Howlsquad Heavy 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! 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 —: Add
for each Goblin you control.
Complete guide
Rev up your red decks with Howlsquad Heavy, a Goblin Mercenary that accelerates your game state in more ways than one. This card not only floods the board with tokens but also rewards you for reaching maximum velocity by turning your army into a massive mana engine.
Start Your Engines!
When Howlsquad Heavy enters the battlefield, you immediately set your speed to 1 as a state-based action. This isn't a triggered ability, so players cannot respond to you 'starting your engines.' Once your speed is 1, you can increase it further—up to a maximum of 4—whenever an opponent loses life during your turn. Note that even if Howlsquad Heavy leaves the battlefield, your speed remains at its current level; it does not reset.
Combat and Tokens
At the beginning of your combat phase, Howlsquad Heavy creates a 1/1 red Goblin token. Because Howlsquad Heavy grants haste to all other Goblins you control, this new token is immediately ready to strike. The token is forced to attack that combat if able, ensuring you maintain aggressive pressure on your opponents while simultaneously increasing your Goblin count.
Reaching Max Speed
The final ability of Howlsquad Heavy is a 'Max speed' ability. This means it only exists once your speed reaches 4. Once active, it becomes a powerful mana ability that taps for one red mana for every Goblin you control. Because it is a mana ability, it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to, meaning opponents cannot destroy one of your Goblins in response to you tapping for mana to reduce the amount you receive.
Interaction examples
Howlsquad Heavy
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Goblin' as its type, Howlsquad Heavy's combat trigger will fire twice. At the beginning of combat, you will create two 1/1 Goblin tokens instead of one. Since Roaming Throne is now a Goblin, it also gains Haste from Howlsquad Heavy's passive ability.
GoblinWith Howlsquad Heavy on the battlefield, any other Goblin tokens you already have gain haste. During your combat phase, a new Goblin token is created and must attack. If your speed is already at 4 (Max Speed), you can use Howlsquad Heavy's mana ability after combat to cast more spells, counting the new token in the total mana generated.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you play Howlsquad Heavy while you have no speed, you immediately reach speed 1. If you then attack and an opponent loses life, your speed increases to 2. Even if your opponent destroys Howlsquad Heavy with a spell, your speed stays at 2. If you later cast another copy of Howlsquad Heavy, you are already at speed 2 and closer to unlocking the Max Speed mana ability.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Howlsquad Heavy
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· 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.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· 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.
- #3· 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.
- #4· 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.
- #5· 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.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· 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.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Krenko, Mob Boss + Skirk Prospector + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Krenko by tapping it, creating a number of 1/1 Goblin creature tokens equal to the number of Goblins you control.
- 2Activate Skirk Prospector by sacrificing Krenko, adding .
- 3Choose to return Krenko to the command zone from your graveyard.
- 4Activate Skirk Prospector by sacrificing a Goblin, adding .
- 5Repeat step 4 until you have enough mana to cast Krenko.
- 6Cast Krenko from the command zone by paying
plus commander tax. - 7Repeat.
Staff of Domination + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Howlsquad Heavy by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate Staff of Domination's third ability by paying
and tapping it, untapping Howlsquad Heavy. - 3Activate Staff of Domination's first ability by paying
, untapping it. - 4Repeat.
Umbral Mantle + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Howlsquad Heavy by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate Howlsquad Heavy by paying and untapping it, giving it +2/+2 until end of turn.
- 3Repeat.
Howlsquad Heavy + Aggravated Assault
- 1Activate Howlsquad Heavy by tapping it, adding for each Goblin you control.
- 2Activate Aggravated Assault by paying , causing you to untap all creatures you control and to get an additional combat and main phase after this one.
- 3Repeat.
Krenko, Mob Boss + Phyrexian Altar + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Krenko by tapping it, creating a number of 1/1 Goblin creature tokens equal to the number of Goblins you control.
- 2Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Krenko, adding .
- 3Choose to return Krenko to the command zone from your graveyard.
- 4Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing a Goblin, adding .
- 5Repeat step 4 until you have enough mana to cast Krenko.
- 6Cast Krenko from the command zone by paying plus commander tax.
- 7Repeat.
Sword of the Paruns + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Howlsquad Heavy by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate Sword of the Paruns by paying , untapping Howlsquad Heavy.
- 3Repeat.
Krenko, Mob Boss + Thermopod + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Krenko by tapping it, creating a number of 1/1 Goblin creature tokens equal to the number of Goblins you control.
- 2Activate Thermopod by sacrificing Krenko, adding .
- 3Choose to return Krenko to the command zone from your graveyard.
- 4Activate Thermopod by sacrificing a Goblin, adding .
- 5Repeat step 4 until you have enough mana to cast Krenko.
- 6Cast Krenko from the command zone by paying plus commander tax.
- 7Repeat.
Marvin, Murderous Mimic + Pili-Pala + Howlsquad Heavy
- 1Activate Marvin using Howlsquad Heavy's ability by tapping it, adding at least .
- 2Activate Marvin using Pili-Pala's ability by paying and untapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 3Repeat.
Related cards and tokens
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Howlsquad Heavy
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.