Aetherdrift Release Notes

Compiled by Jess Dunks

Document last modified November 11, 2024

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The Release Notes include information concerning the release of a new Magic: The Gathering set, as well as a collection of clarifications and rulings involving that set's cards. It's intended to make playing with the new cards more fun by clearing up the common misconceptions and confusion inevitably caused by new mechanics and interactions. As future sets are released, updates to the Magic rules may cause some of this information to become outdated. Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Rules to find the most up-to-date rules.

The "General Notes" section includes information about card legality and explains some of the mechanics and concepts in the set.

The "Card-Specific Notes" sections contain answers to the most important, most common, and most confusing questions players might ask about cards in the set. Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" sections include full card text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed.

GENERAL NOTES

Card Legality

Aethedrift cards with the DFT set code are permitted in the Standard, Pioneer, and Modern formats, as well as in Commander and other formats. At release, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: Dominaria United, The Brothers' War, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, March of the Machine, March of the Machine: The Aftermath, Wilds of Eldraine, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Murders at Karlov Manor, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Bloomburrow, Duskmourn: House of Horror, Magic: The Gathering Foundations, and Aetherdrift.

New Aetherdrift Commander cards with the DRC set code are permitted in the Commander, Legacy, and Vintage formats. Previously printed cards with the DRC set code are legal for play in any format where a card with the same name is permitted.

Special Guests cards are previously printed cards from a variety of backgrounds visiting the set. You never know who or what will make an appearance! There are ten Special Guests cards in Aetherdrift. They have the set code SPG and are legal for play in any format where a card with the same name is permitted.

Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Formats for a complete list of formats and their permitted card sets and banned lists.

Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Commander for more information on the Commander variant.

Go to Locator.Wizards.com to find an event or store near you.

New Mechanic: Speed
New Keyword Ability: Start Your Engines!
New Keyword Ability: Max Speed

You can't win a race without going fast, and this set brings with it a new mechanic that's all about going fast. It starts with cards that have the "start your engines!" keyword ability. The first time in a game that you control a permanent with start your engines!, your speed becomes 1. This happens as a state-based action, so players can't respond after the permanent has entered but before your speed becomes 1.

Once you have a speed of 1 or greater, there is a new triggered ability that can occur for you during the game. That ability is "Whenever one or more opponents lose life during your turn, if your speed is less than 4, your speed increases by 1. This ability triggers only once each turn."

Once your speed reaches 4, you have "max speed" and can't increase it any higher. Many cards, especially those with the start your engines! ability, also have other abilities that care about whether you have max speed. These are usually written as "Max speed — [ability]," which means the card has [ability] only if you're at max speed. There are also other types of abilities that reference max speed or current speed.

Far Fortune, End Boss
{2}{B}{R}
Legendary Creature — Human Mercenary
4/5
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
Whenever you attack, Far Fortune deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Max speed — If a source you control would deal damage to an opponent or a permanent an opponent controls, it deals that much damage plus 1 instead.

Start your engines! isn't a triggered ability. Increasing your speed to 1 is something that happens as a state-based action as soon as you control a permanent with the ability. Notably, this includes gaining control of a permanent with the ability that another player controls.
Your speed doesn't change until a spell or ability says so, such as the inherent triggered ability that cares about opponents losing life during your turn. Notably, losing control of permanents with start your engines! doesn't affect your speed.
Each player tracks their speed (or lack thereof) separately. Increasing your speed has no effect on whether another player has speed.
If an effect needs to know what a player's speed is and that player doesn't have a speed, their speed is considered 0.
A player "has max speed" if their speed is 4.
"Max speed — [ability]" means "As long as you have max speed, this object has [ability]." If the granted ability functions in a zone other than the battlefield, the max speed ability does too.

New Keyword Ability: Exhaust

Exhaust is a new keyword ability that represents a special kind of activated ability. "Exhaust — [Cost]: [Effect]" means "[Cost]: [Effect]. Activate this ability only once."

Greasewrench Goblin
{R}
Creature — Goblin Artificer
2/1
Exhaust — {2}{R}: Discard up to two cards, then draw that many cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)

Exhaust abilities can be activated any time you could normally activate an ability.
If an exhaust ability of a permanent is activated, and then that permanent leaves the battlefield and returns to the battlefield, it becomes a new object so its exhaust ability can be activated again.
If an ability triggers whenever you activate an exhaust ability, that ability resolves before the exhaust ability resolves.

Returning Keyword Ability: Cycling

This set brings back a popular mechanic that has shown up several times in the past. Cycling returns, giving you the option to trade off a spell's full potential for a card draw—and sometimes a little extra.

Agonasaur Rex
{3}{G}{G}
Creature — Dinosaur
8/8
Trample
Cycling {2}{G} ({2}{G}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, put two +1/+1 counters on up to one target creature or Vehicle. It gains trample and indestructible until end of turn.

Some cards with cycling have an ability that triggers when you cycle them, and some cards have an ability that triggers whenever you cycle any card. These triggered abilities resolve before you draw from the cycling ability.
Triggered abilities from cycling a card and the cycling ability itself aren't spells. Effects that interact with spells (such as that of Cancel) won't affect them.
You can cycle a card even if it has a triggered ability from cycling that won't have a legal target. This is because the cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. This also means that if either ability is countered (with Disallow, for example), the other ability will still resolve.

Returning Keyword Ability: Saddle

Not everyone in this race uses a mechanical mode of transportation. Some get around on the backs of their tough, speedy steeds. First seen in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, the Mount creature type and the saddle keyword ability are making a return. Tap some creatures you control, saddle up your Mounts, and get those abilities going!

Brightfield Glider
{W}
Creature — Possum Mount
1/1
Vigilance
Whenever this creature attacks while saddled, it gets +1/+2 and gains flying until end of turn.
Saddle 3 (Tap any number of other creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Mount becomes saddled until end of turn. Saddle only as a sorcery.)

"Saddle N" means "Tap any number of other untapped creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes saddled until end of turn. Activate only as a sorcery."
"Saddled" isn't an ability that a creature has. It's just something true about that creature. It won't stop being saddled until the turn ends or it leaves the battlefield.
Creatures with saddle can attack or block as normal even if they aren't saddled.
If a permanent becomes a copy of a saddled Mount, the copy won't be saddled.
You may activate a permanent's saddle ability even if that permanent is already saddled.
An ability that triggers when a creature "attacks while saddled" will trigger only if that creature was saddled when it was declared as an attacker.

Returning Mechanic: Energy

Sometimes, mana just isn't enough to fuel your needs. The Living Energy Commander deck gives you energy counters that you can use to power up your cards.

Saheeli, Radiant Creator
{1}{G}{U}{R}
Legendary Creature — Human Artificer
4/4
Whenever you cast an Artificer or artifact spell, you get {E} (an energy counter).
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may pay {E}{E}{E}. When you do, create a token that's a copy of target permanent you control, except it's a 5/5 artifact creature in addition to its other types and has haste. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.

{E} is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.
Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing them down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine.
If an effect says you get one or more {E}, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more {E}, you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
Some spells and abilities say that you "may pay" a certain amount of {E}. You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether to pay that amount of {E} as the ability resolves.
Some spells and abilities say that you "may pay" a certain amount of {E}, then describes an effect that happens "if you do." In that case, no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. If the payment is instead followed by the phrase "when you do" followed by an effect, then after you choose to pay {E}, a new triggered ability called a reflexive trigger is put on the stack, and you choose targets for the reflexive trigger (if the effect asks for targets). Players may respond as normal to this new triggered ability. Once that reflexive trigger resolves, the effect will finally occur.
Some spells and abilities which give you {E} or say you "may pay" some amount of {E} require one or more targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. None of its effects will happen, you won't get any {E} from it, and you won't get the chance to pay any {E} for its effects even if you want to.

AETHERDRIFT MAIN SET CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Aatchik, Emerald Radian
{3}{B}{B}{G}
Legendary Creature — Insect Druid
3/3
When Aatchik enters, create a 1/1 green Insect creature token for each artifact and/or creature card in your graveyard.
Whenever another Insect you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Aatchik. Each opponent loses 1 life.

If a card in your graveyard is an artifact creature card, count it only once when determining how many Insect tokens to create for Aatchik's first ability.
If Aatchik is dealt lethal damage at the same time as another Insect you control, Aatchik's last ability will still trigger, causing each opponent to lose 1 life, but Aatchik won't get a +1/+1 counter in time to save it.

The Aetherspark
{4}
Legendary Artifact Planeswalker — Equipment
4
As long as The Aetherspark is attached to a creature, The Aetherspark can't be attacked and has "Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage during your turn, put that many loyalty counters on The Aetherspark."
+1: Attach The Aetherspark to up to one target creature you control. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.
−5: Draw two cards.
−10: Add ten mana of any one color.

If an effect causes The Aetherspark to become attached to a creature while it is being attacked, it will continue to be attacked.

Ancient Vendetta
{3}{B}
Sorcery
Choose a card name. Search target opponent's graveyard, hand, and library for up to four cards with that name and exile them. Then that player shuffles.

You target a player as this spell is put on the stack, but you don't name a card until it resolves. Notably, this means that players don't get to respond to the spell knowing what card you will name.
The ability has no effect on permanents with the chosen name that are on the battlefield.
You don't have to choose the name of a card that you've already seen this game; you may guess at a card you think your opponent might have in their hand or library, if you'd like.
Unlike similar cards, Ancient Vendetta allows you to choose the name of a basic land. Note that you may only search for up to four cards with the chosen name, even if you find more of them.
You don't have to exile each card you find with that name. If you want to leave one in their graveyard, for example, you may.

Apocalypse Runner
{2}{B}{R}
Artifact — Vehicle
6/5
{T}: Target creature you control with power 2 or less gains lifelink until end of turn and can't be blocked this turn.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)

After the first ability has resolved targeting a creature, that creature has lifelink and can't be blocked for the rest of the turn, even if its power increases to 3 or greater.
Once a creature has been blocked, activating this Vehicle's first ability targeting that creature won't cause it to become unblocked.

Bloodghast
{B}{B}
Creature — Vampire Spirit
2/1
This creature can't block.
This creature has haste as long as an opponent has 10 or less life.
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you may return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Bloodghast's landfall ability triggers only if it's already in your graveyard at the time a land enters under your control.

Boom Scholar
{1}{R}{G}
Creature — Goblin Advisor
3/3
Exhaust abilities of other permanents you control cost {2} less to activate.
Exhaust — {4}{R}{G}: Creatures and Vehicles you control gain trample until end of turn. Put two +1/+1 counters on this creature. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)

Boom Scholar's first ability can cause the mana component of the cost to activate an ability to be {0}.

Boommobile
{2}{R}{R}
Artifact — Vehicle
5/5
When this Vehicle enters, add four mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to activate abilities.
Exhaust — {X}{2}{R}: This Vehicle deals X damage to any target. Put a +1/+1 counter on this Vehicle. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)
Crew 2

You may spend the four mana added by the first ability on the same ability or on multiple abilities.

Boosted Sloop
{1}{U}{R}
Artifact — Vehicle
3/3
Menace
Whenever you attack, draw a card, then discard a card.
Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)

Attacking with any creature will cause the second ability to trigger, even if this Vehicle isn't attacking.

Broadside Barrage
{1}{U}{R}
Instant
Broadside Barrage deals 5 damage to target creature or planeswalker. Draw a card, then discard a card.

If the creature or planeswalker isn't a legal target as this spell tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get to draw a card and discard a card.

Burner Rocket
{1}{R}
Artifact — Vehicle
3/1
Flash
When this Vehicle enters, target creature you control gets +2/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)

This Vehicle's triggered ability requires a target at the time you put it on the stack, which means you can't crew this Vehicle in time to make it a legal target for its own triggered ability.

Caradora, Heart of Alacria
{2}{G}{W}
Legendary Creature — Human Knight
4/2
When Caradora enters, you may search your library for a Mount or Vehicle card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature or Vehicle you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are put on it instead.

If a creature or Vehicle you control would enter the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters on it, it enters with that many plus one instead.
If you somehow control multiple copies of Caradora, they would each increase the number of +1/+1 counters put on a creature or Vehicle you control by one.
If two or more effects attempt to modify how many counters would be put on a permanent you control, you choose the order to apply those effects, no matter who controls the sources of those effects.

Chandra, Spark Hunter
{3}{R}
Legendary Planeswalker — Chandra
4
At the beginning of combat on your turn, choose up to one target Vehicle you control. Until end of turn, it becomes an artifact creature and gains haste.
+2: You may sacrifice an artifact or discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
0: Create a 3/2 colorless Vehicle artifact token with crew 1.
−7: You get an emblem with "Whenever an artifact you control enters, this emblem deals 3 damage to any target."

Emblems are colorless. This means that a permanent with protection from red can be the target of the emblem's triggered ability.

Chitin Gravestalker
{5}{B}
Creature — Insect Warrior
5/4
This spell costs {1} less to cast for each artifact and/or creature card in your graveyard.
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

This card's first ability can't reduce colored mana in its cost, so the cost can't be reduced below {B} this way.
If a card in your graveyard is an artifact creature card, count it only once when determining the cost reduction for this card's first ability.

Coalstoke Gearhulk
{1}{B}{B}{R}{R}
Artifact Creature — Construct
5/4
Menace, deathtouch
When this creature enters, put target creature card with mana value 4 or less from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control with a finality counter on it. That creature gains menace, deathtouch, and haste. At the beginning of your next end step, exile that creature.

Finality counters work on any permanent, not only creatures. If a permanent with a finality counter on it would be put into a graveyard from the battlefield, exile it instead.
Finality counters don't stop permanents from going to zones other than the graveyard from the battlefield. For example, if a permanent with a finality counter on it would be put into its owner's hand from the battlefield, it does so normally.
Finality counters aren't keyword counters, and a finality counter doesn't give any abilities to the permanent it's on. If that permanent loses its abilities and then would go to a graveyard, it will still be exiled instead.
Multiple finality counters on a single permanent are redundant.

Collision Course
{1}{W}
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Collision Course deals X damage to target creature, where X is the number of permanents you control that are creatures and/or Vehicles.
• Destroy target artifact.

A permanent that is both a creature and a Vehicle is counted only once for this spell's first mode.

Count on Luck
{R}{R}{R}
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn.

You pay all costs and follow all normal timing rules for the card played from exile with this permanent's ability. For example, if the exiled card is a land card, you may play it only during your main phase while the stack is empty.

Cursecloth Wrappings
{2}{B}{B}
Artifact
Zombies you control get +1/+1.
{T}: Target creature card in your graveyard gains embalm until end of turn. The embalm cost is equal to its mana cost. (Exile that card and pay its embalm cost: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a white Zombie in addition to its other types and has no mana cost. Embalm only as a sorcery.)

Except for the listed exceptions, the token copies exactly what was printed on the original card and nothing else. It doesn't copy any information about the object the card was before it was put into your graveyard.
The token is a Zombie in addition to its other types and is white instead of its other colors. It has no mana cost, and thus its mana value is 0. These are copiable values of the token that other effects may copy.
If the card copied by the token had any "when [this permanent] enters" abilities, then the token also has those abilities and they'll trigger when it enters. Similarly, any "as [this permanent] enters" or "[this permanent] enters with" abilities that the token has copied will also work.
Once you've activated an embalm ability, the card is immediately exiled. Opponents can't try to stop the ability by exiling the card.

Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer
{4}{R}
Legendary Creature — Goblin Artificer
*/5
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.

If an artifact on the battlefield has {X} in its mana cost, X is 0 when determining its mana value.
You choose the target card in your graveyard as Daretti's second ability is put on the stack, but you don't choose whether to sacrifice an artifact or which one to sacrifice until the ability resolves.

Detention Chariot
{4}{W}{W}
Artifact — Vehicle
6/6
When this Vehicle enters, exile target artifact or creature an opponent controls until this Vehicle leaves the battlefield.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Cycling {W} ({W}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

If this Vehicle leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, the target will never be exiled.

Dune Drifter
{X}{W}{B}
Artifact — Vehicle
3/3
When this Vehicle enters, return target artifact or creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Crew 2 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 2 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)

If this Vehicle enters and wasn't cast, or it was cast without paying its mana cost, X is 0.

Dynamite Diver
{R}
Creature — Goblin Pilot
1/1
This creature saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater.
When this creature dies, it deals 1 damage to any target.

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause this creature's power to change.

Endrider Spikespitter
{3}{R}
Creature — Human Mercenary
3/4
Reach
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
Max speed — At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn.

You must pay all costs and follow all normal timing rules for cards you play using this creature's last ability.

The additional 1 damage from Far Fortune's last ability is dealt by the same source as the original source of damage. The damage isn't dealt by Far Fortune unless Far Fortune is the original source of damage.
If another effect modifies how much damage your sources would deal, including preventing some of it, the player being dealt damage or the controller of the permanent being dealt damage chooses an order in which to apply those effects. If all of the damage is prevented, Far Fortune's last ability no longer applies.
If damage dealt by a source you control is being divided or assigned among multiple permanents an opponent controls or among an opponent and one or more permanents they control, divide the original amount before adding 1. For example, if you attack with a 5/5 creature with trample and your opponent blocks with a 2/2 creature, you can assign 2 damage to the blocker and 3 damage to the defending player. These amounts are then modified to 3 and 4, respectively.

Fearless Swashbuckler
{1}{U}{R}
Creature — Fish Pirate
3/3
Haste
Vehicles you control have haste.
Whenever you attack, if a Pirate and a Vehicle attacked this combat, draw three cards, then discard two cards.

If you attack with a single creature that is both a Pirate and a Vehicle, the last ability triggers.

Foul Roads
Land
This land enters tapped unless you control a Mount or Vehicle.
{T}: Add {B}.
{1}{B}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater." Activate only as a sorcery.

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause the token's power to change.

Full Throttle
{4}{R}{R}
Sorcery
After this main phase, there are two additional combat phases.
At the beginning of each combat this turn, untap all creatures that attacked this turn.

There is no main phase between the two additional combat phases. If you cast this during your second main phase, you will go directly to the end step after the two additional combat phases are complete.
If you somehow cast this spell when it's not a main phase, the second ability still takes effect, but there are no additional combat phases this turn. If you cast it during an opponent's main phase, there are two additional combat phases, but that opponent gets to attack during those combat phases, not you.

Gastal Blockbuster
{2}{R}
Creature — Human Berserker
3/2
When this creature enters, you may sacrifice a creature or Vehicle. When you do, destroy target artifact an opponent controls.

You don't choose a target for the enters ability. If you choose to sacrifice a creature or Vehicle, a second trigger, called a reflexive trigger, is put on the stack, and you choose a target for that one. Players may respond as normal to this new triggered ability.

Gearseeker Serpent
{5}{U}{U}
Creature — Serpent
5/6
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each artifact you control.)
{5}{U}: This creature can't be blocked this turn.

The total cost to cast this spell is locked in before you pay that cost. For example, if you control three artifacts, including one you can sacrifice to add {C}, the total cost of Gearseeker Serpent is {2}{U}{U}. Then you can sacrifice the artifact when you activate mana abilities just before paying the cost.
Once a player has announced that they are casting this spell, no player may take actions to try to change the number of artifacts its controller controls before the spell's cost is locked in.
This card's first ability can't reduce the total cost to cast the spell below {U}{U}.
Once this creature has been blocked, activating its last ability won't cause it to become unblocked.

You may activate this creature's exhaust ability without discarding cards if you just want to put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Guidelight Optimizer
{1}{U}
Artifact Creature — Robot
2/1
{T}: Add {U}. Spend this mana only to cast an artifact spell or activate an ability.

You may use mana from this creature to pay the cost of any activated ability, not just abilities of artifacts.

Hazoret, Godseeker
{1}{R}
Legendary Creature — God
5/3
Indestructible, haste
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
{1}, {T}: Target creature with power 2 or less can't be blocked this turn.
Hazoret can't attack or block unless you have max speed.

Hazoret's activated ability must be used prior to declaring blockers to be effective. Activating it targeting a creature that has already been blocked will not cause that creature to become unblocked.
After the activated ability resolves, the creature can't be blocked this turn even if its power later increases to 3 or greater.

Howlsquad Heavy
{2}{R}
Creature — Goblin Mercenary
2/3
Start your engines!
Other Goblins you control have haste.
At the beginning of combat on your turn, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token. That token attacks this combat if able.
Max speed — {T}: Add {R} for each Goblin you control.

Mana abilities don't use the stack, which means that they can't be responded to. Notably, this means that a player can't respond to this creature's last ability by destroying one of your Goblins.

Ketramose, the New Dawn
{1}{W}{B}
Legendary Creature — God
4/4
Menace, lifelink, indestructible
Ketramose can't attack or block unless there are seven or more cards in exile.
Whenever one or more cards are put into exile from graveyards and/or the battlefield during your turn, you draw a card and lose 1 life.

The ability that prevents Ketramose from attacking or blocking counts the total number of cards in exile, regardless of who owns them or how they were exiled.
Once Ketramose has been declared as an attacker or blocker, it will continue to attack or block that combat even if the number of cards in exile falls below seven.

Mendicant Core, Guidelight
{W}{U}
Legendary Artifact Creature — Robot
*/3
Mendicant Core's power is equal to the number of artifacts you control.
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
Max speed — Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you may pay {1}. If you do, copy it. (The copy becomes a token.)

A resolving copy of a permanent spell becomes a token, so the token isn't "created." Effects that care about a token being created won't interact with a token that enters the battlefield from Mendicant Core's last ability.
The copy remembers any decisions that were made for the original spell as it was cast, including values chosen for X in its mana cost and whether any alternative or additional costs were chosen. For example, if the original artifact spell had kicker and its kicker cost was paid, the copy will also be kicked.

Monument to Endurance
{3}
Artifact
Whenever you discard a card, choose one that hasn't been chosen this turn —
• Draw a card.
• Create a Treasure token.
• Each opponent loses 3 life.

If you discard a card after all three have been chosen in a turn, that instance of the ability is removed from the stack with no effect.

Oviya, Automech Artisan
{3}{G}
Legendary Creature — Human Artificer
1/2
Each creature that's attacking one of your opponents has trample.
{G}, {T}: You may put a creature or Vehicle card from your hand onto the battlefield. If you put an artifact onto the battlefield this way, put two +1/+1 counters on it.

In some rare cases, a nonartifact card put onto the battlefield this way will get two +1/+1 counters because some other effect (like that of Mycosynth Lattice) makes it an artifact on the battlefield.

Pit Automaton
{2}
Artifact Creature — Construct
0/4
Defender
{T}: Add {C}{C}. Spend this mana only to activate abilities.
{2}, {T}: When you next activate an exhaust ability that isn't a mana ability this turn, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.

Pit Automaton has received an update to its Oracle text. Specifically, the delayed triggered ability doesn't trigger if you activate an exhaust ability that is also a mana ability.

Reef Roads
Land
This land enters tapped unless you control a Mount or Vehicle.
{T}: Add {U}.
{1}{U}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater." Activate only as a sorcery.

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause the token's power to change.

Repurposing Bay
{2}{U}
Artifact
{2}, {T}, Sacrifice another artifact: Search your library for an artifact card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed artifact's mana value, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery.

If there's an {X} in the sacrificed artifact's mana cost, X is 0 when determining its mana value.

Road Rage
{R}
Instant
Road Rage deals X damage to target creature or planeswalker, where X is 2 plus the number of Mounts and Vehicles you control.

If a creature is somehow both a Mount and a Vehicle, it counts only once.

Roadside Assistance
{2}{W}
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature or Vehicle
When this Aura enters, create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater."
Enchanted permanent gets +1/+1 and has lifelink.

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause the token's power to change.

Roadside Blowout
{2}{U}
Sorcery
This spell costs {2} less to cast if it targets a permanent with mana value 1.
Return target creature or Vehicle an opponent controls to its owner's hand.
Draw a card.

If there's an {X} in a permanent's mana cost, X is 0 when determining its mana value.

Rocky Roads
Land
This land enters tapped unless you control a Mount or Vehicle.
{T}: Add {R}.
{1}{R}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater." Activate only as a sorcery.

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause the token's power to change.

Trade the Helm
{4}{U}
Sorcery
Exchange control of target artifact or creature you control and target artifact or creature an opponent controls.
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

If one of the targets is an illegal target when this spell resolves, the exchange won't happen.
Gaining control of an artifact or creature doesn't cause you to gain control of any Auras or Equipment attached to it.

Valor's Flagship
{4}{W}{W}{W}
Legendary Artifact — Vehicle
7/7
Flying, first strike, lifelink
Crew 3
Cycling {X}{2}{W} ({X}{2}{W}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, create X 1/1 colorless Pilot creature tokens with "This token saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater."

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause the token's power to change.

Vnwxt, Verbose Host
{1}{U}
Legendary Creature — Homunculus
0/4
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
You have no maximum hand size.
Max speed — If you would draw a card, draw two cards instead.

If a spell or ability causes you to draw multiple cards, this creature's last ability doubles each card draw. For example, if you cast Harmonize ("Draw three cards"), you'll draw six cards.
The effects of multiple such effects are cumulative. For example, if you have max speed and control both Vnwxt and Thought Reflection (an enchantment with the same ability), you'll draw four times the original number of cards.
If two or more replacement effects would apply to a card-drawing event, the player who's drawing the card chooses what order to apply them.

Webstrike Elite
{G}{G}
Creature — Insect Archer
3/3
Reach
Cycling {X}{G}{G} ({X}{G}{G}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, destroy up to one target artifact or enchantment with mana value X.

If there's an {X} in a permanent's mana cost, X is 0 when determining its mana value.

Wild Roads
Land
This land enters tapped unless you control a Mount or Vehicle.
{T}: Add {G}.
{1}{G}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater." Activate only as a sorcery.

Saddling a Mount or crewing a Vehicle doesn't cause the token's power to change.

Winter, Cursed Rider
{U}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
3/2
Ward—Pay 2 life.
Artifacts you control have "Ward—Pay 2 life."
Exhaust — {2}{U}{B}, {T}, Exile X artifact cards from your graveyard: Each other nonartifact creature gets -X/-X until end of turn. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)

Multiple instances of ward each trigger separately.
If an effect causes Winter to become an artifact, its second ability will cause it to gain a second instance of ward.

AETHERDRIFT SPECIAL GUESTS CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Bone Miser
{4}{B}
Creature — Zombie Wizard
4/4
Whenever you discard a creature card, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Whenever you discard a land card, add {B}{B}.
Whenever you discard a noncreature, nonland card, draw a card.

This creature's abilities are triggered abilities, not activated abilities. They don't allow you to discard a card whenever you want; rather, you need some other way of discarding a card (such as cycling).
This creature's second ability isn't a mana ability. It uses the stack and can be responded to. Notably, this means that you can't pay a cost of "{2}, Discard a card" by discarding a land card and using the {B}{B} produced to pay for the {2}.
If you discard a card as a cost to cast a spell or activate an ability, this creature's triggered ability resolves before that spell or ability but after you've chosen targets for it. If you discard a card while a spell or ability is resolving, the triggered ability resolves after you've finished resolving that spell or ability.

Cavalier of Dawn
{2}{W}{W}{W}
Creature — Elemental Knight
4/6
Vigilance
When this creature enters, destroy up to one target nonland permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 colorless Golem artifact creature token.
When this creature dies, return target artifact or enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.

You may put this creature's enters ability onto the stack without choosing any target. It will resolve with no effect. However, if you do choose a target and the target permanent is an illegal target by the time that ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve. No player will create a Golem token. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), its controller will create a Golem token.

Chandra's Ignition
{3}{R}{R}
Sorcery
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to each other creature and each opponent.

The creature is the source of the damage, not Chandra's Ignition. For example, Chandra's Ignition can have a white creature deal damage to a creature with protection from red.
Use the power of the target creature as this spell resolves to determine how much damage that creature deals to each other creature and each opponent.
If the creature becomes an illegal target by the time this spell tries to resolve (perhaps because another player controls it or it's left the battlefield), this spell won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No damage will be dealt.

Chrome Mox
{0}
Artifact
Imprint — When this artifact enters, you may exile a nonartifact, nonland card from your hand.
{T}: Add one mana of any of the exiled card's colors.

If no card is exiled with this artifact, it can't add mana. The same is true if the exiled card is colorless.
This artifact can never add {C}, even if the exiled card is colorless or has a colorless mana symbol in its mana cost.
If the exiled card is multicolored, you choose one of that card's colors each time you tap this artifact for mana.

Pathbreaker Ibex
{4}{G}{G}
Creature — Goat
3/3
Whenever this creature attacks, creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.

If the greatest power among creatures you control is negative as this creature's ability resolves, X is considered to be 0.

Whir of Invention
{X}{U}{U}{U}
Instant
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.)
Search your library for an artifact card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

When using improvise to cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell's total cost. Then you can tap artifacts you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Whir of Invention and choose X to be 3, the total cost is {3}{U}{U}{U}. If you tap two artifacts, you'll have to pay {1}{U}{U}{U}.

AETHERDRIFT COMMANDER CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Aetheric Amplifier
{3}
Artifact
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
{4}, {T}: Choose one. Activate only as a sorcery.
• Double the number of each kind of counter on target permanent.
• Double the number of each kind of counter you have.

To double the number of a kind of counters on a permanent, put a number of that kind of counters on it equal to the number it already has. Other cards that interact with putting counters on it will interact with this effect accordingly. The same is true for doubling the number of counters on a player.

Renewed Solidarity
{2}{W}
Enchantment
As this enchantment enters, choose a creature type.
Creatures you control of the chosen type get +1/+0.
At the beginning of your end step, for each token you control of the chosen type that entered this turn, create a token that's a copy of it.

When this enchantment's last ability resolves, for each applicable token you control that entered this turn, create a token that copies the original characteristics of that first token as stated by the effect that created it (unless that first token is copying something else; see below). It doesn't copy whether that token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on.
If the last ability creates a copy of a token that is copying something else, then the new token enters as a copy of whatever the original token copied.
Any abilities of the copied token that trigger when that permanent enters will trigger. Any "as [this permanent] enters" or "[this permanent] enters with" abilities of the copied token will also work.

The token you create copies the original characteristics of the permanent as printed on the card or, for a token, as stated by the effect that created that token (unless it's copying something else; see below). It doesn't copy whether that permanent is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on.
If the copied permanent has {X} in its mana cost, X is 0.
If the copied permanent is copying something else, then the token enters the battlefield as whatever that permanent copied.
Any abilities of the copied permanent that trigger when that permanent enters will trigger. Any "as [this permanent] enters" or "[this permanent] enters with" abilities of the chosen permanent will also work.

Stridehangar Automaton
{3}
Artifact Creature — Construct
1/4
Thopters you control get +1/+1.
If one or more artifact tokens would be created under your control, those tokens plus an additional 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying are created instead.

The additional Thopter token won't have any abilities the other tokens were created with. Anything else specified in the effect creating the token (such as tapped, attacking, or "Exile that token at end of combat") applies to both the original tokens and the Thopter. Similarly, if the effect that creates the token has an additional effect that gives the token an ability, such as "That token gains haste," that effect will also apply to the Thopter.
You don't need to control the spell or ability that creates the tokens, but the tokens do need to be created under your control.
If an effect changes under whose control a token would be created, that effect applies before this creature's effect applies. If an effect changes under whose control a token would enter the battlefield, that effect applies after this creature's effect is able to be applied.
If another effect modifies which or how many tokens you create, you choose the order to apply those effects. For example, if you control this creature and Anointed Procession ("If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead."), each time you create tokens, you can choose to apply Anointed Procession's effect to double those tokens first, then apply this creature's effect to create an additional Thopter token. Or you can choose to apply this creature's effect first followed by Anointed Procession's effect, allowing you to create double the original tokens plus two additional Thopter tokens.
If you copy a permanent spell, that copy becomes a token on the battlefield, but that's not the same as creating a token. You won't get an additional Thopter token that way.

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