I’d be lying if I said I was a racing fan. I am, however, a fan of the Big Weird, and an interplanar death race certainly scratches that itch. Who would be excited about Amonkhet gods colliding with Avishkar inventions smashing against primal Muragandan beasts - and let’s not forget about the shark pirates and demon cars!

Aetherdrift is a wonderfully chaotic mess, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for staring at the artwork of a bunch of DFT cards and throwing up their hands in confusion. Let’s start breaking the set down!

Mechanics and Themes

Vehicles and Mounts

You can’t have a high-speed death race without something to ride, so it should come as no surprise that DFT has an excessively extreme number of Vehicles and Mounts. Vehicles are artifacts that become a creature when you pay its Crew X cost by tapping any number of creatures with total power X or greater - and notably you can Crew at instant speed and use the Vehicle as a blocker). Mounts are creatures that can gain an attack bonus if you pay its Saddle X cost by tapping any number of creatures with total power X or greater - and notably you can only Saddle at sorcery speed.

Those are the basics. However you’ll find that DFT mixes up the formula in quite a number of ways. You’ll find cards like Alacrian Armory that provide alternate ways to Crew or Saddle, as well as creatures such as the Pilot token that make it easier to Crew or Saddle. Suffice it to say that Vehicles and Mounts are an enormous part of the set, and you should expect to see a bunch in your games.

Start your Engines! / Speed

“Start your engines!” is a new mechanic with an on-the-nose name that works as follows. The first time you play a card with “Start your engines!”, your Speed becomes 1. Your Speed will then increase whenever your opponent loses life during your turn - with the restriction that this Speed boost can only happen once each turn (note that this wording means you can reach Speed 2 the turn you start your race). The maximum Speed a player can achieve is 4. And once you do, you reach Max Speed and unlock the abilities of a whole host of cards.

All of this may seem complicated, but the mechanic really boils down to: play a card with “Start your engines!” and then do your best to hit your opponent three times. Some of the payoffs are okay: Streaking Oilgorger turns from an expensive threat into a creature with real racing potential due to its lifelink. On the other hand, Aether Syphon changes from a (too) slow card advantage engine into something that threatens an alternate win condition. Regardless of the effect, this mechanic does encourage aggression - or perhaps an alternate way of forcing your opponent to lose life - so keep that in mind if you decide to pick up these cards.

Exhaust

Exhaust is a new ability that reminds players that sometimes you only have one shot at the ring. Permanents with Exhaust allow you to pay the Exhaust cost (at instant speed!) to get a nice bonus - but can only once per game. This restriction is tracked on the permanent itself, so you can activate multiple Exhaust abilities across multiple cards. And if you somehow bounce or flicker a permanent whose Exhaust ability has been activated, you can Exhaust that permanent again.

Broadly speaking, there are two categories of Exhaust cards. Some, like Stampeding Scurryfoot, feel like expensive permanents whose cost can be paid for in installments. Others, like Greasewrench Goblin, have Exhaust abilities that are situational; you’ll want to wait for the right time to activate these. The varied options are what make Exhaust so interesting - and potentially very powerful in the hands of a discerning player.

Cycling

CYCLING get it?? Pun appreciation aside, Cycling is a well-appreciated mechanic that allows you to pay a card’s Cycling cost and discard it in order to draw a new card. Why would you want to do that? Perhaps you’re lacking mana to play Shefet Archfiend, and need to draw something that you can cast immediately. Or maybe you don’t have good targets for Trade the Helm and want to find something better. Either way, Cycling lets you build decks with expensive or situational cards and not have to worry about those cards being dead.

Archetypes

In DFT, each color pair has two signpost uncommons, with one of them being a Vehicle or Mount.

White/Blue: Artifact Affinity

There are super aggressive artifact affinity strategies (most familiar to people who played Modern a few years ago), and then there’s the White/Blue artifact affinity strategy in DFT, whose signpost uncommons have CMCs of 6 and 7. That’s not to say that they’re not powerful - Guidelight Pathmaker’s artifact tutoring effect (which can tutor the artifact right onto the battlefield) is very strong, and I suspect Voyage Home will most often be a three mana draw 3. But that is to say that this archetype takes some time to get going. Use Guidelight Optimizer to hurry the process along, and then creatures like Guidelight Synergist will close out the game very quickly.

White/Black: Max Speed Durdle

”Max Speed” and “Durdle” are two concepts that feel like they do not belong together, but read Embalmed Ascendant and you’ll understand. Sure, it’s neat that this creature gives you a 1/2 and a 2/2 for three mana, but those bodies feel tiny in this set of massive Vehicles and Mounts. However its Max Speed text is super powerful, giving you a painfully slow and painfully steady avenue to victory. Risen Necroregent is another excellent late-game Max Speed payoff, and if a key piece of your deck bites the dust? No problem; use Dune Drifter or Tune Up to get it right back.

Blue/Black: Annoying Artifacts

What’s the difference between Blue/Black artifacts and White/Blue artifacts in DFT? The latter relies on a mass of artifacts, whereas Blue/Black just needs Haunted Hellride to turn a small creature into one that can start worming its way in for some damage (and note that Haunted Hellride doesn’t need to attack for its text to come into play). Whittle the opponent down however you can, and they’ll end up in striking range of a Pactdoll Terror Trigger - or simply die to Haunt the Network. If all that fails and they still have a chunk of life, plop down a cheap Gearseeker Serpent and watch that life quickly fade away.

Blue/Red: Self-Discard

Blue/Red’s self-discard strategy requires both enablers and payoffs. You might think that Cycling (which counts as discarding a card) is a good enabler, but if all you do is spend your turns tapping mana to Cycle cards, you’ll quickly die to opponents who spend their turns playing creatures and Vehicles. What you really want are Blue/Red’s signpost uncommons: the amazingly named Boosted Sloop and Broadside Barrage, which staple a looting effect upon spells that you’d be happy to cast anyway. And for payoffs? Scrounging Skyray is a cheap flyer that can quickly grow out of control, while Magmakin Artillerist eschews combat in favor of simply pinging the opponent to death.

Black/Red: Max Speed Aggro

Play Gastal Thrilleseeker on turn 2, and you’ll immediately be halfway to Max Speed. Play Apocalypse Runner later, and you’ll be able to keep up the damage. There’s nothing subtle about what Black/Red wants to do in DFT - with the small caveat that it’s interesting that both of these signpost uncommons also gain you life; an acknowledgement that many games will turn into races (lol), perhaps. You’ll want to find a way to guarantee a build up of Speed - Dynamite Diver is a weirdly effective way to do that - while also buffing your attack - Grim Javelineer is an acceptable way to do so. Put these pieces together and you’ll speed through your opponent’s life total in short order.

Black/Green: Reanimation

Some might call the Black/Green archetype a graveyard strategy. But any card you put in there exists merely to be taken out again, so I think my description is more accurate. Broodheart Engine is the ideal enabler for this plan, giving you both a way to pitch things into your graveyard and to get them out again; and Thundering Broodwagon is the ideal payoff, as it not only is a powerful permanent with an amazing enters-the-battlefield effect, but it also throws itself into your graveyard. Pothole Mole and Back on Track provide extra enablers for this plan. It’s difficult to assemble this deck correctly, but if you do then it’ll feel like you’re cheating your way to victory.

Red/White: Vehicle Aggro

Tap your creatures and attack (with the small caveat that you may be tapping your creatures to crew Vehicles or saddle Mounts). That’s what Red/White typically does in other Limited formats, and that’s what it does in DFT. The exact method in which this aggression expresses itself does vary. Cloudspire Skycycle is an evasive Vehicle that also permanently buffs other creatures and Vehicles, likely allowing advantageous attacks the turn it comes down. Cloudspire Coordinator has the potential to substantially widen your board - and don’t discount the power of its Scry effect in helping you draw the cards you need. You’ll also want ways to push damage through, and that’s exactly what Reckless Velocitaur and Canyon Vaulter give you. The overall plan is simple and straightforward - but that doesn’t mean it won’t feel good to execute well.

Red/Green: Exhaust Aggro

Red/Green is another aggressive archetype, except this one puts itself over the top with Exhaust abilities. These abilities are often mana intensive, making Rocketeer Boostbuggy’s Treasure making capability and Boom Scholar’s ability to reduce Exhaust costs very welcome. Greenbelt Guardian is another nice Exhaust creature whose true value may come from its ability to give trample to any of your creatures. Adrenaline Jockey takes advantage of Exhaust in a different way, and its punisher ability is an effective way to deter your opponents from interfering with your attacks. And that’s really all you need if you want to turn your cards sideways and win the game.

Green/White: Buff Up

In a set full of pushed creatures and big Vehicles, a 1/1 with flying for 2 mana might not seem very impressive. However Lagorin, Soul of Alacria grows very quickly (note that it can put +1/+1 counters on itself), and it might just help other members of your team grow as well. Veteran Beastrider’s buffing capabilities are less permanent but far wider in effect; more importantly its static text that untaps your entire army means you’ll be ready for both attack and defense. Lightwheel Enhancements is another way to strengthen your forces; it looks innocuous, but reach Max Speed and your opponent will slump when you cast it again and again and again. And if you need to push a defender out of the way, Run Over is an excellent instant that may also be excessively cheap.

Green/Blue: Exhaust Value

Green/Blue’s version of the Exhaust deck is less about continually ensuring that your board presence is stronger than your opponent’s, and more about extending the game until the sheer quantity of your resources becomes unbeatable. This idea does not seem to mesh with Exhaust’s one-shot abilities, but Skyserpent Seeker is an excellent example: an early blocker that can also ramp you hard. Rangers’ Aetherhive’s Exhaust-based card draw is another way to gain the value you want to secure the endgame. Rangers’ Refueler and Elvish Refueler provide additional parts to the engine, giving you card draw and additional Exhaust activations. None of this will be fast to get going, but if you buy yourself time to get your deck humming along, then it will feel invincible in the late game.

Key Commons and Uncommons

White

Creatures and Vehicles

Cloudspire Captain: I mean, it’s a Mount and Vehicle lord in a Mount and Vehicle set.

Detention Chariot: The effect is expensive relative to its mana cost. But the flexibility of being able to attack or Cycle makes this Vehicle worth it.

Gloryheath Lynx: A 2/3 with lifelink for two mana is great; one with land searching capabilities is amazing. 

Non-Creatures

Collision Course: The first half of this spell is okay, but the second half is incredible in a set with so many artifacts.

Gallant Strike: Perfect for getting rid of big bodies that your creatures may not be able to deal with, and you can always Cycle it if you don’t need it.

Ride’s End: This sort of removal spell can be meh. But DFT seems like an aggressive set to me, and that means this is often simply a two mana exile instant.

Blue

Creatures and Vehicles

Caelorna, Coral Tyrant: Defensive creatures are usually not very good. But this one blocks big in a set full of big Vehicles, making this a two drop that will often neuter your opponent’s most dangerous threat.

Diversion Unit: This sad little robot is already pretty good as a 2/1 flying threat for two mana; its ability is delicious icing on a tragic cake.

Spikeshell Harrier: A bounce effect stapled to a creature is nice. But the true beauty of this turtle is that it can take your opponent off Max Speed - and that bounce effect helps ensure that they’ll never reach it again.

Non-Creatures

Bounce Off: Your opponents will be very sad if they Crew/Saddle a Vehicle/Mount, only for you to bounce it for the low cost of a single mana.

Howler’s Heavy: I’ve listed non-creature spells that produce creature tokens in the creature section before. This is the first time I’ve done the opposite, but Cycling this card can get you a 2-for-1 in combat, and that’s what I’ll usually be trying to do with this creature.

Roadside Blowout: Simply a great tempo spell.

Black

Creatures and Vehicles

Carrion Cruiser: This Vehicle does a bunch of things, but the most important is that it acts as a 2-for-1.

Engine Rat: It’s hard to guarantee that you’ll keep pace with your opponent’s threats, which is why a one mana creature with deathtouch is a nice security blanket.

Gastal Raider: I mean, you’ll probably hit something, right?

Non-Creatures

Grim Bauble: This cheap artifact is a great way to trip up an aggro deck that tries to blast its way out of the gate.

Hellish Sideswipe: Removal spells like this require a bit of careful deck construction and a bit of proper sequencing during a game. But if you do that you’ll find quite a bit of value from this one mana removal spell.

Spin Out: It’s Murder plus!

Red

Creatures and Vehicles

Burner Rocket: A weird little trick that lets you push damage through for Speed while also leaving a Vehicle behind.

Dracosaur Auxiliary: Flying, haste, the possibility of a little extra damage, awesome.

Spire Mechcycle: It doesn’t take much to turn this into a 6+ power creature with haste - all for only five mana.

Non-Creatures

Outpace Oblivion: Five damage for three mana is pretty nice, and maybe this gets you to Max Speed later.

Road Rage: One mana for two damage is okay. However the potential for this instant is so much more.

Skycrash: You’ll almost definitely have a target for this… and if you don’t, well, that’s what Cycling is for.

Green

Creatures and Vehicles

Autarch Mammoth: Wait, this does what?

Earthrumbler: The rate for this Vehicle is pretty good, and by the time you cast it you’ll probably be able to Crew it a couple of times for “free”.

Fang Guardian: A flash creature that’s also a combat trick is often a 2-for-1 beating.

Non-Creatures

Bestow Greatness: Don’t be surprised at how often this combat trick simply ends games.

Plow Through: A one mana fight spell is reasonable; one that also destroys Vehicles is awesome (in this set).

Rise from the Wreck: It’s good if you can get two things back, great if you can get three… and if you get four your LGS might just throw you a parade.

Other Cards to Know

Mana Fixing

The land slot in DFT may contain one of the ten lifegain dual lands:

There are a few colorless mana fixers as well:

And, as usual, Green has a few additional options, although these are… weirder than typical:

Creatures with Reach

Maybe it’s just me, but I find the art for these Reach creatures particularly unintuitive:

Summation

So what should you keep in mind when playing Aetherdrift?

• Some of you may remember Kaladesh and Aether Revolt and the incredible power of Vehicles in those Limited formats. The Vehicles in DFT are… not quite that powerful. You won’t have to worry about getting run over by a single runaway train.

• Do not confuse a Vehicle with a creature. If you do so - and lower your creature count below what’s recommended for a Limited deck - you may find yourself staring sadly at your board full of useless rusting hulks that have no one to Crew them.

• Instant speed interaction is excellent against Vehicles and Mounts, due to the added cost of tapping creatures to Crew or Saddle.

• Vehicles and Mounts both tend to play aggressively. Why? If you Crew a Vehicle on defense, you’re particularly vulnerable to the aforementioned instant speed interaction. And Mounts can literally only be Saddled on your turn.

• The two color themes in DFT feel like they overlap quite a bit, meaning there are good reasons to splash cards in any non-aggro deck.

Good luck!