Top Trades: February 3-February 10

Happy Thursday, everyone! Another week, another Top Trades - the weekly column where we check in with the most popular cards here at Cardsphere from the previous week. So, what cards are folks the most eager to get there hands on? Let's take a look!

Honorable Mention - Momentum Breaker

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 8

For the first time in a while it seems that our honorable mention for the week isn't a card from last week's list. No, it looks like Aetherdrift is just too popular to let that happen, as we'll see with the rest of the week's cards. So instead, let's take a look at the brand new Momentum Breaker.

For , Momentum Breaker is an enchantment with a whole lot of text, so let's start with the newest part: Start you engines! This new mechanic from Aetherdrift is kicked off when you first play a card with it somewhere in the text box, at which point you will be assigned speed 1. Additionally, whenever an opponent loses life on each of your turns, your speed increases, up to Max Speed at speed 4 (the uptick ability triggers only once each turn). Now, back to Momentum Breaker.

Beyond carrying Start you engines!, Momentum Breaker also brings with it two abilities - one triggered, the other activated. When Momentum Breaker enters, each opponent sacrifices a creature or Vehicle. Those who can't do so discard a card. Secondly, you can pay and sacrifice Momentum Breaker. When you do, you gain life equal to your speed.

All in all, Momentum Breaker is a pretty solid edict effect stapled on to a late-game payoff for grindier builds, as it can take a little bit of work to get all that's possible out of Start you engines!, but once you do then gaining 4 life in tight games can really make a difference.

#5 - Up the Beanstalk

Number of Trades: 6 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Alrighty, on to our first card from the proper Top Trades list, one which is coincidentally the only card from a set other than Aetherdrift. Let's journey back to Wilds of Eldraine, source of the once multi-format all-star Up the Beanstalk.

For , Up the Beanstalk is an enchantment that draws you a card both when it enters and whenever you cast a spell with mana value five or greater.

At first glance, Up the Beanstalk is a decently fair Magic card. Two mana to draw a card now, plus later down the line when you cast something big (why not draw a card off of Colossal Dreadmaw?) is reasonable enough, but the real power arises when you pair it with many of Magic's pitch spells - cards which provide the option of circumventing their otherwise high mana costs in exchange for card disadvantage. Force of Will, Solitude, Fury - many of the best free spells in Magic history all conveniently have mana values of five or greater, and Up the Beanstalk changes them from incredibly powerful into incredibly broken. No card disadvantage and no mana cost? Yes please!

#4 - Magmakin Artillerist

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Now back to the main attraction, Aetherdrift! Kicking us off, Magmakin Artillerist.

For , Magmakin Artillerist is a 1/4 Elemental Pirate that is both an enabler and a payoff for one of Aetherdrift's premier mechanics: cycling. That's right, cycling (and cards that care about discarding) is back in full force! So, how does Magmakin Artillerist fit in? Well, in the payoff camp, it has "Whenever you discard one or more cards, this creature deals damage to each opponent." In the enabler camp, Magmakin Artillerist of course has cycling (with a cost of ), as well as dealing one damage to each opponent when it's cycled.

While it might not be the scariest payoff in the world, its comparably affordable mana cost and flexibility afforded by carrying cycling itself makes it a desirable card for decks both competitive and casual, from Standard to Commander.

#3 - Marauding Mako

Number of Trades: 7 --- Number of Cards Traded: 12

Next up on our list is - get this - another red card from Aetherdrift that cares a whole lot about cycling: Marauding Mako.

For , this 1/1 Shark Pirate with cycling has "Whenever you discard one or more cards, put that many +1/+1 counters on Marauding Mako." Cheap, flexible, and aggressive? Now that sounds like the pinnacle of a red card to me. It may not be Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, but this little guy sure is tearing up Standard, often alongside Magmakin Artillerist. Regardless of which one you cycle, as long as you have the other in play you'll get something good out of it, be it one damage or a +1/+1 counter.

#2 - Marketback Walker

Number of Trades: 8 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Moving beyond red, our penultimate pick for the week is Marketback Walker - a colorless, flexible artifact creature with card draw stapled on top.

For , Marketback Walker is a 0/0 Construct artifact creature which enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. Additionally, you can pay to put a +1/+1 counter on it, thanks to its activated ability. That's right, unlike the prior Walker - Hangarback Walker, that is - adding a counter to this creature doesn't require tapping it. On top of it all, when Marketback Walker dies, you draw a card for each counter on it.

Even at the bare minimum, paying for a 1/1 that draws a card isn't bad - not bad at all. The fact that it scales as the game goes on only adds to its potential, all coming together in one big, multipurpose creature. Cast it in long games as a mana sink and win condition, or use it in the early turns for a small combat role and to draw a card or two.

#1 - Monument to Endurance

Number of Trades: 9 --- Number of Cards Traded: 9

Speaking of drawing cards, here we are folks, our most traded card of the week, Monument to Endurance.

For , Monument to Endurance is an artifact with an ability that triggers whenever you discard a card, providing you with three options to choose from but with the restriction that you can't choose the same mode more than once per turn. So, what are they? Draw a card, creature a Treasure token, and each opponent loses three life.

Each of Monument to Endurance's abilities are certainly impressive, turning Aetherdrift's cycling into card advantage, mana filtration (or ramp if you chose to save your Treasures for another turn), and life loss. If Magmakin Artillerist's one damage per discard was enough, then three for the same mana value is absolutely worth considering. The only problem is, Monument to Endurance is just a payoff card - you can't discard it early on to its own cycling ability if you need to. So, where is this going to have the biggest home? Commander, where games go long and amassing value over the long term is both more valuable and more easily doable.

Wrap Up

That does it for this week, folks! Aetherdrift sure did start its engines roaring, dominating nearly all of this week's Top Trades. Check back in next week for another installment, and thanks for reading!