MTG Wiki
Advertisement
Aetherdrift
 
Commander decks
 
Card comparisons
 
 

Aetherdrift
Aetherdrift logo
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description A waving chequered flag
Design Mark Rosewater (lead)
Development Yoni Skolnik (lead)
Art direction Vic Ochoa
Release date February 14, 2025
Plane Amonkhet
Kaladesh
Themes and mechanics Vehicles
Expansion code DFT[1]
Development codename Tennis
Standard
Foundations Aetherdrift Tarkir: Dragonstorm
DFT expansion symbol

Expansion symbol

Aetherdrift is the 103rd Magic expansion and is expected to be released on February 14, 2025.[2] It is a multiplanar twist on the racing genre.[3][4]

Set details[ | ]

“  You're in the Driver's Seat  ”

The set was first teased during the 2023 Announcement Day panel at Gen Con where it was revealed that it would feature a Death Race across three planes.[2] Two of the featured planes will be planes from premier sets that have not been revisited since their debut. The third plane will be an existing location that has never been featured as a premier set before. Mark Rosewater calls it a "travelogue set".[5]

The death race idea had been in discussion for over a decade. It was the Omenpath idea (travel through multiple worlds) that finally helped it get made.[6] Some of its inspirations were Death Race 2000, Speed Racer, Wacky Races, and The Fast And The Furious.[7][8]

Storyline[ | ]

Aetherdrift key art

Key art of Chandra Nalaar doing the Akira Slide

Aetherdrift follows Chandra Nalaar as she competes in the Ghirapur Grand Prix, a death-defying interplanar circuit race across Kaladesh, Amonkhet and TBA.[9] The racers come from near and far, the competition is fierce and the stakes are high, as her objective is the incredible prize only given to the race's champion: the Aetherspark.[10]

The set is the third in the Dragonstorm Arc. The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Aetherdrift are: TBA

Magic Story[ | ]

Main article: Magic Story

Marketing[ | ]

Events[ | ]

Headliner[ | ]

The Headliner for this set is The Aetherspark, which also will show up in a Serialized version.[11]

Promos[ | ]

Tokens, emblems and markers[ | ]

Aetherdrift has TBA tokens, emblems, and markers.

Themes and mechanics[ | ]

Vehicles are a big feature in the set.[12]

Limited archetypes[ | ]

Aetherdrift features the following limited archetypes. Each color pair represents a team participating in the Ghirapur Grand Prix for the Aetherspark.[10][13] Among the teams are Goblins, Insects and Zombies. They are not all divided by creature type. The division is much more about mood and tone, with a number coming from a specific plane.[14]

  • {W}{U}:
  • {U}{B}:
  • {B}{R}:
  • {R}{G}:
  • {G}{W}:
  • {W}{B}:
  • {U}{R}:
  • {B}{G}:
  • {R}{W}:
  • {G}{U}:

Cycles[ | ]

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Cycle name {W}{U} {U}{B} {B}{R} {R}{G} {G}{W}
Allied-colored Gearhulks[15] Brightglass Gearhulk
Five mythic rare artifact creature constructs that continue the Gearhulk cycle in Kaladesh, since Kaladesh is one of the three planes in the race. Somewhat similar to the previous cycle, they have MMNN in their mana cost, two keyword abilities, and an Enters effect.

Double cycles[ | ]

Cycle name {W}{U} {U}{B} {B}{R} {R}{G} {G}{W} {W}{B} {U}{R} {B}{G} {R}{W} {G}{U}
Gold enabler signposts
Ten uncommon dual-colored cards, each a signpost for one of the draft archetypes. These are enablers, which support the playstyle of the archetype.[16]
Gold payoff signposts
Ten uncommon dual-colored cards, each a signpost for one of the draft archetypes. These are payoffs, which reward the playstyle of the archetype.[16]

Reprinted cards[ | ]

TBA

Preconstructed decks[ | ]

Aetherdrift features TBA Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.

Theme
deck name
Color Identity Commander
{W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
[[|]]

Gallery[ | ]

References[ | ]

  1. Wizards of the Coast (October 25, 2024). "2025 releases are going to take us on an exciting journey...". Twitter.
  2. a b Jess Lanzillo, Chris Kiritz, Athena Froehlich & Mark Rosewater (August 5, 2023). "Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Panel at GenCon – A Recap of MTG's Past, Present & Future (Video)". Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
  3. Mark Rosewater (August 6, 2023). "Is Tennis more Death Race 2000, Rat Race, or Wacky Races?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  4. a b Wizards of the Coast (April 22, 2024). "Announcing Cowboy Bebop Promo Cards". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. Mark Rosewater (January 17, 2024). "Would you say the Death Race Set is a Backdrop Set, an Event Set or neither?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  6. Mark Rosewater (August 6, 2023). "One set I'd like to single out is the Death Race set (Tennis).". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  7. Mark Rosewater (September 29, 2023). "Would you say Death Race is going to be more like Speed Racer, Wacky Races, or Fast And The Furious?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  8. Mark Rosewater (December 2, 2023). "Did you mean that as a reference to the 1975 movie "Death Race 2000"?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  9. Magic: The Gathering (October 25, 2024). "The three planes that were chosen for MTGAetherdrift are meant to ground our players in established Magic planes while fostering a desire to explore the endless worlds we have at our disposal.". Twitter.
  10. a b Magic: The Gathering (October 25, 2024). "The real stars of the show are the racers you support.". Twitter.
  11. Magic: The Gathering (October 25, 2024). "Headliners are slated to appear in future sets as well.". Twitter.
  12. Magic: The Gathering (October 25, 2024). "Surprising no one, vehicles are a big feature in the set.". Twitter.
  13. The Foundations of Magic's Next Era. magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast (October 25, 2024).
  14. Mark Rosewater (October 28, 2024). "What made you decide to lean into typal for teams when the teams are also defined by 2 color combinations?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  15. Wizards of the Coast (October 25, 2024). "Two-color Gearhulks? Yes please.". Twitter.
  16. a b Mark Rosewater (March 4, 2024). "Nuts & Bolts #16: Play Boosters". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links[ | ]

Advertisement