Eternal Masters Spoiler Thread
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Feb. 15, 2016, 11:26 a.m. by FAMOUSWATERMELON
Set Name: Eternal Masters
Number of Cards: 249
Release Date: June 10, 2016
Official Three Letter Code: EMA
MSRP: $9.99
Including:
It's worth noting that NOTHING ON THE RESERVED LIST WILL BE REPRINTED. So no ABUR duals and the like.
Additional Information:
Perhaps. - It would support Elf in Draft, and Elves are played in various formats.
Still seems a little less likely, but certainly not impossible.
February 17, 2016 11:26 a.m.
SpringingTiger says... #3
Given the fact that neither Modern Masters set had a cycle of rare dual lands, I don't expect Eternal Masters will either, and I certainly don't expect it to have cycle that sees a large amount of play in Modern, but virtually no play in Legacy or Vintage, such as the shock lands or filter lands. As for Waterveil Cavern, well, I sure hope not, because it's just going to end up in the sideboards of draft decks, like the Rootwater Depths cycle did in Tempest Remastered.
So, IMO, that leaves Windbrisk Heights, Wirewood Lodge, and Zoetic Cavern as the most likely possibilities for card #249, with the other possibility being Wind-Scarred Crag, it WotC wants that cycle as mana-fixing for draft.
February 17, 2016 12:02 p.m.
I'm actually quite fond of the Zoetic Cavern theory.
February 17, 2016 12:52 p.m.
aeonstoremyliver says... #6
This is one helluva hype train!!! I'm buying at least one box...lol.
Super excited to see FoW and WLand getting a reprint.
February 17, 2016 4:20 p.m.
I'm hoping to pick up two boxes at MSRP. Our LGS is really good about prices and they sold MM15 at MSRP so I'm super hyped! :)
February 17, 2016 4:58 p.m.
I'm going to be shocked if Show and Tell doesn't get a reprint here.
February 17, 2016 7:50 p.m.
Vortexflame says... #9
Could Ashnod's Altar finally see a reprint? What about Worship or Ensnaring Bridge?
February 17, 2016 10:11 p.m.
I would absolutely love an Ashnod's Altar reprint. I would buy like 30 Foils. I have it in almost every EDH deck. Finally getting a Foil would make me lose my mind.
I would love to see pretty much any card that sees any play at all that doesn't have a Foil available. Or even cards that only have a really old Promo Foil.
February 18, 2016 12:43 a.m.
Would anyone like to see the elder dragons reprinted with new art? It's kind of trivial (and not worth the $10 booster prices) but I would find it amusing.
February 18, 2016 1:01 a.m.
I'd rather they reprint Kaalia, Animar, Ghave, The Mimeoplasm, and Zedruu. The elder dragons are obsolete whereas the 2011 commanders remain fan favorites.
February 18, 2016 1:23 a.m.
Maybe Animar, Ghave, and Zedruu but Kaalia and Mimeoplasm have premium prints. Kaalia is expensive but Mimeoplasm is pretty cheap.
I like the Elder Dragons but where would they fit? Surely not as Mythics in the set, although they would surely deserve to be Mythics in a reprint. So far only Nicol Bolas has gotten a modern reprint. He is also the best of the Elder Dragons, and the only one alive in the storyline. Are any of the others really even competitive in any format? Bolas can do work but he is far from Tier 1.
Would Wizards waste time printing Commanders in a set like this? I feel it would be a better decision from their standpoint to release another Commander's Arsenal. I'm actually begging for another. It's iffy though considering the first was only printed because they didn't actually create a Commander set for 2012.
I believe it is extremely unlikely to see 2011, (or any), Commanders printed in a set like this. Best chances would be, "Commander's Arsenal 2", or maybe even a "From the Vault: Commanders". I expect we will see a "From the Vault: Demons" soon too.
February 18, 2016 2:44 a.m.
It's funny how quickly everyone forgets what happened with previous sets that were extremely reprint heavy. Sure there will be SOME good legacy staples, but if you look back at MM and MM2, they loaded the sets with rares that barely ever saw modern play, and many of them that did were still either extremely fringe playable or only saw sideboards.
The last several Commander products have not included any format staples that couldn't already be easily acquired.
Wizards was presented with 2 golden opportunities in BFZ block and ignored both. Scape shift would have fit perfectly with and aspect of the story (the roil constanyly changing the landscape), and if they were ever going to reprint Inquisition of Kozilek (aside from in a terrible precon), OTG was where it would have been.
It's time to face the facts. Wizards doesn't care one bit about how much money a format costs to get in to. They've never shown any concern for the prices of cards, and the fact that they make this sets with a tiny print run is further proof of that.
Am I excited for this set? Certainly. I think there is potential for some hard to get cards to become more available, but I'm prepared to dish out a substantial amount of money for it. I'm not trying to say it's not worth buying into, but if you think for a minute that it will be substantially easier to get into legacy, you're dead wrong. Until they ban the cards on the reserve list, it's going to be far too expensive for the average person to get into.
February 18, 2016 2:48 a.m.
TheManWithaPlan says... #18
I would like to further reinforce the point that acronix has made. It's true that some Legacy staples may become more available thus making them cheaper, however reserve list cards have already shot through the roof. Lion's Eye Diamond, Mox Diamond, ABUR duals and many more reserve list cards have spiked in price. Honestly Eternal Masters will not help anybody get into legacy, in fact just like Modern Masters and Modern Masters 2 Eternal Masters will only make Legacy a harder format to get into. Because of demand on many reserve list cards in Legacy it will only become more expensive.
Now I have a theory that in about a year reserve list cards will decline in price as demand drops as people realize that they can't afford ABUR duals, and other cards on the reserve list.
One reason I believe this is because in most Legacy decks 2/3 of the cost comes from the mana base, from Zendikar fetchlands and ABUR duals.
I also agree that a lot of rares and mythics in this set will be some random inexpensive stuff.
Anyway I'll add to the growing list of reprints wanted. I would like to see Sensei's Divining Top in this set. It would allow for decks in draft to be more consistent and run more colours. I would also like to see Hymn to Tourach. It would be the only good Mind Rot effect ever, and would look awesome in non foil Vault 20 art.
February 18, 2016 8:43 a.m.
EndStepTop says... #20
Please let me draft U/X countertop in sealed. OH BOY.
February 18, 2016 8:57 a.m.
TheManWithaPlan says... #21
Probably not. It would be toxic if there were a lot of overlapping CMCs, however if not the card just becomes terrible. It would only be a reprint to reduce costs. My answer is no, it will not be reprinted.
February 18, 2016 9 a.m.
The card becomes terrible in a format where mana costs are varied (ie. Draft)
And it becomes terrible when you cant reliably manipulate the top card of your library (ie. Draft).
Even if divining top and counterbalance were printed together it would be manageable if both were rare or one uncommon and one mythic etc. Especially as top would be a high pick for everyone in a draft, not just counterbalance players.
February 18, 2016 9:04 a.m.
I would expect each color to have one (or more) 'cheat a creature into play' ability.
Show and Tell
Oath of Druids / Tooth and Nail
Animate Dead / Necromancy
Through the Breach / Sneak Attack
Resurrection? / Reveillark... does 
have anything like this worth mentioning?
February 18, 2016 10:02 a.m.
Oh... and they need to take this opportunity to reprint Phyrexian Dreadnought.
:)
February 18, 2016 10:32 a.m.
mathimus55 says... #26
Rayenous that would be great except Phyrexian Dreadnought is on the RL
February 18, 2016 12:07 p.m.
The RL is a bunch of garbage. Maybe some cards deserve that treatment like Imperial Seal but I think most could come off.
Stuff like Sliver Queen and Phyrexian Dreadnought have no business being on a Reserved List.
Even the ABUR Duals are questionable to me. Only a couple are even excessively expensive. Most people can afford them, especially playing these high money formats like Legacy and Commander.
That's my opinion, RL is garbage. All is relative but there are cards that cost more than some cards on the RL. Why do those cards stay on the RL? They use the excuse that fans won't like their money cards dropping in value but what about the cases where value isn't that great?
February 18, 2016 1:09 p.m.
@ Rayenous: Probably Loyal Retainers would complete that cycle. It's arguably the single best white reanimator effect.
February 18, 2016 1:52 p.m.
That would be a good one... not sure how well the 'Legendary' clause would work in Draft, but it could be made to work.
February 18, 2016 2:02 p.m.
I'd rather they reprint for price drops than whether a card works in draft tbh. It'll be drafted for a few months, but the effect on the secondary market prices will be permanent.
February 18, 2016 2:14 p.m.
I'm hoping that since the set doesn't have a weekend GP like MM2, they'd do exactly that. Still, I'm doubtful because I don't think they'd want to overload the set with value.
February 18, 2016 2:20 p.m.
I would like to address some points that acronix and TheManWithaPlan have made.
Waffle Show
Apologies if none of my waffle makes sense, it made sense to me as I wrote it.
February 18, 2016 2:46 p.m.
NarejED For a moment, I thought you were talking about Devoted Retainer. Kamigawa still haunts me.
Also, I agree with the reprints-for-availability-over-drafting thing. From what I know, that's pretty much the reason why Serum Visions wasn't in MM2- scrying wasn't a mechanic in MM2.
February 18, 2016 2:53 p.m.
SpringingTiger says... #34
iAzire, the Reserved List is no longer about keeping old cards from losing their value. That's why it was created 20ish years ago, but the reason it's still around today is because WotC made a promise to the players at the time that they would never reprint those cards, and they don't want to go back on their word.
Also, I completely disagree with you on your third paragraph. The ABUR dual lands are excessively expensive, and most people cannot afford them (or choose not to spend that amount of money on a single card).
February 18, 2016 3:40 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #35
I believe Mana Crypt is not on the reserve list.
I could see Sinkhole showing up.
February 18, 2016 4:25 p.m.
EndStepTop says... #36
sinkhole in draft. Ooooohhhh boy, I'm all hot and bothered.
February 18, 2016 5:16 p.m.
SpringingTiger half of the ABUR Duals can be bought for less than $100 each. The others sit around $200, up to $300.
They are the best Land cards in Magic, no questions. For anyone that plays multiple formats where they are legal or plays any format competitively they are hands down the best investment one can make in Magic.
A reprint would not damage their price as they are an auto include in any 2+ color deck in the Eternal formats. Something like an Expeditions reprint wouldn't hurt their value.
Anybody considering to buy a box of EMA, they could easily buy an ABUR Dual they don't yet own, (one of the more expensive). It's not necessarily a bad choice either, I expect EMA will be a lot like MM2. The vast number of cards will be placeholders. Somebody else was talking about how they could count their relevant cards from MM2 on one hand.
The thing I worry about with a set like this is that most won't be relevant. A box could very easily give you little that you need.
In more realistic hopes, I REALLY want a NEW ART Counterspell. Just having good art foil Counterspell would be nice. It's not easy finding $40 foil Counterspell from 7th Edition for all of my decks.
As already mentioned, I don't expect a lot of great stuff out of the set but I wouldn't be against printing stuff like Counterspell. A lot of Commons and Uncommons that almost everyone uses with some beautiful new art.
Regardless of everything, I will be buying at least one box. I always buy at least one for each new set.
February 18, 2016 6:20 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #38
So, I'm a little late to the hype train but I'm really sad that there won't be some reserved list printings like City of Traitors. Sigh...
That being said, legacy is looking like the most stable format right now so mayhaps I'll invest a bit.
February 18, 2016 7:17 p.m.
WizardLogic says... #39
People at my LGS are actually highly concerned about this set, some players cashed in on cards like Flusterstorm and Mana Drain since they are afraid of losing the monetary value those cards hold should they be reprinted in this set. I honestly hate this line of thinking. Instead of trading those cards to players who wanted them, they sold them for cash.
As a commander player my heart sinks when I see cards being hoarded by collectors, a collector at my LGS is currently hoarding as many copies of Grove of the Burnwillows as he can get. He already has nearly an entire QuadRow filled with them, and refuses to trade them. It forces a spike in value and makes the card inaccessible to players who don't have deep wallets. It also makes a set like this potentially dangerous as collectors may look to corner the market on it in order to keep their card values high.
I actually wish WotC supplemented more reprints of cards, and that Eternal Masters is a product that they will continue to create, and just give collectors a giant middle finger.
Still won't stop me from being hyped about it and trying to draft it as much as possible, and probably buy a box or two when I get an opportunity if the price is stable! Cannot wait for the spoilers, come on Sylvan Library, Damnation, and Sensei's Divining Top!
February 18, 2016 7:39 p.m.
To be honest I am not at all excited about this set, but Loyal Retainers is an amazing card for "kitchen table" legacy or Commander in general. Reviving an Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite you pitched off a Faithless Looting would be fun in any format. I wouldn't buy packs for it unless it showed up at uncommon though. if Loyal Retainers were rare or higher I would just trade for it.
With all this said it's time to re-brew some sort of 
reanimation deck! : D
February 18, 2016 7:42 p.m.
I'd give my left nut for a reprint of Gaea's Cradle even though it's on the reserve list.
I both admire and am irritated that wizards is still respecting the RL. It's way too easy in this day and age for companies to go back on earlier promises for the cash grab. The fact that they've shied away from this for 20 years is admirable. At the same time, I'd gladly let them grab my cash over some of those RL cards.
And yes, I'm aware that reprints tend not to lower prices by that much because they also spike demand, but at least I'd have a chance of getting one of these bombs from a pack.
February 18, 2016 9:18 p.m.
Meno to self: NEVER check mtgirem's trade binder ...
:-D
February 18, 2016 9:23 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #44
I feel like they could cut back on some of the reserve list in the intrest of sustining a format.
For example the original duals, you cant can't really have a legacy format without them and only so many were printed so it stands to reason that supply will eventually (many, MANY, years from now) run dry and then you don't have the ability to support the format anymore.
Specialty stuff like Sliver Queen I would think is fine to leave on the list since there wouldn't be much reason for it but staples of the format shoud be available.
February 18, 2016 9:43 p.m.
So there was an interesting exchange on MaRo's blog yesterday about Snow-Duals. I'm not sure what to make of it. Your thoughts?
//
diestodoomblade asked:
Do snow covered dual lands violate the reserved list?
In spirit, yes.
silenceuk asked:
Is breaking the reserved list "in spirit " going to far or acceptable ?
Staying true to the Reserved List is not completely undermining it but technically not breaking any promise.
February 18, 2016 10 p.m.
There are not going to be any Snow-Duals, nor are there going to be legendary Duals, nor are there going to be Legendary Snow-Duals. WotC is not going to print them b/c they violate the spirit of the Reserved List, as MaRo said earlier. That, and Sam Stoddard said in a recent Latest Developments that dual lands with basic land types are unlikely to appear in Standard, so your only hope is in a supplemental product. And these types of lands are unlikely to be printed there b/c of speculators.
February 18, 2016 10:28 p.m.
I'm sure he's just trolling, but I would love a snow covered dual anything
February 18, 2016 10:30 p.m.
SpringingTiger says... #50
DarkLaw, I was able to track down MaRo's two articles on the subject of bad cards, and here they are.
lemmingllama says... #1
@Rayenous It could also be Wirewood Lodge if Elf Tribal is a draft archetype.
February 17, 2016 11:17 a.m.