Red cards in Magic: The Gathering are all about going fast. The new set Aetherdrift is all about this as well. With this match made in heaven, here are our top five Red cards in Aetherdrift.
Chandra, Spark Hunter
Chandra is one of the ongoing faces of Magic: The Gathering and has been for quite some time. Aetherdrift brings us a new card for her in Chandra, Spark Hunter and I know my friend Charles will be excited about all of her new abilities.
Commander: Chandra, Spark Hunter can do some nasty things. Without using any loyalty, she can turn one Vehicle into an artifact creature each turn. She creates a good way to get new cards in hand and can do damage each turn with her ultimate ability. She'd going to fit in Commander fine.
Sealed: I want to pull Chandra, Spark Hunter out of my Aetherdrift pre-release. Some strong vehicles would be devastating as an artifact creature. She can also flesh out your attackers or defenders. I think she's neat!
Constructed: Chandra, Spark Hunter will not be the most solid addition without vehicles becoming commonplace. If that happens, she will easily become the second coming of Kaito. Bane of Nightmares. That's a good thing!
Full Throttle
Want to see what a "finisher" card looks like? Full Throttle is an expensive six-cost that gives you two additional combat phases and untaps all of your attacking creatures in each combat phase.
Commander: There are many abilities in Commander that benefit from combat phases. With six mana Full Throttle gives you a whopping two additional. This is the card you play when you are looking to end the game and with a Commander like Winota, Joiner of Forces that is an easy task.
Sealed: In a Sealed or Constructed, you and your opponent have 20 health. When you can get six to seven attack power on the board and no blockers, Full Throttle ends the game. It will be a popular card.
Constructed: There are plenty of ways that Full Throttle can benefit a Red deck. Red tends to focus on aggro and Prowess, two combat-heavy archetypes. This card is a perfect fit for those types of decks and will find a way into those decks.
Hazoret, Godseeker
Wow. Hazoret, Godseeker is a 5/3 with Indestructible and Haste. While it can't attack or block until you have Max Speed, it can make a smaller creature unblockable while you build speed.
Commander: Hazoret, Godseeker is a solid card for the 99 of most Red decks. While it isn't the most powerful card, the ability to allow a small attacker through is pretty good. It also is Indestructible, which means it makes a great blocker.
Sealed: In a Sealed game, getting Start Your Engines! going will be important. Hazoret, Godseeker is a great two-drop option to get that going and works as a fantastic blocker and attacker.
Constructed: When looking at Hazoret, Godseeker, it initially doesn't look like a solid addition to a Constructed deck. Considering that most Red decks hit quickly, this card can
Howlsquad Heavy
You can bum-rush your opponents with goblins when you have Howlsquad Heavy. This card is a value piece and could have some major shakeups for the different formats.
Commander: Krenko, Mob Boss now had a new underboss for his legitimate businesses. Howlsquad Heavy pulls a lot of weight in any goblin-heavy deck, especially since when you get to max speed, you have a massive amount of mana-dorks with little to no effort.
Sealed: Red and Green have plenty of great goblins to add to your roster in Aetherdrift. That means you have an opportunity to create a threat early enough that you can use some to cheat out bigger and badder threats. Howlsquad Heavy makes this a lot more reliable.
Constructed: I knew there was a good chance that we'd see some goblin enablers when Foundations brought back Krenko, Mob Boss. I expect to see plenty of him and Howlsquad Heavy shortly. Their synergy is just too good.
Draconautics Engineer
Draconautics Engineer is all about big things in small packages. This card is built to take advantage of the Exhaust mechanic to its fullest potential. With two different abilities, this two-mana creature can provide a haste buff and also a dangerous 4/4 flyer.
Commander: If you can manage to get a card to blink Draconautics Engineer on demand, it is going to ruin some pods for sure. Goblins tend to enter the battlefield in packs. This card can give them haste if you are still looking for another way to do it. On top of that, those Dinosaur Dragon tokens will be a real headache.
Sealed: Something worth noting in Sealed is that Dragonautics Engineer can create an on-demand flying blocker if needed. Then, you have an in-air option to keep your opponent on their toes from that point forward.
Constructed: If goblins find a reliable way to get back into Constructed formats, Dragonautics Engineer will likely be part of the parade. The Exhaust abilities give you a 3/3 creature and also that flying token. Pair it with Howlsquad Heavy and you'll also have that Dinosaur Dragon in no time!
Red has a lot going for it in Aetherdrift. Considering this color features the set's Planeswalker this time around and some impressive cards for all formats, it could make Red decks even more painful to deal with! These were only the top five cards in Red for Aetherdrift but I'd advise checking the rest out as well.