and the subsequent Masterpiece Series is a great way to generate additional value in opening packs of Standard without warping the format. That does not mean that that are no issues with the Kaladesh Inventions, as there are several issues as explained earlier. However, the best way to combat those issues is to make the Masterpiece Series cards easier to obtain.  They should not be easy to get, but at the current rate, they are out of the reach of your average Magic player who may buy only a handful of packs. These cards should be opened at a rate closer to one in seventy two packs (1:72) or one per every two boxes. This would set them within a reasonable rate so that your average Magic player could pull one. Putting it at one per box would devalue them too much as well as taking away the allure. There needs to be some aspect of gambling without making some cards so much better or worse than the average, which is the other thing Wizards of the Coast needs to avoid. Putting cards in these sets that are in need of a reprint and see competitive play is a bad recipe. 

If Kaladesh Invnetions follows the predicted path of Oath of the Gatewatch, it will make a great set even better and not sink a weak set like it did with Battle for Zendikar. Kaladesh Inventions and the subsequent Masterpiece Series is a great addition to Magic and will only get better as all the issues are completely worked out and people let the bitter taste of Battle of Zendikar Expeditions leave their mouth.  That will take time, but this is no longer a simple gimmick and something that is here to stay and will make Magic even better. 

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