Aetherdrift’s Speed Mechanic Could Leave Magic: The Gathering Fans Disappointed!

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Summary

  • Six new sets in 2025 for Magic: The Gathering: 3 Universes Beyond and 3 Magic Universe expansions.
  • Aetherdrift introduces Start your engines! and Exhaust mechanics, including Speed and Max Speed abilities.
  • Despite interesting mechanics, Aetherdrift’s Start your engines! may not impact Standard and 20-life formats much.

2025 is going to see a grand total of six brand new sets for the game “Magic: The Gathering”. Out of these, three will be expansions based on the Magic Universe, and the other three will originate from Universes Beyond. Interestingly, all these sets are set to be Standard-legal for the first time in history. Originally, there was a seventh set planned for 2025, but that’s Innistrad Remastered, which is a compilation of some of the most beloved and iconic cards related to the Innistrad block in “MTG”, and it was already released earlier this January. The first Standard-legal set of the year is about to be unveiled shortly, and it promises to deliver an exhilarating TCG death race experience in the fantasy realm of Aetherdrift.

In contrast to most previous releases of “Magic: The Gathering”, Aetherdrift will feature a distinctive new theme, while preserving the familiar gameplay mechanics that players cherish. However, there are some additions to the game, namely two innovative mechanics named “Start your engines!” and “Exhaust”. While the former may appear exciting with its Speed stat, it might not receive much attention due to its limited use – possibly none at all. On the other hand, the “Exhaust” mechanic can be employed only once per game unless a card bearing this mechanism is blinked in and out of play.

How Magic: The Gathering’s New Aetherdrift Speed Mechanic Works

In essence, the issue with “Start your engines!” and “Speed” mechanism lies in their misleading speed connotation, as they operate rather gradually, contrary to their name and associated items. “Start your engines!” allows players to accumulate Speed, but only if at least one card with this feature is played. This Speed can reach a maximum of four, which triggers certain abilities from the Aetherdrift set in Magic: The Gathering. However, there are also Speed-related effects that don’t necessitate reaching Max Speed.

For example, the new card “The Speed Demon” was recently unveiled. At the end of their turn, players will draw and lose cards equal to their current speed. The number of cards (X) lost is equivalent to their speed. However, certain cards like Mendicant Core, Guidelight, only gain benefits when they reach maximum speed. In this case, Mendicant Core, Guidelight allows players to duplicate any artifact they cast for an additional mana of any color. But, this ability can only be utilized when maximum speed is achieved. The Speed mechanic presents an intriguing aspect, but some Magic: The Gathering game formats may not accommodate it well.

Aetherdrift’s Start your Engines! and Speed Mechanics Are Ironically Slow

In essence, the primary advantage of the “Start your engines!” card lies in its ability to grant additional speed with each turn, should an opponent lose life. This means that max speed could theoretically be achieved in three turns, assuming one turn is spent playing the card. When coupled with cards that thrive on speed, consistently causing an opponent to lose life for three consecutive turns can potentially secure a win or at least prevent a loss, making it a significant factor in formats like Magic: The Gathering’s Standard. In such cases, this could be considered overpowering.

20-life formats feature a design where if an opponent loses life three consecutive times, they’re probably close to defeat, especially when facing aggressive (aggro) or mid-range decks. Decks that can inflict damage over three turns might already be winning, so the advantage of reaching Max Speed would be negligible. This mechanic could potentially thrive in Magic: The Gathering’s Commander format, but it may not make a significant impact elsewhere, which is unfortunate for such thematically appealing mechanics.

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2025-02-04 01:39