Predicted MTG Characters to Appear After Aetherdrift Tease in Magic: The Gathering

The recent teasers surrounding the upcoming Aetherdrift set for Magic: The Gathering have unveiled hints about which characters may be featured on new cards. The Aetherdrift set revolves around a thrilling race traversing three distinct planes within the Magic multiverse: Avishkar, Amonkhet, and Muraganda. A combination of familiar and new faces will grace the race, notably Chandra Nalaar and Sita Varma, also known as Spitfire. While the overarching narrative has been disclosed, it is essential to note that the storyline isn’t always directly correlated with the card releases, as exemplified by the absence of a new card for Jace despite his involvement in the Duskmourn saga.

Beyond storyline articles, there are additional methods to gauge which characters will make their appearances in the latest Magic set. A valuable tool in this process is the teaser released by Mark Rosewater, the head developer. This teaser provides insights into the characters slated for inclusion based on the hints presented, combined with the details from the released storylines.

Understanding Mark Rosewater’s Aetherdrift Teasers

Vague Hints About New Sets

Aetherdrift key art featuring Chandra Nalaar

For those who may not be as familiar with Mark Rosewater’s teaser releases, it’s crucial to understand their function in predicting character appearances. Prior to each Magic set launch, Rosewater shares a teaser list on his Blogatog. This teaser offers an overview of what players can anticipate from the upcoming set, covering details such as mechanics, creature types, and specific card names. His teasers provide just the right amount of information to fuel player speculation and excitement while leaving enough ambiguity to foster discussions.

Analyzing the Aetherdrift teaser, several key points emerged as indicators of which characters might receive new cards. One intriguing hint mentioned the introduction of four new desparked versions of planeswalkers, with three being native to the featured planes. Additionally, the teaser alluded to an “old God,” while my strongest prediction revolves around a Legendary Creature characterized as an Aetherborn Rogue.

Gonti’s Return: A Thief Among Cards

Gonti’s Signature Creature Type

Upon encountering the “Aetherborn Rogue” title, it became evident that Gonti would likely feature in this set. Despite his relatively minor role in the Aetherdrift narrative as Avishkar’s new Night Minister, his current character type strongly indicates a new card will be coming. Notably, Gonti stands out as Magic’s sole Legendary Aetherborn Rogue and one of only two Aetherborn characters to feature Legendary Creature cards. Furthermore, one of Mark Rosewater’s hints aligns perfectly with Gonti’s established mechanics.

Rosewater suggested that a card in Aetherdrift would carry the ability “Whenever a player casts a spell they don’t own.” This mechanism resonates with Gonti’s previous card mechanics, which allowed players to pilfer from opponents’ decks. Given this insight, it seems increasingly likely Gonti will make an appearance, although there could also be potential for a new Ragavan card, especially since he plays a role in the Aetherdrift narrative. Nonetheless, Gonti’s established mechanics make him a more probable inclusion.

Predictions for New Desparked Planeswalkers

The Four Desparked Planeswalkers

Rosewater’s third hint regarding Aetherdrift identifies “three planeswalkers native to one of the worlds visited, alongside one non-native character” who will receive desparked creature versions. Based on the current roster of planeswalkers and the corresponding storylines, there are a few educated guesses regarding the four candidates for this set.

Basri Ket stands out as a likely candidate, being from Amonkhet and a familiar face in multiple Aetherdrift-related stories. His storyline indicates that he has lost his planeswalker spark, making his inclusion almost certain.

While I’m slightly less confident regarding Saheeli, it’s conceivable we might see a new version of her as well. Hailing from Avishkar, Saheeli has already featured in several Legendary Creature cards post-despark. However, her role as a prominent character in the Aetherdrift set’s narrative remains unclear, especially since she has also been confirmed as a face card in one of the Commander decks.

Another character that might make an appearance is Samut, a fellow Amonkhet resident. She, too, has lost her spark following the events detailed in March of the Machine. Although she hasn’t played a significant role in recent stories, her potential appearance isn’t out of the question.

Thoughts on Aetherdrift’s Gods, Goblins, and Gearhulks

Hints About Potentially Powerful Cards

Several other hints from Rosewater suggest the return of significant characters. The reference to “an old God returning” likely points toward Hazoret, who was featured in the side story Aetherdrift – Hour of Restoration. If this holds true, we might also expect the inclusive presence of Ketramose, the God of the Breaking Dawn from Amonkhet, who appeared in one of the Aetherdrift’s main story episodes.

Regarding the set’s potential expansions, we can anticipate formidable goblin support. One of the newly revealed cards is rumored to tap for red mana equivalent to the number of Goblins under its owner’s control, reminiscent of powerful Elf support cards like Priest of Titania and Elvish Archdruid. This suggests a Goblin-centric card, likely not a Legendary one given trends observed in previous Elf cards.

Additionally, while not character-centric, the new cycle of Gearhulks—massive mechanical entities first seen in Kaladesh—will make their return. The teaser indicated we’ll see a complete cycle, which could mean all multicolored pairs are included. Though it might seem ambitious for a single set, recent trends in Magic: The Gathering sets lean toward completing such cycles instead of leaving them unfinished, making this a logical inclusion. It is likely we won’t revisit Avishkar for the foreseeable future, prompting designers to fill the current set with all available Gearhulks.

Sources: Magic: The Gathering, Blogatog

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