What Is Aetherdrift?
Aetherdrift is the first Magic: The Gathering set of the year that isn’t a remaster. A set that has been received pretty negatively by Magic fans, as far as I can see online. Does it deserve the negativity? Probably not, why is there so much? Well the claims are that this Magic set is the “least Magic feeling Magic set.” And I actually don’t agree. It feels like a different setting, yes. But what’s wrong with trying too reach a wider audience? Trading card games are about creating what you like, and playing with your friends/community, so what if it’s a racing set that gets your friend too finally play Magic?
In Aetherdrift, the third set in the Dragonstorm Arc, fiery Planeswalker Chandra Nalaar takes on her most daring challenge yet: the Ghirapur Grand Prix, a high-speed, high-stakes interplanar race that pushes competitors to their limits. Racing across the perilous landscapes of Amonkhet, Avishkar, and Muraganda, Chandra faces fierce opposition from skilled racers hailing from across the Multiverse, each vying for the ultimate prize—the legendary Aetherspark. With danger at every turn and the competition more ruthless than ever, Chandra must rely on her skill, wits, and untamed pyromancy to claim victory in a race where only the strongest survive.
What Is Available?
Precons
Commander remains the most popular Magic: The Gathering format, and nearly every set now includes precon decks to jump-start gameplay or inspire new strategies. Aetherdrift takes a different approach, offering only two Commander decks: Eternal Might and Living Energy. What I like about these precons is, despite the set’s heavy racing theme, neither deck leans too heavily into vehicles.
Living Energy
A Temur (Green/Blue/Red) deck that thrives on Energy generation, Living Energy is all about fueling up and keeping the momentum going. With Saheeli, Radiant Creator at the helm, you’ll have a steady stream of artificers and artifact creatures, building up Energy to unleash devastating effects. This deck specializes in copying cards, ensuring a constant flow of threats and damage output every turn.
Eternal Might
An Esper (White/Blue/Black) Zombies deck with a discard-focused twist, Eternal Might turns the graveyard into a powerful resource. Led by Temmet, Naktamun’s Will, this deck rewards you for cycling through cards, strengthening your undead horde each turn. With the ability to buff your Zombies and swing wide, Eternal Might can overwhelm opponents with an ever-growing, unstoppable army.
Possible DIY Commanders
Just because Aetherdrift only has two precon Commander decks doesn’t mean you’re limited in your choices—this set features several strong legendary creatures that can serve as excellent build-around commanders. If you're looking to craft your own deck, here are six powerful options, each bringing a unique playstyle to the format.
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge (Izzet, Blue/Red)
My favorite card in the entire set—because, come on, he's a freakin’ Shark Pirate and that’s badass. Captain Howler is a 4-mana 3/3 with Ward (2), pay 2 life, and he turns discard into serious value. Whenever you discard a card, he buffs a creature and lets you draw a card when they attack, making him a perfect fit for decks that love looting, cycling, or rummaging. He pairs exceptionally well with Marauding Mako and Scrounging Skyray, both of which gain +1/+1 counters whenever you discard, meaning you can swing hard while refilling your hand.
Ketramose, The New Dawn (Orzhov - White/Black)
For players who love exile-based strategies, Ketramose is an absolute powerhouse. This 3-mana 4/4 with menace, lifelink, and indestructible can’t attack or block unless seven or more cards are in exile. However, once the engine gets going, every card you exile on your turn lets you draw a card and lose 1 life, turning exiling into card advantage. If you enjoy graveyard hate, flickering effects, or self-exiling mechanics, Ketramose offers a grindy, value-packed playstyle that thrives in longer games.
Mimoplasm, Revered One (Sultai - Black/Green/Blue)
A massive, flexible threat, Mimeoplasm, Revered One enters the battlefield for X + (1 each of black, green, and blue) and immediately exiles X cards from your graveyard. It then gains three +1/+1 counters for each exiled creature. To make things even more ridiculous, you can pay 2 mana to have it become a copy of one of those creatures, but with a 0/0 base that retains its own ability. This makes Mimeoplasm an insane combo enabler, capable of turning self-mill and discard into huge, game-breaking threats.
Loot, The Pathfinder (Temur - Green/Blue/Red)
Loot is quickly becoming a major face of Magic, and his Commander-worthy design reflects that. A 5-mana 2/4 with double strike, vigilance, and haste, Loot brings three powerful Exhaust abilities, letting you:
Generate three mana,
Draw three cards,
Deal three damage to any target.
With such cheap exhaust abilities, Loot excels in decks that bounce him in and out of play or copy activated abilities. Whether you’re leaning into spell-slinging, combat-focused buffs, or even storm strategies, Loot provides an incredibly versatile and explosive gameplay experience.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight (Azorius - White/Blue)
This one’s not my personal favorite mainly because artifact combos aren’y my style, but for artifact-heavy players, it’s a beast. A 2-mana X/3, where X equals the number of artifacts you control, Mendicant Core can quickly spiral out of control. It features Start Your Engines! and a Max Speed ability allowing you to pay 1 mana whenever you cast an artifact spell to copy it. If left unchecked, this commander can flood the board with duplicate artifacts, leading to an overwhelming swarm of tokens and value engines. Thankfully, it's not Green, because trample in this deck would be downright unfair.
Samut, the Driving Force (Naya - Red/Green/White)
If you’re a newer Commander player or prefer a straightforward, aggressive strategy, Samut is a great choice. A 6-mana 4/5 with first strike, vigilance, haste, and Start Your Engines!, Samut buffs all your creatures by +X/+0 and reduces the cost of noncreature spells by X, where X is your Speed. While Max Speed caps at 4, combining Samut with giant creatures and fliers can result in massive swings and powerful board control. This is an easy-to-pilot deck that rewards you for playing big, impactful creatures while also making your noncreature spells more efficient.
Each of these legendary creatures offers a unique and flavorful playstyle, from high-speed aggression to artifact swarms or graveyard-fueled monstrosities. Whether you prefer combo decks, aggressive beatdowns, or grindy control strategies, Aetherdrift has plenty of great DIY Commander options just waiting to be explored.
Play & Collector’s Boosters
Like every Magic: The Gathering set, Aetherdrift offers two types of booster packs: Play Boosters and Collector’s Boosters, each catering to different kinds of players and collectors. Aetherdrift marks a notable change in Play Booster Boxes, as it's the first set of the year to adopt the new 30-pack format (down from the traditional 36 packs). Each Play Booster is designed for both drafting and casual pack-opening, offering a balanced mix of commons, uncommons, rares, and a potential foil.
For those seeking the flashiest, most collectible versions of the set’s cards, Aetherdrift’s Collector’s Booster Box includes 12 packs, each loaded with foil cards, extended-art treatments, and exclusive variants. These packs provide a much higher chance of pulling rare alternate-art cards and serialized versions.
To top off each box, pun intended, every sealed booster box—whether Play or Collector’s—includes a special 2-card Box Topper pack. These exclusive bonus cards give players a chance to pull highly coveted "First Place" foil variants, which feature unique foil patterns and alternate artwork, making them standout collectibles in the set.
Final Thoughts
I think Aetherdrift gets way more criticism than it deserves. This set brings exciting mechanics, dynamic gameplay, and some truly fantastic commanders to the table. The blend of energy-based strategies, exile synergies, and high-speed action makes for an engaging experience that feels fresh yet still deeply rooted in Magic’s core gameplay.
As I mentioned before, Captain Howler, Sea Scourge is hands down my favorite card in the set. A buff Shark Pirate leading a discard-and-draw strategy? That’s peak Magic creativity, and I can’t wait to build a deck around it. The potential for aggressive plays, synergistic combos, and big payoffs makes this set feel thrilling to play, whether you’re into Commander, Limited, or brewing new strategies for Constructed formats.
One thing I’ve noticed is that Aetherdrift seems to have a wider appeal, which some so-called “OG Magic fans” don’t seem to like. But honestly, TCGs thrive on community and accessibility. If Magic: The Gathering didn’t evolve and bring in new players, fresh mechanics, and unique themes, it wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has. Aetherdrift is a prime example of how the game continues to grow, offering something fun for both longtime players and newcomers alike.
At the end of the day, people should be able to enjoy what they enjoy. If a set introduces someone new to the game, expands creative deck-building options, or just provides a fun playing experience—that’s a win in my book. So, to anyone doubting Aetherdrift, I say this: give it a shot, experiment with its mechanics, and embrace the high-speed chaos.
Aetherdrift is available now online and at select game stores, and I suggest you pick it up for yourself.
