On your marks. Get set. Go!

Aetherdrift is off with a bang, and is on track (pun intended) to be one of the most enjoyable and challenging Limited sets for 2025. I've only drafted a couple times myself, but just by watching some popular Magic YouTube creators, I can readily see just how complex the decision trees can be with this set.

One interesting trend I've noticed with Aetherdrift is that the format isn't as fast and aggressive as some previous sets. Players actually have time to build out a board, draw some extra cards, and leverage card-advantage engines to achieve success. Funnily enough, this sounds a bit counterintuitive when you consider Aetherdrift is a set themed around racing and speed.

That's not to say that the set doesn't have some fast-looking cards though! If we shift focus to the art and illustrations of Aetherdrift, we find many cards that depict vehicles that look like they could win a race against some of the best NASCAR and Formula 1 drivers out there. In fact, if we used only the card art to identify the winner of the Aetherdrift race, I wonder which cards would rise to the top?

The Most Aggressive Looking Racer: White

Aetherdrift contains a large pool of mounts and vehicles ready to race. Not all of these are created equally, however. You can't tell me that Detention Chariot, powered by a few hyenas, will move as quickly as...say...Spotcycle Scouter. I don't need too much imagination to predict who would win a race between these two.

Don't get me wrong, I love the details Adrian Rodriguez Perez includes in Detention Chariot's art. I'd be quite intimidated if I saw this vehicle accelerating down my street, coming straight toward me. In the spirit of Aetherdrift's speed, however, I have to give it to Josiah "Jo" Cameron's Spotcycle Scouter, which looks ready to run circles around the Chariot. Everything in Cameron's art screams "speed," from the blue and purple color streaks to the use of color striations depicting fast motion. The art doesn't make me think of traditional Magic, but it sure does look like a futuristic and speedy vehicle!

What do the other colors have in terms of speed?

Blue Entrants to the Race

Some vehicles in Blue don't look like they're in any shape to win a race based solely on speed. Midnight Mangler and Possession Engine look menacing, and I certainly wouldn't want to cut them off in traffic, but I don't see them reaching the podium.

Midnight Mangler looks like someone took an old car, modified it with scary-looking spikes and a custom grill, but didn't bother to repair the rest of the body. Villarrte's Blue streaks convey speed--I just don't buy that this car can race as quickly as some other entrants. Leroy Steinmann's Possession Engine looks intimidating! The muscular guy driving the custom car with skull-like face, spiky tires and hood, with a shark strapped to the top of the car--it all depicts a hard-nosed, no-nonsense vehicle. It's an amazing, provocative piece of art, but would it win the race?

Of all Blue entrants, I would argue that Hulldrifter would win on pure speed.

While Alexandre Honore's vehicle looks awfully similar to Mulldrifter, the winged vehicle looks ready to fly through the course and reach for the checkered flag. This fish-like vehicle is aerodynamic and streamlined, and it shows with the movement depicted in the card's artwork. The blurry ground below illustrates just how quickly this vehicle is flying around the course; Hulldrifter is the vehicle I'd want to pilot in Blue if my objective was to achieve the fastest time.

Black's Fastest Racers

When I think about Black vehicles and mounts, I picture racers that are more about intimidation, fear-induction, and general death rather than speed and aerodynamics. Sure enough, many of Black's cards follow this expectation. Two examples are Cryptcaller Chariot and Demonic Junker. Even the card names induce trepidation.

Aaron Miller's Cryptcaller Chariot is piloted by two large, demonic feline creatures. Like Detention Chariot, I wouldn't want to cross paths with this vehicle even though it doesn't look like it would be competitive in a race. Demonic Junker is more high-tech and looks capable of plowing through anything in its path. As for speed and agility to win a race, however, Stephan Martiniere's vehicle would fall short.

My pick for top Black racer would be The Last Ride by Michelle Giorgi.

I haven't drafted enough yet to see this vehicle on the other side of the battlefield, but it looks like it would be powerful in the right draft deck. Beyond its utility in Magic, the vehicle (and its ghastly pilot) look prepared to win a race! The tank-like wheels are counterbalanced by streamlined design, and again we see the use of streaks and blur to depict motion and speed. Amongst all racers in Aetherdrift, I think The Last Ride may fall short. If limited to only racers in this color, however, I think this one can take gold.

Racing in Red

Red contains multiple cards that depict agile, breakneck vehicles, but aren't themselves vehicles. Two examples are Adrenaline Jockey and Chandra, Spark Hunter. Both cards are really about the pilots of the vehicles and not the vehicles they're riding.

These sleek, motorcycle-inspired vehicles appear ready to navigate whatever demonic racers Black throws their way. However, if I had to select the fastest vehicle or mount in Red, I'd have to go with Alexandr Leskinen's Boommobile.

This vehicle looks both capable of winning a race and eliminating competition that gets in the way! The goblin pilot is depicted as focused on the finish while the motorcycle-tricycle hybrid vehicle emits some sort of explosive to destroy the nearby racer. Fast and destructive: a one-two punch that is sure to make this vehicle a contender for Aetherdrift's big race!

Mean and Green Machine

When I think of Green in Magic, I picture large beasts in touch with nature. In other words, Green is typically more about the organic and less related to mechanics. There's some of this in Aetherdrift, but Wizards of the Coast made sure the color had its share of contenders in the race as well!

The two top contenders are Adrian Rodriguez Perez's Thunderous Velocipede and Anthony Devine's Veloheart Bike.

The names of these two vehicles have subtle references to nature. The suffix "pede" refers to feet, and is reminiscent of "centipede" or "millipede." The prefix "velo" means "fast" and joins up with the word heart to imply a living, fast vehicle. Matching Wizards of the Coast's clever naming scheme are the art that goes with both of these cards, depicting sleek, aerodynamic vehicles in action. I wouldn't be surprised to see either of these vehicles on the podium at the end of the day.

Multicolored and Colorless Entrants

Before wrapping up, I need to acknowledge top contenders in the final categories: multicolored and colorless racers.

For multicolored cards, my vote for fastest vehicle is Rangers' Aetherhive, though Cloudspire Skycycle would come in a close second.

Rangers' Aetherhive is another fast-looking card illustrated by Josiah "Jo" Cameron. The artist sells the speed of this vehicle with their use of the same streaks of color and blurriness we see all over this set. What I love most, however, are the flying, insect-like machines surrounding the vehicle. These machines strike me as quick and agile in short bursts, and it appears the Aetherhive is capable of keeping up. Combined with an aerodynamic design, this vehicle gives Simic a legitimate chance of winning the race.

Lastly, in colorless, my vote goes to the equipment / vehicle hybrid, Rover Blades.

If these were merely an equipment, then their potential would be limited by the creature to which they were equipped. The fact that this is also a vehicle that can be crewed tells me these Rover Blades are more than initially meets the eye! Nathaniel Himawan's art brings to life the potential of these self-propelled, Magical skates. The Blue energy surrounding them in Himawan's art brings to the foreground just how fast these can go, and it gives me the impression that this "vehicle" can deliver any pilot to victory.

Wrapping It Up

Browsing through the artwork of Aetherdrift, I get this strange impression that the set isn't part of Magic. Many of these cards depict machines, creative takes on cars and motorcycles, and a mechanical nature we're not used to seeing in the fantasy-inspired game. For this reason, I would be lying if I said that the art of the set resonates with my personal tastes.

That being said, the set delivers on the theme and flavor intended by its designers. Seeing all the high speed artistic features gives me no doubt that this set is all about a race! For that reason, I have to give credit where due--the artists of Aetherdrift do a fantastic job bringing the story to life. Not all vehicles are created equally, but there are definitely a handful that look well-prepared to take the gold in this momentous race.