Magic: The Gathering brings back iconic card type in Aetherdrift Set

Magic: The Gathering’s Aetherdrift set is adding a new card to the franchise’s most iconic and infamous type, bringing a fresh magical flower to the game.

Aetherdrift is an unusual Magic: The Gathering expansion, seeing as it involves a Wacky Races-style grand prix across multiple planes of existence. Naturally, some card types are a great fit for this theme, such as Artifacts and Vehicles, as they’ll power the racing crews on their journey.

Ahead of Aetherdrift’s February 14 release, Magic: The Gathering head designer Mark Rosewater has revealed some tidbits about the set on their Tumblr page, including confirmation of a returning card type that will get fans excited.

Wizards of the Coast/Christopher Rush

Aetherdrift is adding another Lotus card to Magic: The Gathering

The Black Lotus is easily the most famous Magic: The Gathering card of all time, seeing as it has sold for millions of dollars at auction. One of the original banned cards, Black Lotus is notorious for its power and rarity.

The Black Lotus hasn’t bloomed alone, as there have been numerous Lotus derivatives in later sets, though none quite as expensive. These included the Gilded Lotus, Jeweled Lotus, and Lotus Field, all sharing the Black Lotus’ gimmick of providing mana.

According to Rosewater, the Aethedrift set will add a new Lotus card, though they didn’t specify whether it will be another mana-generating plant or a creature connected to the famous flowers.

Considering Aetherdrift is about cars and racing, the new Lotus could be involved in a parody of homage to the Lotus sports car brand, though the developers would have to be careful about how they did this.

Little has been revealed about the cards appearing in the Aetherdrift set, though it will feature a lot of Vehicles and Mounts, which befits the theme. It’s unclear how the new Lotus card will fit into this, but anything that generates mana will be welcome in a set about powering cars to reach the finish line.