Players Baffled Entire Creature Type Was Absent from Aetherdrift

Last updated on February 3, 2025

Depala, Pilot Exemplar | Illustration by Greg Opalinski

Fans of Avishkar (formerly Kaladesh) were disappointed to note a surprising absence in Aetherdrift: dwarves. Kaladesh was one of the first sets to bring this classic fantasy race back to MTG, so you'd think that a race starting in the plane of Depala, Pilot Exemplar would feature at least one dwarf!

Even the Commander Decks!

Source

When we say no dwarves, we mean it: no dwarves. None. Not a single “Dwarven Mechanic,” “Dwarven Pilot,” or even “Dwarven Waterboy” made it through to the set proper. And it's not like there wasn't room for them. Daring Mechanic could've easily been a dwarf instead of a strange Mario cameo right?

Notably, neither of the two Aetherdrift Commander decks were themed around vehicles, the main selling point of the set, which meant no easy avenue for Depala and their crew to crop up in a Commander deck. Instead, the two precons featured zombies and energy as their central strategies, which didn't leave room in the card file for a Sram, Senior Edificer guest appearance.

Dwarven Damage Control

MTG Head Designer Mark Rosewater gave an official response on the subject of disappearing dwarves, after one player noted their disappointment on his blog. “One of the costs of a travelogue set is we don’t have the room to see everything from every plane,” he said, “I do think if the Avishkar racing team was in red or white, we would have had Dwarves.”

What's Next for Dwarves?

Glint-Sleeve Artisan | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast

Well, if (when?) Magic returns to Avishkar again, dwarves will almost certainly be there again. Dwarves are also native to planes like Kaldheim, Dominaria, and Eldraine too. They were present in Strixhaven too, and a return trip to Arcavios has been confirmed for 2026 already. Or hey, maybe there's another D&D crossover in the future?

This was ultimately an oversight, rather than any sort of lore ramification. Had Phyrexians compleated every dwarf on Kaladesh, that would be a different matter, but thankfully there's no indication of that having taken place….