After centuries without the materials to create new etherium, the people of Esper were desperate to find the means to make more so the Noble Work could continue
They make you slow down to figure out whats going on with the card (kinda like they do to the gameplay, as well!)
You can build competitive decks in most formats without owning every card ever printed
Past performance does not guarantee future results
I wrote about what constitutes a Bracket 2 Commander the other week, and if theres one headline from that article, I believe that Bracket 2 works best when Commanders choose from mana advantage, card advantage, and win condition, and dont try and cram as many of them as possible into the zone
Between borderless mythics, showcase reprints, and special foiling techniques like Mana Foil and Fracture Foil, certain cards have quickly risen in value on the secondary market