Magic: The Gathering kicked off 2025 last week with the reveal of Aetherdrift, the first big set of cards releasing this year. Fans who were worried about a lack of classic Wizards of the Coast storytelling were pleased to find it’s loaded with new lore — and dozens of excellent new cards, with lavish art. Today, Polygon can reveal two additional new cards dropping on Feb. 14, Spikeshell Harrier and Daring Mechanic.
Spikeshell Harrier is the big draw here, with art clearly meant to evoke the racing spirit of the set with a callback to Mario Kart’s spiny blue shell. When the Spikeshell Harrier leaves its caster’s hand, the Artifact Creature zips along the course in pursuit of a creature or vehicle. On impact, it returns that element to its owner’s hand, effectively removing it from play. But it also reduces your opponent’s speed, a new mechanic being introduced with this set. If you’re not cruising at maximum speed, you’re not able to make the best use of Aetherdrift’s most powerful effects, so this Artifact Creature should come in really handy – especially in Commander.
Daring Mechanic, on the other hand, is a more traditional buff. Our orange-jumpsuited friend here sports a cunning mustache as well as the ability to add a +1/+1 counter to a target Mount or Vehicle.
Pre-release weekend for Magic: The Gathering’s Aetherdrift set begins on Feb. 7, and the online release for Magic: The Gathering – Arena begins on Feb. 11.
For nearly 80 more preview cards from the set, check out our feature story with quotes from the development team on its newest mechanics, like speed and exhaust.
Want to collect the entire set, or just the newest Commander cards? Then check out our where-to-buy post.
