Card
Howlsquad Heavy
Mana cost {2}{R}
Creature — Goblin Mercenary 2/3
Start your engines! Other Goblins you control have haste. At the beginning of combat on your turn, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token. That token attacks this combat if able. Max speed — {T}: Add {R} for each Goblin you control.
Part of 34 known combos, 5 of them two-card. 7 official rulings.
- Commander
- Legal
- Printing
- Rare · DFT · #134
- Cheapest printing
- €1.49
- EDHREC salt
- 0.33
- Color identity
- Red
- Keywords
- Max speed, Start your engines!
Bracket
- B1 Exhibition — Not in the same deck as its two-card combo partners: Staff of Domination, Umbral Mantle, Aggravated Assault, Sword of the Paruns, Ringing Strike Mastery
- B2 Core — Not in the same deck as its two-card combo partners: Staff of Domination, Umbral Mantle, Aggravated Assault, Sword of the Paruns, Ringing Strike Mastery
- B3 Upgraded — Not in the same deck as its early two-card combo partners: Staff of Domination, Umbral Mantle, Aggravated Assault, Sword of the Paruns, Ringing Strike Mastery
- B4 Optimized — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
- B5 cEDH — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
Why
- Two-card combo with Staff of Domination, Umbral Mantle, Aggravated Assault, Sword of the Paruns, Ringing Strike Mastery (early with Staff of Domination, Umbral Mantle, Aggravated Assault, Sword of the Paruns, Ringing Strike Mastery)
How Lotus Vault estimates a bracket
Bracket: Lotus Vault analysis, with Commander Spellbook flags
Combos
34 known combos, 5 of them two-card.
- Krenko, Mob Boss + Skirk Prospector + Howlsquad Heavy
Produces: Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook - Staff of Domination + Howlsquad Heavy
Produces: Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifegain, Infinite red mana
View on Commander Spellbook - Umbral Mantle + Howlsquad Heavy
Produces: Infinite red mana, Infinitely large creature until end of turn, Infinite untap of creatures you control
View on Commander Spellbook
Combos: Commander Spellbook
Rulings
- 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4. - 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
Mana abilities don’t use the stack, which means that they can’t be responded to. Notably, this means that a player can’t respond to this creature’s last ability by destroying one of your Goblins. - 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
“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. - 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
Each player tracks their speed (or lack thereof) separately. Increasing your speed has no effect on whether another player has speed. - 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
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. - 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
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. Notably, losing control of permanents with start your engines! doesn’t affect your speed. - 2025-02-07 · Wizards of the Coast
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. Notably, this includes gaining control of a permanent with the ability that another player controls.
Rulings: Scryfall · Wizards of the Coast