Aetherdrift Mechanics Explained

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Vehicle & Crew

Since this is a racing-themed set, Vehicles are naturally the main event.

Crew is an activated ability on Vehicle cards that can be activated at instant speed. Crew is always followed by a number N, and crew N means “Tap any number of untapped other creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.”

Here are some questions Vehicles commonly run into:

• Even if the Vehicle has already become a creature, you can still activate its crew ability. Maybe you just want to tap your other creatures to trigger some abilities.
• Summoning sickness only affects creatures. A Vehicle that isn’t a creature isn’t affected by summoning sickness, but once it becomes a creature, summoning sickness is checked. (In plain English: a Vehicle can become a creature the turn it enters, but it can’t attack without haste.)
• Crew can tap creatures that are still affected by summoning sickness. (In plain English: you can use your creatures to crew the same turn they enter.)

Mount & Saddle

Saddle is a returning mechanic that debuted not long ago in Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

Saddle is an activated ability that can only be activated at sorcery speed. Saddle is always followed by a number N, and saddle N means “Tap any number of untapped other creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes saddled until end of turn.”

After the saddle ability resolves successfully, the creature is saddled. Being saddled provides no rules effect by itself, but cards have abilities that care about whether the card is saddled. For example, when Venomsac Lagac attacks, if it is saddled, it gets +0/+3 until end of turn.

Although saddle always appears on Mount creatures, the saddle ability and the Mount type have no rules connection at all. They are put on the same card purely for flavor reasons, and even if a creature with saddle somehow loses the Mount type, the saddle ability still works.

Cycling

Cycling is an activated ability that can only be activated from your hand. The effect of cycling is “Pay the specified cost and discard this card: Draw a card.”

In addition, some cards generate triggered abilities when they cycle themselves. For example, when Agonasaur Rex cycles, it can put +1/+1 counters on a designated target. On the stack, such triggered abilities sit above the “draw a card” of the cycling itself, so they resolve before the card is drawn.

Exhaust

Exhaust is an activated ability with an additional restriction: the same exhaust ability on the same object can be activated only once, and different objects don’t affect each other. If you make a permanent that has activated its exhaust ability leave the battlefield and re-enter, it is a new, separate object and can activate its exhaust ability.

Start Your Engines!

Start your engines! is a new keyword ability. When a player first controls a permanent with start your engines in a game, their speed becomes speed 1, and they gain a triggered ability that lets them increase their speed. The maximum speed is 4, which is called Max speed, and once you reach max speed your speed can’t increase any further. If no permanent with start your engines has entered during this game, your speed is 0, and many cards check your current speed value and change their effects accordingly.

The triggered ability that increases speed works as follows: “Whenever one or more opponents lose life during your turn, if your speed is less than 4, increase your speed by 1. This ability triggers only once each turn.”
Once you reach speed 1, you keep that ability permanently, so even if you later control no permanents with start your engines, you can still increase your speed.

Start your engines only takes you from speed 0 to speed 1. After that, any permanent with start your engines entering doesn’t change your speed.

In addition, this set prints a double-faced speed-tracking token to help players clearly show their current speed.

Floor It and Rush to Aetherdrift

Aetherdrift prerelease events begin on February 7, 2025. Head to a nearby store to try out the new set!

February 7 - February 13, 2025: Aetherdrift Prerelease
February 14, 2025: Aetherdrift release date
February 14 - April 3, 2025: Standard Showdown
February 14 - April 3, 2025: Magic Academy
February 21 - February 27, 2025: Commander Celebration
March 8 - March 30, 2025: Store Championship
March 14 - March 20, 2025: Commander Celebration