You are in the same boat I was in back in Spring 2015. At that time, Stern wasn't manufacturing any more MET premiums, just the pro. Nobody knew if they were going to make more, and finding a NIB premium was nearly impossible, with jacked up prices.

I bit the bullet & bought a NIB pro, then let Pinball Refinery pimp it out. Then 3 months later out of the blue, Stern started making premiums again. Go figure. Never regretted buying the pro either.

MET is one of Stern's best. They are still selling NIB pros on the website. The licence has to be easy to renew with the band. Then why not keep manufacturing them? Ask your distributor if he's heard anything about the licence or upcoming production.

The idea of waiting for a MET VE is beyond silly though. Might not ever happen, and no one can tell you what Stern will do next. There are still plenty of MET out in the wild you can purchase right now. No point in waiting.