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MTG Aetherdrift cards focus on a few major things: vehicles, speed, and vehicles again. However, somehow, the best cards are a rather eclectic mix of creatures, spells, and even one planeswalker … kind of.
MTG Aetherdrift follows Chandra as she travels across planes in a daring and potentially dangerous race, so the new set has plenty of room to explore both new ideas and old ones from new angles. It introduces a brand-new creature type, but also explores the likes of Amonkhet for some fun flavor in booster packs.That means there's plenty to choose from in terms of the best MTG Aetherdrift cards.
Ketramose, the New Dawn
- A great graveyard hate card
- Has menace, lifelink, & indestructible
- Cheap, with consistent card draw
Okay, maybe I'm a little biased here as this is the first rare I got in my first Aetherdrift booster pack, but Ketramose, a 4/4 legendary creature for one generic, one white, and one black, is great. It has menace, lifelink, and indestructible, but can't attack or block unless there are seven or more cards in exile. However, the kicker is that when cards are put into exile from a graveyard, you draw a card and lose a life. This is a great graveyard hate card that comes with consistent card draw, gains back health with lifelink, and is cheap to cast too. As a Commander or just one of many cards in a deck, Ketramose means business.
Loot, the Pathfinder
- Dynamic value engine
- Has double strike, vigilance, & haste
- Three exhaust tap abilities
Loot is one of Magic: The Gathering's best 'little guys.' For one green, one blue, one red, and two generic, he is a legendary 2/4 with double strike, vigilance, and haste. This toughness puts him just out of bolt range and means he also doesn't go down to Cut Down. However, he also has three exhaust tap abilities, with one green giving three mana of any colour, one blue drawing three cards, and one red dealing three damage to any target. Exhaust means you can only do it once per game, but blinking Loot, turning it into soup with Agatha's Soul Cauldron, or recasting him solves this problem. He's a great and dynamic value engine.
Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied
- Always a threat each turn
- Intriguing odd/even counter mechanic
- Has reach, trample, & indestructible
God cards are powerful set pieces that you often have to play around in decks and Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied is no different. For one blue, one green, and three colorless mana, you get a 6/6 reach, trample, and indestructible creature that can't attack or block if it doesn't have an even amount of counters. Still, it gets a 1/1 counter at the beginning of your first main phase and draws two cards when it has an odd number of counters. This means it's a threat of some kind every single turn.
The Speed Demon
- A high risk, high reward card
- Draws cards & loses life equal to your speed
- Has flying & trample
The Speed Demon is black at its most black. A flying trample 5/5 demon that deals damage to you in exchange for card draw, it plays into the new engine mechanic and has tons of flavour. He costs two black and three colorless, draws x cards, and loses x life where x is speed at the start of your draw step. Unfortunately, at full speed of four, this card draw can wipe you out quickly but you've likely got enough firepower in your hand to end the game way before that.
Hashaton, Scarab’s Fist
- Copies creature cards you discard
- You can use this ability multiple times a turn
- Available in a Commander deck
Okay, we've already proselytized about how good Hashaton, Scarab's Fist is, but it bears repeating. For one black and one white, this is a 1/3 creature that gives you the ability to pay one blue and two colorless to copy creature cards you discard. This effectively gives you a reanimate on a stick and it's particularly good because you can do this ability multiple times a turn. It also comes in a Commander deck so you can guarantee one in your collection without having to crack packs.
The Aetherspark
- The first equipment planeswalker
- Features loyalty counter system
- Loyalty abilitie lets you build up steam quickly
The Aetherspark is the first equipment planeswalker in Magic: The Gathering, and almost deserves the nod for just how iconic it is alone. Unfortunately, being an artifact, it is particularly vulnerable to targeted removal. Nevertheless, if it can stay on board, it can turn a game around. For 4 colorless mana, it's a planeswalker that can attach to a creature, whilst adding a 1/1 counter, by adding a loyalty counter. However, it can't be attacked by creatures while equipped and even gets loyalty counters for the amount of damage attached creatures do. By taking away 5 loyalty counters, it draws two cards, and for minus 10 loyalty, it can add 10 of any one color. Within just a few turns, attached to the right creature, it can activate its ultimate quickly and ramp you above the competition.
Thunderous Velocipede
- A vehicle that enables the perfect green ramp
- Gives creatures & vehicles 1/1 counters
- Crews 3, & has trample
Thunderous Velocipede has basically everything you would want from a stompy vehicle green deck. Ramp up mana, curve out on vehicles, and get enough bodies on the field to fill those vehicles with dinosaurs, insects, and plants. For two green mana and one colorless, it's a vehicle that crews for three, has trample and base stats 5/5. This is pretty good in itself but also, it gives vehicles and creatures entering the field a 1/1 counter if they have a mana value four or less. If their mana value is more than three, they get three 1/1 counters. This anthemic effect is deadly in itself and makes crewing vehicles even easier.
Monument to Endurance
- Excellent value engine
- Draw, create Treasure, or cost opponents 3 life when you discard a card
- Can be especially strong if blinked
Aetherdrift has quite a few value engines and Monument to Endurance is a pretty great one at just three mana. Whenever you discard a card, you may either draw a card, create a Treasure token, or make each opponent lose three life. Each ability can only be chosen once each turn but pair it with the likes of Escape Protocol to blink it and you can activate abilities as much as you're able to. Though this heavily serves red aggro looting decks, it also works well with black discard decks like Hashaton. Pair it with the likes of Magmakin Artillerist or Marauding Mako (both also from this set) and you get an awful lot out of that three mana.
Still catching up on the previous set? Here's everything you need to know about MTG Innistrad Remastered, along with the best MTG Innistrad Remastered cards.
