MTG Aetherdrift: Key Card Spoilers and Updates

On your marks, get set, go! It’s time to start your engines because the first Standard-legal Magic: The Gathering set of 2025 is upon us, MTG Aetherdrift! Featuring a multi-planer ‘death race’, Magic: The Gathering Aetherdrift is unlike any Magic: The Gathering set we’ve ever seen before. Let’s take a closer look under the bonnet of this fascinating new entrant to the MTG multiverse and all the MTG Aetherdrift release news we know to date.

Overview of MTG Aetherdrift

The setting for MTG Aetherdrift is a massive ‘death race’ (think Mad Max, or even Star Wars podracing), set across the MTG multiverse, made possible by the Omenpaths, which are gateways between planes allowing anyone and anything to move between them, something only Planeswalkers could do in the past. Specifically the race – called The Ghirapur Grand Prix – takes place across three planes – Kaladesh (now renamed to Avishkar), the ancient-Egyptian-inspired Amonkhet, and the jungle world of Muraganda.

Each of the ten colour pairs has its own racing team, each from a different plane, some of which we haven’t seen before. Here’s the ten teams:

• Aether Rangers (Blue Green)
• The Guidelight Voyagers (Blue White)
• Cloudspire (Red White)
• Champions of Amonkhet (White Black)
• Speed Demons (Blue Black)
• Goblin Rocketeers (Red Green)
• Alacrian Quickbeats (Green White)
• Keelhaulers (Red Blue)
• Speedbrood (Green Black)
• Endriders (Red Black)

Popular characters from across the planes feature within the teams, including Planewalker Chandra Nalaar, who is after the grand prize – the Aetherspark. Primarily, she wants it for her partner Nissa, who lost her spark during the war with Phyrexia.

Release Date and Availability

While you could argue that Chandra’s desire to help Nissa is romantic, Aetherdrift is generally not about romance – none the less, it’s released on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2025! Prereleases are a week earlier, from 7 February.

But if you love what you see and can’t wait to get behind the wheel, you can pre-order now from retailers, including Magic Madhouse.

Card Spoilers and Key Reveals

There’s plenty of exciting runners and riders in the set, from drivers and pilots, to vehicles and the ultimate prize for the winner. With MTG Atherdrift spoilers already underway, let’s take a look at who and what is on the starting grid:

Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer

Daretti is all about big artifacts, with not only his power being equal to the most expensive artifact you have, but also his ability is a Trash for Treasure variant, allowing you to cheat a big artifact into play ‘reanimation’ style by sacrificing something cheaper. He’s going to be a very popular Commander choice.

Brightglass Gearhulk

One of a cycle of multi-coloured Gearhulks in the set, Brightglass Gearhulk is a 4/4 first striking trampler for four mana with a powerful tutoring ability to either use for value, or unlocking combo potential.

Earthrumbler

As one of the first vehicles revealed to us, Earthrumbler really sets the tone on what to expect from Aetherdrift. While just an uncommon, the Earthrumbler can be a 7/6 trampler with vigilance for just five mana, if you’re graveyard has creatures or artifacts to exile.

The Aetherspark

The ‘grand prize’ of the race, the Aetherspark is unlike anything we’ve seen before – an equipment Planeswalker! While very dependent on having a creature in play to function, the Aetherspark certainly has some power to it – time will tell on where its best home is.

Chandra, Spark Hunter

It’s Chandra on a motorbike! Chandra, Spark Hunter has a unique spin on the well-loved Planeswalker, this time focusing on vehicles and artifacts, given the theme of the set.

New Mechanics and Gameplay Features

As you’d imagine, vehicles are a huge theme of the set – they are all over the place! Mounts and Saddle also reappear, after debuting in Outlaws at Thunder Junction.

‘Start Your Engines!’ is one of the new abilities, which uses a new resource called ‘Speed’. Your speed starts at 1, and increases by 1 each of your turns that an opponent loses life, maxing out at 4 (called ‘max speed’). Once reaching ‘max speed’, a number of the cards in the set have very powerful abilities.

Exhaust is another ability appearing for the first time. It works much like ‘exert’ from the past, but where exert would give you an ability in exchange for the creature not untapping next turn, ‘exhaust’ grants an effect you can use just once in the game (i.e. exhausting that resource). Unlike ‘start your engines!’, it’s clever wordplay that could see play outside of a race setting.

Cycling – of course – also returns, helping smooth out your draws and filling the graveyard for graveyard synergies.

It’ll be fascinating to see how these new cards interact with existing decks. In Commander, there are already a plethora of cycling and vehicle decks that are going to have new toys to play with, while in Standard there are more mounts and saddle cards to play alongside those from Outlaws at Thunder Junction.

Design Highlights and Artwork

It’s fair to say this set is like nothing else in Magic: The Gathering, and a far departure from the traditional ‘high fantasy’ the game is rooted in. Some have even gone as far to say it’s more akin to an ‘Unset’ than a regular Standard release. Yes, we’ve dabbled in machines and energy in Kaladesh (in fact, the ancient Brother’s War of Magic’s early days had giant robots), and Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was a hugely popular futuric set, however this certainly feels like it’s taking things up a gear – perhaps because of the pun-tastic, almost parody nature of some of the cards.

For those collecting the set, the ‘headliner’ card series continues, this time with The Aetherspark appearing as a serialised card. There are also ‘first place’ treatments in the box topper packs, which replaces the regular card frame with one of bright golden yellow. There are also 10 cards that have the Japan Showcase treatment, and another 10 special guest cards with new art, including the much sought-after Chrome Mox.

On top of all that, there are borderless vehicles and legends, with ‘revved up’, ‘rude rider’ and ‘grafitti’ variants featuring some truly out-there artwork!

Regardless of style, this means there’s plenty there to collect, with lots of rare variants that players are going to want to get their hands on.

Tips for Collectors and Players

Pre-orders are available for MTG Aetherdrift now, and a great way to ensure you get the cards you want for Commander, Standard and beyond as close to launch as possible. For the cards that prove to be as good, or better, than expected, the prices can jump up pretty fast, so it’s good to order early if you know you’re onto a winner – especially those that become Commander staples or popular competitive cards.

Where to Buy MTG Aetherdrift

Sealed product and singles for MTG Aetherdrift are available to pre-order at competitive prices right now on Magic Madhouse – so don’t get left behind!