Last updated on January 23, 2025
Karn Liberated | Illustration by Kieran Yanner
Following the release of Aetherdrift, there will be certain events we've come to expect like Standard Showdowns, Pro Tours, and Store Championships. Promo cards for each event were just announced yesterday, and largely seem to “hit it out of the park,” so to speak.
Standard Showdown (February 14 – April 3, Your LGS)
Standard Showdown is the first event happening, and will give you an immediate opportunity to test your Aetherdrift Standard ideas (cough Brightglass Gearhulk cough). Aetherdrift‘s Standard Showdown continues last year's trend of Cowboy Bebop themed promos, this time with promo 4/5, which is a snazzy Lightning Strike. If you play your Showdown with a Screaming Nemesis deck, the promo could slot right in afterwards!
Pro Tour Aetherdrift (February 21 – 23, Chicago/USA)
Competitors at the next Pro Tour (which may include the person writing this article) will be given a free Karn Liberated, with top 32 competitors receiving a second foil copy. But this isn't just any Karn Liberated….
“Vacation Karn” is a masterpiece of a promo, and its reveal was a big hit online. Some comments from reddit about it included:
- “Somehow Karn wears more clothes when he's on a tropical vacation.” (user TemurTron)
- “Oh my god stupid sexy karn is real.” (Kyleometers)
- “Karn liberated from pants, but not swim shorts.” (Kamizar)
Even if you aren't attending the Pro Tour at MagicCon: Chicago, be on the lookout for this one online. Though broadly popular with the community (especially when compared to the two previous Pro Tour promos below), some competitors may end up flipping theirs rather quickly!
Store Championships (March 8 – 30, Your LGS)
Store Championships are a step up from Showdowns in terms of competition, and are usually some of the higher stakes events you'll see at an LGS. This season's Store Championships will come with three exciting and useful promos:
You'll get the first one just for showing up! All you have to do is register to play a Store Championship, and this alternate art copy of Deep-Cavern Bat is yours to keep. As one of the best Mesmeric Fiends ever printed, it's seen a fair bit of Standard play ever since it was printed.
Top 8 your Store Championship, and this Preacher of the Schism is yours. This excellent creature currently sees play in one of the format's best decks (UB Midrange), and could realistically slot into just about any black deck.
Lastly, total victory at your Store Champion will net you this sweet alternate art Virtue of Persistence! It's a solid inclusion in black midrange and control decks, with 1-3 copies usually showing depending on the predicted metagame. What's more is that, given that all three promos are black, you could actually play them all in the same deck!
Magic Spotlight: Modern (Mar 14 – 16, Utrecht/Netherlands)
The next promo destination is the Modern Spotlight in Utrecht, planned for the middle of March. Those nearby (or those willing to travel) will receive a promo Kaldra Compleat just for competing in the event (players who place top 32 will receive an additional foil copy). And if you're playing Stoneforge Mystic there, then nothing is stopping you from using it in the main event!
The announced promos for competitive events seem to be a step up from previous offerings. In particular, the Store Championship featuring all highly-played Standard cards feels refreshing, and the Karn Liberated is appropriately goofy in a good way, even if Karn's a bit past its prime.
Good luck with any future events you play in! Knock out your tournaments and win all the sweet promos you wanted!
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