Aetherdrift’s obvious departure from Magic the Gathering‘s usual tone opens up new possibilities in an underrated mechanic and expands Amonkhet’s pantheon, all while being an absolute candy store for artifact enjoyers.
But what exactly sets Magic’s latest expansion apart from its predecessors? What innovative mechanics and design choices have been implemented, and how do they impact gameplay?
Read our full Magic the Gathering Aetherdrift review below to learn more.
Magic the Gathering Aetherdrift review
Magic the Gathering Aetherdrift (DFT) takes us to the Ghirapur Grand Prix, a turbocharged circuit across the planes where Spark Hunter Chandra Nalaar and other powerful racers burn rubber to stake their claim on the all-coveted Aetherspark, a prized artifact containing a Planeswalker’s spark.
Here you have elder demons, avatars, goblins, and space wizards all fighting in a Mad Max-esque race on a multiversal racetrack for a powerful Planeswalker artifact – a storyline that goes completely off-road from anything in Magic’s storied 32-year run.
However, once you get past its thematic whiplash, Aetherdrift’s real worth shines through.
Aetherdrift shifts gears on 2025 product rollout
The entire expansion set offers a Play Booster box (now containing 30 packs instead of 36), a Collector’s Booster box, two Bundle variants, a rarer “Finish Line” Bundle, the Pre-release box, a box topper with two gold foils, and – perhaps most notably – only two Commander precons.
Theming and product fatigue were the main reasons for the change (all sets released in 2024 came with four Commander decks).
Principal Game Designer Gavin Verhey elaborated on the move in a YouTube video, saying that “by doing fewer [precons], it means players get more time to evaluate the decks and cards, and also give themes more time to breathe, while also going through the design space slower.”
Pedal to the metal
Cracking an Aetherdrift booster pack will likely land you a powerful ride, insanely strong dinos, the set’s best artifacts, or all three if you’re lucky.
Aetherdrift introduces powerful mana sources like Radiant Lotus and Muraganda Raceway. However, the rarest and most sought-after card is undoubtedly the circuit’s Aetherspark Trophy, an artifact equipment that also functions as a Planeswalker (yes, you read that correctly). It gains loyalty counters equal to the damage dealt by the creature equipped with it.
DFT also features gorgeous art, including themed reprints, the sleekest artifact tokens I’ve ever seen, and chaotic full-art lands showing off each leg of the Ghirapur Grand Prix. Let’s not forget that if a race needs anything, it’s cool cars.
Aetherdrift’s main attractions are its Vehicles and Mounts. That said, not having the right creature to Crew/Saddle said ride can slow your game to a crawl, which can be brutal in Commander’s high-speed format. Aetherdrift solves this with new workarounds like Alacrian Armory and Guidelight Matrix to speed things along, all in service of MTG’s newest mechanic: “Start your engines!”
Playing a card with “Start your engines!” puts you at a leisurely 1 Speed. Damaging opponents on your turn increases it. But once you reach 4 Speed, you activate Max Speed cards across your entire board for game-changing effects like milling opponents for 2 every time you draw or paying 1 mana to copy Artifact spells you cast.
Tribal enjoyers will also get a kick out of Aetherdrift’s “Eternal Might” Commander precon, whose sheer value in reprints (Zombie Master, Scarab God, Rot Hulk) threatens Wilhelt’s position as the quintessential Zombie deck. I mainly pilot a Varina deck, so adding Eternal Might’s Lieutenant “Hashaton, Scarab’s Fist” in my 99 to let me cheat discarded creature cards into the battlefield was a no-brainer.
The main things that stood out to me were Aetherdrift’s hard-to-find chase cards (Aetherspark, Radiant Lotus, Mendicant Core, Guidelight) and the absurd CMC value on the set’s new big bois (three mana for a 5/4?!). Though, the longer I played with DFT’s shiny new set, the more scratch marks I found on the paint.
Loses some steam outside a vacuum
The biggest dent for me was the ironically slow “Speed” mechanic. Start your engines! looked exciting at first before I read the “only on your turn/once per turn” fine print. While this helped keep things at a reasonable pace, most of Aetherdrift’s Exhaust effects felt less impactful, ultimately making DFT feel watered down.
In Aetherdrift’s defense, WotC’s always had trouble balancing their Artifact-themed sets. In my mind, it’s always better to err on the side of caution (lest we slip back to the days of 2003 Mirrodin-dominated play), and the designers seemingly took extra care here. Innistrad Remastered was also a tough act to follow value-wise, so it’s best to take the new set as it is: a fun (yet controlled) joyride across Magic’s most memorable planes.
Hot Wheels hype cleanser that blazes past expectations
Despite the tonal rift from its usual narratives, Magic the Gathering Aetherdrift adds an amusingly competitive layer on top of MTG’s already stacked repertoire, feeling like a win if you love building around artifacts/vehicles.
Flavor-wise, the set feels exhilaratingly new, and lets players catch their breath before the next heavyweight release in April. Newcomers, on the other hand, may feel intimidated by the gameplay options, they’re easier than they look.
That said, most of Aetherdrift’s new Exhaust effects did feel plain, with the speed mechanic’s caveats (you can only gain 1 Speed, once per turn) denying me the high-octane kick I wanted. Sadly, dancing around power creep is no easy task. While Aetherdrift takes its creative liberties, it makes up for it with flashy combo pieces, new heavy hitters in Amonkhet’s pantheon, and a slick new mechanic you can bring to Friday Night Magic.
Even before Aetherdrift’s debut, its madcap pitch back in October 2024 made me hesitant to pick it up. But as I played with the boxes generously provided by Wizards of the Coast, I quickly found that I was right.
Aetherdrift doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it fun.
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