In case you’ve somehow missed all the new vehicles racing about, Aetherdrift has been out for around two weeks now. We’ve even just had Pro Tour Aetherdrfit at MagicCon: Chicago, which showcased many of the set’s best new cards. Despite this, Aetherdrift isn’t all said and done just yet. As usual, there’s the impending release of Alchemy: Aetherdrift right around the corner.
Scheduled to be released on March 4th, Alchemy: Aetherdrift will provide 30 cards that are exclusively available on MTG Arena. Playable in Alchemy, Brawl, Historic, and Timeless, these cards are often worth paying attention to. Alchemy may not be the most well-liked format and innovation in MTG, but you can’t deny it’s created some seriously strong cards.
For better or worse, the initial round of Alchemy: Aetherdrift spoilers don’t appear to be all that game-breaking. That said, they could still have some decent potential that allows them to put in work.
Naktamun Shines Again
Out of the trio of newly revealed Alchemy: Aetherdrift spoilers, Naktamun Shines Again is undoubtedly the most exciting. For just three mana, this card can provide your entire deck with a +1/+1 buff, if you build it right. Thankfully, building your deck like this is fairly easy, since you just need your creatures to be mana value two or less.
On its own, the amount of value that Naktamun Shines Again can provide is almost obscene. Giving buffs to 20+ creatures on your board, hand, and deck, is nothing at all to scoff at. Should you play multiple copies, or flicker this Saga, then things can really get out of control.
That being said, while there’s no denying the value here, Naktamun Shines Again isn’t exactly the fastest MTG card. Unless you already have a robust board, the immediate impact may be rather lackluster. If you have to compromise on your deck building in the first place, then Naktamun Shines Again might just be a bad deal.
Thankfully, there are some Alchemy decks that could run Naktamun Shines Again without too many tweaks. Selesnya Rabbits, Boros Mice, and Azorius Enchantments all run almost exclusively cheap creatures. Thanks to this card being a Saga, that just gets better and better, they all have reason to run Naktamun Shines Again.
As if the first chapter wasn’t good enough, Naktamun Shines Again is also a tutor and Flying enabler. This helps it pay for itself and unleash a devastating swing on the final turn. Admittedly, most low-cost aggro decks will want to win before turn six, but the added firepower is nice. Unsurprisingly, even if Naktamun Shines Again doesn’t hit in Alchemy, it should be absolutely fantastic in Brawl.
Arius, Flyby Trawler
Arius, Flyby Trawler caring about non-Shark cards feels… weird. It’s not uncommon for Alchemy to provide unexpected typal support pieces, but Arius is the opposite of that. While this might be a bit of a flavor disappointment, it can set up some shenanigans.
Should you build a deck with few non-Shark cards, Arius, Flyby Trawler could essentially turn into a low-cost attacking tutor. Admittedly, doing this is a lot easier said than done, since MTG Arena only has 13 Sharks in total. Despite this small selection, Arius adds to a growing collection of discard-focused cards, which could become quite deadly.
Alongside Marauding Mako and Captain Howler, Sea Scourge discarding cards could become seriously scary. Since Arius, Flyby Trawler is technically a discard outlet themselves, they could prove surprisingly powerful and forge a new archetype. Within this potential shell, their Seek ability could provide plenty of useful non-Sharks too.
At the very least, Arius, Flyby Trawler is bound to see a home in Brawl. While Arius can’t find other Sharks, they could find Pirates to help support that archetype. Admiral Beckett Brass players are going to be very happy with this new inclusion for certain.
Support Skyforge
Right now, it’s difficult to say whether or not Support Skyforge is a good card. Sadly, on the surface, the answer to this question appears to be a no. While Flying and Vigilance are always nice, a 4/4 for five with Crew 4 won’t get used much. The only upside is that you get four Servos to help Crew Support Skyforge, but it’s still not amazing on rate.
Obviously, Support Skyforge does have a spellbook, which it can tap into whenever it attacks. Unfortunately, Wizards hasn’t spoiled any cards from this Spellbook just yet. As a result, we don’t know how good this extra effect will be, or what it can Conjure through its Spellbook.
Given the last clause of Support Skyforge, it seems its Spellbook will likely be made up of other vehicles. Getting to drop these as perpetual artifact creatures could be a big deal, but Support Skyforge isn’t exactly fast. As a result, this card may just be confined to Brawl, as it’s likely too slow for anywhere else.
Plenty More to See
As mentioned earlier in this article, Alchemy: Aetherdrift is set to contain 30 cards in total and will be released on March 4th. Obviously, this means there’s a lot more to see over the coming week. Typically Wizards will reveal a few cards throughout this coming week and it seems this trend will continue.
“We’ll be offering peeks at some of the cards you’ll find in the new 30-card set, so keep an eye out for those on our socials and in the Gladiator community.”
Wizards of the Coast
On top of these slow reveals, Wizards tends to showcase the entire Alchemy set just before it’s released. For better or worse, this means Alchemy sets don’t tend to overstay their welcome. While this is good news for players who hate the format and its digital-exclusive cards, it does mean things can be overlooked.
Thankfully, we’ll also be covering all the latest and greatest Alchemy spoilers to make sure that you don’t miss anything important. So, if you want to stay in the know, just watch this space.
