Aradara Express MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact — Vehicle
Abilities Crew,Menace
Power 8
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Aradara Express provides card advantage, leveraging existing creatures without depleting resources further.
  2. Its ability for instant speed-like play can add surprise elements, making it a devious tactical choice.
  3. Despite its power, the discard requirement and specific mana costs may limit its universal appeal.

Text of card

Menace Crew 4 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)

It glides around the city, a sublime combination of elegance and utility.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Aradara Express can often result in direct card advantage as it transforms crewed creatures into a potent attacking threat without the need to expend additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly producing mana or tokens, Aradara Express offers a form of resource acceleration by converting any creature into a powerful attacker, thereby maximising the utility of your available resources.

Instant Speed: Despite being an artifact with crew requirements, savvy players can maximize its potential by combining it with creatures that have flash or untapping abilities, effectively allowing for instant speed-like interactions during opponents’ turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aradara Express demands an initial discard, which can hinder your hand if your resources are already depleted or if each card in your hand holds significant value for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost includes a combination of generic and red mana, which may not align with multi-colored or colorless deck structures, thus reducing its versatility in various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To field and utilize Aradara Express effectively, players must manage a mana cost that is on the higher side. It competes with other impactful cards in the same mana range, potentially causing it to be overlooked in deck construction.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Aradara Express is a powerful addition across various deck types given its solid statistics as a vehicle card. It provides a reliable attacking option, especially in artifact-focused or vehicle-oriented strategies, where its ability to convert into a creature can swing games in your favor.

Combo Potential: Owing to its artifact nature and potential for crewing, this card holds significant potential for synergy in combo decks that exploit artifact and crew mechanics. It can be a linchpin in enabling intricate plays and enhancing the impact of other cards that interact with artifacts on the board.

Meta-Relevance: As the meta shifts, cards that can operate well under a variety of circumstances stand the test of time. Aradara Express, thanks to its inherent resilience to sorcery-speed removal when not crewed, can be a tactical asset in outmaneuvering opponents who are unprepared for its swift transformation into a considerable threat.


How to beat

Aradara Express stands out as a formidable vehicle in the world of Magic the Gathering, boasting impressive power that can quickly steamroll opponents if left unchecked. Unlike other threats on the battlefield, this train requires strategic dismantling to ensure your survival and eventual triumph in the game. To derail this mechanical menace, it’s crucial to prevent its activation by removing potential crew sources. Creatures with tap abilities that hinder opponent strategies or instant removal spells are key tools in this effort, allowing you to maintain control before the Express gains momentum.

Artifact removal spells are also a linchpin in countering the Aradara Express effectively. Cards such as Disenchant or Naturalize offer a direct and efficient solution, transforming a potential threat into a non-issue with just a simple cast. Furthermore, strategies involving “deathtouch” creatures can prove to be a cost-effective deterrent, as they can discourage opponents from risking their valuable vehicle. By prioritizing these approaches, you can successfully navigate the dangers presented by the Aradara Express, ensuring it never reaches its full, game-ending potential.


Cards like Aradara Express

Aradara Express, a dynamic artifact vehicle card in Magic: The Gathering, races alongside a niche but competitive pool of cards. It shares the tracks with Untethered Express, another vehicle known for its ability to become more powerful with each attack thanks to its trample and grow mechanics. Aradara Express establishes its presence with menace, making it harder to block and more certain to deliver damage. It demands a crew of four, a considerable investment, but the reward is a hefty 8/6 on the battlefield.

When evaluating Renegade Freighter, another vehicle card, the investment drops to a crew of two. While more accessible, it falls short in terms of power, offering a 5/4 body upon attack. Contrastingly, Aradara Express guarantees a larger impact with its superior power, but at the cost of harder mobilization. We also have Ovalchase Dragster, a veritable speed demon with haste and trample. Although it vanishes after a single use, its explosive entrance can be a game-changer, while Aradara Express promises repeated force projection as long as you can crew it.

Ultimately, Aradara Express holds its own within the realm of vehicle cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its menace and substantial power are balanced by the crew cost, making it a card worth considering for players who value a formidable presence on the field.

Untethered Express - MTG Card versions
Renegade Freighter - MTG Card versions
Ovalchase Dragster - MTG Card versions
Untethered Express - Aether Revolt (AER)
Renegade Freighter - Kaladesh (KLD)
Ovalchase Dragster - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Aradara Express by color, type and mana cost

Ring of Renewal - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Avian - MTG Card versions
Gauntlets of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Soldevi Steam Beast - MTG Card versions
Sand Golem - MTG Card versions
Pandora's Box - MTG Card versions
Belbe's Portal - MTG Card versions
Crumbling Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Mind's Eye - MTG Card versions
Horizon Stone - MTG Card versions
The Deck of Many Things - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Timesifter - MTG Card versions
Leveler - MTG Card versions
Myr Matrix - MTG Card versions
Dross Golem - MTG Card versions
Razormane Masticore - MTG Card versions
Thran Golem - MTG Card versions
Coat of Arms - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Hydra - MTG Card versions
Ring of Renewal - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Clockwork Avian - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Gauntlets of Chaos - Chronicles (CHR)
Soldevi Steam Beast - Alliances (ALL)
Sand Golem - Mirage (MIR)
Pandora's Box - Astral Cards (PAST)
Belbe's Portal - Nemesis (NEM)
Crumbling Sanctuary - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Mind's Eye - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Horizon Stone - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
The Deck of Many Things - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Clockwork Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Timesifter - Mirrodin (MRD)
Leveler - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)
Myr Matrix - Darksteel (DST)
Dross Golem - Darksteel (DST)
Razormane Masticore - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Thran Golem - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Coat of Arms - The List (PLST)
Clockwork Hydra - Time Spiral (TSP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aradara Express MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Jumpstart 2022, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Aradara Express and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Aradara Express Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Adam Paquette.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-09-30KaladeshKLD 1952015normalblackAdam Paquette
22022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 7542015normalblackAdam Paquette

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aradara Express has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aradara Express card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2017-09-29 Any untapped creature you control can be tapped to pay a crew cost, even one that just came under your control.
2017-09-29 Creatures that crew a Vehicle aren't attached to it or related in any other way. Effects that affect the Vehicle, such as by destroying it or giving it a +1/+1 counter, don't affect the creatures that crewed it.
2017-09-29 Each Vehicle is printed with a power and toughness, but it's not a creature. If it becomes a creature (most likely through its crew ability), it will have that power and toughness.
2017-09-29 For a Vehicle to be able to attack, it must be a creature as the declare attackers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to attack with it is during the beginning of combat step. For a Vehicle to be able to block, it must be a creature as the declare blockers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to block with it is during the declare attackers step. In either case, players may take actions after the crew ability resolves but before the Vehicle has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature.
2017-09-29 If a permanent becomes a copy of a Vehicle, the copy won't be a creature, even if the Vehicle it's copying has become an artifact creature.
2017-09-29 If an effect causes a Vehicle to become an artifact creature with a specified power and toughness, that effect overwrites the Vehicle's printed power and toughness.
2017-09-29 Once a Vehicle becomes a creature, it behaves exactly like any other artifact creature. It can't attack unless you've controlled it continuously since your turn began, it can block if it's untapped, it can be tapped to pay a Vehicle's crew cost, and so on.
2017-09-29 Once a player announces that they are activating a crew ability, no player may take other actions until the ability has been paid for. Notably, players can't try to stop the ability by changing a creature's power or by removing or tapping a creature.
2017-09-29 Vehicle is an artifact type, not a creature type. A Vehicle that's crewed won't normally have any creature type.
2017-09-29 When a Vehicle becomes a creature, that doesn't count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won't trigger.
2017-09-29 You may activate a crew ability of a Vehicle even if it's already an artifact creature. Doing so has no effect on the Vehicle. It doesn't change its power and toughness.
2017-09-29 You may tap more creatures than necessary to activate a crew ability.

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