MMT or Modern Material Theory argues that Fiat Currency Mage Guilds should no longer think in terms of collecting materials to fund spells, but instead that spells should be used to decrease inflationary pressure on materials.
...I can't tell if this was clever on my part, or rambly bs
He does have magic powers. Unfortunately, his powers are limited to what appear to be slight-of-hand tricks but are actually magic. If you pick a card, he'll always get it right. But by magic.