So, based on the market system used last war and again this war, aether is virtually guaranteed to have the smallest starting vault each war. Last war, aether had the 4th cheapest auction and still started with the lowest vault. Now, they still managed to finish 3rd despite a not-so-great start, and I did win my last war with the lowest starting vault.
I'm sure this is some sort of an intended "handicap" for stronger elements. But it seems like the market price increases for aether were larger compared to other "strong" elements, including darkness who won last war. In fact, I think the market prices this war heavily favor darkness, but that is just my opinion.
It seems to me that if any element should have had the largest increase, it should have been darkness. Can someone provide any insight on this?