Hello everyone. Now that the official release of Aetherdrift is upon us, it's time to start looking at some decks built with these cool new cards. Let's get started.

Mono-Red Aggro

Aggressive decks usually tend to do very well the first few weeks after the release of a new set, so it should come as no surprise that the first deck I'll be looking at is a Mono-Red aggro build. Let's take a look at the deck.

Mono-Red Aggro | DFT Standard | purppa, archidekt.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 2 Draconautics Engineer
• 3 Krenko, Mob Boss
• 4 Burnout Bashtronaut
• 4 Fanatical Firebrand
• 4 Howlsquad Heavy
• 4 Rundvelt Hordemaster
• 4 Searslicer Goblin

• Instants (5)
• 2 Burst Lightning
• 3 Goblin Surprise

• Enchantments (5)
• 2 Count on Luck
• 3 Impact Tremors

• Artifacts (2)
• 2 Chainsaw

• Lands (23)
• 23 Mountain

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I wasn't able to attend any Aetherdrift prereleases due to scheduling conflicts, so I'm not sure of the impact that the 'Start your engines!' and 'Max speed' abilities are going to have on Standard play, but this deck sure has faith in them. Burnout Bashtronaut gains double strike once you achieve max speed, and Howlsquad Heavy gains the ability to potentially tap for a ton of Red mana. I'm cautiously optimistic that max speed is obtainable and sustainable with this deck.

This deck also utilizes another new keyword ability, exhaust. Draconautics Engineer has two exhaust abilities that you can use once per turn. One of these allows you to create a 4/4 Dinosaur Dragon creature token with flying for four mana. The other requires one Red mana to use, and it provides your other creatures with haste for the turn, plus it gives Draconautics Engineer a +1/+1 counter. That makes Draconautics Engineer a creature with a low mana value that you don't mind drawing in the late game.

The remainder of this deck is a fairly typical Goblin-based deck that benefits from having Rundvelt Hordemaster on the battlefield, due to the +1/+1 it provides your other Goblins. If you are able to have a copy of Impact Tremors in play, you can deal a lot of damage to your opponent by creating Goblin creature tokens with Krenko, Mob Boss. There's also a couple of copies of Count on Luck, a new enchantment that helps provide you with extra cards to play each turn.

Golgari Bugs and Cars

Next, I have a Green/Black deck that has the potential to flood the battlefield with lots of Insect creature tokens. Let's take a look at the deck.

Golgari Bugs and Cars | DFT Standard | ricadouradinho, archidekt.com user

• Creatures (21)
• 1 Altanak, the Thrice-Called
• 2 Aatchik, Emerald Radian
• 2 Chitin Gravestalker
• 2 Stubborn Burrowfiend
• 3 Pothole Mole
• 3 Webstrike Elite
• 4 Aftermath Analyst
• 4 Gnawing Vermin

• Instants (5)
• 2 Drag to the Roots
• 3 Go for the Throat

• Sorceries (7)
• 3 Pilfer
• 4 Say Its Name

• Enchantments (2)
• 2 Dredger's Insight

• Artifacts (4)
• 1 Thundering Broodwagon
• 3 Hedge Shredder

• Lands (23)
• 10 Swamp
• 11 Forest
• 2 Jungle Hollow

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When playing this deck, you'll end up milling quite a few cards from your library into your graveyard. Creatures like Pothole Mole and Aftermath Analyst have you place a certain number of cards directly into your graveyard when they enter the battlefield. Don't be alarmed by this, it's all part of the plan. You want to have a fair number of creatures in your graveyard for when you cast Aatchik, Emerald Radian.

When Aatchik, Emerald Radian enters play, you'll create a number of 1/1 Insect creature tokens equal to the number of artifact and creature cards in your graveyard. These tokens will be instrumental for you to use as blockers. If those Insects die, it's no big deal. Aatchik gains a +1/+1 counter for each Insect that dies, and your opponent loses 1 life for each as well. That can stop your opponent from attacking, knowing that you have an easy route to victory.

This deck also utilizes a new vehicle from Aetherdrift, Thundering Broodwagon. It has a mana value of 6, so you might end up cycling it away, but if you don't, you'll end up with an impressive machine. When Thundering Broodwagon enters play, you can destroy any nonland permanent your opponent controls with a mana value of 4 or less. This vehicle also has menace, making it difficult to block, and reach, allowing you to be able to block the highest of fliers. Plus, its beefy stats are nothing to sneeze at.

Azorius Affinity

The final deck I have for you this week features a creature you're likely to see in numerous decks in the future. Let's check it out.

Azorius Affinity | DFT Standard | Ciorcal, archidekt.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 1 Mendicant Core, Guidelight
• 4 Memory Guardian
• 4 Mockingbird
• 4 Novice Inspector
• 4 Regal Bunnicorn
• 4 Spyglass Siren
• 4 Warden of the Inner Sky

• Instants (2)
• 2 Spell Pierce

• Enchantments (2)
• 2 Case of the Filched Falcon

• Artifacts (10)
• 2 Spring-Loaded Sawblades // Bladewheel Chariot
• 4 Leyline Axe
• 4 Voyager Glidecar

• Lands (21)
• 3 Island
• 4 Plains
• 2 Restless Anchorage
• 4 Adarkar Wastes
• 4 Floodfarm Verge
• 4 Seachrome Coast

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Loran of the Third Path
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Elspeth's Smite
• 1 Raise the Past
• 2 Split Up
• 2 Rest in Peace
• 3 Sheltered by Ghosts

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Memory Guardian is likely to be seen in many Blue-based decks that feature vehicles in our upcoming Standard environment. Coming in with 3/4 stats makes it the perfect size to crew nearly any vehicle. Plus, its mana value can be lowered due to it having affinity for artifacts. In a deck that isn't playing any vehicles, Memory Guardian is still a good creature, because it has flying.

Mendicant Core, Guidelight also shines in a deck full of artifacts. This Robot's power is directly tied to the number of artifacts you control. Also, if you manage to get to max speed with Mendicant Core, Guidelight on the battlefield, you can pay a mana to create a copy of an artifact spell that you cast, further increasing Mendicant Core's power.

Getting extra nonland permanents onto the battlefield is important for this deck, as they allow your Regal Bunnicorn to become absolutely massive. You can also use those artifact copies to help power up Warden of the Inner Sky, giving it +1/+1 counters, and eventually flying and vigilance.

Wrapping Up

While the theme of Aetherdrift isn't exactly my favorite, I can't deny that it has some pretty great cards that will help shake up Standard. I'm excited to see what new decks pop up for me to show you next week.

What do you think of these decks? Feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

- Mike Likes