Well if you haven't already seen them yet the latest spoilers for the next set of MtG trading cards are out and they have spoiled the first 16 of 54 and it looks like it may just be time to put some real money into that paper Pauper deck of yours!
Counterspell & Daze are two of the latest spoilers that will fit into just about every deck in Blue (the most overpowered color in the game but, don't get me started). These will probably start pre-selling for somewhere around $20 and then ramp up as we near the release when I predict they will slowly make their way back down to around $20. I don't see them selling for any less than that and they shouldn't be much more since the only people that play these cards, play them in Pauper (for the most part), and this format isn't known for terribly expensive cards.
Chain Lightning is the third Pauper Masterpiece and I really like the art on this one and the bad news for you penny-pinchers is that this little beauty is played in about as many Legacy Burn decks as it is in our Glorious format which means that those Legacy "OGs" who have to have the "mustard" and the "ketchup" on their decks will pay premium prices for these little guys.
Of course Dark Ritual is my personal favorite and I am totally stoked that this is going to get the Jay-Z treatment and get made all shiny and chrome. I have been day dreaming about building around this gem for a while. Imagine, Turn one; Swamp -> Dark Ritual -> Dark Ritual -> Cabal Ritual -> maybe a Golgari Longlegs or a Prowling Pangolin or something else equally frightening on Turn 1. Unfortuneately for me this card is played almost exclusively in Legacy and Vintage decks sooooooo, we'll just have to see what these guys do. I may try to lock a set down as soon as pre-orders on the bigger sites open if they're not too astronomical.
Well thats it for now until the next set of Masterpiece Pauper spoilers. Overall I think this set looks pretty good so far. It's going to be hard to follow Modern Masters 2017 though, lets see just how far the power level creeps this go 'round. All I'm hoping for is some VSOP grade removal. Until next time, my friends, keep tapping.