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Stridehangar Automaton

Artifact Creature — Construct

Thopters you control get +1/+1.
If one or more artifact tokens would be created under your control, those tokens plus an additional 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying are created instead.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{3}
Color identity
C
Rarity
rare
Set
Aetherdrift Commander
Price
$3.53
EDHREC rank
#1923
Buy on TCGplayer
Stridehangar Automaton card art
Stridehangar Automaton enters and immediately creates a Thopter, then keeps doing it every time another artifact enters — that recursive token production is the whole appeal. The cost is a four-mana artifact that does nothing without a steady stream of artifact plays, but alongside Pitiless Plunderer or Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival, the engine assembles fast enough to justify the slot.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

02
Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

65.4% of decks · synergy 0.62

Leonardo da Vinci generates a flood of artifact tokens and cares deeply about having creatures to sacrifice and recur; Stridehangar Automaton plugs directly into that engine by converting each new artifact into a flying body.

03
Sai, Master Thopterist

Sai, Master Thopterist

59.6% of decks · synergy 0.57

Sai, Master Thopterist already awards a Thopter for every artifact cast, and Stridehangar Automaton stacks a second trigger on top, effectively doubling the token yield in any artifact-heavy turn.

04
The Cabbage Merchant

The Cabbage Merchant

53.4% of decks · synergy 0.53

The Cabbage Merchant wants a wide board of creatures to leverage; Stridehangar Automaton converts artifact storm turns into a mass of Thopters that feed that headcount without requiring any additional resource investment.

05
Saheeli, Radiant Creator

Saheeli, Radiant Creator

49.1% of decks · synergy 0.46

Saheeli, Radiant Creator copies artifacts cheaply and repeatedly, and every copy entering the battlefield is another Stridehangar Automaton trigger — the two reward exactly the same behavior.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Stridehangar Automaton is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is the only format where it actually competes for slots. In Legacy and Vintage, four mana for a conditional token producer is too slow against the formats' actual threats, and the artifact synergy payoffs available there don't need this kind of incremental engine. Commander is the home: games go long enough for the triggers to stack up, artifact-matters commanders are numerous and popular, and the four-mana entry point is acceptable when you're planning to untap with it.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$3.53 cheap tier

At $3.53, Stridehangar Automaton sits in the cheap tier — low enough to include without a second thought in any artifact deck that wants it. It's a new card with genuine combo applications, so the price reflects real demand rather than bulk status; don't expect it to crater.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.