Locations
With 41 total, Aetherdrift may end up having the most vehicles ever printed in a set. In honor of that fact, today I want to go over some of the best and most iconic vehicles that have ever been printed outside of Aetherdrift, which total 125.
Let's begin!
Cultivator's Caravan
Cultivator's Caravan has been producing mana for years, and has even seen play recently with a reprint in Foundations. That also means it will be legal for the next five years, so I assume we haven't seen the last of it in Standard. As far as mana rocks go, being able to attack for five is a pretty good upside.
Heart of Kiran
Heart of Kiran is kind of a sad one. This card was hugely hyped when it was first revealed, and it was one of the chase mythics in the set. Everyone thought they had a 4/4 flier for two mana. Eventually Heart of Kiran was revealed to be pretty meh. It didn't really break any formats, and it saw very little play. That all being said, it eventually became a niche vehicle with a unique crew ability that does see some play here and there.
Parhelion II
I think this card saw absolutely zero play when it was released in War of the Spark. It just wasn't an easy task to get an eight-mana vehicle into play, have it survive a turn before being able to attack, then have a creature with four power to crew it that wasn't already winning you the game on its own. It wasn't until Greasefang, Okiba Boss came along in Pioneer to really break the Parhelion wide open. It didn't even matter that it was returned to your hand at the end of the turn; one swing with it was all you really needed to pull way ahead with two 4/4 Angels for your troubles.
Reckoner Bankbuster
In a way, Reckoner Bankbuster is a bit similar to Cultivator's Caravan. They're both vehicle versions of existing, popular artifact themes. The Caravan is a version of a three-mana mana rock, and the Bankbuster is a version of two-mana card drawing artifacts, like Mazemind Tome, Treasure Map, or Investigator's Journal. Only Reckoner Bankbuster, in addition to letting you draw cards, also attacks as a 4/4, and even makes its own Treasure token and Pilot to crew it after you draw your last card.
Shorikai, Genesis Engine
I don't actually know how popular Shorikai, Genesis Engine is in competitive formats, or even non-competitive formats. I have to assume it sees some play in Commander, as that's the set it was released in, and the extended art version still goes for over $6, but I'm not even sure. The real reason I have it on the list? I assume you guessed it: I love this big boy in Cube! It's such a cool card that does so many things. It loots and actually nets you cards, it gives you a discard outlet, it attacks for eight, and it makes a Pilot with every activation. It's a heck of an engine, all on its own.
Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
Ah, the Boat. This card is just a banger. It kills something when it enters the battlefield. It kills something when it attacks. It flies. It has six power. It's easily one of the best, most efficient vehicles ever printed. And with a crew cost of three, it's not even entirely all that difficult to take to the skies.
Smuggler's Copter
I don't think it's a stretch to call Smuggler's Copter the best vehicle ever printed. It's the Umezawa's Jitte of vehicles, assuming Jitte is still one of, if not the best equipment ever printed. They both cost two mana, and they were both banned for a long time, with the Copter being banned in Pioneer and the Jitte being banned in Modern (though the Copter was recently unbanned, and I wonder if the Jitte could be as well). Smuggler's Copter was pushed just a bit too hard on every metric: power and toughness, crew cost, casting cost, evasion, and loot ability. It was easier to crew than every other competing vehicle, including the aforementioned Heart of Kiran, and that made it ubiquitous in every deck that had even the tiniest of creatures.
Unlicensed Hearse
Unlicensed Hearse is the Relic of Progenitus, Ghost Vacuum, or Soul-Guide Lantern of vehicles, and each of the cards exiled just makes the Hearse larger! While it does cost two mana instead of the usual one, that's not too big of a deal considering how sizable the Hearse can get and the fact that it doesn't have any activation costs.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
