Aetherdrift is Available for Trade
John Sherwood • February 7, 2025
(Avishkar Raceway | Art by Julian Kok Joon Wen)
Friendly greetings and welcome, race fans! The Cardsphere team is pleased to announce Aetherdrift (DFT) and Aetherdrift Commander (DRC) are available to trade! I'm John Sherwood, author of Tricks of the Trade, and I'll be your crew chief for an Aetherdrift time trial. There are over 750 cards under the Aetherdrift hood. This article should help you sort out your new Wants and Haves on Cardsphere.
Qualifiers
Fans of Mounts and Vehicles should give this set a look and update their Wants. Forty-one new Vehicles and thirteen new Mounts are competing for slots in your decks, including Magic's first Possum: Brightfield Glider.
Leaving our novelty creature type draft common in the dust, Wizards of the Coast floored it with multiple borderless treatments. Each of the forty-one new Vehicles has a revved up version, with rides and riders cruising in style. I'm not sure how a mummy's chariot pulled by crocodiles is supposed to outrun a robot riding a rocket. Speed hypotheticals aside, the visuals on these cards make me want to at least stroll through pit row and get a closer look at the contenders.
Breaking up the stylish revved up scene with garish colors and grotesque expressions, the rude rider treatment is here to make a statement. Taking the Secret Lair approach to subtlety, these cards are at least conversation starters. Look for collector numbers 333 through 346 if you want to get your art critic friends talking.
The graffiti giant cards are taking the underground into the open, presenting Gods and Gearhulks through street art motifs. These eight cards collectively win my vote for Aetherdrift's best in show. These artists nailed it, and there's no way I could pick a favorite.
In a targeted appeal to the Commander fans in the stands, WotC commissioned sixteen portraits of legendary creatures. Although none of these borderless legends go to extremes, it looks like the artists were given plenty of latitude to interpret the characters. Shout out to Justine Jones' Far Fortune, End Boss for capturing death race vibes better than any other card in the set.
For collectors who just want a wide-angle view of the art from the modern frame cards, there are twenty extended art cards. Unfortunately, it seems none of this set's extended art cards reveal any notable details that weren't visible on the modern frame. If I overlooked something here, please point it out in the comments. Finding cool differences between the modern frame and extended art cards is one of my favorite things about preparing these articles.
Eyes on the Prize
Going the distance, going for speed, Aetherdrift features ten Special Guests. These Special Guest cards are all over the road, from a sleek reprint of Chrome Mox to a Bone Miser that looks like an undead version of a cartoon burger flipper named Bob.
Perpetual fan favorites, Japanese showcase cards make another appearance in Aetherdrift Collector Boosters. Just like Duskmourn and Foundations, these Japanese showcases are also available in fracture foil. Magic cards with Japanese illustrations are sure to move on Cardsphere, so keep an eye on those index prices if you're listing one.
Vying for supremacy on the Aetherdrift winner's podium, the new foil treatment for this set is winners' gold. Digitally rendered card images represent first place foils as flat yellow. Hopefully this official video gives you a better idea of how first place foils look in real life. They might be called first place foils, but they are doomed to stand in second. The grand prize for Aetherdrift collectors is the serialized, double rainbow foil version of The Aetherspark. The double rainbow foil is a jaw-dropper, and I don't even like foils.
The Scenic Route
The Aetherdrift story chased the checkered flag across multiple planes, and the scenery of those planes is rushing past our windows on the set's land cards. Driver's seat lands give an over-the-hood view of the race track itself. Meanwhile, the panoramas feature the gold first-place foil treatment. Aetherdrift also completes the Verge land cycle, and the borderless versions give intense views of landscapes interrupted by Omen Paths.
Not Everyone Is Here for the Race
The Aetherdrift product lineup includes two Commander preconstructed decks. If the main set is a death race, then the Commander decks aren't watching it. Thematically and mechanically, the common ground between Aetherdrift and its precons is limited to settings and characters. The Commander decks have neither Vehicles nor Mounts, and no racing themes. Regardless of the tonal differences, this is still an Aetherdrift product. It includes twenty new cards, and they're here for the party in the infield.
Final Lap
Cardsphere is the best community for buying and selling your Magic cards, and that's not limited to singles. The ability to sell sealed products is one of the perks of Cardsphere Premium membership, but any Cardsphere user can buy sealed product, including boosters, booster boxes, and preconstructed decks.
Prerelease events give Aetherdrift a green light this week, so these cards are about to hit the marketplace. Tell us your top pick for the set in the comments below, and the format you plan to play it in. Until next time: happy trading!
Aetherdrift - Borderless First Place Foil
Aetherdrift Commander - Extended Art
