Start your engines!

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Start your engines!
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Aetherdrift
Last used	Aetherdrift
Reminder Text	Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
Statistics	40 cards 15% 10% 20% 20% 5% 2.5% 5% 5% 2.5% 7.5% 7.5%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Start your engines!"

Start your engines! is a keyword ability introduced in Aetherdrift. It is associated with speed.

Description

The helper card for Start your engines!

The first time in a game you control a permanent with "Start your engines!", your speed becomes 1. This happens immediately, so no one can respond and try to remove the permanent before you pick up speed. Once your speed is 1 or greater, you can trigger an ability to increase your speed. That ability is "Whenever one or more opponents lose life during your turn, if your speed is less than 4, increase your speed by 1. This ability triggers only once each turn." This ability isn't tied to any permanent. For the rest of the game, it can be triggered as long as your speed is less than 4, no matter what permanents you control.

The mechanic, as a progressing player status, resembles a stripped-down version of The Ring Tempts You and the initiative, both mechanics that notably were not introduced in Standard. The closest analogue in that regard would be Ascend.

Cards may reference your current speed and reward you based on that number.

Max speed

The max speed helper card.

Once your speed is 4, you've achieved "max speed," and your speed can't go any higher. Some cards, have abilities that care if you have max speed. These abilities are noted with "Max speed — [Ability]." That means that as long as you have max speed, meaning your speed is 4, the permanent has the stated ability.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

Start Your Engines!

A keyword ability that gives a player a speed of 1 if they have no speed. Once a player has speed, their speed increases once on each of their turns when an opponent loses life. See rule 702.179, “Start Your Engines!”

From the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

• 702.179. Start Your Engines!
  • 702.179a Start your engines! is a static ability. If a player controls a permanent with start your engines! and that player has no speed, their speed becomes 1. This is a state-based action. See rule 704.
  • 702.179b Players do not have speed until a rule or effect sets their speed to a specific value.
  • 702.179c If a player has no speed and they are instructed to increase their speed by a certain value, their speed becomes that value.
  • 702.179d There is an inherent triggered ability associated with a player having 1 or more speed. This ability has no source and is controlled by that player. That ability is “Whenever one or more opponents lose life during your turn, if your speed is less than 4, your speed increases by 1. This ability triggers only once each turn.”
  • 702.179e Rules and effects may refer to whether a player has “max speed.” A player has max speed if their speed is 4.
  • 702.179f Some effects refer to a player’s speed. If that player has no speed, their speed is 0 for the purpose of an effect that refers to speed.

From the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

• 704.5z If a player controls a permanent with start your engines! and that player has no speed, that player’s speed becomes 1. See rule 702.179, “Start Your Engines!”

Rulings

• Start your engines! isn't a triggered ability. Increasing your speed to 1 is something that happens as a state-based action as soon as you control a permanent with the ability.
  • This includes gaining control of a permanent with the ability that another player controls.
• Your speed doesn't change until a spell or ability says so, such as the inherent triggered ability that cares about opponents losing life during your turn.
• Losing control of permanents with start your engines! doesn't affect your speed.
• Each player tracks their speed (or lack thereof) separately. Increasing your speed has no effect on whether another player has speed.
• If an effect needs to know what a player's speed is and that player doesn't have a speed, their speed is considered 0.
• A player "has max speed" if their speed is 4.
• "Max speed — [ability]" means "As long as you have max speed, this object has [ability]."
  • If the granted ability functions in a zone other than the battlefield, the max speed ability does too.

Example

Example

Streaking Oilgorger
Creature — Vampire
3/3
Flying, haste
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
Max speed — This creature has lifelink.

Trivia

• A card named Start Your Engines originally appeared in Kaladesh.