News / Feature

The Guide to Your First Prerelease with Aetherdrift

Feature Jan 31, 2025

Jubilee Finnegan

Want to experience Magic alongside your fellow players? Hoping to be among the first to get your hands on some new cards? Wondering what exactly this Ghirapur Grand Prix is? Sounds like you're ready for Aetherdrift Prerelease events at your local game store. Starting February 7, 2025, you can experience high-octane, low-stress gameplay at these classic tabletop events.

Art by: Svetlin Velinov

Prerelease events are the best way to learn the cards and mechanics of a new set. You get to gather with Magic players of all skill levels on the even playing field of a fresh release. After it wraps up, you'll have a great start to your Aetherdrift collection, and maybe some new friends for Friday Night Magic at your local game store.

When you register for a Prerelease event at your store, you'll receive a Prerelease Pack on the day of the event containing the following:

Aetherdrift Prerelease Pack

• 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)

Prerelease events are most often run as Sealed events, meaning you'll construct a 40-card deck from the contents of your Prerelease Pack and any number of basic lands. Some stores will also offer Two-Headed Giant events, allowing you to take on the racing field with your co-captain!

Your local game store should have everything you need to enjoy your Prerelease, including the basic lands to construct your deck. That means you just need to sit back and enjoy the high-speed fun of Aetherdrift. And if you need help navigating the set's Limited environment, don't worry! We've got your guide to Aetherdrift Prerelease right here.

Building Your Prerelease Deck

After opening your six Play Boosters, you'll want to start paring down your pool of cards to the very best cards you've opened. This helps you decide what colors your deck will be, as sealed decks are often only two colors. Threats like these, often your rares and mythic rares, will push you toward a certain color pair. It doesn't hurt that they're often the most exciting cards in the set.

These threats can provide a massive advantage and turn the tides of a game. For example, Hazoret, Godseeker is a high-damage attacker and incredibly difficult to remove from play. Cursecloth Wrappings effectively lets you cast your best creatures a second time. Boommobile … well, it's called Boommobile. You get the idea.

Once you've decided what your major threats are, you should start looking for ways to deal with an opponent's threats. Removal is a key component of Limited gameplay, providing a way to outmaneuver even the swiftest foes. Whether it's a spell that outright destroys a creature or an effect that forces your opponent to discard their best creature, removal is key to claiming victory.

0013_MTGDFT_Main: Gallant Strike 0106_MTGDFT_Main: Spin Out

Each of the five colors can efficiently deal with different cards. White and black can destroy creatures with relative ease, though white's removal tends to be conditional. Some of black's removal in Aetherdrift has a high mana cost, but it's well worth the cost.

0063_MTGDFT_Main: Spectral Interference 0039_MTGDFT_Main: Bounce Off

Blue can counter your opponent's spells or return permanents to their owner's hand. Notably, a lot of the removal in the set can hit creatures or Vehicles, letting you deal with a racing rig even if it's been crewed. 

0119_MTGDFT_Main: Crash and Burn 0179_MTGDFT_Main: Run Over

Red and green's removal is the most restrictive, as both colors utilize damage-based removal for most creatures. But remember that a lot of the best creatures in the set are also Vehicles, which these colors can destroy with relative ease. Utilizing each color's unique strengths is key to getting an edge on the track.

If you're looking for a quick reference, our racing experts have compiled some of the key pieces of removal you can expect to see during the race. Feel free to use this handy list either in deck building or when playing against your opponents!

The Common and Uncommon Removal in Aetherdrift

White

(Select for card list)

Name	Mana Value
Collision Course	2
Gallant Strike	2
Ride's End	5
Detention Chariot	6

Blue

(Select for card list)

Name	Mana Value
Bounce Off	1
Spectral Interference	2
Roadside Blowout	3
Trip Up	4
Spikeshell Harrier	5

Black

(Select for card list)

Name	Mana Value
Hellish Sideswipe	1
Grim Bauble	1
Spin Out	3
Syphon Fuel	5

Red

(Select for card list)

Name	Mana Value
Road Rage	1
Fuel the Flames	2
Skycrash	2
Lightning Strike	2
Crash and Burn	4

Green

(Select for card list)

Name	Mana Value
Plow Through	1
Run Over	2
Broken Wings	3

Deck Building and the Mana Curve 

No matter how you choose to deal with your opponents, it's going to take some serious skill and strategy to cross the finish line first. To ensure you can do that, you'll want to cast your spells at a consistent rate. That's especially important in Aetherdrift with mechanics like start your engines!

The "mana curve" is a time-tested concept that helps you cast your spells turn after turn. Essentially, the average mana value of your spells should be around two or three. By doing this, you ensure you have spells to cast early on as well as powerful, more expensive spells for later in the game. The average mana curve for Sealed should look something like this:

• 1 Mana: 1–2 cards
• 2 Mana: 7–8 cards
• 3 Mana: 5–6 cards
• 4 Mana: 3–4 cards
• 5 Mana: 2–3 cards
• 6 Mana: 0–1 card
• and 17 lands! 

Your two-color deck should usually have an almost even split of lands. For example, a blue-black deck would run nine Islands and eight Swamps. Aetherdrift also has a cycle of common two-color lands that can make your mana base a tad more consistent. That same blue-black deck could run eight Islands, eight Swamps, and one copy of Dismal Backwater.

Finding Your Strategy in Aetherdrift

It's important to know some of the overall mechanics and themes of Aetherdrift. The two most important new mechanics are exhaust and start your engines! Some cards synergize with these specific mechanics, so keep an eye out for effects that put a little extra fuel in your tank.

Exhaust is aimed at control and midrange decks; ones that seek to outvalue their opponents as the game goes on. Adrenaline Jockey will grow as you activate your exhaust abilities, while Elvish Refueler helps you get the most bang for your buck. By building towards the massive plays that exhaust supports, you'll leave your opponents in the dust.

Aggressive decks thrive off hitting max speed with start your engines! Cards that consistently and quickly deal damage are a premium in these decks, as you'll want to rack up life loss to hit max speed. Brightfield Glider is an efficient and evasive creature that helps build up speed. If you hit max speed quickly enough, you'll be able to utilize payoffs like Gastal Raider before your opponents have even left the garage.

Aetherdrift Draft Archetypes

To help with Limited gameplay, Magic sets have a strategy for each color pair called a draft archetype. These archetypes indicate what the cards in those colors will excel at doing. Knowing what your deck's archetype is will help you pick which cards you'll want to play. This knowledge can also provide insight into your opponent's strategy, letting you predict the spells they cast before they even draw them!

In Aetherdrift, each two-color pair has two multicolor uncommon cards that tell you what that color pair is all about. These pivotal cards give you that extra edge you need to pull ahead of your opponent, so take a look!

White-Blue Artifact Value

As you'd expect from a team themed around Robots, white-blue's focus is on accruing value over several turns with artifacts. By building up a wide board of Vehicles and artifact creatures, you'll be able to cast spells like Voyage Home and Gearseeker Serpent for less!

Blue-Black Artifact Bleeder

While the last archetype wants to use artifacts for your benefit, blue-black uses artifacts for your opponent's detriment. Robots, Toys, and Thopters will whittle away at your foes until you finish them off with a life-draining Haunt the Network.

Black-Red Max Speed Aggro

Low-cost creatures are effective at building up your speed to take out opponents, and black-red capitalizes on this by helping you dish out damage turn after turn. With Gastal Thrillseaker dealing damage upon entering and Apocalypse Runner ensuring your Berserkers get through, you'll be off to the races in no time.

Red-Green Exhaust Midrange

Exhaust abilities might be limited to one activation, but red-green ensures you'll get the most value you can out of those activations. Boom Scholar is an efficient creature that discounts your exhaust abilities, allowing you to activate costly abilities several turns ahead of schedule.

Green-White Vehicles and Mounts Midrange

Green-white fully commits to the racing theme, utilizing Vehicles and Mounts to attack opponents. You'll want a nice mix of creatures and permanents for them to crew and saddle, making cards like Veteran Beastrider especially useful by fortifying your defenses after attacking.

White-Black Max Speed Attrition

Sometimes slow and steady wins the race, and white-black decks understand that better than most. Rather than building up speed through attacking, these decks use sacrifice and life drain to enable cards like Embalmed Ascendant, ensuring you can clear a path to victory.

Blue-Red Discard Aggro

Turn your chums into chum! With cycling abilities and spells like Broadside Barrage at your disposal, you'll trigger effects that care about discard turn after turn. Remember that cycling abilities can be activated at instant speed, so don't be afraid to leave up mana.

Black-Green Graveyard

You've heard of value engines; now try a five-cylinder value engine. Discard or mill your most powerful creatures and Vehicles, then bring them back with reanimation effects. Discard Thundering Broodwagon on turn two, cast Broodheart Engine on turn three, then reanimate the Vehicle on turn four!

Red-White Vehicles and Mounts Aggro

With red's pension for aggression and white's token generation, this archetype is all about hitting fast and hard. Start out by casting small Vehicles like Spotcycle Scouter before moving onto tide-turning payoffs like Cloudspire Coordinator.

Green-Blue Exhaust Ramp

On the racetrack, every second counts, and in Magic, every land counts! Build toward activating multiple exhaust abilities with mana rocks like Veloheart Bike, then go over the top with Thopter tokens from Rangers' Aetherhive.

Splashing in Aetherdrift

These archetypes give a useful starting point for your deck, but they aren't prescriptive. "Splashing" for a third color with the common two-color lands can allow you to drift into new strategies, like combining Vehicles and max speed with Samut, the Driving Force. It's a bumpy ride out there, so use whatever you can to survive the race.

Head Off to the Races with Aetherdrift!

You can prepare for your upcoming Aetherdrift Prerelease by exploring the set in the complete Aetherdrift Card Image Gallery. With new mechanics, dazzling treatments, and an epic story behind it all, Aetherdrift has something for every Magic fan at the Ghirapur Grand Prix. 

Aetherdrift Prerelease events begin on February 7, 2025, at your local game store, with the set releasing on February 14. You can preorder Aetherdrift now at your local game store, online retailers like Amazon, and elsewhere Magic products are sold.