Untethered Express MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact — Vehicle
Abilities Crew,Trample
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Untethered Express grows stronger with each attack, providing consistent, escalating pressure.
  2. Crew 1 ability allows instant conversion of any creature to a formidable threat.
  3. Four mana cost can be restrictive, potentially hindering early game tempo.

Text of card

Trample Whenever Untethered Express attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)

Rules and rails are made to be broken.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: As a powerful artifact creature, Untethered Express can generate an escalating threat on the battlefield which often requires multiple cards from your opponent to handle. With its Trample ability coupled with the way it accumulates +1/+1 counters, it’s known to outvalue singular removal spells, leading to potential card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana or acceleration in the traditional sense, Untethered Express consistently grows larger with each attack. This consistent growth doesn’t require additional card investment, effectively saving resources and accelerating your board presence without further tapping into your card pool.

Instant Speed: While Untethered Express itself is not an instant, its inherent Crew 1 ability allows players to instantly turn any creature into a significant threat, taking advantage of untapped creatures who may otherwise not be able to engage in combat. This can be particularly advantageous when you have creatures with summoning sickness or when you seek to avoid unfavorable combat during your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Untethered Express doesn’t have a direct discard requirement, it does necessitate a crew to become an attacking or blocking creature. This can sometimes feel like a “discard” of resources as you’re tapping potentially useful creatures just to mobilize it.

Specific Mana Cost: Although Untethered Express can fit into any deck because of its generic mana cost, it’s important to note that it does have a four mana cost, meaning it may not be the first pick for decks that aim for lower curves or prioritize other turn-four plays.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial cost of four mana, Untethered Express may come out too late in faster, more aggressive games. While it scales well into the late game due to its trample and growing power, the initial investment can be a setback in tempo against quicker strategies.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Untethered Express proves to be a force to be reckoned with across various deck builds, providing aggressive players with a scalable threat that dodges sorcery-speed removal with its natural vehicle state.

Combo Potential: This card shines in conjunction with creatures that tap to provide benefits, allowing you to exploit the Crew mechanic while gaining additional advantages, propelling your game plan forward.

Meta-Relevance: As creature-based strategies continue to hold sway in the meta, Untethered Express presents itself as a reliable and powerful asset, outpacing blockers and escalating its power with repeated attacks, which can be decisive in tight match-ups.


How to beat

Untethered Express is a formidable vehicle card gaining traction among Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. This powerful artifact becomes even mightier as it attacks, collecting a +1/+1 counter each time. Neutralizing this threat requires a strategic approach. One effective tactic is employing instant-speed removal spells when your opponent declares it as an attacker but before it does combat damage, thus utilizing the window when it becomes a creature. Options such as Fatal Push and Path to Exile can efficiently handle the job, provided the Express’s power is within their threshold.

Another tactic to consider is the use of counter spells to prevent your adversary from ever getting their engine running. Dissolve and Negate are perfect for keeping cards like Untethered Express in your opponent’s hand or graveyard. Alternatively, if the Express is already on the battlefield, enchantments such as Pacifism could lock it down, hindering its potential to attack and accumulate counters. The key is to remain vigilant and respond swiftly, disrupting your opponent’s momentum and keeping the Untethered Express from roaring down the tracks to victory.


Cards like Untethered Express

In Magic: The Gathering, the Untethered Express stands out in the realm of artifact vehicles. It closely resembles the power curve of vehicles such as Renegade Freighter, which, like Untethered Express, offers a formidable power boost when it becomes crewed. Although Renegade Freighter gains a slightly higher power increase, the Express has the advantage of gaining +1/+1 counters each time it attacks, leading to an escalating threat your opponents can’t ignore.

Comparatively, the Smuggler’s Copter is another vehicle to look at. Though it’s less costly in terms of mana and demands a lower crew cost, the Untethered Express overshadows it with its potential for growth through combat. Moreover, while the Copter provides looting ability, the increasing might of the Untethered Express is key in pressuring opponents. A more recent addition would be the Sky Skiff, which offers flying mobility but falls short on power, making the Untethered Express the preferred option for many players seeking to enhance their battlefield with resilient threats.

Ultimately, when evaluating these mechanics, the Untethered Express is a favorable choice, demonstrating its capability to become a game-changing asset over time while steadily strengthening its board presence.

Renegade Freighter - MTG Card versions
Smuggler's Copter - MTG Card versions
Sky Skiff - MTG Card versions
Renegade Freighter - Kaladesh (KLD)
Smuggler's Copter - Kaladesh (KLD)
Sky Skiff - Kaladesh (KLD)

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Conservator - Fourth Edition (4ED)
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Juggernaut - Collectors' Edition (CED)
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Ur-Golem's Eye - Commander 2014 (C14)
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Gnarled Effigy - Shadowmoor (SHM)
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Eye of Doom - Commander 2013 (C13)
Well of Lost Dreams - The List (PLST)
Coercive Portal - Conspiracy (CNS)
Aetherworks Marvel - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)
Nevinyrral's Disk - Modern Horizons 2 Promos (PMH2)
Sword of the Paruns - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Grappling Hook - Commander 2017 (C17)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Untethered Express MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Untethered Express and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Untethered Express Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by James Ryman.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-01-20Aether RevoltAER 1792015normalblackJames Ryman
22020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 2742015normalblackJames Ryman

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Untethered Express has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-02-09 Any +1/+1 counters on Untethered Express remain on it when it stops being a creature.
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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