Last updated on January 24, 2025
Ketramose, the New Dawn | Illustration by Maaz Ali Khan
Aetherdrift spoiler season continues at a brisk pace, although it'll be accelerating to a breakneck pace next week. There are already plenty of spoilers to go over now, as the set is full of interesting cards that could change multiple formats. A particularly enticing trio spoiled so far are the new Amonkhet god cards:
These are powerful build-arounds that offer huge, efficient, indestructible creatures; if you're willing to pay the deckbuilding cost, that is. But how might they end up playing out in various formats?
Hazoret, Godseeker
Hazoret, Godseeker is the only Aetherdrift god to have a past printing in Hazoret the Fervent, as well as Djeru and Hazoret. If you played any Amonkhet Standard, then you likely know that old Hazoret was a pretty good Magic card. It was the perfect curve-topper for a mono-red aggro deck, as recklessly dumping your hand was a requirement for using it in the first place. Catching your opponent without a Grasp of Darkness was often just “gg,” even if they otherwise would have stabilized.
Assessing Hazoret
So how does Hazoret, Godseeker compare to its predecessor? It's hard to say for now, but the comparison itself might not even be appropriate; despite being the same character, they are very different cards:
- On its own, Hazoret, Godseeker is a 5/3 indestructible haste creature for just (!). However, it cannot attack or block unless you have max speed.
- Speed is tied to the “Start your engines!” mechanic, which works as follows:
- As soon as you play your first SYE! card, you have 1 Speed.
- You may increase this speed once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.
- Barring extreme circumstances (like a 1-drop that SYE!s and then pings your opponent to immediately hit speed 2), the fastest you can reach max speed is turn 4.
- So in order for Hazoret to be good, it's vital to get to max speed ASAP, aiming for turn 4-6 each game. You could try to accomplish this in a number of ways:
- Play aggressive creatures (particularly 1-drops), which is hardly novel for red. Hazoret's own activated ability can let you safely sneak them in for damage too.
- Ping your opponent for 1 with cards like Abraded Bluffs and Sawblade Scamp.
- Making your opponent “lose 1 life” with cards such as Pulse Tracker and Invasion of Azgol also works.
- It may also behoove you to play as many good SYE! cards as possible. This is because:
- The more SYE! cards you play, the sooner you can start building speed.
- Since you're focused on building to max speed anyways, you may as well get maximally paid off for doing so.
Community Reaction
The initial response to Hazoret, Godseeker on social media was overwhelmingly negative. Most complaints focused on the card's dubious flavor (i.e., a Jackal God on legs “Starting your engines!”), rather than its power level. Those that did opine on gameplay were largely skeptical too. We'll have to see how it plays out!
Supreme Verdict
Hazoret, Godseeker‘s fate is largely tied to how SYE! plays as a whole. If the mechanic is well supported and has lots of pushed cards, then Hazoret, Godseeker should make the cut. If it doesn't quite get there, Hazoret, Godseeker will unfortunately Languish in obscurity.
Because it's so reliant on its set mechanic, it will likely only succeed in Standard, if anywhere. Nowhere to Run is not a card it will enjoy facing, but having to wait 3+ turns to max out your cards seems too slow for Eternal formats. It also seems like a poor Commander card; if you want to “Start your engines!” in Commander, then Samut, the Driving Force seems much more compelling.
Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied
Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied is the first of two new dual-colored Gods, and a neat call back to Bounty of the Luxa. Unlike Hazoret, Godseeker, which is a cheap card that requires lots of support to be good, Sab-Sunen is very powerful on its own. All you have to do is get to 5 mana and play it, and it will alternate between attacking for 7+ damage and drawing two cards each turn until your opponent is dead.
Assessing Sab-Sunen
- Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied is a large, indestructible creature with reach and trample for . It can only attack or block if it has an even number of counters on it (zero is even).
- Given that it enters with no counters, it can block the first turn you play it.
- After you untap once, Sab-Sunen will begin the aforementioned draw/combat cycle, and likely bury your opponent if it isn't dealt with.
- Sab-Sunen can be built-around with cards like Innkeeper's Talent and Collector's Cage. By carefully timing when to put an extra +1/+1 counter on it, you can draw extra cards and bash for a ton of damage each turn!
Sab-Sunen vs Other 5s
- At 5 mana, Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied has some stiff competition in Standard like Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal, Bloodthirsty Conqueror, Silverback Elder, and Vorinclex.
- Its primary advantage over its competition is indestructible, letting it ignore commonly played removal spells like Go for the Throat and Get Lost.
- As they're currently constructed, top tier decks like RG Mice and UB Midrange have almost no way to get this Frog God off the table!
- However, if you expect lots of Domain, then Sab-Sunen may not be the best choice, as it's a slow clock that matches up poorly versus Sunfall and Leyline Binding.
Community Reaction
Initial reactions to Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied were much more positive than to Hazoret, Godseeker. Players appreciated the Bounty of the Luxa reference, and immediately noticed Sab-Sunen's strong synergy with cards like Innkeeper's Talent. There were also strange posts remarking on the Frog God's figure….
Supreme Verdict
Sab-Sunen, Lux Embodied has a real shot to get there in Standard, and also seems sweet for Commander (and downright disgusting in Limited). If it does show up in Standard, it'll likely be in Domain, Temur Otters, and various green midrange/ramp brews. It might also show up in Pioneer as an Enigmatic Incarnation target, but otherwise seems too slow for Eternal formats. Either way, it's a sweet card!
Ketramose, the New Dawn
Ketramose, the New Dawn is the third, and possibly best god. It won't do much of anything on its own, but also seems much more open-ended to build around than something like Hazoret, Godseeker. If you can consistently exile cards from graveyards or the battlefield, Ketramose can feed you several cards and then start bashing for 4 with lifelink a turn!
Assessing Ketramose
- Ketramose is a 4/4 for with three keywords, one being indestructible. Like the other gods, it's resilient to many removal spells (including Nowhere to Run, thanks to a crucial 4th point of toughness).
- Making Ketramose work is all about exiling cards. It can't do this on its own, but rewards you in two distinct ways:
- Every time you exile one or more cards (from the battlefield or a graveyard) on your turn, you'll draw a card and lose 1 life.
- Once there are seven exiled cards between all players, Ketramose can safely rumble in for 4 lifelink damage per turn, and recoup the life you spent drawing cards.
- There are many ways to approach building around Ketramose. Try to include a critical mass of exile effects, as the card does nothing without them. Some good ones to try with in Standard include:
- Removal spells that exile like Lay Down Arms, Elspeth's Smite, Anoint with Affliction, Ossification, Blot Out, and The End.
- Permanents that can exile each turn, such as Ghost Vacuum, Lord Skitter, Sewer King, and Kaya, Spirits' Justice.
- Deadly Cover-Up, which can draw two cards with Ketramose out if you pay its collect evidence cost.
- Don't forget that Ketramose specifies the exile must happen on the battlefield or from a graveyard. Exiling cards from the hand with Soul Search and Deep-Cavern Bat won't draw you a card.
Community Reaction
Reactions to the spoiler of Ketramose, the New Dawn were extremely positive. Many players were excited to have a compelling exile build-around for Commander, and also impressed with its potential in a number of formats. SaffronOlive even went as far to say that it had potential in Modern!
Supreme Verdict
Ketramose, the New Dawn is a card with massive potential. While it'll probably require new decks built around it, it offers massive rewards as a resilient card advantage engine that's also a wincon. Lifelink is a particular selling point for the card, as it makes Ketramose the kind of creature that can slam the door shut against aggro decks once you've stabilized. In Standard, it'll probably be tried immediately in WB tokens, which already plays a number of cards mentioned above. Whether or not it creates new decks around itself (or shows up in Eternal formats) is an open question, but don't count Ketramose out!
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