After a recent tease about the contents of the upcomingAetherdriftset, I think I know whichMagic: The Gatheringcharacters will be getting cards.Aetherdriftfocuses on a race across three different planes inMagic’s multiverse, Avishkar, Ahmonkhet, and Muraganda. Racers include somefamiliar faces like Chandra Nalaaralong with some new characters like Sita Varma AKA Spitfire. Though a lot of the set’s main story has already been released,what happens in the story doesn’t always relate to which characters get cards. For instance, Jace was inDuskmourn’s story but didn’t get a new card.
However, these story articles are just one indication of who will show up in thelatestMagicset. Another good resource for helping to predict who will be on the new cards ishead developer Mark Rosewater’s set teaser. Having looked at the hints, and read the stories released so far, I think I’m pretty confident in saying which characters belong on which of the teased cards.
How Mark Rosewater’s Aetherdrift Teasers Works
Mark Rosewater Gives A Vague List Of Hints For The New Sets
Since I’ll be using Mark Rosewater’sAetherdriftteaser to inform my predictions, I want to take a quick second to break down what this is and how it works for any casualMagicfans. Before each set, Mark Rosewater releases a teaser list onBlogatoggivinga quick overview of what to expect from the set’s cards. This comes in the form of mechanics, creature types, and some card names. Rosewater does a good job of giving just enough information so that speculation is possible and players get excited, but he also keeps things vague enough to allow for speculation.
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Looking at the teaser forAetherdrift, a few bullet points stood out to me as the best for predicting what characters will be getting cards. The first bullet point that caught my eye detailed four new desparked versions of planeswalkers, three of whom are native to the planes explored in the set. The other was the mention of an old God. The item that I’m most confident about predicting is the tease that the set will include a Legendary Creature with the subtype Aetherborn Rogue.
Gonti Is Back To Steal Your Cards
Gonti’s Signature Creature Type Was Teased
As soon as I saw the “Aetherborn Rogue” descriptor, I knew we’d be getting a new Gonti card in this set. So far, Gonti has played a relatively small role in theAetherdriftstory, overseeing the race as Avishkar’s new Night Minister. While I wasn’t sure if such a brief appearance would warrant a new card, this card-type tease seems to confirm it.Gonti isMagic’s only Legendary Aetherborn Rogue at the momentand one of only two Aetherborn to get Legendary Creature cards. Additionally, one of Mark Roswater’s other hints fits with Gonti’s signature mechanic.
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Rosewater teased that a card inAetherdriftwould have the rules text“Whenever a player casts a spell they don’t own”.Both of Gonti’s previous cards have revolved around allowing their controller to steal cardsfrom their opponent’s deck. This confirmation that some cards in the set will be able to steal cards makes it seem pretty clear that Gonti will show up. It could also hint at a possible new Ragavan card since he appears inAetherdrift’s story, but Gonti seems like more of a sure thing given their typical card type was also confirmed.
I Have A Good Guess About The New Desparked Planeswalkers
There Will Be Four Desparked Planeswalkers In Aetherdrift
The third hint from Mark Rosewater aboutAetherdriftreads “Three planeswalker [sic] native to one of the worlds visited, and one non-native, gets a desparked legendary creature version.” Based on the story articles that have come out so far, andMagic’s current roster of living planeswalkers,I have a pretty good guess at who these four characters are. While I’m pretty confident about a few of these, others are a bit more of a stretch.
One desparked planeswalker I’m confident we will see in this set is Basri Ket. Basri is a native of Amonkhet, and he has appeared in three of the story articles related toAetherdrift. Basri is also confirmed to have lost his planeswalker spark. He fits the bill too perfectly not to be one of the above-mentioned planeswalkers.
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Although I’m not as confident as I am about Basri, I also think we will be gettinga new Saheeli card in this set. Saheeli is from Avishkar and has already gotten a few new Legendary Creature cards after being desparked. The only thing that makes me hesitant here is that Saheeli is confirmed to be the face card of one ofAetherdrift’s Commander decks. Since she hasn’t played a major role in the story yet, I’m not entirely convinced she would get a card in the main set and the Commander tie-in, but I still think there’s a chance.
Another planeswalker that I think we might see is Samut.Samut is another Amonkhet residentwho, like Basri, lost her spark after the events ofMarch of the Machine. While she hasn’t been a major part ofMagic’s story for a while, I don’t think it’s impossible that she shows up here.
My last prediction is slightly boring, but I think the “non-native” planeswalker Rosewater refers to is Daretti.We’ve already seen a card for the now-desparked Darettias one ofAetherdrift’s few previewed cards. While I’d like to be wrong and see an additional desparked planeswalker, one I wouldn’t expect, I think these four make the most sense.
My Thoughts On Aetherdrift’s Gods, Goblins, And Gearhulks
Mark Rosewater’s Tease Also Hints At Some Powerful Cards
A few of Rosewater’s other hints point to some returning characters. “An old God returns” likely refers to Hazoret, who was seen in the side story to the set,Aetherdrift - Hour of Restoration. Assuming this is the case, one of the new gods is likely Ketramose, Amonkhet’s God of the Breaking Dawn, who was seen in the fifth episode of the set’s main story.
I’m guessing we won’t be back in Avishkar for a while.
Aside from the previewed Daretti card, we now know thatthere will be some very powerful goblin support in this set. One of the teased cards can tap to add red mana for each Goblin its controller has on their side of the battlefield. This mirrors powerful Elf support cards like Priest of Titania and Elvish Archdruid. I’m guessing this ability will be on a Goblin card, but probably not a Legendary one if previous elf cards are any indication.
Although not necessarily “characters,” we will also be getting a new cycle of Gearhulks, the massive machine creatures that appeared in the previous visit to Avishkar (at the time called Kaladesh). The teaser says we’re getting a cycle of them, and I’m going to guess that means all multicolored pairs. That might seem like a lot for one set, but recentMagic: The Gatheringsets seem to prefer wrapping up their cycles instead of leaving them hanging. I’m guessing we won’t be back in Avishkar for a while, so the designers will be giving us all the Gearhulks now.
