Get in Gear With Magic’s Wild New Racing Set

Magic: The Gathering has performed with dozens upon dozens of genres and moods over its lengthy historical past—however “racing” and “sci-fantasy card recreation” aren’t precisely the primary issues that come to thoughts once you suppose of potential mashups. That’s altering in Magic‘s subsequent main growth, and we’ve bought a have a look at a number of the new playing cards lining up on the beginning block.

Centered round a multiversal racing event, Aetherdrift is constructed across the airplane in Magic‘s huge cosmology previously often known as Kaladesh (just lately renamed to Avishkar forward of Aetherdrift‘s launch resulting from controversial interpretations of its inspiration from Hindi), as 10 racing groups vie for fulfillment throughout the planes as they race within the Ghirapur Grand Prix, a glitzy celebration of Avishkar’s historical past of underground racing providing a captivating high prize: the Aetherspark, a mysterious system that theoretically holds the facility to let its wielder use the powers of a Planeswalker, even when they lack the latent energy to be one. However to even nab an opportunity at getting the Aetherspark, you’re going to want a journey—and Aetherdrift has a lot to supply in its new playing cards, akin to Possession Engine, which you’ll take a look at under in all its variants!

Magic: The Gathering – Aetherdrift Preview: Possession Engine

As you possibly can see within the preview above of Possession Engine (with borderless alternate artwork in addition to matching gold-trimmed “booster enjoyable” variants), the Automobile subtype for artifact playing cards can have a significant function in Aetherdrift. Whereas automobiles have appeared in Magic earlier than, now a lot of them in Aetherdrift include a brand new mechanic, Crew, skills activated tapping a sure variety of untapped creatures you management with complete energy larger than the required quantity. In Possession Engine‘s case, having the correct quantity of crew will allow you to goal one among your opponents creatures, stopping them from having the ability to both assault or block so long as it’s in play.

Magic: The Gathering – Aetherdrift Preview: Marshal’s Pathcruiser

Crew isn’t the one new mechanic coming in Aetherdrift that’s tied to the racing theme—typically a racer has to go all out in a single determined measure to attempt to get a leg up, and that comes within the type of Exhaust. Exhaust skills can solely be used as soon as, and their excessive value often comes with a doubtlessly excessive reward. As you possibly can see in our preview of Marshal’s Pathcruiser above, its Exhaust skill lets it swap Artifact subtypes from Automobile to creature (which might permit it for use as crew for different Autos), and beef up its stats with two further +1/+1 counters.

You’ll be capable to see these playing cards, and plenty of extra, in motion when Magic: The Gathering – Aetherdrift hits cabinets beginning February 14.

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