Welcome to the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh', where today I’m going to be continuing the first preview week of the amazing cards of Kaladesh. With each Magic release, one of the biggest anticipations is in seeing which mechanics will be in the new set. Most of the time, the mechanics highlight the flavour of the world they are located in. Shadows Over Innistrad had the Madness mechanic which went well with its story. Battle for Zendikar saw the return of Landfall, which corresponded well with its setting. Kaladesh is no different in making sure its mechanics suit well with its creation and technology based environment. I’ll be talking about the three new mechanics coming to Kaladesh this week and today I’m going to be starting with something the Magic players have been asking for, for a long time. Welcome Vehicles to the world of Magic! Here is Skysovereign, Consul Flagship:
Now how do these crazy contraptions work? A key thing to note is that Vehicles are not creatures when they are on the battlefield. To turn the Vehicles into creatures, you have to Crew them up. Each Vehicle will have a Crew number attached to it. If you tap creatures with power equal to or greater than the Crew number, then the Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until the end of the turn. A big thing to note is that Vehicles still have summoning sickness, so although you can crew them up the turn they enter the battlefield, they won’t be able to attack, unless they have haste. It is also important to note that if a Vehicle dies, the Crew using the Vehicle does not. Although most players will see Vehicles as offensive creatures that you will always attack with, you can still crew them up on the defensive and add them to a block.
Now back to talking about Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. Wow, what a massive Vehicle! Due to its sheer size, it allows you to deal 3 damage to a creature or Planeswalker when it enters the battlefield. The Crew number of 3 is quite large compared to most vehicles, but in return you get a 6/5 Flying artifact creature that when attacking, will do another 3 damage. Note that this doesn’t have haste, so you will be able to Crew it up right away, but you won’t be able to attack until your next turn. With such a large crew number, this Vehicle will have to be used in most cases for an all out attack, as not only will the Vehicle become tapped when attacking, but so will any crew that you use as well. I still think that being such a large flying Vehicle, and the damage it can deal, this will see some play in the near future.
There are some Vehicles though that are ready to start their engines right away. Here is a look at Ovalchase Dragster.
Welcome to the Ball Lightning of Vehicles! Thanks to having haste, you can play this Vehicle on turn four and Crew it up immediately to attack for six damage. Unlike a Ball Lightning though, this Ovalchase Dragster isn’t going anywhere at the end of the turn. With its one toughness it makes it quite vulnerable to being blocked by any creature your opponent has, but getting through some Trample damage will make you feel a little better about it. With its cheap Crew cost of 1, I can see this Vehicle being a four of in an aggressive strategy where you want to get through last bits of damage to finish off your opponent.
I think that Vehicles are going to be a lot of fun in Kaladesh and I look forward to seeing what other crazy Vehicles they come up with. What do you think about Vehicles in Kaladesh? Join me tomorrow as I continue my talk on the new mechanics of Kaladesh.
Thanks for reading the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh' and I look forward to seeing a continued glimpse at the vibrant Kaladesh!
