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This weekend, February 8–9, Aetherdrift roars onto the scene with prereleases at your local game store. If you don’t want to be left in the dust, now’s the time to get up to speed on the new Limited format. In this article, I’ll highlight the top cards in the set and break down all 10 Limited archetypes. While I won’t be ranking every card comprehensively, my Tier List on 17Lands can serve as a reliable pit stop for deeper analysis.
Based on my initial impressions, these are the front-runners for best first picks in draft. Each of these cards can take over a game single-handedly, and the two artifacts offer the added benefit of keeping your options open.
Right now, my pick for the best uncommon is Gloryheath Lynx. A 2/3 lifelinker for two mana is already ahead of the pack, but its potential for card advantage adds extra horsepower to your game plan. Road Rage is premium removal, typically dealing three damage for just one mana. And Spikeshell Harrier can put your opponent on the back foot with a powerful tempo swing. These are rock-solid picks that slot into any deck.
Among commons, Lightning Strike looks like the top choice for first-pick consideration. It’s a Constructed-caliber, flexible removal spell that fits into any deck. Spin Out and Run Over also provide efficient ways to clear the track, capable of taking down bomb rares for just two or three mana. I’d be more than happy to start a draft with any of these.
Once you commit to an archetype in draft, prioritizing synergy becomes key. In Aetherdrift, all 10 color pairs are signposted by two gold uncommons that define their core theme. Notably, in this set, one of those two cards is always a Vehicle or a Mount, ensuring you always have a ride ready to roll.
Understanding your archetype will help you evaluate picks beyond raw power. Even if your draft goes off course, knowing which filler-level role players to prioritize can help salvage your deck. So for each color pair, I’ve selected two commons that gain value in that specific archetype—not necessarily the strongest commons overall, but the ones that clearly synergize with its strategy. So buckle up and join me on a crash course in Aetherdrift’s rules of the road.
The white-blue archetype in Aetherdrift thrives on amassing a board full of artifacts. While it can certainly race with Robots and Vehicles, its signpost cards suggest a more methodical, value-driven approach. Both Guidelight Pathmaker and Voyage Home accrue card advantage efficiently, as long as you can keep your deck’s artifact count high—a task made easier by the abundance of artifacts in the set. With the right support, this archetype can function as a well-oiled control deck, outlasting opponents rather than outpacing them.
At common, any artifact or artifact-synergy piece gains extra mileage in white-blue. Voyager Quickwelder, an artifact itself, keeps your board developing efficiently, while Gearseeker Serpent can hit the battlefield at a steep discount. Affinity for artifacts is one of the most powerful mechanics Magic has ever seen, and this archetype looks poised to put it to good use in Limited.
For the white-black archetype in Aetherdrift, speed isn’t just a metaphor—it’s a resource to manage and maximize. You’ll start at speed 1 with cards like Embalmed Ascendant and gain momentum whenever your opponent loses life on your turn. Keep the pedal down, and once you hit max speed, Embalmed Ascendant will steadily drain your opponent, ensuring you cross the finish line first. But white-black isn’t just about pure acceleration; it also has a grindier side. Dune Drifter’s reanimation ability keeps your battlefield stocked, letting you maintain speed and pressure over the long haul.
In this archetype, commons that interact with speed mechanics gain extra traction. Leonin Surveyor is an ideal early play, jump-starting the deck’s engine. Meanwhile, Engine Rat is a perfect reanimation target for Dune Drifter, delivering value in the mid-game before depleting your opponent’s life in the late game. Notably, its activation triggers speed increases even when attacking isn’t an option, giving you more ways to keep momentum on your side.
The red-white archetype in Aetherdrift is all about relentless aggression, supercharged by Vehicle and Mount synergies. Cloudspire Coordinator floods the battlefield with Pilots, ensuring your Vehicle fleet is always revved up. Meanwhile, Cloudspire Skycycle doles out +1/+1 counters, ensuring your squad stays ahead in the race. Once you get rolling, the goal is simple—keep the pressure on and never hit the brakes.
At common, cheap Vehicles like Spotcycle Scouter and Burner Rocket serve as the high-octane engines that power this strategy. To get the most out of them, you’ll need a steady supply of Pilots, making creature-heavy builds the way to go. When rounding out your deck, if you’re torn between a creature and a noncreature spell, lean toward the creature—Pilots are the fuel that keeps your deck firing on all cylinders.
Like red-white, green-white in Aetherdrift looks to ride its Vehicles and Mounts to victory—but with a sturdier, more balanced approach. This archetype plays defense better than its more aggressive red-white counterpart, making it more of a midrange deck that can shift gears as needed. Notably, it’s the only archetype with a Mount instead of a Vehicle as one of its signpost uncommons, but Lagorin, Soul of Alacria is a strong way to start your curve. Meanwhile Veteran Beastrider lets you dictate the pace of the game, excelling on both offense and defense.
At common, Brightfield Glider and Venomsac Lagac fit perfectly into this strategy, working in tandem with your gold uncommons. They provide ideal targets for Lagorin, Soul of Alacria’s ability while also going wide to maximize the impact of Veteran Beastrider. And just like red-white, ensuring you have enough creatures to crew and saddle is crucial—without them, your game plan could stall out.
The blue-black archetype in Aetherdrift shares white-blue’s affinity for artifacts, but instead of using them to outvalue opponents, it slowly drains them dry. This deck doesn’t need to win through combat alone, as its life-drain effects can also chip away at the opponent’s total. Haunt the Network, one of its gold signpost uncommons, exemplifies this approach, offering an inevitability-driven game plan you can build around.
Among commons, Pactdoll Terror shines brightest in blue-black, counting as an artifact to fuel Haunt the Network’s drain effect while adding additional drains when the Thopters enter the battlefield. Meanwhile, Nimble Thopterist helps expand your Thopter army, ensuring you can keep whittling away at your opponent’s life total.
The blue-red archetype in Aetherdrift thrives on discarding, using looting and cycling effects to filter through your deck while triggering various payoffs. Both of the gold signpost uncommons—Boosted Sloop and Broadside Barrage—fuel this strategy, letting you trigger various red and blue uncommon creatures that grow with every discard. However, most of the key rewards for this playstyle are concentrated at uncommon, with limited support at common.
Magmakin Artillerist is btrasically the only common that truly rewards the discard theme, pinging your opponent every time you loot or cycle. Meanwhile, cards with cycling—like Trip Up—gain extra value in blue-red, as they both smooth your draws and trigger discard-based effects. That said, with such a scarcity of common payoffs, drafting blue-red comes with some risk. You’ll want to stay flexible and be ready to pivot if the right pieces don’t fall into place.
The green-blue archetype in Aetherdrift is built around the all-new exhaust mechanic—powerful one-time abilities. Skyserpent Seeker exemplifies this, and you can use its ramp effect to fuel the mana-hungry exhaust abilities of other creatures. Interestingly, the two signpost gold uncommons curve into each other perfectly: by turn four, you can have six lands in play and six power on the battlefield, putting you well ahead of your opponent.
At common, creatures with exhaust abilities become even more valuable in green-blue. Skystreak Engineer and Hazard of the Dunes may have pricey activations, but this archetype is built to handle that. With access to both ramp and card draw, you’ll have plenty of fuel to burn.
Red-black decks in Aetherdrift are all about aggression and reaching max speed as quickly as possible. Gastal Thrillseeker is a standout card, effectively putting you at 2 speed as soon as it enters the battlefield. This allows you to potentially reap the max speed rewards by turn four. Apocalypse Runner, the other signpost gold uncommon, can help smaller creatures push past blockers, effectively increasing your speed the turn it comes down. Once you hit max speed, you'll gain several powerful upgrades, making it even harder for your opponent to keep up.
At common, low-cost creatures with evasion are essential for building up your speed. Wreckage Wickerfolk may not have a lot of power, but even a single point of damage is enough to increase your speed. Endrider Catalyzer, on the other hand, helps you jumpstart your engines early and provides a significant mana boost once you’ve hit max speed, giving you the tools to keep accelerating throughout the game.
In Aetherdrift, as in most Limited formats, black-green thrives on the graveyard. While Broodheart Engine feels a bit underwhelming at first glance, it can quickly fill your graveyard, setting up plays like returning a cycled Thundering Broodwagon as early as turn four. This type of recursion can support a strong board presence.
In the common slot, cards that help fill the graveyard or benefit from it stand out in black-green decks. Pothole Mole, for instance, can mill yourself, setting you up to deploy Chitin Gravestalker at a reduced cost well ahead of schedule. The ability to accelerate your plays with a stocked graveyard gives you a significant edge as the game progresses.
The red-green archetype in Aetherdrift shares similarities with blue-green, particularly in its use of the exhaust mechanic. The two signpost gold uncommons, Rocketeer Boostbuggy and Boom Scholar, exemplify this strategy, allowing you to burn everything in the tank for powerful upgrades to your creatures. Boom Scholar, in particular, can reduce the cost of exhaust abilities from other permanents, further accelerating your game plan.
At common, cards with exhaust abilities, like Stampeding Scurryfoot and Prowcatcher Specialist, gain significant value in red-green decks. Notably, Stampeding Scurryfoot is red’s sole common exhaust creature, whereas blue and green have multiple options. The 2/1 haste creature gives red-green a more aggressive edge, making the archetype lean closer to midrange rather than the ramp-heavy style of blue-green.
In Aetherdrift Limited, whether you're exploring artifact synergies, speeding down the aggro lanes, or leveraging the power of exhaust mechanics, there’s a thrilling array of archetypes on offer. By familiarizing yourself with the top cards and understanding the key interactions within each color pair, you’ll be well-prepared to navigate the twists and turns of this fast-paced format. For an even deeper dive, join me on the UltimateGuardLive Twitch channel on Thursday February 13, from 1–3 p.m. Central European Time, where I'll be drafting live and sharing insights from one of my first Aetherdrift drafts!
And to add some extra glamour, don't miss out on Ultimate Guard’s latest line of playmats and Sidewinder deck boxes, featuring officially licensed Magic: The Gathering artwork from Aetherdrift. Crafted for both speed and style, these products are built to keep your deck safe while you race through the game. With your cards well-protected, enjoy the ride—there's plenty of fuel for exciting matches ahead.
Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame, Member of Team CFBUltimateGuard
Frank Karsten has played in nearly 80 Pro Tours, which puts him in the top five most experienced players of all time. After getting inducted into the Pro Tour Hall of Fame in 2009, he finished his PhD in game theory and stochastic processes, then returned to the game of Magic. In the decade since, Frank found competitive success again, mostly with synergy-driven decks like Affinity or aggro cards like Embercleave. He also joined Wizards of the Coast's event coverage team. But he's perhaps best known for applying his mathematical background to Magic-related problems, ranging from mana base construction to metagame analysis."