Sorry Aetherdrift Haters, I Can't Have Your Back On The Magic Drama This Time

By 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Eric Switzer

Published Feb 19, 2025

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newest set launches this week, and the fans are not happy. I could start an articlꦕe like that every other month and it would almost always be true.

To be honest, they have a right to be. Wizards of the Coast has made a habit of doing some controversial things over the last few years that have seriously damaged player trust. Between168澳洲幸运5开奖网: frequent issues with Secret Lair availability, the 168꧒澳洲幸运5开奖网💦:drama surrounding the Commander Rules Committee, and that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:whole debacle with the Pinkertons -ဣ just to name a few - Magic players are, understandably, pretty sensitive right now.

Magic: The Gathering Can't Afford Duds Like Aetherdrift Anymore

Aetherdrift feels like a wasted slot in Magic: The Gathering's caꦑlendar.

Posts 14

Whicജh bܫrings us to Aetherdrift, Magic’s multiplanar racing-themed set that follows planeswalker Chandra Nalaar as she competes in the Ghirapur Grand Prix. It’s Magic’s take on Wacky Races, and the players just ain’t feeling it.

Aetherdrift Is Coming At The Wrong Time

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168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Our own Joe Parlock does a great job breaking down why Aetherdrift isn’t being well received by fans, but, in summary, it's more or less a reaction to WotC largely abandoning the core Magic fantasy in favor of crossovers with other IP and ‘♏hat sets’, where the game tackles an oddball genre and everyone plays dress up.

There was the murder mystery set, the cowboy set, the ‘80s horror set, and now the racing set - and for many it's starting to feel like Magic has forgotten the rich and unique storytelling that helped make it the biggest 🦩and longest-lasting TCG in the world. When half of 2025’s sets are all going to be Universes Beyond crossovers, it’s disappointing to long-time fans when the other sets are built around gesturing aꦇt IP. It feels like Magic is just alternating between Universes Beyond, and Universes Beyond Lite.

First impressions also suggest that this is a weaker set without many new powerful cards or mechanics for competitive players to ꧙get excited about.

While I understand why some feel Aetherdrift is a flop, I have a slightly different take on it. It’s a bit of an unpopular opinion so… is this a safe place? No? Well, I’m going to just say it anyway. Aetherdrift whips ass! It’s fun, it’s flavorful, the artwork is stunning, and the world-building is phenomenal. It’s every bit as high quality as Bloomborrow or ༺Duskmourn or any other recent set the fanbase decided to embrace. Ripping packs of Aetherdrift has been a delight and if WotC keeps pumping on sets like this, I’ll keep buying them.

The Wide World Of Magic Fans

Three racers from Magic: the Gathering's Aetherdrift.

Now, c♐aveat, I’m not a long-time, hardcore Magic player. I’ve always been a card collector, and I didn’t really 🌊get into the competitive side of TCGs until Lorcana launched in 2023. It’s only in the last year that I’ve started playing Magic regularly, but I’m more of a kitchen table player. I love playing Commander with my friends and exploring the strategies of each set’s pre-constructed decks. I couldn’t tell you whether Aetherdrift is an underpowered set, but when I look at the cards, I feel joy.

I get the whole ‘hat set’ thing, but those sets gave me a great on ramp for Magic. I love westerns, murder mysteries, and horror, so I immediately connected with sets like Murders at Karlov Manor and Outlaws of Thunder Junct🅠ion because I could immediately identify what they were all about and absorb the story through the cards.

I know Magic players always talk about how much they love Dominaria and Zendikar, b🧸ut those words mean nothing to me. You have to already be interested in Magic to want to learn what makes Alara interesting, while Aetherdrift’s appeal is right there on the box.

This set’s Commander decks are fantastic. My favorite so far is Eternal Might, a White/Blue/Black deck that’s all about flooding the board with Zombies and powering them up through draw and discard effects. It’s easy to pilot and has a good amount of de♐pth once you start to pick up on its subthemes, and its clear strategy makes it a perfect deck for someone like me who is still learning all the complexities of playing Magic.

Three of the most valuable magic the gathering cards from Aetherdrift.

Magic: The Gathering ඣ- The 10 Most Valuable Box Toppers In Aetherdrift

Check out all these golden valuable c𒁃ards from Magic: The Gathering's Aetherdrift Box Toppers!

Posts 168澳洲幸运5开奖网: ꦡ

I find the backlash to hat sets to be kind of gatekeep-y, but I have sympathy for legacy Magic players. It feels like their favorite game is leaving them behind in order to pursue a new audience. Their commitment and l💙oyalty to the game over the decades is being rewarded with Spongebob Squarepants Secret Lairs and Spider-Man sets. They look at this race car set full of references to Mad Ma🍸x, Fast & Furious, and Speed Racer, and the resentment they feel keeps building.

I get how they fe🍸el, but then I look at this variant of The Speed Demon, a black-light-painting-during-an-acid-trip of a card that looks like something that would be printed on a pog at a swap meet in the ‘90s, and I’m like damn, Wizards cooked with this set. There are so ma𒁏ny great characters and creatures to discover here, and every pack makes me feel like I’m looking through a portal into another world.

I know that’s something Magic has a🔥lways been great at, but with a set like Aetherdrift, there’s no barrier to entry. When I pulled Hazard of the Dunes and saw a giant sand worm attacking racers on an overpass, I got the entire story of that card right away. Is it a good card? I don’t know, but I’m going to slam it in a Commander deck and find out. I know this isn’t the mainstream opinion about Magic right now, but if you can let go of what you think the game should be, you might find that what it has become is still something special.