Avishkar Raceway is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card 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.): Add
. Max speed —
,
Complete guide
Rev your engines and prepare for a high-octane performance with Avishkar Raceway, a unique land that introduces a new progression mechanic. This card encourages aggressive play, rewarding you for consistently dealing damage to your opponents as you build up to peak velocity. Once you hit top speed, this land transforms into a valuable filtering engine to keep your hand fresh.
Getting Started: Your Speed Value
When you play Avishkar Raceway, you immediately 'Start your engines!' If you didn't have a speed value yet, it becomes 1 as a state-based action the moment this land hits the battlefield. Your speed is a personal tracker that stays with you even if Avishkar Raceway leaves the battlefield. If you somehow lose all permanents with this keyword, your speed doesn't reset; it simply stops increasing until you find another way to start your engines.
The Road to Max Speed
To increase your speed, you must make an opponent lose life during your turn. This can happen through combat damage, spells, or triggered abilities. The first time this happens on your turn, your speed increases by 1, up to a maximum of 4. This increase happens only once per turn, regardless of how many opponents lose life or how much life they lose. Once your speed reaches 4, you have reached 'Max speed.'
Unlocking the Max Speed Ability
Avishkar Raceway always provides colorless mana, but its second ability is locked behind your speed tracker. As long as your speed is 4, the 'Max speed' condition is met, and Avishkar Raceway gains the ability to filter your cards. You can pay three mana, tap the land, and discard a card to draw a new one. This ability is only available while your speed is exactly 4; if your speed is 0, 1, 2, or 3, the land acts as a basic mana source.
Common Pitfalls
Remember that speed is tracked per player. If you play Avishkar Raceway, your opponents do not gain a speed value. Additionally, if an effect asks for your speed and you haven't 'started your engines' yet, your speed is treated as 0. Finally, gaining control of an opponent's Avishkar Raceway will start your engines if yours weren't running, but it won't combine your speed with theirs.
Interaction examples
Avishkar Raceway
Command TowerYou play Avishkar Raceway as your land for the turn; because you have no speed, it immediately becomes 1. You then tap Command Tower to cast a spell that deals 1 damage to an opponent. This triggers the speed increase, moving your tracker to 2. Even if you deal more damage later this turn, your speed will stay at 2 until your next turn.
Exotic OrchardAssume your speed is already at 4 (Max speed). During your main phase, you tap Exotic Orchard and two other lands for three mana total. You then tap Avishkar Raceway and discard a redundant land card from your hand. Because you are at Max speed, the ability resolves, and you draw a new card from your library.
If an opponent destroys your Avishkar Raceway while your speed is 3, you still keep that speed value of 3. If you play a second copy of Avishkar Raceway later, your engines are already started, so it stays at 3. You simply need to make an opponent lose life on your turn to reach Max speed and unlock the abilities on the new land.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Avishkar Raceway
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· 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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· 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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· 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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· 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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· 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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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Meta decks with Avishkar Raceway
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