Collecting Aetherdrift: The Four Most Important Things to Know

Magic is off to the races in Aetherdrift, the high-octane set that follows the Ghirapur Grand Prix across three planes of the Multiverse. Join Chandra Nalaar and her rival, Sita Varma, as they pursue a life-changing prize against life-threatening opponents. With high-speed gameplay and brand-new mechanics, Aetherdrift ushers in an exciting year of Standard-legal sets.

A competition as exciting as this one deserves equally exciting cards, which Aetherdrift has plenty of. If you're curious about all the details of Aetherdrift and its products, then read on! If you just want the most important bits, then we've got the four most important things to know ahead of the set's release on February 14, 2025.

1. Chase The Aetherspark's Borderless Serialized Card

Digital render. Not actual card.

The Aetherspark, a wonderous creation of the inventor Ishikari, is the grand prize for the winner of Aetherdrift's main competition. As the set's headliner card, this prize is yours to claim: the serialized, double rainbow foil, borderless version of The Aetherspark.

This version of the card appears only in Aetherdrift Collector Boosters. Serialized versions of The Aetherspark can appear in Collector Boosters of any language, but the card will always be in English. They are mechanically identical to their non-serialized counterparts.

2. First-Place Foils Dazzle the Competition

Aetherdrift Play Booster boxes and Collector Booster boxes come with a prize of their own; each contains a Box Topper pack! These first-place Box Topper packs contain 2 cards: 1 of 10 first-place foil, full-art basic lands and 1 of 127 first-place foil rare or mythic rare cards.

First-place foils appear only in Box Topper packs, which are included in Aetherdrift Play Booster boxes, Collector Booster boxes, and Finish Line Bundles.

3. Japan Showcase Returns for Aetherdrift

There are 10 cards from Aetherdrift that have been reimagined by Japanese artists and illustrators. These cards have a special frame and style that pays homage to Japanese hobby shops.

Traditional foil and fracture foil Japan Showcase cards appear only in Aetherdrift Collector Boosters.

4. Special Guests Crafted by the Secret Lair Team

Rev up those engines and prepare for some eye-catching Special Guests cards! We worked with the Secret Lair team to make these 10 cards as true to Aetherdrift as we could, and they certainly delivered! Since we were already going full throttle with Secret Lair, we decided to bring the first-place foil fun to these Special Guests cards.

Special Guests cards appear in Aetherdrift Play Boosters and Collector Boosters. First-place foil Special Guests cards appear only in first-place Box Topper packs.

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The racers of Aetherdrift have no intention of slowing down, and neither do we! We have all the information you need to start collecting this set when it releases on February 14, 2025. You can preorder Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander decks, Bundles, and more from your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.

Aetherdrift Details

Aetherdrift Set Code: DFT 

Aetherdrift Commander Set Code: DRC 

Special Guests Set Code: SPG 

Legality: 

• Aetherdrift (DFT) is a Standard-legal set. 
• Aetherdrift Commander (DRC) and Special Guests (SPG) are Commander-, Legacy-, and Vintage-legal sets, and individual cards are also legal where already available in other formats. 
• Aetherdrift Play Boosters contain cards from DFT and SPG. These cards are playable in Aetherdrift Draft and Sealed when opened from Play Boosters.

Website: Aetherdrift

Hashtag: #MTGAetherdrift 

MSRPs for Aetherdrift will be set as follows: 

• Play Booster: $5.49 
• Collector Booster: $24.99 
• Commander Deck: $44.99 
• Bundle: $53.99 
• Finish Line Bundle: $79.99

Key Dates:

• Full Card Image Gallery: January 31
• Aetherdrift Prerelease Events: February 7–13
• MTG Arena Release: February 11
• Tabletop Release: February 14
• Magic Academy Events: February 14–April 3
• Standard Showdown: February 14–April 3
• Commander Party, Round 1: February 21–27
• Aetherdrift Store Championship: March 8–30
• Commander Party, Round 2: March 14–20

Ready, Set … Preorder!

Be rewarded for getting a head start with Aetherdrift preorders! You can check out what the set has in store with the Aetherdrift Card Image Gallery and learn all about the special treatments right here. While supplies last, you can receive a traditional foil, extended-art Lifecraft Engine Buy-a-Box promo when you purchase a Play Booster box or Collector Booster box from your local game store, so contact them for details!

Aetherdrift releases on February 14, 2025, and is available for preorder now from your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.

The Booster Fun of Aetherdrift

Any racer worth their salt knows you've got to get an edge on the competition. Whether that's a heavily armored vehicle or knowledge of the track ahead, you'll need all the help you can get to survive out here. To help you make it out of the race alive (and hopefully in first place), here's the scoop on the Booster Fun of Aetherdrift.

Aetherdrift's Grand Prize: The Aetherspark

Digital render. Not actual card.

Aetherdrift's headliner card is the double rainbow foil, serialized, borderless version of The Aetherspark, the top prize for any Aetherdrift collector. With artwork by Dominik Mayer that you won't find anywhere else, this is a card that's worthy of a set as epic as Aetherdrift.

Serialized versions of The Aetherspark can only be found in Aetherdrift Collector Boosters. These cards appear only in English in Collector Boosters of any language. Non-serialized versions of The Aetherspark are mechanically identical to serialized variants. See product packaging for details. Images are digital renderings and not actual cards.

First-Place Foil Cards

Accompanying each Aetherdrift Play Booster box, Collector Booster box, and Finish Line Bundle is a first-place Box Topper pack. Each first-place Box Topper pack includes 2 cards, both in the all-new first-place foil treatment! With a shimmering layer of gold-like foil that extends across their border, these cards shine in any deck.

Each first-place Box Topper pack includes 1 first-place foil, full-art basic land and 1 first-place foil rare or mythic rare card, which can be one of Aetherdrift's Special Guests, borderless, or extended-art cards (84 rares and 43 mythic rares total).

Full-Art Driver's Seat and Panorama Basic Lands

Aetherdrift puts you in the driver's seat (or saddle), and we've captured that on the set's 5 full-art driver's seat lands. These show off the planes of Aetherdrift from the perspective of one of the racers, giving you a new way of looking at the action. These appear in Play Boosters and Collector Boosters, as well as in Box Topper packs in first-place foil.

Looking to take the scenic route? In 25% of first-place Box Topper packs, one of the basic lands will be 1 of 5 first-place foil, full-art panorama lands, with a first-place foil, full-art driver's seat land appearing the other 75% of the time. They make a fantastic addition to your mana base, with first-place foil versions appearing only in Box Topper packs.

Borderless Legends, Vehicles, and More

This race isn't limited to a single plane, and our cards aren't always contained in the default Magic border! Borderless cards give a new look to some of Aetherdrift's finest visual offerings.

Our first stop on this wild ride are the borderless revved up cards, featuring a racer and their ride in one action-packed piece of art. You can find 41 different borderless revved up cards in the set on 9 commons, 17 uncommons, 11 rares, and 4 mythic rares.

Borderless rude riders show off the racing machines (and racing steeds) of the Ghirapur Grand Prix. A selection of 14 Vehicle and Mount cards in the set also have highly stylized artwork, along with a special font and frame to match. There are 13 rare rude rider cards and 1 mythic rare rude rider card.

Alongside the racers, there are 8 mythic rare borderless graffiti giant cards, all of which are mythic rare Gearhulks or Amonkheti Gods.

Finally, there are 16 borderless rare legendary creatures, with at least one two-color legendary creature for each racing team. We'll also be revealing a cycle of 5 borderless rare dual lands later on, so stay tuned.

Borderless cards appear in non-foil and traditional foil in Aetherdrift Play Boosters and Collector Boosters. First-place foil rare and mythic rare cards with these borderless treatments appear only in Box Topper packs.

Japan Showcase Cards

Japan Showcase cards reimagine 10 cards from Aetherdrift with the artwork of Japanese artists and illustrators, complete with a special frame that pays homage to Japanese hobby shops. These stylized and stunning cards appear in both traditional foil and fracture foil.

Japan Showcase cards appear only in Collector Boosters. In Japanese Collector Boosters, Japan Showcase cards will always be in Japanese. In non-Japanese Collector Boosters, they will appear in English two thirds of the time and in Japanese one third of the time.

Special Guests Cards Curated by Secret Lair

The Ghirapur Grand Prix is filled with all the wild and wacky characters you'd expect from a multiversal race, and nobody does wild and wacky better than Secret Lair! With artwork and cards hand-picked by Magic's most unpredictable team, these embody all the chaos of Aetherdrift.

These 10 Special Guests cards appear in non-foil in Aetherdrift Play Boosters and in traditional foil in Collector Boosters. First-place foil Special Guests cards can be found in first-place Box Topper packs.

Extended-Art Cards

For cards that show off even more of the set's phenomenal artwork, check out the extended-art versions of rares and mythic rares from Aetherdrift and its Commander decks. There are 20 non-foil and traditional foil extended-art cards from Aetherdrift (DFT) and 16 non-foil extended-art cards from Aetherdrift Commander (DRC) that appear in Collector Boosters. You can also find 1 of the 4 borderless legendary creatures from Aetherdrift Commander in either non-foil or traditional foil in Collector Boosters.

Additionally, each Finish Line Bundle includes a traditional foil, extended-art version of Avishkar Raceway, Amonkhet Raceway, and Muraganda Raceway. These all have new artwork that can only be found in these bundles.

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Aetherdrift Product Details

Play Boosters

Play Booster boxes each include a first-place Box Topper pack. Please note that, starting with Aetherdrift, Play Booster boxes will contain 30 Play Boosters.

• 14 Magic: The Gathering cards
  • 6–7 Commons
    • There are 81 commons from Aetherdrift that can show up in these slots.
    • In 1.5% of Play Boosters, 1 of these commons will be replaced with 1 of the 10 Special Guests cards in non-foil. Of note, Special Guests cards aren't found in the wildcard nor traditional foil slot in Play Boosters.
  • 3 Uncommons
    • There are 100 possible uncommons from Aetherdrift that can appear in this slot.
  • 1 Wildcard of any rarity
    • You can receive a common (8.3%), uncommon (62.5%), or rare or mythic rare (20.8%; same proportion as below) from Aetherdrift, or a (2.6%) borderless revved up common or uncommon card.
  • 1 Rare or mythic rare
    • This slot contains 1 of the 60 rares (78%) or 20 mythic rares (13%) in the main set.
      • It's also possible to open 1 of 28 borderless rare cards (8%).
      • It's also possible to open 1 of 13 borderless mythic rare cards (1%).
  • 1 Traditional foil card of any rarity
    • From the main set of Aetherdrift, you can receive a common (60.5%), uncommon (30%), rare (6.4%), or mythic rare (1.1%) card.
    • From the borderless cards of Aetherdrift, you can receive a common (0.5%), uncommon (0.5%), rare (0.9%), or mythic rare (0.1%) card.
  • 1 Land card. This land will be traditional foil in 20% of boosters.
    • A common dual land appears 50% of the time.
    • A default frame basic land appears 37.5% of the time.
    • A full-art driver's seat basic land appears 12.5% of the time.
• 1 Art card or non-foil double-sided token
  • Please note that Play Boosters no longer contain ad cards.

Collector Boosters

Aetherdrift Collector Booster boxes contain 12 Collector Boosters and a first-place Box Topper pack.

• 15 Magic: The Gathering cards
  • 4 Traditional foil commons or dual land cards
    • From among 81 commons and 10 common dual lands
  • 3 Traditional foil uncommons
  • 1 Traditional foil full-art driver's seat land
  • 1 Non-foil revved up common (46.9%) or uncommon (53.1%)
  • 1 Traditional foil revved up common (46.9%) or uncommon (53.1%)
  • 1 Traditional foil default frame rare (85.7%) or mythic rare (14.3%)
  • 1 Aetherdrift Commander (DRC) card
    • This can be a non-foil extended-art rare (84.25%), non-foil borderless mythic rare (10.5%), or traditional foil borderless mythic rare (5.25%).
  • 2 Non-foil Booster Fun rare or mythic rare cards. For each slot:
    • An extended-art rare or borderless rare appears 87% of the time.
    • An extended-art mythic rare or borderless mythic rare appears 13% of the time.
  • 1 Traditional foil Booster Fun rare or mythic rare card
    • A traditional foil extended-art or borderless rare appears 74.6% of the time.
    • A traditional foil extended-art or borderless mythic rare appears 11.2% of the time.
    • A traditional foil Japan Showcase card appears 9% of the time.
    • A fracture foil Japan Showcase card appears 1% of the time.
      • All Japan Showcase cards will always appear in Japanese in Japanese Collector Boosters. For all other Collector Boosters, these cards appear in English two thirds of the time and Japanese one third of the time.
    • A traditional foil Special Guests card appears 4.2% of the time.
    • A double rainbow foil serialized headliner card appears in less than 1% of boosters.
• 1 Traditional foil double-sided token

First-Place Box Topper Packs

Each first-place Box Topper pack, found in Play Booster boxes, Collector Booster boxes, and Finish Line Bundles, includes the following:

• 2 First-place foil cards
  • 1 First-place foil basic land
    • In 75% of Box Topper packs, this is a full-art driver's seat basic land.
    • In 25% of Box Topper packs, this is a full-art panorama basic land.
  • 1 First-place foil rare or mythic rare
    • From the main set of Aetherdrift, this can be a rare (69.4%) or mythic rare (11.6%) card.
    • From the borderless cards of Aetherdrift, this can be a rude rider rare (7.5%), revved up rare (6.4%), graffiti giants mythic rare (2.3%), revved up mythic rare (1.1%), or rude rider mythic rare (0.3%).
    • From the Special Guests cards of Aetherdrift, this can be 1 of those 10 cards (1.4%).

Commander Decks

Each Commander deck contains:

• 1 Ready-to-play 100-card Commander deck with:
  • 1 Traditional foil face commander with borderless art
  • 1 Traditional foil featured commander with borderless art
• 10 Double-sided tokens
• 1 Collector Booster Sample Pack
  • 1 Traditional foil revved up common or uncommon
  • 1 Booster Fun rare or mythic rare
    • This card can be non-foil (80%) or traditional foil (20%).
  • 1 Reference card
  • 1 Deck box

Bundles

Aetherdrift Bundles give you everything you need to find your favorite new cards from this set. Each Aetherdrift Bundle contains:

• 9 Aetherdrift Play Boosters
• 1 Traditional foil alternate-art promo card
  • Lumbering Worldwagon
• 40 Basic lands
• 2 Reference cards
• 1 Spindown die
• 1 Aetherdrift card-storage box

Finish Line Bundles

Aetherdrift Finish Line Bundles are a prize worthy of the very best racing champions, containing Collector Boosters, first-place foil cards, and more. Each Finish Line Bundle includes:

• 6 Aetherdrift Play Boosters
• 2 Aetherdrift Collector Boosters
• 20 Basic lands
  • Includes 15 traditional foil basic lands
  • Includes 5 first-place foil basic lands
• 3 Finish Line Bundle promo cards
  • Avishkar Raceway
  • Amonkhet Raceway
  • Muraganda Raceway
• 1 First-place Box Topper pack
• 5 Stickers
• 1 Oversized spindown die
• 1 Aetherdrift card-storage box

Prerelease Packs

Be among the first to experience Aetherdrift at your local game store's Prerelease events! Participants will receive a Prerelease pack containing the following:

• 6 Aetherdrift Play Boosters
• 1 Traditional foil year-stamped rare or mythic rare card
• 1 Max speed helper card
• 1 Deck box
• 1 Spindown die (from among five total color variations)

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Ready for a fast, flashy start to an epic year of Magic? Aetherdrift previews are already underway in preparation for the set's release on February 14, 2025. You can preorder Aetherdrift products now at your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.