Aether Revolt Game Day

Aether Revolt Game day

This last weekend I attended the Aether Revolt Game Day at my local games store. Today I'm going to tell you all about how it went and take a look at what cards really pulled their weight.

Being a Game Day at my local, I was sure I was going to see some nice brews as well as decks represented in the current meta-game coming off the back of Pro Tour Aether Revolt. So with that in mind, I had to make a choice between a competitive deck that would have a game against the current big hitters, like Vehicles or BG Delirium, or something I had brewed myself sitting nicely in the home brew/alternative decks that always have the advantage of confusing your opponent as to what you're playing.

I ended up going with Grixis Tower because I feel that right now control decks are in a good place in the meta-game. Everyone else is trying to make all these sweet, value packed plays and im content to sit back and have the answer to almost everything that is thrown at me and playing Grixis Tower, I felt that it would give me a great game against a lot of mainstream decks and the home brews alike.


Taking a look over the list, I'm happy with the numbers of pretty much everything except for possibly the one Revolutionary Rebuff. If I'm building a deck that will have some play-ability against any mainstream decks then I cant realistically run four Rebuff's as I would get run over, literally, by any Vehicles decks I might play against and I couldn't bring myself to make it a third main deck Negate for those times you want a two mana counterspell against a creature like Winding Constrictor or Tireless Tracker. I have three Unlicensed Disintegration purely just because it's the best removal spell right now by a long way and playing it again via a Torrential Gearhulk can be brutal. Speaking of brutal, my one main deck Brutal Expulsion is a card I have wanted to play with for a while and have never really found the place for it, never the less I have had faith in the card from the moment I saw it on the spoiler all those months ago.

 

Round 1

Going into my first game in round one, I was confident in my deck choice. A mix of Aethergeode Miner's, Longtusk Cub's, Tireless Tracker's and a Call for Unity later however, I was less confident being one game down. What I'd seen from game one was a nice GW Revolt Build, utilizing Aethergeode Miner's blink ability to trigger any Renegade Ralliers or Solemn Recruits very effectively but what really pushed it over the edge in the first game was the Call for Unity. It just looks like a bulk rare but when you're blinking two Aethergeode Miners every turn consistently, your 3/1's start getting large quick, and as I'm playing a deck that doesn't interact from a combat perspective very often, getting the necessary Energy was easy.

For game two I decided to sideboard in my three Weaver of Lightning as a fantastic blocker in this match up and it makes light work of most opposing creatures, acting as part wall and part machine gun in this deck, and extra Brutal Expulsion mainly for the bounce side of it to get a creature in combat but could always give me a sweet two for one late in the game. Boarding out were the Negates, a Disallow and a Glimmer of Genius as I wanted more proactive spells which the Negates and the Dissolve especially aren't.

Game two went a lot better for me opening with two Weaver of Lightning, rendering almost every creature my opponent had useless and proved incredibly effective. Being able to shock a creature and Glimmer of Genius is nuts and once I had found a Torrential Gearhulk to replay an Unlicensed Disintegration clearing the path and getting the addition three damage, the game was over.

In game three my opponent was a little stuck on lands and I was able to drop a Dynavolt Tower on turn three to give myself some resilience against any oncoming creatures. Not the case however as any creatures my opponent did attempt to play ended up quashed by my choice of counterspell netting me two Energy each time from the Dynavolt Tower. Eventually I found my second Dynavolt tower and was able to use both to hit my opponent for six each turn along with a couple of Wandering Fumarole attacks.

All in all I like my match up against GW Revolt. You're a very reactive deck packed with removal and counterspells so you're always going to have the upper hand against a creature heavy deck. In the first game I was caught off guard with a sketchy opening hand as I wasn't sure what I would face but going into the last two games, it was a lot easier to know what to prioritize and how to act accordingly.

This round the all star player was Weaver of Lightning; It blocked, it pinged, it attacked, it sliced, it diced, it did it all! Being a low mana cost creature makes Weaver very efficient and like I said, in Grixis Tower it can absolutely destroy an opposing board of an aggressive deck.

Round 2

This would always be a slow game with both sides playing draw-go for the opening five or six turns before someone blinks and a massive counterspell war breaks out. It wouldn't live up to that however as my second round was a bit of a bust.

I mulligan'd to five in game one and had a turn three main phase Anticipate negated resulting in no turn three or four land drop. Couple that with seeing one counterspell in the form of Brutal Expulsion all game meant that two Torrential Gearhulks were soon going in for the kill.

Game two wasn't very different. Mulligan to five again with an opening hand of three lands, Glimmer of Genius and a Harnessed Lightning and I only then realised I had drastically miss-sideboarded. All the counter magic except for the Brutal Expulsion comes in from the sideboard and in this match up, as there isn't really a ground war going on, all the removal comes out and, while I had taken all three Unlicensed Disintegration out, I had also taken the Shocks out instead of the Harnessed Lightnings. That would come back to haunt me. The Chandra's come in as the last two cards to round of the seven sideboard cards for this match as it gives you some staying power and a control deck finds it very hard to actively deal with a planeswalker, especially Chandra's Emblem which is just game over. Back to the game and despite having lands on all three turns, I didn't have an Anticipate to progress further and therefore couldn't get to cast Glimmer of Genius on turn four. This was a slower game though and I later found some lands to counter some Gearhulks but soon ran out, leaving me to desperately Torrential Gearhulk in my main phase for some low Value which ran into an opposing Disallow. I couldn't stop an Ob Nixilis, Reignited from landing and this was were my sideboard error would bite me in the arse as by this point I had three Harnessed Lightning in hand and if they were Shocks, I could have probably dealt with the Ob Nixilis. In the end though, my opponent got an emblem and I couldn't beat it. When your deck thrives on drawing cards, being shocked every time you do will take its toll pretty quick.

This round I would say the stand out card would be Shock for obvious reasons.

Round 3

Seeing a turn one Spirebluff Canal into turn two Inspiring Vantage puts me pretty solidly on Saheeli combo. This is a great match up for me because playing Grixis Tower you don't play anything in your own turn bar Dynavolt Tower. Jeskai Saheeli wants to sit back and play the control game until it can combo off, but against Grixis Tower its almost forced to play a straight up honest game of "Do you have it?". The answer was always yes: Saheeli? Negate. Felidar Guardian? Harnessed Lightning. And if you find yourself in that position of actually losing to the combo on board, you always have the Shock to get you out.

Game one was pretty standard. I had all the Anticipates and Glimmers resulting in me sculpting my perfect hand and being able to land a Torrential Gearhulk with a lot of counter back up, as an answer to anything else my opponent could find. The first game is always going to be fairly in Tower's favor as Jeskai Saheeli has a chunk of removal that is just useless against you and, as my opponent did, it all gets discarded or scryed to the bottom of your library leaving the door wide open for any Gearhulks to crash in. You're also a lot more likely to win a counter war as they may run Negate's in the main deck but not always a whole lotta Disallow.

Sideboarding in this match-up seemed pretty straight forward, I took out three Unlicensed Disintegration and two Negate for two Chandra, two Dispel and the card that is super powerful against Saheeli Combo, Brutal Expulsion. It can single handedly deal with the combo efficiently disposing of both parts.

In game two my opponent got stuck on two lands and whiffed on an Anticipate on turn three. I was able to counter a second Anticipate on turn four and drop a Chandra, Torch of Defiance to start racking up some card advantage. A couple of turns later I was able to cast a Dynavolt Tower and clock in for three damage a turn while still keeping my opponent at bay with Disallows and Scatter to the Winds I had drawn off my Glimmers Chandra had so neatly provided me. A Torrential Gearhulk to hit a Scatter to the Winds countering my opponents Gideon, Ally to Zendikar was a little overkill as I had the Revolutionary Rebuff in hand and plenty of mana, but it lead to a quick scoop and back on a positive record.

The card of the round is Brutal Expulsion. Even though I was able to use it to it's fullest, I feel there is a lot of power in this card and when I did use it, it still felt good having that versatility.

Round 4

This deck looked like a lot of fun. Being able to use Tireless Tracker and Nahiri, Harbinger to gain card advantage, then Thalia's Lancers to tutor up, say, a Bruna, the Fading Light to later meld with your turn four Gisela, the Broken Blade can be devastating, finding a Linvala, the Preserver can pull you back into a game and be very hard to answer. The problem with this kind of strategy is that its playing right into the hands of Grixis Tower that sits back and can counter everything with ease in the knowledge that there wont be a fight.

The first game went long. My opponent had a lot of threats ranging from the three aforementioned angels, to Gideon and Nahiri and, as many answers as I provided, I couldn't keep it up. It didn't help that I saw one Gearhulk, which succeeded in hitting a Harnessed Lightning to deal with a Tireless Tracker but soon was taken down with a Declaration in Stone, and no Dynavolt Towers, which can be very good in this match up, taking down Gisela and Tracker In one shot. Wandering Fumarole was the only card that prolonged my death by keeping Nahiri in check but even in doing that called for me to pend essentially five mana in my own turn which, like I've said before, isn't what this deck does.

From what I saw in game one, this Naya Good stuffs deck taps out almost every turn. This meant I could side board out some counterspells, two Negates, one Revolutionary Rebuff and Brutal Expulsion and get some gas in the form of Chandra while replacing the other two cards with two different counter spells, Summary Dismissal. The reason for Summary Dismissal is that it exiles the spells it counters which is very relevant when your opponent wants to end up casting Bruna to get their Linvala back from the graveyard. If you Summary Dismissal the Linvala, they wont have that as a target for the Bruna's ability.

Game two went well for me. My opponent stumbled on mana allowing me to safely cast Dynavolt Tower turn three and Chandra turn four then sit back and draw cards at the end of their turn with Glimmer of Genius. This time my opponent wasn't able to produce as many threats and I was able to comfortably deal with any that did find there was onto the battlefield with Unlicensed Disintegration's and Harnessed Lightning's. Soon enough I was able to get an emblem from Chandra and the game quickly came to an end when I played a Shock that dealt seven damage.

Game three had to be quick as we were getting close to time being called. The fist couple of turns were pretty run of the mill, trading off my removal spells for there newly played creature at the end of the turn and using Anticipates and Glimmers to sculpt my hand. Getting into the late game however, we both started running out of threats and, after trading two of my Wandering Fumaroles for two Tireless Trackers, the only card that remained that could do any sort of damage was a Dynavolt Tower on my side of the table but alas only four Energy. Time was called and my opponent passed the turn to me, I drew and Anticipate and passed the turn back. My opponent found a late Linvala to bring them up to twenty four life and put a clock on me. At the end of the turn I cast Anticipate to find a Gearhulk but couldn't play it until my main phase to Unlicensed Disintegration the Linvala, shoot my opponent for three and pass the turn back with a Dynavolt Tower hit at the end of the turn. In the end I couldn't deal the rest of the damage drawing runner runner land and with my opponent threat-less, the match ended in a 1-1-1 draw.

The card of the round this round is Torrential Gearhulk. Without Gearhulks ability I think I would have probably lost immediately in the late game portion because I wouldn't have been able to answer all of these massive creatures. Being able to get an Unlicensed Disintegration or Harnessed Lightning back to answer a big angel was invaluable and even if its just to gain card advantage from a Glimmer its still a big creature they have to deal with as well as getting you deeper into your deck.

Overall, I liked the deck. It felt solid against most of the possible field and even in the game I lost, more often then not control mirrors tend to go in the favor of Grixis Tower just because it runs more counter magic.
 
Going forward I would tweak it a little. As I said earlier, I not entirely happy with Revolutionary Rebuff and, if the meta was pretty heavy control, I could see making the third main deck Negate. I can also see it the other way; if the meta is pretty aggro heavy, you could choose to run more Rebuffs instead.
The one one split between Kozilek's Return and Radiant Flames was an experiment that unfortunately wasn't tested. Either of these can easily become the other as both have their merits. Kozilek's Return is an instant and can be played almost as a combat trick Pyroclasm, then later be a target for Torrential Gearhulk. Radiant Flames isn't an instant but does hit for one more than Kozilek's Return. I would probably go for Kozilek's Return as it fuels Gearhulk targets and it can get some players out of nowhere sometimes.

I enjoyed my time at the Aether Revolt Game Day and can't wait to head to more MTG events, which I'm sure I will share with you guys. Until then though, keep checking back to Game Changers for more gaming news and updates.

Myth-Direction

Hey guys, today I'm going to be looking through all the Mythic Rares from Aether Revolt to see which ones are worth a look at and playing around with, and those you should stay away from. So let's get started.

 Aetherwind Basker

 This massive seven mana lizard is a splashy limited bomb. It's  pretty much always going to get you at least one Energy which means you could have an 8/8 Trampler attacking next turn. Dropping Aetherwind Basker in limited is probably game over for your opponent without some way of removing it quick. However it doesn't really have any immediate impact for constructed, and with a lot of removal like Murder, Smite the Monstrous and Unlicensed Disintegration floating around, this could just end up being a seven mana gain one Energy.

Limited - Yes

Constructed - No

 

Ajani Unyielding

The first of our two Ajani planeswalkers, Ajani Unyielding will obviously be a powerhouse in limited, partly thanks to it's card advantagous first ability. That first ability will also come in handy in constructed as well but I think its second, more Swords To Plowshares-esc ability will shine through more as a great way to protect itself. Ajani Unyielding will see constructed play, maybe even in some sort of planeswalker control deck which, if you could ever get to his ultimate could just win you the game there and then.

Limited - Its got great card advantage and removal on a stick, always play this if you can in limited.

Constructed - It will play in constructed but in the right deck, one that is able to slow the tempo of the game down and revolve it around Ajani's value.

Ajani, Valiant Protector

Same mana cost and starting loyalty as Ajani, Unyielding, just not as good. Two plus abilities may look good but I don't think this will be breaking onto the constructed scene as it doesn't protect itself and, when you start on four loyalty with no protection and all you can do is spend your turn looking for a creature, I think it's safe to say Ajani, Valiant Protector wont be sticking around to help make that creature bigger.

Limited - Sure, it would be fine in an aggro deck that just wants to smash in.

 Constructed - Nah, too slow and too meh.

Exquisite Archangel

 As good as this looks at first glance, this seven mana 5/5 flyer could allow you to reset your life total. Lacking flash, more often than not though your opponent will probably be able to play around it or remove it before killing you. That said, Exquisite Archangel is still a threat in the late game and by that time it could be difficult to answer.

Limited -  Always play this as it's a big threat with a bonus.

Constructed - Way too expensive for an effect that you probably wont get.

Gonti's Aether Heart 

 This is one for the Johnny's out there. Its six mana for two Energy to start with but with Clues and Servo tokens, and not to mention those Energy producing cards running around, Gonti's Aether Heart could get to the eight Energy needed to take another turn quicker than you think. Saying that, bar some sort of big alpha swing, the extra turn seems some what wasted in comparison to the amount of effort put in to get there. I'm sure there will be some sort of combo pop with Gonti's Aether Heart in it but only time will tell.

Limited - Probably too expensive for a card that might not get there, but when it does it will feel so good.

Constructed - Like I said, maybe in time, but right now I can't see a place for it.

Heart of Kiran

 The premier Vehicle to be shown from Aether Revolt, I don't think there's any doubt how good Heart of Kiran is. It's cheap with a reasonable Crew cost enabling a 4/4 vigilant flyer, so it can swing it and if you can Crew it again in your opponent's turn, it can block too. The kicker here is the alternative Crew ability by using loyalty counters which I think will allow this card to do some damage in constructed.

Limited - Always, it's colorless and doesn't take much to Crew.

Constructed -  It will definitely find a home, maybe in that planeswalker control deck Ajani, Unyielding could fit into. But with it's "free" Crew cost, any deck with a planeswalker is good enough for Heart of Kiran.

Herald of Anguish

Another limited bomb complete with hand disruption, kind of, and a way to deal with creatures in addition to possibly being cheaper than normal. Limited is where Herald of Anguish stays though as it doesn't really do anything in constructed and it way too slow.

Limited - A great top end card and can take over games on it's own.

Constructed - Don't bother, It won't do what you want it to, as I said its slightly too expensive even with Improvise.

Indomitable Creativity

As fun as Indomitable Creativity looks, unfortunately it is ultimately a do nothing card. It could flip you into a big creature or artifact bomb but just as easily find you an Ornithopter. You could use it on your opponent's creatures or artifacts to remove them, hoping they will find a nothing creature or artifact, but it could just as easily let them hit their bomb and wreck your shit. Either way you run a huge risk for a big price tag.

Limited - If you have no other removal then go for it, but a land will probably serve you better.

Constructed - I feel like I don't have to say this but just in case, don't play it.

Lightning Runner

Lightning Runner looks like so much fun if you can provide it with the Energy it needs. For example: Turn 1 Attune with Aether, turn 2 Servant of the Conduit and an Aether Hub, turn 3 Bristling Hydra into turn 4 Lightning could turn into two attacks of eight damage, sixteen damage on turn four isn't bad in my book. It will be great in limited thanks to the power of Double Strike and I'm sure there will be better ways to use Lightning Runner in constructed so I'll just leave it for now by saying, if you're playing red in limited and don't play this guy then you're doing it wrong.

Limited - Lightning Runner could turn a game in your favor with a big swing and sits really well on defense with Double Strike.

Constructed - As pricey as it is, I am looking forward to trying it out in a super Energy deck.

Mechanized Production

 Alternative win conditions can be fun and sometimes good, see Battle of Wits. I don't think Mechanized Production is good, it's asking for eight artifacts with the same name and, while that can be achieved with Clues more often than most other artifacts, that's a lot of effort to put in when you could have been sacrificing those Clues and finding answers to your opponents stuff.

Limited - It could provide you with a slight edge but more realistically would just be a waste of time.

Constructed - Doesn't seem worth the hassle but you never know, there could be some sort of abundant Clue deck that would love this as an alt win, otherwise not right now.

 Paradox Engine

So you can't go infinite  with Paradox Engine in standard constructed as there aren't enough mana rocks (artifacts that produce mana) available, that's the big question out of the way. What you can do is; abuse the Improvise mechanic in Aether Revolt, use it to untap all of your mana creatures for more mana, or at least give all your creatures sudo-vigilance. With that being said, I don't think standard will play this but it could get somewhere in modern constructed or commander. It's a fun ability but takes a bit more work than it if could just untap your lands.

Limited - If you wanna have a bit of fun and can cheat  it out early, go for it.

Constructed -  As I said, probably not. It's too expensive and requires too much of a set up to get the optimal outcome.

Planar Bridge

 Planar Bridge is a hug effect and one that maybe, and it's a big maybe, could see constructed play. That could be wishful thinking when it costs six to play and eight to activate, but when you could use it to find a massive blocker in your opponent's turn or cherry pick a planeswalker from your library, granted at a slightly greater cost, I think I'm ok in wanting to abuse this effect. Planar Bridge probably won't make the impact I think it will in constructed but it will definitely have a home in casual formats. 

Limited - Way to expensive and you wont get to use it anyway as you'll most likely be being attacked a lot or it will  just get destroyed by one of the many artifact removal spells.

Constructed -  Commander, sure. Standard and modern, I don't think so as there isn't a consistent way of powering it out early and doesn't even have an immediate effect.

Tezzeret the Schemer

Another in the first of our duo planeswalker set, Tezzeret the Schemer will easily see play in constructed. I don't think it's as powerful as previous iterations of Tezz, but with his ramp ability, removal/pump ability and incremental 5/5's, it will fit very nicely in a control deck. Oh and he's obviously nuts in limited.

Limited - Always play him if you can, he will probably win you the incredibly easily.

Constructed - I'm sure he's a staple for control decks for the months to come, which one specifically isn't clear right now.

Tezzeret, Master of Metal

Our second Tezzeret planeswalker isn't as bad as I think people think he is. In a slower control deck the Master of Metal could be a great source of card advantage and a win condition rolled into one, and that's without using his ultimate. In limited however he could be a little worse as you would need a fair few artifacts to make him worth while, he will definitely still be a threat as planeswalkers usually are.

Limited - If you end up with a lot of artifacts, then he could end up being the game changer you were looking for.

Constructed - As a one-of in a very controlling deck, then he could be very difficult to deal with while slowly seeking for artifacts and draining them every couple of turns.

So that concludes our look at the Mythic Rares in Aether Revolt, I'm sure they will all find their place be it in standard, modern, commander or just hanging around in limited. Mythic Rares are always fun because they usually have big, swingy effects to mess around with, so I urge you to look over some of them and maybe start brewing to see how much you could abuse them, how many additional attack steps could you take with Lightning Runner for example. They are also good to give you some deck ideas, picking a Mythic Rare is a good jumping off point for deck building.

Keep checking back to Game Changers for more gaming news and updates.

Aether Revolt - Artifact and Land

So its the end of the week and the end of our look through all the cards in Aether Revolt, and what a way to end it, with  a look through the largest card type in the set, the Atifacts. So let's begin...

Aegis Automaton

The fist artifact we're looking and also the first in the "Automaton" cycle. Aegis Automaton is a nice defensive creature, its cheap and will do some blocking. It also has a good ability to get extra use out of your "enter the battlefield" creatures while also triggering Revolt, though it may be at a fairly expensive cost, and because it has no power, it makes it perfect for use with your Improvise spells. It sits solidly in limited with no constructed application.

Aethersphere Harvester

Aethersphere Harvester is an incredible Vehicle. There may be an abundance of things to spend your third turn doing, but this is definitely up there. It nets you energy and has a low crew cost which makes it perfect for fasts and slow decks alike. As a creature, Aethersphere Harvester will do so much work both on the offensive and defensive with its 3/5 body, and could pull you back into a game late on with its second ability to gain lifelink. Limited bomb and might see some constructed play with all its versatility.

Augmenting Automaton

This is the black "Automaton". Not much to talk about here, a one drop creature with a great mana sink pump ability. If dropped early, Augmenting Automaton is a nice way to spend those turns when you have nothing else to do in an aggressive deck, a good way to force some damage through or force a block. Its the perfect card a black deck likes to see as its can get pretty big after a while and could end up dominating some ground stalls in limited.

Barricade Breaker

Almost the definition of All In. Barricade Breaker gives you a lot if you're willing to give a lot. Seven mana is a lot but if you can utilize the Improvise on it, it could come down and be smashing face early. However because it has to attack each turn, your opponent has more opportunity to get rid of it, leaving you feeling pretty bad about yourself. All this said it still has the potential to just win you a game when played in limited and for that reason you should probably play it, way to expensive for constructed though.

Cogwork Assembler

A solid creature with a fantastic ability, Cogwork Assembler will cause havoc for your opponent. In the late game its one of the best mana sinks you could hope for, putting seven mana into it to get another Cogwork Assembler to attack with, or in your opponents turn to block with, could turn a game. When you're able to duplicate your Vehicles and crew them, that's when it gets out of hand, imagine double Aethersphere Harvester crashing in every turn plus gaining you two energy to gain six life back.

Consulate Dreadnought

It's big. Very big. Unfortunately its a bit of an "all eggs, one basket" card. You can drop it on turn one and then spend all your later turns creature the power needed to attack with this 7/11, but it gets to a point where the creatures you're using to crew it are probably better off attacking themselves or being used for other means. It does pose a threat in limited, but just make sure you can turn it on consistently.

Consulate Turret

Free energy and damage in exchange for energy. Consulate Turret could get you a lot of damage in an energy centric deck but at other times it may be being used to Improvise as three energy is quite a lot. It does power itself though which does make it worth playing in limited but only if you don't have much else.

Crackdown Construct

Crackdown Construct plays very well with the artifact creatures in the "Automaton" cycle as you have a reusable effect to use while making Crackdown Construct bigger. There are plenty of non mana abilities in Aether Revolt to make this guy pretty big turn after turn, you'll definitely like seeing multiples of Crackdown Construct in your limited pool.

Daredevil Dragster

Daredevil Dragster if the perfect Vehicle for the aggro decks as it hits hard and ends up drawing you cards. A low mana cost and even lower crew cost make this Vehicle interesting and will put a spanner in the works if left alone.

Filigree Crawler

A solid artifact creature, Filigree Crawler is the card you put in your deck after you realise you have way to many five drops and hardly any four drops. It will block and get you another guy that will probably block as well, that's not bad but its nothing to write home about. Limited all the way.

Foundry Assembler

Another meh artifact creature in the shape of Foundry Assembler. A 3/3 for five is alright but you can get 5/5's for five in green pretty easily. If you can power this guy out quick then it might be worth it but otherwise, I would give it a pass even in limited unless I had nothing else.

Gonti's Aether Heart

Gonti's Aether Heart is an interesting artifact. With the enticing promise of an additional turn, obviously you want to find ways to abuse it. However, it will only be effective if you can get that extra turn with a set up to either win or severely cripple your opponent. My fear is that with the six mana you have to put into Gonti's Aether Heart that wont leave much to set up with or play to get you the energy needed to even take the extra turn. The moment you play this it becomes a big target that most opponents will try and find an answer to sharpish. This may seem play in constructed in a very niche combo deck, but I'm not sure if this will show its head, or heart, in limited unless its a very fun deck trying to get the most out of Gonti's Aether Heart.

Hope of Ghirapur

Hope of Ghirapur is a great answer for control decks. It fits in most types of decks as its colourless and for one mana isn't asking much at all. It wont do much damage, but it doesn't need to, just one and you then have the choice to sacrifice it and keep your opponent from playing anything but creatures for the next turn, or keep it and swing in next turn. On top of stopping tricks from your opponent its also another free sacrifice to trigger Revolt and, like I said earlier it can fit into pretty much anything, so I'm sure it will see a lot of play in constructed as well as limited.

Implement of Combustion

The "Implement" cycle is a neat one. All of them sacrifice for the cost of a single coloured mana to get an effect and all have a separate effect of drawing a card when they are put into the graveyard from play. Implement of Combustion is the red Implement that, for a single red mana, pings - shoots for one - your opponent and draws you a card while doing it. These Implements will be invaluable as they all replace themselves, aid Improvise and generally have ok abilities. Don't be surprised if you see them in constructed and for sure in limited.

Implement of Examination

The blue Implement, almost typical really, draws you a card for a single blue mana, and then draws you a card when it hits the graveyard. For three mana, being able to draw two cards is nothing new, but you do get to choose when you want those two cards with Implement of Examination. The initial three mana might be a bit slow but if put in the right deck, I'm sure this Implement could be very powerful in both limited and constructed.

Implement of Ferocity

Another one drop Implement, Implement of Ferocity gives a creature a +1/+1 counter and draws you a card. The effect is fine for limited, but this is one that probably wont break into constructed, but that's also attributed to the fact that you can only sacrifice it at sorcery speed.

Implement of Improvement

Implement of Improvement is very good. You can drop it turn one and just wait until you need the two life or the card. I could easily see this in a UW control deck in constructed and it would be very annoying in multiples in limited, gaining lots of life and drawing lots of cards is quite fun.

Implement of Malice

The black Implement is another one that you can only sacrifice at sorcery speed, but it could get some fringe play in constructed just for messing with your opponents hand and getting you a card while doing it. Don't hold your breath though, even if you do get hit by one of these it probably wont do that much to hinder your plans.

Inspiring Statuary

Giving all your non-artifact spells Improvise could make a lot of your spells very easy to play if you have a lot of artifacts to tap. The best part about Inspiring Statuary is that it instantly becomes a sudo mana-rock, an artifact that can tap for mana, because it is an artifact and doesn't have any ability besides it static effect of granting Improvise. I would love to see this in constructed, even if it is in a niche deck, it looks like fun. You could probably just about get away with this in limited but it is more of a build around me card.

Irontread Crusher

A solid aggressive Vehicle. Irontread Crusher is very hard to deal with in combat and baring some artifact destruction spells, could take over a game. Its colourless so it can sit in whatever colours you have and only takes three to crew, which hopefully will be simple to hit with one creature. In limited multiples of these can be game over for your opponent as long as you can crew them, in constructed its probably too slow with no immediate impact.

Lifecrafter's Bestiary

An odd little artifact is Lifecrafter's Bestiary. The free Scry is great and the addition of the draw effect could help you immensely to get towards whatever it is you're looking for. The only problem is I cant think of a deck that wants it. Most creature based decks want to be fast which means they wont want Lifecrafter's Bestiary because it disrupts the curve with the draw ability. Most decks that do have the mana probably don't have many creatures to be casting. I would love to see a deck abuse this and in multiples you get multiple Scrys to dig through your deck, but as it stands, I don't think you will be seeing this in constructed and I'm not even sure about limited.

Merchant's Dockhand

The effect may look good, but Merchants Dockhand is bad. Its cheap and that's about all the good points, it wont do much in the sense of attacking and blocking, in addition to four mana it asks for itself and other artifacts to be tapped and all of that for one card seems a bit much. You might do some neat things in limited with Merchant's Dockhand but I don't think you'll be seeing it in constructed.

Metallic Mimic

With a name like Metallic Mimic I would have thought we'd be in for a Sculpting Steel type card. Instead we have a weird restricted anthem effect on a weak creature. Limited might be the best place for this as in constructed you want something more proactive that puts the counters on when IT comes into play not when its already in play and you have to play other creatures to get the bonus.

Mobile Garrison

A versatile Vehicle now, Mobile Garrison essentially has sudo vigilance. That's if its your only/best target when it attacks but it can also allow for some replication of tap abilities. If you have a creature or an artifact with a tap ability, you can use it, attack with Mobile Garrison and untap the creature to use the tap ability again. This neat little interaction is confined to limited as this effect isn't good enough for constructed.

Night Market Guard

Simple. Night Market Guard will probably trade up, and in the best case scenario with two creatures. If dropped early, it could get in for some damage and then sit back and become a problem for your opponent as they try to attempt to navigate this duo blocker. In multiples they could be very tricky but only in limited, this effect doesn't have much of an impact for constructed.

Ornithopter

Its Ornithopter. Its free and it fly's, if you can find a way to pump this, say for example Tezzzeret's Touch, suddenly you have a flying 5/5 that cost you three mana. Ornithopters make for great blockers and in this meta game will help with Improvise, especially for something like Metallic Rebuke, turning it into a mana leak or, if you control two Ornithopters, even better.

Pacification Array

Another early drop artifact, Pacification Ray will do a good job of holding up any opposing creatures and maybe sometimes tapping them down for you to force some damage through. It sits nicely in any deck in limited as its not expensive to cast or activate. Doesn't really do much in costructed.

Paradox Engine

A good looking combo card, but unfortunately doesn't untap your lands, so if you have a lot of mana creatures or a lot of Improvise cards and artifacts, you probably aren't doing much with Paradox Engine. Maybe you'll get somewhere with it in limited, in constructed however, it may look good, but it probably wont be as good as you think.


Peacewalker Colossus

Peacewalker Colossus is a vehicle that is alright sitting back and not being crewed at all. In fact it can do all the crewing for you. This 6/6 can hit the table on turn three and then spend the rest of the time turning you other vehicles into threats for two mana and in multiples, they can target each other to creature two 6/6's to swing in with. Obviously an absolute bomb in limited and I'm sure will have a home in constructed, especially with cards like Metalwork Colossus hanging around.

Planar Bridge

Another good looking card that may just ask for too much investment to get the pay off you want. Yes, you can get anything you want whenever you want, but it costs eight mana to do so and that's if you can find the mana and the time to cast Planar Bridge. Again, you might have some fun with this in limited, but its way too slow for constructed. Great for Commander though.

Prizefighter Construct

An aggressive artifact creature here. Prizefighter Construct costs a lot and probably wont last long, it dies to pretty much anything especially Shock. Only play this in limited if you really need a five drop.

Renegade Map

This is another great way to enable Revolt for free and it fixes your mana while doing it. Renegade Map is for those three/four colour decks in limited  that have a lot of good stuffs going on but also have a tight mana base. Probably wont get into constructed though as there are other cards that do this effect much better.

Reservoir Walker

This is your top end artifact creature. It has all the three's; Gain three life, gain three energy and its a 3/3. It probably wont shine particularly in combat but its already done its thing by entering the battlefield. Strictly limited.

Servo Schematic

Servo Schematic is the perfect card to couple with an Improvise spell. It gives you two artifacts for the price of one and, if you can find a way to sacrifice it which wont be too hard, it gives you one on the way out as well. I don't think this has a place in constructed because its kinda slow for what it does, but great in limited just because it can give you two creatures.

Treasure Keeper

More free spells. Treasure Keeper is aggressively costed and will do good work attacking and blocking and when it does you get your next card with converted mana cost three or less. Its strong and it replaces itself in some way or another, what more could you ask for. I would love to see it in constructed but I think its lack of immediate impact and kinda high mana cost will hinder that,

Universal Solvent

Universal Solvent is a long play kinda card. You drop it on turn one and then wait for the perfect target, be it the giant creature your opponent just played or that pesky planeswalker, Universal Solvent will deal with it. Definitely constructed playable and will be blowing stuff up soon I'm sure.

Untethered Express

Raging Ravine is back in vehicle form. Untethered Express takes over games, you start with a 4/4, but as soon as you can turn it sideways it becomes a 5/5 and just continues to get bigger and bigger the more you attack. With such a low crew cost, this vehicle is primed for the hyper aggressive deck that just wants to do all the damage, the mana cost of four might slow it down a bit, but I'm sure you'll see this in constructed at some point.

Verdant Automaton

The green Automaton, Verdant Automaton is another great mana sink, and this time it keeps its power toughness bonus. Ideally you want this on turn two so you can have something to do at the end of you opponents turn in those slow games, but late game is fine as well as it can easily provide the answer to a ground stall. Another creature that can take over a limited game, but not a place in constructed as its too slow

Walking Ballista

I loved Triskelion back the day and Walking Ballista is definitely on the same power level as Triskelion. Its a powerhouse in limited at all times, it dodges removal as you just shoot creatures or your opponent in response and it will be rocking constructed for the months to come. Be aware of this card as it can just be slammed late game as a 5/5 or something and wreck your entire board, or become an incrementally growing threat.

Watchful Automaton

A nice ability attached to an average creature, Watchful Automaton is good in those slower decks with the time to find what it needs. It will probably die in most combat situations but it can cycle you through your deck and maybe get a little damage in early if you're lucky.

Welder Automaton

Probably the most aggressive of the "Automaton" cycle, Welder Automaton gives you the ability to shoot your opponent for one at the end of each of their turns if you have four mana lying about. This damage can wrack up pretty quickly and the two power on turn two isn't bad either, so against those slower decks, Welder Automaton has the opportunity to do a big chunk of damage. Its not bad in the late game either as it comes down for cheap and in a ground stall if you can activate it twice, it can provide the key to victory.

And the only land worth talking about in Aether Revolt

Spire of Industry

Spire of Industry is a nice mana fixer as most decks nowadays are playing some amount of artifacts. Even if you don't have an artifact it can still give you colourless, but if needed it can be a City of Brass. Playing Spire of Industry in limited allows you to splash some cards in colors you may not be maining, but don't go to far with color splashing unless you have multiple color fixers as the cards can get bogged down in your hand and really slow your game down.

So that's been a look through Aether Revolt color by color, I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have and maybe even seen some cool cards you want to mess about with. I'll be taking a look at Amonkhet and probably doing another set review closer to April but until then, keep checking back to Game Changers for more gaming news and updates.