You need WZ edits if you want to compete with other v83 servers today. Everyone expects to see wz edits. It's not that hard to get them, just steal it from another server (yes, I'm being serious right now). Having qualms about stealing? Don't worry, the server you're taking from took it from another server before them!
I personally love wz edits I gets rid of the old boring feel to MS. I understand why alot of people don't like it though, if done wrong the whole server fails. I mean common, D-Chaos/BoredMS was awesome no?
WZ edits are fine but if you take them too far then people don't feel like they're playing maplestory anymore and some people just like private servers because it gives them a feeling of being a high level in maplestory which they for some reason cannot in GMS. That along with other reasons.
If the artists behind the edits are genuine artists and can accurately replicate the style of the game, sure, go ahead. It better add something to the experience though. New things are always cool, but they better fit in with the game. Of course, a patcher is in every way a requirement since otherwise you're distributing copyrighted content. Plus, as evidenced by this thread, nobody really likes downloading tons of files for no real reason.