Start your engines!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.
Players do not have speed until a rule or effect sets their speed to a specific value.
If a player has no speed and they are instructed to increase their speed by a certain value, their speed becomes that value.
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.”
Rules and effects may refer to whether a player has “max speed.” A player has max speed if their speed is 4.
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. (CR 702.179) (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life.
Max speedA max speed ability is a static ability. “Max speed — [Ability]” means “As long as your speed is 4, this object has ‘[Ability].’” See rule 702.179, “Start Your Engines!”
If an ability granted by a max speed ability states which zones it functions from, the max speed ability that grants that ability functions from those zones. (See rule 113.6c.) (CR 702.178) is 4.)
SacrificeTo sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the battlefield directly to its owner’s graveyard. A player can’t sacrifice something that isn’t a permanent, or something that’s a permanent they don’t control. Sacrificing a permanent doesn’t destroy it, so regeneration or other effects that replace destruction can’t affect this action. (CR 701.21) another creature:
SurveilTo “surveil N” means to look at the top N cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.
If an effect allows you to look at additional cards while you surveil, those cards are included among the cards you may put into your graveyard and on top of your library in any order.
If a player is instructed to surveil 0, no surveil event occurs. Abilities that trigger whenever a player surveils won’t trigger.
An ability that triggers whenever a player surveils triggers after the process described in rule 701.25a is complete, even if some or all of those actions were impossible. (CR 701.25) 1.
ActivateTo activate an activated ability is to put it onto the stack and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Only an object’s controller (or its owner, if it doesn’t have a controller) can activate its activated ability unless the object specifically says otherwise. A player may activate an ability if they have priority. See rule 602, “Activating Activated Abilities.” (CR 701.2) only once each turn.
Max speedA max speed ability is a static ability. “Max speed — [Ability]” means “As long as your speed is 4, this object has ‘[Ability].’” See rule 702.179, “Start Your Engines!”
If an ability granted by a max speed ability states which zones it functions from, the max speed ability that grants that ability functions from those zones. (See rule 113.6c.) (CR 702.178) — Whenever a nontoken creature you control
diesIs put into a graveyard from the battlefield. (CR 700.4),
createTo create one or more tokens with certain characteristics, put the specified number of tokens with the specified characteristics onto the battlefield.
If a replacement effect applies to a token being created, that effect applies before considering any continuous effects that will modify the characteristics of that token. If a replacement effect applies to a token entering the battlefield, that effect applies after considering any continuous effects that will modify the characteristics of that token.
Previously, an effect that created tokens instructed a player to “put [those tokens] onto the battlefield.” Cards that were printed with that text have received errata in the Oracle card reference so they now “create” those tokens. (CR 701.7) a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token.