Back at MagicCon: Las Vegas a few weeks ago, a boatload of information about the 2025 MTG calendar was previewed. From Aetherdrift to an unannounced Universes Beyond set, there is a lot to look forward to.
Interestingly, we already know about a few spoilers from Aetherdrift that are quite powerful. Brightglass Gearhulk, for instance, is a huge new bomb from Aetherdrift which may well create its own archetype. Alongside this colossal Construct, we also have Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer who is a fantastic build-around card.
Sharing a lot of similarities with Daretti, Scrap Servant, Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer is bound to see Commander play. In the right deck, this new Daertti can threaten obscene amounts of Commander damage very quickly, which is always scary. While undoubtedly well suited to Commander, Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer could even see constructed play too.
Synergy and Pressure
- Mana Value: 4R
- Rarity: Rare
- Card Type: Legendary Creature – Goblin Artificer
- Stats: */5
- MTG Sets: Aetherdrift
- Card Text: Daretti’s power is equal to the greatest mana value among artifacts you control.
Whenever Daretti enters or attacks, choose target artifact card in your graveyard. You may sacrifice an artifact. If you do, return the chosen card to the battlefield.
Just like with Daretti, Scrap Savant, your main goal with Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer is to abuse the artifact-swapping ability between the battlefield and your graveyard. Daretti lets you switch artifacts in and out when he enters and attacks, so you’ll want to have access to a stocked graveyard.
In Commander, cards like Seize the Spoils and Pirate’s Pillage are solid discard outlets for your huge artifacts. These cards simultaneously leave behind Treasures you can sacrifice to Daretti too for extra consistency. Gamble can also become an awesome tutor since there’s a good chance you’ll put whatever enormous artifact you tutor for directly into the graveyard.
As for the strongest artifacts to search for, Portal to Phyrexia and Darksteel Forge are two of your best bets. Even Myr Battlesphere is a decent option, especially since you get a bunch of disposable Myr for your troubles.
Where things get really interesting, though, is when you factor in Daretti as an attacker. It’s possible to make Daretti’s power absolutely massive with access to cards like Excalibur, Sword of Eden. From there, you can Equip Daretti, and a single connection in combat forces your opponent to lose via Commander damage.
Embercleave is another awesome card to pair with Daretti, making it impossible for your opponents to chump block effectively. Being able to generate value and get a big mana advantage out of Daretti’s ability, all while applying a ton of pressure makes Daretti an extremely scary Commander.
Standard Potential?
- Mana Value: 9
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Card Type: Artifact
- MTG Sets: The Brother’s War
- Card Text: When Portal to Phyrexia enters the battlefield, each opponent sacrifices three creatures.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. It’s a Phyrexian in addition to its other types.
Beyond Commander, there’s a chance Daretti has what it takes to make a splash in Standard. Multiple top-tier artifacts, including Portal to Phyrexia and Skitterbeam Battalion, are still Standard legal and make for incredible resurrection targets.
At the same time, there are some reasonable artifacts that serve as discard outlets. Collector’s Vault can get your bombs into the graveyard while providing fuel for Daretti. Earlier, we mentioned Seize the Spoils too, which was reprinted in MTG Foundations and could help support the cause.
On top of that, Nexus of Becoming gives you another way to cheat your large artifacts into play, ensuring they don’t get stranded in your hand. Both Daretti and Nexus are easy to hard cast, especially with Treasures in the mix. We’re excited to see Daretti in action once Aetherdrift releases in February 2025.
