Aetherdrift Set Review - Allied and Shards

Hashaton, Scarab's Fist by Wisnu Tan
White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | Artifacts & Lands | Allied & Shards | Enemy & Wedges | cEDH | Reprints | Pauper/Budget
ZOOM ZOOM!
Errrrrrrrrr, errrrrrrrrrr, tchk, ppbt, errrrrrrrrrr, vrroooooooom vroomroooooooom screeeeeeeeeeeeech.
THIS SET IS ALL ABOUT GOING FAST I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME HERE, LET'S JUST GET TO IT!
Mythics
Brightglass Gearhulk
That's right, Mikey gets to talk about all the Gearhulks this set!
What's fun about the Gearhulks this time around is that their casting cost always starts with two pips of each of their colors. Some are more geared toward Standard play, but some of them are really messed up.
Brightglass Gearhulk
There are plenty of really solid reasons to run this card, but if you ask me - and I realize you haven't yet somehow I'm here to comment on these cards - I don't care for it! Tutoring in Commander to me ain't it. Unless you're running a strange theme or a deck with secret commanders or something, I have a hard time getting behind tutors. A way more specific tutor is palatable, but still not for me.
That said, if you find yourself packing many one-or-less-mana creatures, artifacts, and/or enchantments, pop this Gearhulk in and now you've got a toolbox going.
Coalstoke Gearhulk
This is way more my speed. I love playing reanimator strategies, I love getting to mess with the graveyard, I love love love Rakdos.
Coalstoke Gearhulk
I can't wait to play this in my Rakdos, the Muscle
Also, as a red AND black creature, Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
You can also pop this in a Grixis or Mardu shell to use artifact recursion. Could this be an odd inclusion in a wheels deck? Is there a Rakdos-based mill plan somewhere? Marchesa, Dealer of Death
Hashaton, Scarab's Fist
You know when a card is previewed and the cEDH community spikes a bunch of cards that it's going to be powerful. Gone are the many guardrails we've come to expect from a card like this, such as "exile the card" or "do this once a turn". Instead, Hash is TANK. A two-mana Esper commander that turns a discarded creature into a three-mana 4/4?
That's a hell of a discount for a better Agent of Treachery
There are plenty of cards that'll enable this one, like Skirge Familiar
If you build a Hashaton, Scarab's Fist
Oildeep Gearhulk
Oildeep Gearhulk
You don't say! Getting multiple triggers on this or even just one that allows you to snag a great creature to reanimate from an opponent's graveyard is pretty sweet. A deck that wants a Memory Plunder
Pyrewood Gearhulk
This one requires you to have a board, whereas the rest of the Gearhulks do their own thing. If you don't have any other creatures, you're plopping down a six-mana 7/7 with vigilance and menace. The stats are nice, but eh? The "damage can't be prevented" rider is also pretty specific. Is Sevinne, the Chronoclasm
This is Craterhoof Behemoth
I'm not into this one.
Riptide Gearhulk
This is one of the most messed up blink/reanimation targets I've seen in a minute. As a beater, it's pretty solid with double strike and prowess, but that ETB is everything! For each opponent, you get to get rid of something great and disrupt a later draw? Ugh, that's HUGE!
Aminatou, the Fateshifter
Temmet, Naktamun's Will
I've had my Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
Then in comes Temmet, Naktamun's Will
While he's quite expensive, he makes combat a nightmare for your opponents. Zombies gaining +1/+1 whenever you draw a card and a loot on attack means when you swing with Zombies and Tem's in play, you're buffing your slow boys by +2/+2. Factor in cards like Kindred Discovery
In the 99, I think Temmet can exist in Varina decks likes she exists in his. Personally, though, I can't wait to slot Temmy into the command zone and finally play Ratadrabik of Urborg
Rares
Caradora, Heart of Alacria
Look. If you're excited about this one, power to you. A Vehicle and Mount tutor in the command zone is fun if that's what you're into and frankly, I think it's so you can essentially "partner" Caradora with Lagorin, Soul of Alacria
Caradora is a Hardened Scales
Far Fortune, End Boss
Far Fortune looks cool as hell and would feel right at home in a Rakdos, Lord of Riots
I'm not huge on Far Fortune, but the card's really easy to build around, embracing more red than black in its identity.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight
Okay, this one is cool as hell. Mendicant Core, Guidelight
If you've got a high density of colorless creatures in your deck, I'd suggest Glaring Fleshraker
As much as I like a Memnite
A real all-star for this deck is K-9, Mark I
Having a deck built around this Robot means packing a ton of artifacts that you think would be better in pairs. Why yes, I'd love to make two Sol Ring
Mendicant Core, Guidelight
In the 99, it's tough to say because it's kinda sorta barely a Master of Etherium
Redshift, Rocketeer Chief
Redshift is so cool. On its own, it comes down as a two-mana dork that taps for two (spendable only on activated abilities) and can swing with vigilance. Not bad! But add some pump spells or some anthems and you've got yourself a dork that'll be hitting hard and making tons of mana.
So what does Redshift want? Big power and a full grip to dump permanents into play. With the exhaust ability allowing you to run out permanents instead of just creatures, Redshift, Rocketeer Chief
Redshift notably only makes mana you can use on activated abilities so unless you've got a Gemstone Array
The thing about the exhaust ability is that it's splashy and could attract the wrong type of attention, but that isn't the part they should be scared of. That mana ability can get real out of hand in the right deck. I can see many folks popping Redshift into their big mana RGx(x) decks. I can especially see Redshift pulling its weight in a Naya counters deck. Marath, Will of the Wild
Samut, the Driving Force
Now this is some fun card design, and the art is incredible.
Six-mana commanders get written off pretty quickly these days, but may I interest you in playing Smart and immediately buffing your board for +1/+0 and discounting noncreature spells by one? How about sending your vigilant first striker with haste in the red zone and getting +2/+0 instead and a two mana discount to noncreatures. A late-game Arcane Signet
The way I see this deck is to be built around noncreature spells that bring in creatures, like Dragon Fodder
Samut, the Driving Force
A theme with the legends this set so far is that they point in a direction, but they don't close themselves off to other strategies. You could totally run Samut for the big anthem and be a beatdown deck. How about Naya planeswalker deck? Or Naya Battles? Or Naya Enchantress? You don't even need to be dedicated to a card type in particular!
The discount is great on its own, and red has no problem dealing damage to an opponent per turn. With the amount of cards that start your engines in this set, you can get ahead of the curve and have a big turn when Samut drops at max speed. I'm pretty impressed with this card, and I usually tend to avoid Naya decks. Maybe the time has come!
As always, with three-color cards, your options for the 99 are more limited. I don't know where I'd consider popping Samut other than the command zone, and yet it's almost like wherever she goes is gravy. You've got a Rocco, Street Chef
Solid card! I like it!
Winter, Cursed Rider
Lots of two-mana legends this set, eh? The art for Winter's lates card is really sick!
That said, if you'd asked me to predict Winter's colors this set, I'd have for sure said base green-black with potential for red or switching up the third color. I did not in any way anticipate the removal of green or this artifact lean.
I guess I'm more confused than anything.
A 3/2 for two with "Ward - Pay 2 life" and giving that same text to all artifacts you control is pretty sweet, but it doesn't quite guide me in a direction in particular. It does tell me that Breya, Etherium Shaper
So Winter, Cursed Rider
I hate to say it, but Winter's got real "in-the-99" energy. I mentioned Breya, but Urza, Chief Artificer
As a commander, I think Winter doesn't quite get there for me in the inspiration department. Self-mill, using stuff like Emry, Lurker of the Loch
Uncommons & Commons
Apocalypse Runner
This one is a little sneaky in decks that want their little guys to get through or in decks where creatures tend to get buffed in combat. Precombat main phase, tap this to make a little guy unblockable and give it lifelink. Combat, swing with a Shared Animosity
Gastal Thrillseeker
A card that gets your speed up to two immediately. In a deck that has creatures blink or dance their way in and out of the graveyard, this lil Lizard becomes a Zulaport Cutthroat
Guidelight Pathmaker
Sure, it's a six-mana tutor for artifacts only, but it can cheat the cost on two-mana-or-less tutor targets so it's like paying four for the Pathmaker. It's not amazing, but I think this is the kind of tutor I can get behind. It's interesting space!
Haunted Hellride
This doesn't need to attack or be crewed for that first ability. An ability with a tap cost is definitely worth looking at here like The Master, Transcendent
Haunt the Network
Zevlor, Elturel Exile
Lagorin, Soul of Alacria
I will let you partner this with Caradora, Heart of Alacria
Veteran Beastrider
Drumbellower
Voyage Home
Achievement unlocked won't be difficult, but getting to cast this for is going to feel so good.
IT'S ABOUT FAMILY
I'm surprised to not pick up on a bunch of Fast and Furious references, but what can you do? No set is perfect! Lots of really cool designs in this set and plenty to include in the 99. I know we'll see lots of Hashaton, but what legend's caught your eye to pop in the command zone?