It’s now been a few weeks since Aetherdrift was released on MTG Arena, but for fans of Alchemy and Historic, there’s still more in store. Another collection of cards is being added to the client in just a couple of days. Alchemy: Aetherdrift consists of 30 new cards that could provide a shakeup to multiple formats.
Alchemy sets often feature a mix of wacky mechanics and powerful effects that won’t necessarily play out well on paper. This set doesn’t hold back on the crazy designs. In fact, one particular card takes variance to a whole new level. This mana sink brings Momir vibes straight into the Constructed landscape. If you’re feeling lucky, then Alchemy: Aetherdrift should be right up your alley.
Ornate Imitations
The card with the highest degree of randomness built in is definitely Ornate Imitations. Ornate Imitations has the potential to provide a ton of value, but you never really know how good the card will end up being.
The more mana you can spend on this effect, the better it will be. Not only will you get more creatures out of the deal, but you’ll also get creatures with higher mana value that will be stronger on average.
Of course, the range of threats you could conjure up is massive. Spending five mana on this effect and hitting a three-drop like Abhorrent Oculus would be super exciting. The problem is that there is so much draft chaff on MTG Arena that this card will usually play out poorly. This card is an A+ when it comes to amusing designs and deserves to be highlighted as such. Just don’t expect it to win you too many games.
Trackhand Trainer
While some cards like Ornate Imitations are more funny than good, there are some cards that may have some Alchemy and Historic appeal. Trackhand Trainer is one such example. Trackhand Trainer is a solid one-drop with two relevant abilities.
The most important of these is the Exhaust ability. With enough activated abilities among your creatures, Training Grounds has the potential to be quite impactful.
We’ve seen mono-blue decks built around The Enigma Jewel pop up in Pioneer and Explorer from time to time, so there’s no reason to believe something similar couldn’t pop up in Alchemy or Historic.
What’s especially nice about Trackhand Trainer is that, if it lives, it gives you a great ability to pair with Training Grounds. If you manage to draw multiple copies of Trackhand Trainer and get discounts from two copies of Training Grounds, you can draw a ton of cards at once. Throw in some similar effects like Hypnotic Grifter and Proft’s Eidetic Memory as a card draw payoff, and you’ve got a game plan!
Spectacle of Destruction
Next up, we have a card that feels like it was created for Brawl. Spectacle of Destruction is the ultimate card advantage machine in grindy games. All you need is for creatures to die.
In any Aristocrats-style deck, putting wreck counters on this enchantment is no concern. You can also take the route of playing this in a more controlling deck with lots of removal since Spectacle of Destruction triggers off of your opponent’s creatures dying as well.
As long as creatures are regularly dying, this enchantment will run away with the game. It isn’t as reliable as Phyrexian Arena at drawing you cards every turn, but the upside of being more efficient. Not causing you to lose life and specifically giving you nonland cards in the late game is huge. Spectacle of Destruction is a slow build-around but is excellent in the right situation.
Chomping Mastasaur
Chomping Mastasaur is the type of card that can end games on the spot if you structure your deck around it. Six mana is a lot, so if you’re going to play this card, you probably want some ramp or ways to cheat it into play.
What you get, though, is a 6/6 that can send a huge wave of damage at any target when it enters or attacks. The key to separating this card from similar options, such as Overlord of the Boilerbilges, is having huge threats in your hand to discard.
Discarding cards like Earthquake Dragon and sending 15 damage right to the dome of your opponent may be enough to end the game right then and there. Even flinging Ghalta, Primal Hunger may do the trick. Ghalta is castable in a deck with other big, efficient threats. Plus, Chomping Mastasaur is a Dinosaur, so it synergizes with Triumphant Chomp, Stalwart Speartail, and other potent Dinosaurs in Alchemy.
Speedbrood Stalker
The last card we wanted to highlight was Speedbrood Stalker, which is a neat card with some built-in mind games. If your opponent has multiple creatures and/or Planeswalkers in play, you have the potential for Speedbrood Stalker to remove two problematic threats.
Chances are, if your opponent has one particular permanent that is more of an issue than the rest, you’ll want to just secretly choose that card. Even if your opponent guesses your choice correctly, you still got their card off the board and have a 4/3 flier for your troubles.
What’s really nice about Speedbrood Stalker is that its triggered ability doesn’t actually target any creatures or Planeswalkers. This means that Ward and Hexproof don’t get in the way.
Forcing your opponent to sacrifice a God if it’s a creature can be devastating, as can dealing with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria in Historic while simultaneously adding pressure to the battlefield. Speedbrood Stalker is a bit clunky by Historic standards, but its flexibility is appealing, nonetheless.
This group of Alchemy cards features some sweet ideas. We’re excited to see them in action.
