The flavor of modern MTG cards is a little bit different than it used to be. While everything has that distinct Magic feel, there’s obviously been a recent tonal shift. For better or worse, Aetherdrift is the latest example of this distinct visual shift. This probably won’t come as a surprise, given that Aetherdrift is Magic’s first racing-themed set.
Weirdly, cards like The Last Ride aren’t the ones leaving a bad taste in players’ mouths. Despite being a big spooky car with a face, the art, mechanics, and flavor text all scream Magic. The fact The Last Ride is a brand-new entity surely makes the flavor more palatable. Sadly, the new printing of Hazoret doesn’t have the same quality.
Hazoret, Godseeker
Revealed during the Weekly MTG Debut aftershow for Aetherdrift, Hazoret, Godseeker looks absolutely amazing at first glance. If you’re not paying attention, the stats on this card are beyond absurd and more than playable in Standard. Upon closer inspection, however, it all falls apart, as Hazoret needs Max Speed to be really useful.
This mechanic sadly turns what should be a fast aggressive threat into a bizarrely slow durdley card. Even if you drop Hazoret, Godseeker on two and immediately increase your speed, you still can’t attack with them until turn four, and that’s if you increase speed before combat on the fourth turn. While an indestructible God isn’t bad at that point, they’re not going to set the world on fire.
Thankfully, even if you do spend your turn two casting Hazoret, Godseeker, they’re not entirely useless. The ability to make a power 2 or less creature unblockable could come in clutch in mono-red decks. Applying this before stacking buffs and going for an unblockable kill seems like a real possibility.
Unfortunately, while Hazoret can still be relevant early on, mono-red decks don’t often want to waste their turn two. Even in Standard, this archetype is hyper-refined and efficient, so Hazoret likely won’t make the cut. Unless a midrange pivot is required, making indestructible indispensable, I wouldn’t expect to see Hazoret around much.
Hazoret, Racing Enthusiast?
Ultimately, given they’re one of the fan-favorite gods from Amonkhet, it’s great to see Hazoret again. Their new card is even a call back to Hazoret the Fervent which is an extra nice slightly nostalgic touch. Unfortunately, this fun callback is somewhat spoiled by the text loudly shouting “Start your engines!”
From the moment that Hazoret, Godseeker was revealed, many MTG players immediately took issue with this mechanic. On Reddit, for instance, AporiaParadox commented that it “Seems kind of weird for a God who is not participating in the race and is not a racer to have the Start your engines! Mechanic.” While SneakyMacD joked that “It’s Start your engines, not mine” the text still feels out of place.
“I feel like Hazoret having ‘start your engines!’ really captures what’s wrong with this set at a conceptual level.”
Imnimo
If anything, it’s frustrating that “Start your engines” is so on the nose as the name for a mechanic. Outside of the name, this mechanic appearing on Hazoret, Godseeker would further the flavorful callback we mentioned earlier. Hazoret the Fervent required having one or fewer cards in hand to attack or block, so Hazoret coming with a catch makes sense.
As if to right this wrong, some players, such as LaptopsInLabCoats, suggested an alternative name: Momentum. In theory, this would have still fit the racing and speed-focused theme while being somewhat vague and broad. It would also allow the mechanic to easily return at a later date while being less painfully on the nose.
Sadly, this isn’t exactly a new problem in MTG, and Wizards has a long history of making flavorful but narrowly named mechanics. These mechanics can be great to play with in Limited and help boost a set’s flavor overall, but the lack of support can kill would-be archetypes. Even though this is nothing new in MTG, the speed a which we can reliably return to planes now makes this concern more pressing.
Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied
Thankfully, Aetherdrift isn’t just a mishmash of racing tropes on otherwise interesting MTG cards. Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied, for instance, is on the complete opposite end of the flavor spectrum. Offering a callback to Bounty of the Luxa, players have been quick to praise the design of this new Amonkhet god.
“Alright, baking the ebb and flow of the river luxa into the creature is clever.”
_Ekoz_
Obviously, Sab-Sunen isn’t bogged down by the Start your engines! mechanic either, as they’re just their own thing. If anything, this just makes Hazoret even stranger, since Start your engines! clearly isn’t a God thing. If all Wizards wanted was a new callback-focused Hazoret that used the set mechanic, stronger stats and an Exhaust ability to attack would arguably be more interesting.
Ruminating about what could have been aside, we’ve at least got a pretty powerful Sab-Sunen card to enjoy. While they are rather slow, this card is packed with value, especially when played alongside Innkeeper’s Talent. As AliasB0T comments, this Class lets you double dip to get counters and card draw every turn.
Even without this synergy, Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied is still a very powerful card. Getting to draw two cards every other turn isn’t to be scoffed at, after all. The fact you get a pretty substantial body with good abilities on top of this makes Sab-Sunen seem seriously strong.
Despite this strength, it’s unclear if Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied will actually see play outside of Commander. A Simic Ramp deck in Standard could love Sab-Sunen as a heavy hitter alongside Agonasaur Rex but that archetype doesn’t exist yet. Hopefully, Aetherdrift might finally change that.
