Last updated on January 27, 2025
Corpse Augur | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast
“Speed racing” has to be one of the last things anyone would associate with zombies. Aetherdrift apparently didn't get the memo though, as the set has been surprisingly kind to those with an Appetite for Brains. Zombies are the centerpiece for the newly revealed Eternal Might deck (featuring Temmet, Naktamun's Will), and have even had a few support cards revealed in the main set!
Eternal Might (Aetherdrift Commander)
Temmet, Naktamun's Will is all about zombies, and the Eternal Might deck has but a handful of non-zombie creatures. Most of the creatures that aren't on type have embalm as well, so they'll be zombies soon enough. There's also a solid backup commander in Hashaton, Scarab's Fist, who essentially “embalms” creatures you discard. It's nice to have two more options for Esper Zombies to go alongside Varina, Lich Queen (who seems like a great addition to this list).
- GUIDE THE DEAD TO GLORY—On the plane of Amonkhet, the dead never rest; burn through cards and grow your mummy army with this White-Blue-Black Aetherdrift Commander deck
- 2 FOIL BORDERLESS COMMANDERS—Every Aetherdrift Commander Deck includes 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards featuring Borderless art
- INTRODUCES 10 COMMANDER CARDS—Each deck introduces 10 never-before-seen Commander cards to Magic: The Gathering
- COLLECT SPECIAL TREATMENT CARDS—Each deck also comes with a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack containing 2 alternate-border Aetherdrift cards
- THRILLING MULTIPLAYER BATTLES—Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic, an epic, free-for-all battle full of strategic plays and social intrigue
Temmet, Naktamun's Will
Temmet, Naktamun's Will combines zombie typal, drawing lots of cards, and going wide into one awesome package. This means that, so long as you stick to zombies, Temmet could work well with many different support cards. Note that the trigger says “whenever you attack,” so you can get value immediately if you have some creatures ready to go. The precon isn't a bad start, but can be improved without spending much dough.
Hashaton, Scarab's Fist
Hashaton, Scarab's Fist is a bit more one-dimensional than Temmet, Naktamun's Will, though still plenty powerful. Cycling creatures are crucial to making use of this triggered ability, which will let you repeatedly pump out 4/4s. Hashaton could also do great work with something like Archon of Cruelty, so long as you can discard it somehow. Temmet, Naktamun's Will seems like a better commander for straight up Esper Zombies though.
Aetherdrift Main Set
There have been five cards revealed so far that create or directly reference zombies in the main set, which is five more than you'd expect in a race!
Cryptcaller Chariot
Cryptcaller Chariot hits hard with menace, and also creates zombies every time you discard one or more cards. The zombies enter tapped though, which is a bummer as you won't be able to use them to crew the Chariot immediately. This has some interesting overlap with UR's discard theme in the set (Captain Howler, Sea Scourge and Marauding Mako). It's also an easy inclusion in Hashaton, Scarab's Fist!
Cursecloth Wrappings
Cursecloth Wrappings is a neat card that is one part zombie Glorious Anthem, and another part card advantage engine. Once you untap with this, you'll be able to embalm a new creature every single turn. It's perfect for a zombie Commander deck, but also solid as a general source of card advantage in grindy games. You don't even necessarily need to be playing zombies to make use of the +1/+1, since embalmed creatures are always zombies.
Zahur, Glory's Past
Zahur, Glory's Past is… fine, perhaps? You're under no obligation to pretend every card is going to be a hit, and this is close to a vanilla 3/2 if you can't get to max speed. Given that doing so isn't exactly free (and the reward isn't “you win the game” or anything), the odds seemed stack against this zombie cat warrior. It works much better as a commander than a random card in the 99, as at least that way you'd be able to “start your engines” consistently on turn 2.
Embalmed Ascendant
Embalmed Ascendent is another “Start your engines!” card, and ends up upgrading to a Blood Artist once you run four laps. This is unfortunate timing, as it turns out that Blood Artist is a pretty good card for picking up speed. Ultimately, Embalmed Ascendant should be solid in Limited, as it's two bodies with decent stats and upside, but seems unlikely to do much in Constructed.
Hour of Victory
The final newcomer is another “Start your engines!” card, and significantly more exciting than the others from a Commander perspective. It's still not easy to get max speed, but this is basically zombie Gray Ogre + Demonic Tutor once you pull it off. If nothing else, this and Embalmed Ascendant are easy inclusions in Zahur, Glory's Past.
Players will have the full picture on Aetherdrift (and any possible zombie inclusions) soon, as spoiler season is almost done!
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