As beautiful as they are illusive, masterpieces are redefining what we mean when we talk about “chase rares”. They won’t impact standard constructed events, but what does this effective new rarity mean for competitive-level limited events? And should we be more worried than excited now that they have been confirmed for every future standard set?

On the whole, the new ultra-rare “masterpiece” cards are great news for all Magic players. Highly valuable eternal-playable cards in a set will help to suppress the prices of standard cards, making the format more accessible to players that have previously been relegated to the kitchen table. And, more of those great eternal-playable cards in circulation means that there are more available to the people that want them (albeit in foil-only ultra-premium form).

But, it would be extremely short-sighted to not recognise the impact that these new cards will have on limited magic. When you open a masterpiece in a limited event, you haven’t just grabbed yourself a highly valuable addition to your collection, you’ve potentially netted an unbelievably powerful card for you deck for that event.

A new level of sealed and draft variance

For the most part, masterpieces are so rare that they won’t be a factor in the vast majority of limited games. But, they exist, and at any point you need to be aware that your opponent could randomly just suit up their 1/1 thopter with a Sword of Fire and Ice. It’s unlikely, but it’s possible. It might not happen to you, but it WILL happen to someone.

Firstly, there’s the surprise factor to deal with. Chances are, even if you have played a bunch of Kaladesh limited events a couple of months down the line, you won’t have much experience playing against a Sword of Fire and Ice in that format. It’s there, you’ve got to deal with it, and it’s going to feel like your opponent has just snuck in something insane from their modern collection.

Secondly, there is the raw power of some of these masterpieces to consider. By far and away, a handful of the masterpieces in Kaladesh are without reservation, the most powerful limited cards you could hope to open in a card pool. Masterpieces represent a rise in the ceiling of just how insane a sealed pool can be when someone gets incredibly lucky.

For example, Grand Prix London takes place a couple of weeks after Kaladesh launches. I will be going to that tournament to play 6-booster sealed, in a format with a power level that likely won’t be too different to that of other recent standard sets. In my pool for that tournament, there is an extremely slim chance that I could get a Sol Ring.

I’ll say that again just so you can take in how absurd that is. A SOL RING.

I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to play with Sol Ring in a cube draft before, but if you stick it on turn 1, that game can become very hard to lose. This is a card with no colour restrictions and no drawbacks that puts you so ludicrously far ahead of your opponent that they can often struggle to ever catch back up.

That could be a reality for me, you, or any other player on day 1 of a Grand Prix. No matter how small the odds are, that is a very big deal. Masterpieces will change what it means to have the best pool in the room, and without a doubt, they represent a whole new level of variance in limited tournaments.

Giving Magic more OOOOOOH moments

There is another impact that masterpieces can have on the game that I’d really like to talk about, and it’s one that we can all benefit from.

As a visual spectacle, there is one thing Magic lacks that the esports it contends with all have—big OOOOOOH moments. They’re your Pentakills in LoL, your 5-man Black Holes in DotA, and your 1v4 overtime clutches in Counter-Strike. Up until now, the closest equivalent broadcasted Magic has had is a timely topdeck.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a big game-swinging topdeck as much as the next guy (Bonfire anyone?), but audiences have always been hungry for something a little more substantial. Personally, I think that when it comes to watching limited Magic, the arrival of masterpieces could give us that. Whether it’s seeing something super powerful like a Mana Crypt opened at a Pro Tour draft, or watching something super rare and super powerful like a sword get dropped into play in a limited feature match, the crowd reaction will be instant.

It’s the perfect mixture of game-swinging play and over the top luck that sends Twitch.tv viewers into an absolute frenzy. It will be a feeling we can all relate to, it will get people talking, and I think it will help give us more of those OOOOOH moments that so many of us have hungered for for years.

Whatever the outcome, masterpieces mark a big change in Magic, and one that can bring new levels of excitement and luck to players at all levels of the game. May the odds forever be in your favour.

What do you think about the future of limited in a world where masterpieces are in every set? Are you excited? Scared? An uncomfortable mixture of the two? Let me know in the comments below!