MTG Aetherdrift reveals Chandra Spark Hunter to end your games in a fun new way

MTG Aetherdrift revealed a version of Chandra that works for my decks, finally - Chandra Spark Hunter! She appears to be one of the many racing in the Gran Prix, with a goal of securing The Aetherspark. The real question is - why? After all, in the March of the Machine: The Aftermath stories, it’s confirmed that Chandra is one of the few planeswalkers that kept her spark. There’s no telling what her real plans are.

But I love the new artifact focus! This means she fits into so many more decks than before. Personally, I’m looking at a RUG Artifact/Superfriends deck, thanks to her, and a few other cards in the MTG Aetherdrift preview. I’m incredibly excited for a Chandra card for the first time ever! Here’s what she can do.

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Chandra Spark Hunter has a fun new artifact focus in MTG Aetherdrift

Can we all just take a moment to admire MTG Aetherdrift’s biggest win - giving Chandra Spark Hunter that amazing Akira power slide on her card art? And in the rain, no less. It’s my favorite card art in the set so far - I don’t know how to feel, being so excited about someone who I’ve repeatedly gone on record saying is my least-favorite planeswalker.

I can just hear the sick power slide sound as this cycle skids across the pavement stones (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Another 4-drop planeswalker - alongside The Aetherspark itself - she’s a Mythic Rare planeswalker, with a powerful passive, alongside a trio of abilities. Her passive features the following text:

“At the beginning of combat on your turn, choose up to one target Vehicle you control. Until end of turn, it becomes an artifact creature and gains haste.”

With as many amazing vehicles as there are in this set, you can now use them without having to stress about using a “Crew” cost, first. Just transform one into a creature and swing with them anyway! Gotta love that. It also has a trio of loyalty abilities, that do the following:

• +2: You may sacrifice an artifact or discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
• +0: Create a 3/2 colorless Vehicle artifact token with crew 1.
• -7: You get an emblem with “Whenever an artifact you control enters, this emblem deals 3 damage to any target.”

I like all three of Chandra Spark Hunters’ abilities in MTG Aetherdrift, but let’s be honest - that -7 is the real star. That’s why I’m so excited about this card. Now, whenever you put an artifact into play, you get a free 3 damage.

I can see powerful, annoying RUG decks forming in my head (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

There are so many cheap ways to put artifacts into play and obliterate someone’s life points. In particular, Mendicant Core, Guidelight allows you to duplicate artifacts you cast for 1 colorless mana, provided you’re at Max Speed. Suddenly, you cast a 0-color Ornithoper or two, pay an extra 1 or 2 mana, and your opponent takes somewhere between 6-9 damage, just based on that. I am a huge fan of this card.

She can crank up +2 without any threat, and the 0-cost for creating an artifact is going to be really great when you have that Emblem in-play. I have a feeling that Chandra Spark Hunter’s going to be a big card when MTG Aetherdrift drops properly in February.

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MTG Aetherdrift launches on February 14, 2025, and the spoiler season begins properly on January 21, 2025, alongside this preview.