Aether Revolt Spoiler Season Start

 Spoiler season has started, and coming off the back of Kaladesh, the bar is high for Aether Revolt to beat, but sixteen cards in and it looks like it's on the right track to be even more awesome.

Aether Revolt consists of one hundred and eighty four cards and I'll be taking a look at some of those cards today.

Like with recent sets there are also Planes-walker intro packs, pre-built decks with slightly different versions of the Planes-walkers depicted in Aether Revolt. We'll get started with these...

 

The cat is back, still green/white like his previous iteration Mentor of Heroes, Ajani, Valiant Protector has a very similar vibe. Putting counters on things and finding creatures to put more counters on is all good and well and at this point I was looking at his ultimate hoping it would save the card but unfortunately not. I get that these are cards more designed for lesser experienced players but Ajani is just bland all over, being costed at six mana is a pretty big indication that its not constructed worthy in my opinion.
Moving on to Tezzeret. He's the man, he runs things on Kaladesh and he's a master of metal, so pretty much everything on Kaladesh. We haven't seen much of Tezzeret over the years with him only having two other versions. First seen in Shards of Alara, he was a five mana power house, allowing for all sorts of shenanigans in the Esper shard which focused on artifacts, so you know, he has a consistant theme going. This version of him may look a bit meh at first and in complete contradiction of what I said about Ajani being costed at six mana being bad, I think Tezzeret, Master of Metal could see some play in constructed. Yes six mana is a lot, and when you're just putting some counters on things the value becomes negligible at best, but when you're able to shoot your opponent equal to the amount of artifacts you control,  this has the potential to be a nice finisher. The first ability can be a bit hit and miss but if you have enough utility cards like Filigree Familiar or Pilgrims Eye you can start to get some idea for the low end power, not to mention the high end being the Gearhulks. The ultimate looks good but you probably wont be using it, it's very much a "win more" ability, it will only clear the way for you to win in one swing where you could have spent that time using the second ability to slowly and steadily take your opponent down.

Onto cards in the main set.

Consulate Crackdown

Going in colour order, we'll start with Consulate Crackdown. The only white card spoiled so far, Consulate Crackdown keeps with the artifact theme while not being an artifact itself. This five mana Enchantment could prove very useful if artifact heavy decks start showing up, being very efficient at dealing with your opponents artifacts for a reasonable cost. Aether Revolt is going to be strewn with artifacts so expect to see this one sided artifact Wrath of God effect in many white sideboards. Consulate Crackdown also kicks off the story spotlight cards in Aether Revolt with nice flavour coupled with flavour text from Pia Nalaar herself, "The workshops are silent. Our creations have been seized. They killed what made us alive." It really gives a sense of the oppressive world that has been forged after almost encouraging creativity to begin with.

Dissalow

This card is going to be a bomb in all formats. Voidslime was good, providing versatile ways of dealing with pretty much anything at the low cost of three mana, Dissalow is functionally identical to Voidslime with the added bonus of being one colour rather than the UUG mana cost of Voidslime. In the current meta game this card in invaluable, yes at time it will be used as Cancel to deal with some random creature that may turn into a threat in the near future. This card can also be used to counter the trigger from Emrakul, the Promised End or Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, granted leaving you with a big creature to answer but creatures can be blocked, and having your turn usurped and exploited can be incredibly difficult to come back from. Expect to see this in every deck that has access to blue throughout formats.


Quicksmith Spy

This card reminds me of the Soulbond mechanic from Avacyn Restored, pairing one creature with another to gain some bonus. A four mana 2/3 is pretty lackluster and the ability on the whole is fine, tapping one creature to draw one card is a fair trade off, but when you tie its longevity to a certain creature like in this instance, it makes it very easy to answer. Plus if you only have artifacts that you may be looking to attack with or tap for other reasons like Aerthworks Marvel for example, it makes Quicksmith Spy's ability redundant. A nice casual card that could show up in draft and probably in sealed, this will probably net you a card and maybe hit in for some damage.

Trophy Mage

Remember Trinket Mage? Remember Treasure Mage? Trophy Mage sits right in the middle of both its previous Mage siblings. It's not clear how many three mana artifacts there will be in Aether Revolt but as it stands with cards like Cultivator's Caravan and Pilgrim's Eye, I think there is some competitive application for Trophy Mage. Along with being a 2/2 creature, overall Trophy Mage is a solid card, with an underlined theme of mana cost three matters emerging, in limited you will probably find something every time. Only time, and the remaining spoilers, will tell how powerful this could be in constructed.

Battle at the Bridge

This card is interesting. The mechanic is reminiscent of Convoke from the original Ravnica, just focused upon artifacts. In an artifact heavy set it only makes sense that there will be a lot of artifacts all ready to be used for your machinations, and Battle at the Bridge is definitely on the power level for me to be contemplating some sort of artifact control deck. This sorcery, because if this was an instant it would have been insane, can get out of hand quickly. Clues are very useful just for drawing cards, but being able to use them to destroy an Ishkanah, Grafwidow is great. I'm not suggesting you will have five Clues in play because if you do you're doing it wrong, but maybe have two or three and paying three mana to cast Battle at the Bridge with X equaling five can be very easily accomplished, making it comparable to Murder. There will probably be a place for Battle at the Bridge in a deck that concentrates on artifacts more, but right now a serious application isn't clear.

Yahenni's Expertise

Another card that carries the theme of mana cost 3 matters, this card is a limited bomb and almost certainly a player in standard. Languish was a big thing and this is pretty much languish, the first effect isn't as big as Languish's -4/-4 but Yahenni's Expertise makes up for it with its second effect. Being able to cast a card with converted mana cost three for free could turn out to be ridiculous. Wiping out your opponents team and then Flaying Tendrils just in case which might be a bit overkill, or finishing their Planes-walker off with an Anguished Unmaking could turn the game in your favor very quickly. I'm sure this will be a black staple in the standard formats to come.

Pia's Revolution

This Enchantment might look intriguing at first and there might be a point were you get exactly what you want from this, but most of the time when you give your opponent the option, they will choose the thing that you don't want. This effect for three mana is nicely costed and it has a home in casual formats like EDH, as for limited it may see a place if you end up with the mono artifact deck but apart from that its probably a pass. Pia's Revolution will see no play in standard constructed as it doesnt have move of an effect, like I said before, your opponent is out to get you so having them make a decision for you isn't going to work out well.

Quicksmith Rebel

Another of the "pair" Quicksmith creatures, Quicksmith Rebel allows for a bit more mileage then Quicksmith Spy. A four mana 3/2 creature is fairly aggressive and when it comes with a shock ability for one of your Clues or Pilgrim's Eye, this can be irritating if left alone. Quicksmith Rebel shares the same downfall to it's Spy friend, wherein dealing with it also retracts the ability, and being one toughness less as well does make it easier to remove. Limited will like this four mana rare especially if you can find ways to return it to your hand ro reuse the ability, and obviously if you have enough artifacts. As for standard, I could see it appearing but not being good, its a bit too slow and doesn't do anything on its own.

Ajani, Unyielding

The first of the Plane-walkers that will appear in the boosters, Ajani, Unyielding. Six mana for four loyalty doesn't look too good, but he can protect himself at the expense of your opponent gaining life. Having a +2 ability however means his loyalty will be heading up quickly when you're not exiling creatures. A very tempo aligned first ability can allow you to stack your hand, finding everything you could ever need and bolstering your defenses, but could also lead to misses and revealing your bombs giving your opponent full information. The ultimate is another "win more" ability but it looks fun maybe in a Planes-walker control style of deck. I would love to see this in standard as it has a nice set of abilities that could have interesting applications, but its still a bomb in limited and you should draft it always.

Dark Imitations

I love Cruel Ultimatum, I play it religiously back in the day and it was so much fun. Dark Imitations is not Cruel Ultimatum, but its probably the closest you can get Cruel Ultimatum without being as powerful as Cruel Ultimatum was. Being able to deal with one of your opponent's creatures or their Planes-walker and then pulling one of yours out of the graveyard could be a big swing in a game, shooting down there threat and providing you with one of your own. Gaining the card advantage is pretty sweet as well, but most of the time you drawing a card is better than your opponent choosing and discarding a card. Dark Imitations also gives us a glimpse of things to come with its additional effect, triggering when you cast a Bolas Planes-walker. Leading me to believe that Nicol Bolas is back in one for or another and ready to screw with some heads once again. All in all Dark Imitations looks great, one can get you back into a game and a second can be very detrimental to your opponent. A limited bomb if you're in these colours and can very easily win you the game on the spot in some circumstances. I can see a Grixis control deck suiting this and maybe even containing the new Bolas Planes-walker.

Oath of Ajani

This two mana, Legendary Enchantment looks busted. This is another card, along side Ajani, Unyielding, that would show up in my Planes-walker control deck. It's cheap and you don't really mind that its Legendary, making your Planes-walkers cheaper is probably more the secondary effect here, when you can spend your time making all those Nissa tokens bigger. I think this will see standard play but again the right deck needs to emerge to show this off.

Tezzeret the Schemer

He's a seeker, an agent of Bolas and the Master of Metal. Now the Schemer, a constructor of deceit, Tezzeret is up to his mechanical mischief again. As of right now it's unclear if he is still under Bolas's control, but I'm hazarding a guess as yes. His first ability gives you artifacts that can be exchanged for mana leading to ramping, and in a control strategy this can be very hard to get around when they have so much mana to use for their counter and removal spells. Tezzeret's second ability is super powerful. Like with Battle at the Bridge, this can get out of hand with the amount of artifacts im sure you'll have access to, but with Tezzeret you don't have to tap them to add to the effect. This can also be used to pump a creature you control as well, as long as you don't miss count and accidentally kill it, Tezzeret can give one of your own creatures a power bonus in exchange for toughness. The final Ultimate ability is amazing. In that sweet spot between "do nothing" and "win more", it can used two turns after casting Tezzeret the Schemer, or if you wait one more turn you can start turning those Etherium Cells being created with his first ability into 5/5 artifact creatures. Tezzeret will see play in standard and I think will be very powerful.


Heart of Kiran

Between this and Smugglers Copter, the vehicles have been fantastic. The card advantage gained for Smugglers Copter seems to pale in comparison to the raw power of Heart of Kiran. Dropping this on turn two and then a three power creature on turn three to attack for four is very good. Being able to use a Planes-walkers loyalty to attack with this 4/4 Flying, Vigilance creature is even better, allowing more maneuverability for attacking and blocking each turn. A massive card to beat in standard formats to come.

Scrap Trawler

This three mana 3/2 artifact creature is powerful, aggressively costed and with an effect to boot. It links in with the mana cost 3 matters theme and triggers when any of your artifacts are put into the graveyard from play, resulting in a sudo Gravedigger type thing going on. Scrap Trawler would work well with Trophy Mage, to dig it out of your library, and Heart of Kiran or Smugglers Copter, providing you with a way to recur them and crew them. Perfect for limited as its colourless and you should play this every time, even if you don't have many artifacts to abuse with it, I can see this hitting competitive play but it could be a little to slow.

Aether Revolt is shaping up to be an amazing set and I cant wait to see more from this wondrous world. I'll be talking about other cards when they are revealed but until then keep checking back to Game Changers for more updates and news, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. :)