Mu Yanling, Wind RiderMu Yanling, Wind Rider | art by Justyna Dura

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Life in the Fast Lane

Hello, everyone! It’s your friendly neighborhood Jesguy here, and welcome to the Aetherdrift blue Set Review!

Look, I know not everyone is a fan of this set, it takes the "hats on sets" to the extreme, but despite that, I think there is a little something here for everyone to love.

Whether it's vehicles, fliers, artifact synergies, or even a vanilla legend, we have it all in this set review, so let's not waste any more time, and get to the races!

Mythics and Rares

Mu Yanling, Wind RiderMu Yanling, Wind Rider

Out of left field comes Mu Yanling, the very last person I expected to see in this interplanar death race.

Keeping with her (apparent) theme of caring about things that fly, this iteration of her also takes your vehicles to the skies!

Immediately making a 3/2 vehicle on etb that she herself can crew is solid, especially technically flies as well! That's not all though!

We haven't even gotten to the best part yet: the card draw. Whenever a creature (or by extension, vehicle) with flying pecks your opponents, you draw a card! I love it!

While I think she can be a fine commander on her own, I think she is best at home in the 99 of Flying decks, as an additional copy of Coastal PiracyCoastal Piracy.

Were you to want to build her though, there could be some cool routes, in particular an Artifact build.

Now hear me out, you'd want a handful of Vehicles to get the wheels spinning, and then things like Emry, Lurker of the LochEmry, Lurker of the Loch, Thought MonitorThought Monitor, and Research ThiefResearch Thief to help round things out.

I don't know if something like that would be good, but it does sound fun, at least to me! A far cry from your traditional Artifact decks in mono blue.

Overall, I really like Mu Yanling, Wind RiderMu Yanling, Wind Rider's design. It's sleek, it's simple, and best of all, it can be fun to build around! Thumbs up from me!

Unstoppable PlanUnstoppable Plan

A free Dramatic ReversalDramatic Reversal at the end of every one of my turns? Sure, I'll take it!

While you can't combo with this like you can with Dramatic ReversalDramatic Reversal, Unstoppable PlanUnstoppable Plan can provide plenty of value.

Bare minimum it will untap all your creatures and artifacts, giving you plenty of play on opponent's turns. Aside from that, it is excellent in more specific circumstances, like in decks with plenty of tapping effects.

Phenax, God of DeceptionPhenax, God of Deception, Alaundo the SeerAlaundo the Seer, and Dynaheir, Invoker AdeptDynaheir, Invoker Adept are all perfect homes for Unstoppable PlanUnstoppable Plan, letting you double tip on all your tapping fun!

Unstoppable PlanUnstoppable Plan is powerful, but not broken. You can't combo, but you can get plenty of value from it. Very solid card.

Riverchurn MonumentRiverchurn Monument

What do you get when you cross Keening StoneKeening Stone with Court of CunningCourt of Cunning?

A good card, that's what!

Sure, you can only activate the Exhaust ability a single time, but if it knocks a player or two out of the game, who cares?

On top of that, being able to mill any number of players for two cards greases the wheels in plenty of decks.

Whether you're a Mill deck, or decks that just care about getting a handful of cards in the yard like Saruman of Many ColorsSaruman of Many Colors or Narset, Enlightened ExileNarset, Enlightened Exile, Riverchurn MonumentRiverchurn Monument is the perfect way to get the ball rolling and end a game!

It's excellent at all points of the game! For decks that want effects like this, I like it a lot!

Vnwxt, Verbose HostVnwxt, Verbose Host

For those wondering, his name is pronounced "Vin-wix-it".

So this is our first Start your engines! card. I know a lot of people don't like the mechanic, but I find it pretty inoffensive.

The worst thing about it is how ironically slow it is. It takes a bare minimum of three turns before you are at max speed, though the good thing is, once you're at max speed, you are unlikely to ever lose it.

Where does that leave VnwxtVnwxt though? Well, he is probably best at the helm of a deck...In theory.

As the commander, you will have more chances to increase your speed every turn as opposed to if he was just in the 99.

The thing is though, if he is at the head of the deck...What are you doing? Just drawing twice the cards? That's fun an all, but that doesn't easily win you a game.

There are some cute synergies here regardless, with cards like Mist-Cloaked HeraldMist-Cloaked Herald to swing in and increase your speed, to Homunculus HordeHomunculus Horde, and Alandra, Sky DreamerAlandra, Sky Dreamer to begin a small army, to even LabmanLabman to try and win with an empty deck!

There are pieces to a brew here, though I do feel like it is fighting an uphill battle.

Regardless of my thoughts on it, I think there are plenty of people that are enticed by Vnwxt, Verbose HostVnwxt, Verbose Host ability to draw cards.

I like him, he just seems like a bit too much work for my taste.

Mindspring MerfolkMindspring Merfolk

Avishkar? Nope! A-fish-car!

Stop me if you couldn't have guessed, but Mindspring MerfolkMindspring Merfolk is best at home in a Merfolk deck. It's a cheap creature of a relevant type, a way to draw cards, and a way to pump your team all in one great package.

There are other decks that may be in the market for a one drop that can draw cards later in the game, but decks like Kumena, Tyrant of OrazcaKumena, Tyrant of Orazca and Hakbal of the Surging SoulHakbal of the Surging Soul are the places where it will be best.

Repurposing BayRepurposing Bay

Now this is Birthing PodBirthing Podracing!!

Repurposing BayRepurposing Bay is sweet. Being able to sac your diddly little artifacts like Mycosynth WellspringMycosynth Wellspring and Ichor WellspringIchor Wellspring and turn them into better ones like Archaeomancer's MapArchaeomancer's Map or Thousand-Year ElixirThousand-Year Elixir is dope, especially once you're able to start going up the chain.

I'm shocked that we hadn't had a no-stipulation Birthing PodBirthing Pod variant for artifacts yet, and I'm happy we've finally got one.

If you need some inspiration for what you can start doing with this great little card, make sure you check out the pages for Oswald FiddlebenderOswald Fiddlebender and Iron Man, Titan of InnovationIron Man, Titan of Innovation under the Birthing Pod theme. it'll give you plenty of ideas!

Waxen ShapethiefWaxen Shapethief

While this may look like a better Stunt DoubleStunt Double variant at first blush, being able to target only your creatures and artifacts is a real restriction.

For this reason, Cycling is perfect on a card like this. Waxen ShapethiefWaxen Shapethief is solid when you have the permanents to copy, and if you don't?

You can easily cash it in for a card without worry. Any deck that runs Phyrexian MetamorphPhyrexian Metamorph will be interested in this card. MetamorphMetamorph will still be better, but this is an excellent addition for ways to copy your own permanents.

Uncommons and Commons

• Aether SyphonAether Syphon takes a but of work to get to Teferi's TutelageTeferi's Tutelage level, but once it gets there, it's pretty good! The hardest part is getting to max speed, but once you've attained it, your golden. I feel like it's asking you to jump through some hoops though, so only play it if you need multiple TutelageTutelage effects.
• Caelorna, Coral TyrantCaelorna, Coral Tyrant probably won't be seeing play in the command zone, but there are a handful of decks that it can fit in, the loudest being The Pride of Hull CladeThe Pride of Hull Clade, where it goes absolutely bonkers. I definitely enjoy seeing some vanilla legends in this set. They're neat!
• Diversion UnitDiversion Unit is the kind of card that usually looks better than it plays, but I think it being an artifact can be a big deal. There are tons of ways to rebuy and recur artifacts, that having a bigger, repeatable Judge's FamiliarJudge's Familiar is something for some Artifact decks to take note of.
• Guidelight OptimizerGuidelight Optimizer is a cute little mana dork in the style of Oaken SirenOaken Siren. It isn't game or ground breaking, but if you're looking for a bit more ramp in your artifact deck that can net you blue mana, here you go!
• Transit MageTransit Mage is the last of the "Tr Mage" cycle, and it's a good one too! It can tutor up a plethora of artifacts, from PanharmoniconPanharmonicon, The One RingThe One Ring, Alhammarret's ArchiveAlhammarret's Archive or Gilded LotusGilded Lotus, in your average deck, you'll have plenty of targets to nab. Glad to see this cycle finally rounded out!

Shift Happens

And there we have it, all of the blue cards from Aetherdrift!

I understand why this set doesn't appeal to a large amount of people. Motorcycles, and cars, and a racing flag set symbol can be a lot to take in all at once, especially when you are used to high fantasy settings.

If you're one of the people who don't like the set, just know that you're opinion on it is valid, even if I don't entirely agree with it.

There is a lot of tonal whiplash here, especially after Magic Foundations.

Enough about the aesthetics though, what about the cards? Which were your favorite?

My overall favorite blue card from the set has to be Repurposing BayRepurposing Bay. I mean, a Birthing PodBirthing Pod that cards about artifacts is just such a good design, I love it!

What about you though? What blue cards stood out to you during the set review? Any that you agree or disagree with? Make sure you let me know down in the comments below!

Until next time, keep your foundations strong!

You can reach me on Twitter and Bluesky (@thejesguy), where you can always hit me up for Magic- or Jeskai-related shenanigans 24/7. Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns?

Please don’t hesitate to leave them below or get in touch!

Stay safe, wash your hands, and keep fighting the good fight. Stay safe in these crazy times. I support you. No justice, no peace.

Angelo Guerrera

Angelo is a New England resident who started playing Magic during Return to Ravnica, and has made it his mission to play Jeskai in every format possible. Along with Commander, he loves Limited, Cube, and Modern, and will always put his trust in counterspells over creatures. He is still hurt by Sphinx's Revelation's rotation out of Standard.