If you’re looking for a Tune Up, look no further! I’ll be breaking down every Aetherdrift card to get you a head start with the new set! For those interested, J2SJosh is still in my basement, and he has been rewarded for good behavior! Keep up the good work, basement buddy!
5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)
3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)
Aetherjacket
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
The only time you will want to run this card is if you need creatures or flyers specifically. It can also be a sideboard worthy card if your opponent has some problematic artifacts.
The Aetherspark
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This is a unique planeswalker, that is really hard to kill, so long as you have creatures to attach it to. It’s fairly easy to pump up its loyalty to start drawing cards the following turns. It can only protect itself if you have creatures to attach it to, so be careful not to include too many vehicles.
Camera Launcher
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
The only spot for this is in a Dimir deck to help enable Haunt the Network, or Pactdoll Terror.
Guidelight Matrix
Rating: 0.0 // 5.0
This card does a whole lot of nothing.
Lifecraft Engine
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This card is a giant trap for the most part. Unless you happen to have a deck full of the same creature type, which is highly unlikely this set.
Marketback Walker
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is good in most decks, but you really want to cast it for X=3 or more. It typically trades and nets you a few cards.
Marshals’ Pathcruiser
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This card can be pretty powerful if you’re able to crew it easily. 6/5 by turn 4 is gigantic, and will typically merit a removal spell, leaving you up a land. It is on the slow side, so you need to make sure you include it in the right decks.
Monument to Endurance
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is almost exclusively an Izzet card. If you have a discard/cycle deck, this can be a solid engine/win condition.
Pit Automaton
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This card isn’t playable in most decks, but it can work in a deck with 5+ exhaust creatures.
Racers’ Scoreboard
Rating: 0.0 // 5.0
This is far too expensive for what it does. By the time your spells are cheaper, you will likely be out of cards in hand anyways.
Radiant Lotus
Rating: 0.0 // 5.0
This is not a limited card.
Rover Blades
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
This is a pretty big trap for newer players. The only time to play this is if you don’t have any other playable cards, otherwise, it should be avoided, much like rollerblades.
Scrap Compactor
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
The only time to play this card is if you have no removal spells in your deck.
Skybox Ferry
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This can merit being played with Transit Mage if you need a target. You can also play it in Izzet cyclers, but should be avoided under most other circumstances.
Starting Column
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
If your deck has mana issues, or a crazy high mana curve, you can slap this in your deck.
Ticket Tortoise
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
If your deck is slow and needs 2 drops, this works. It can trade with opposing 2 drops, and sometimes get you a treasure to catch up.
Walking Sarcophagus
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
This is one of the worst 2 drops of the set. I would try my best not to play this.
Wreck Remover
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
There are plenty of 4 mana cost creatures and activations this set, there’s not much reason to run this.
Amonkhet Raceway
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
You need to have a great mana base and max speed payoffs to merit playing this card.
Avishkar Raceway
Rating: 1.0 // 5.0
4 mana to rummage is really expensive, even during the late game. I don’t think this one is really that playable.
Muraganda Raceway
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is the best raceway, which isn’t saying much. By the time you hit max speed, the bonus mana isn’t all that valuable. You still could put this in an aggressive deck that has no mana issues.
Night Market
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is a great land to pick up early in the draft. It can help you stay open, and be more comfortable playing a splash.
Roads
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
I think if you have <3 mounts/vehicles, you might not even want to play these tapped lands. The effect normally comes up in the very late game, and it’s typically not very impactful at that point.
Tapped Lands
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
Solid mana fixers, nothing new here.
Verge Lands
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
It’s important to keep in mind what land you need to enable these. For instance, if you are Simic splashing red, Riverpyre Verge is pretty close to just a mountain, only providing Blue if you already have an Island.
Artifacts are pretty vanilla this set, and most are just bad filler. Both the Raceway and Road lands are pretty underwhelming, and the downsides should be considered before putting them in your decks. I’ll be dropping a draft guide before the Arena Open this weekend, stay tuned!
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
