Aether Revolt - Red

Aether Chaser

Cheap, aggressive and gives you an extra creature, what more could you ask for from this little red creature. You will always play this in limited as it sits nicely on the curve, nothing for constructed though.

Chandra's Revolution


This is a bit of an odd one as red doesn't tend to tap lands, just destroy them. This four mana removal spell could do some nice work in limited though as it will always hit a creature and a land, so it does have some value to it, but it could turn out to be a little slow.

Destructive Tampering

Model spells are always good. Having a choice of what you would like to do is helpful and can turn out to be quite powerful as it eliminates the need for two separate cards. Even though Destructive Tampering might not seem all that powerful at sorcery speed, but being a shatter or a road block can have its moments in limited.

Embraal Gear-Smasher

Embraal Gear-Smasher is a nice three drop creature that you would probably play in your red decks in limited anyway. The fact that it has a simple way of dealing damage without having to attack makes it a little more interesting, then couple that with its ability triggering Revolt and it turns into the three drop you want to see in your artifact heavy deck.

Enraged Giant

Enraged Giant isnt that six drop you want in my opinion. Six mana for a 4/4 even with trample and haste wont always make that big of an impact on turn six. However, if you can consistently power this guy out through the Improvise
mechanic on turn three or four, which means playing a fairly heavy artifact deck, then Enraged Giant might be the card you want. Even saying that, this is a very aggressive card except for its mana cost, so if you are spending time to play this guy on the cheap you're probably not a particularly aggressive deck. All of this is purely in a limited sense, not for standard.

Freejam Regent

Now this is the six drop Improvise card you want in red. Yes, having double red in its mana cost as opposed to Enraged Giant's single red makes its a little hard to splash, but it sits much better in the mid-range decks with its added evasion and essentially firebreathing ability. Getting Freejam Regent out earlier than turn six could be back-breaking for your opponent and very had to answer. Most dragons like Freejam Regent, that is to say dragon creatures with no immediate impact on the game, don't tend to see play outside of limited and casual formats so I wouldn't expect to see this in standard or modern.

Frontline Rebel

A typical aggressive creature here, Frontline Rebel just wants to attack so much to the point where it has to. If dropped early and left alone, it could beat in for a bit of damage and in multiples can be very difficult to deal with as most of the time they will trade up. As three drops go Frontline Rebel will suffice but sometimes will get you when you're in those spots where you don't want to attack.

Gremlin Infestation


Gremlins are a great flavorful theme through Aether Revolt, as a symbol of issues within the machinery I think they are portrayed brilliantly. Gremlin Infestation could get you a lot of value for four mana; putting it on an opponents artifact that either wont be dying anytime soon or that they don't want to be getting rid of through sacrifice outlets could provide two damage at the end of each of your turns. If they cant get rid of their own artifact and you can prevent it from doing anything or block it, then it could continue to damage them indefinitely. Even if your opponent can remove their own artifact, you are rewarded with a 2/2 creature to add to your attacking force. I think you should play this in limited most of the time unless you really don't have room in your four drop slot.

Hungry Flames

Another great removal spell from Aether Revolt, Hungry flames isn't in the top three solely because its very conditional. Not to say you wont play this to deal with a creature and get the two damage at you opponent as a bonus, but in those times when no one has any creatures, you're opponent is on two life and this your only spell you, you wont be happy. This will be played in constructed though as it deals nicely with a lot of aggressive creatures that show up.

Indomitable Creativity


I love random spells. Indomitable Creativity most reminds me of Warp World in the array of random effects, only just not as good. First of all it destroys artifacts and creatures as opposed to shuffling them back into your deck to reveal to the resolution of its effect. Secondly it only puts other artifacts and creatures into play, where as Warp World could hit lands, enchantments and planeswalkers. The best case scenario for this card is using it as a mass removal spell and hoping your opponent hasn't got many artifacts or creatures left in their library. I will be tinkering with Indomitable Creativity for constructed but im sure it will come to nothing, so for the time being it stays loosely in limited.

Invigorated Rampage

This is one of the best pump spells I think I've ever seen. Another model spell but this time, instead of having two different effects you essentially have the same effect but with the choice of splitting it over two creatures. Invigorated Rampage will get you there all the time in constructed and will definitely see its way into aggro decks in constructed.

Kari Zev, Skyship Raider

The perfect card to go with Invigorated Rampage, Kari Zev, Skyship Raider will be making her way into aggro decks for a while. Proving difficult to block and bringing her own little monkey, Ragavan, along for the ride, you'll be swinging in with Kari Zev in both limited and constructed very often.

Kari Zev's Expertise

One of the Expertise cycle, I think Kari Zev's Expertise will probably be one of the least played in constructed. Not that people don't want to steal their opponents creatures or vehicles, but I feel that most of the time it will be a win more card, that is to say a card that gets you over the line more than adequately. The free spell will always be a good thing but having the restriction of zero, one or two mana means it will probably only find a home in a very aggressive deck.

Lathnu Sailback

Nothing special about this card. Five mana for a 5/4 will always do work, blocking most things on the ground and crashing in for a quarter of their starting life total. Easily splashable in limited thanks to its single red mana.

Lightning Runner

Another card I absolutely love. Immediate impact thanks to its haste and double strike which also nets you the two Energy. You might find it at those times where you have the eight Energy enabling the second attack phase, but that's best case scenario. I feel that most of the times it will just be a very effective creature for five mana which is still pretty good.

Precise Strike

A simple, cheap combat trick that will get you there when you need it to and nicely splashable.

Ravenous Intruder


Welcome back Mr Atog. Ravenous Intruder is a great way to enable Revolt, but it can also be a game winning card. If you end up with the limited pool saturated by artifacts and a couple of Ravenous Intruders, it could be a great deck. Other than that it has the ability to mess up combat math by giving your opponent the fear of sacrificing artifacts.

Reckless Racer

In Kaladesh there were a few creatures that gave vehicles bonuses if they crewed said vehicle. Reckless Racer is similar in the way that causes an effect for being tapped which will most like be either because it attacked or crewed a vehicle, so it makes it slightly easier to trigger. Discard and then draw could seem bad, which is way it being a may trigger is even better, but when you have no cards in hand it acts as a free draw for attacking. Reckless Racer seems to me like quite an aggressive creature, it will sit nicely on your curve and could also block if you need it, seeing as the first strike can come in handy on the defense.

Release the Gremlins

Release the Gremlins is not good. Yes it can get you creatures, but that's one 2/2 for three mana. You're paying two mana per artifact in addition to the one red which, beyond the first artifact and 2/2 creature, starts becoming very mana intensive very fast. This will see a home in Commander because its a place that will have lots of targets thanks to artifacts being incredibly common.

Scrapper Champion

This card is a limited all-star and can win games on its own. Four mana for a 2/2 is a bit meh, add double strike and it becomes pretty good, generates Energy to use on its own second ability of a +1/+1 counter and it gets very  hard to deal with. If you can find a way to make Scrapper Champion even bigger and it will take over a game. If this was a mana cheaper then I could see it in constructed, maybe at four but it seems a little steep.

Shock

Shock is always good. Always play shock in limited even as a splash card, it provides early removal and a little extra reach when your opponents low on life. In constructed Shock will definitely see play, even while Galvanic Bombardment is still around because, even though it only does two damage, that choice between creature and player is invaluable.

Siege Modification

Siege Modification gives you the option of putting it on a creature or a vehicle and, while putting it on a creature like any other aura gives it a bonus like normal, putting it on a vehicle eliminates the need to crew it. +3/+0 and first strike is very good if it allows a vehicle to become a creature as long as its attached to it.

Sweatworks Brawler

Sweatworks Brawler is another aggressive creature that could do a lot of work in limited. At four mana, the Improvise mechanic could allow you to lay this guy as early as turn two which would be incredibly powerful, but more likely by turn three which is still nothing to turn your nose up at.

Wrangle


Wrangle makes a nice Threaten effect at two mana because its aggressively costed, not to mention if you play it off Kari Zev's Expertise stealing two opposing creatures. Another card that will set very nicely in an aggro deck in limited.

 So that concludes our look at the Red cards from Aether Revolt, check back soon for our look through all of the Black cards. Until then keep reading Game Changers for more updates and new.