Mendicant Core, Guidelight 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
Mendicant Core's power is equal to the number of artifacts you control. 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 — Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you may pay. If you do, copy it. (The copy becomes a token.)
Complete guide
Mendicant Core, Guidelight is a synergistic powerhouse that rewards players for building vast artifact armies while racing toward maximum velocity. As a low-cost legendary creature, it scales its power based on your board state and offers incredible late-game value once your 'speed' reaches its peak.
Understanding Speed and Start Your Engines!
When Mendicant Core, Guidelight enters the battlefield, if you have no speed, you immediately start at speed 1 as a state-based action. During your turn, whenever an opponent loses life, your speed increases by 1, up to a maximum of 4. Importantly, speed is tracked by the player, not the creature; if Mendicant Core leaves the battlefield, you do not lose your accumulated speed, and you will still be at that level if you play another card with Start Your Engines! later.
Reaching Max Speed and Copying Spells
Once your speed reaches 4, you unlock the 'Max Speed' ability. Whenever you cast an artifact spell, a triggered ability allows you to pay {1}. If you do, you create a copy of that spell on the stack. When that copy resolves, it enters the battlefield as a token. Because the copy is a permanent spell becoming a token, it is not 'created' in the technical sense of the rules, though it is a token for all other purposes.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is assuming speed increases multiple times per turn. The 'Start your engines!' reminder text refers to a triggered ability that only triggers once each turn when an opponent loses life. Additionally, remember that the power of Mendicant Core is characteristic-defining; it counts itself and all other artifacts you control, including artifact lands and the tokens generated by its own Max Speed ability.
When to Play Mendicant Core
Deploy Mendicant Core early to begin the racing process. Since it requires an opponent to lose life to increase speed, you should pair it with aggressive creatures or repeatable burn effects. In the late game, hold onto your high-impact artifacts until you reach speed 4 to ensure you can double their value for a single mana.
Interaction examples
Mendicant Core, Guidelight
Ornithopter of ParadiseWith Mendicant Core, Guidelight and Ornithopter of Paradise on the battlefield, the Core's power is 2. The Ornithopter provides the mana fix needed to reach your colors while simultaneously boosting the Core's combat stats.
Esper SentinelIf you are at speed 4 and cast Esper Sentinel, the Max Speed ability triggers. You pay {1}, and a copy of Esper Sentinel is put on the stack. You now have two Sentinels. If an opponent casts their first noncreature spell, both Sentinels trigger separately. Furthermore, the presence of the second Sentinel increases the power of the Mendicant Core.
If you are currently at speed 2 and attack an opponent with Mendicant Core, Guidelight, and they take damage, the 'Start Your Engines!' ability triggers at the moment they lose life. After the ability resolves, your speed becomes 3. You must wait until your next turn to reach speed 4.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Mendicant Core, Guidelight
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A resolving copy of a permanent spell becomes a token, so the token isn’t “created.” Effects that care about a token being created won’t interact with a token that enters the battlefield from Mendicant Core’s last ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The copy remembers any decisions that were made for the original spell as it was cast, including values chosen for X in its mana cost and whether any alternative or additional costs were chosen. For example, if the original artifact spell had kicker and its kicker cost was paid, the copy will also be kicked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· 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.
- #4· 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.
- #5· 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.
- #6· 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.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· 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.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Urza, Lord High Artificer + Worldwalker Helm
- 1Cast Worldwalker Helm by paying
. - 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Worldwalker Helm spell.
- 3Resolve both Worldwalker Helm spells.
- 4Activate Urza by tapping a Worldwalker Helm, adding .
- 5Activate a Worldwalker Helm by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of the Worldwalker Helm token plus an additional Map token for each Worldwalker Helm you control.
- 6Activate Urza twice by tapping two Map tokens, adding .
- 7Repeat from step 5.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Sensei's Divining Top + Krark-Clan Ironworks
- 1Cast Sensei's Divining Top by paying .
- 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy Sensei's Divining Top.
- 3Activate the nontoken Sensei's Divining Top by tapping it, causing you to draw a card and put Sensei's Divining Top from the battlefield onto the top of your library.
- 4Activate the token Sensei's Divining Top by tapping it.
- 5Holding priority, activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the token Sensei's Divining Top, adding
. - 6Resolve the token Sensei's Divining Top's ability, causing you to draw the nontoken Sensei's Divining Top from your library.
- 7Repeat.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Krark-Clan Ironworks + Myr Retriever
- 1Cast Myr Retriever by paying .
- 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Myr Retriever spell, creating a token copy of it.
- 3Activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the nontoken Myr Retriever, adding .
- 4When Myr Retriever dies, it triggers, returning another artifact from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the token Myr Retriever, adding .
- 6When the token Myr Retriever dies, it triggers, returning the nontoken Myr Retriever from your graveyard to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Ashnod's Altar + Myr Retriever
- 1Cast Myr Retriever by paying .
- 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Myr Retriever spell, creating a token copy of it.
- 3Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the nontoken Myr Retriever, adding .
- 4When Myr Retriever dies, it triggers, returning another artifact from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the token Myr Retriever, adding .
- 6When the token Myr Retriever dies, it triggers, returning the nontoken Myr Retriever from your graveyard to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Ashnod's Altar + Scrap Trawler
- 1Cast Scrap Trawler by paying
. - 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Scrap Trawler spell, creating a token copy of it.
- 3Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the nontoken Scrap Trawler, adding .
- 4When Scrap Trawler dies, it triggers, returning another artifact from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the token Scrap Trawler, adding .
- 6When the token Scrap Trawler dies, it triggers, returning the nontoken Scrap Trawler from your graveyard to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Junk Diver + Krark-Clan Ironworks
- 1Cast Junk Diver by paying .
- 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Junk Diver spell, creating a token copy of it.
- 3Activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the nontoken Junk Diver, adding .
- 4When Junk Diver dies, it triggers, returning another artifact from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the token Junk Diver, adding .
- 6When the token Junk Diver dies, it triggers, returning the nontoken Junk Diver from your graveyard to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Junk Diver + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Cast Junk Diver by paying .
- 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Junk Diver spell, creating a token copy of it.
- 3Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the nontoken Junk Diver, adding .
- 4When Junk Diver dies, it triggers, returning another artifact from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the token Junk Diver, adding .
- 6When the token Junk Diver dies, it triggers, returning the nontoken Junk Diver from your graveyard to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight + Workshop Assistant + Krark-Clan Ironworks
- 1Cast Workshop Assistant by paying .
- 2Mendicant Core triggers, causing you to pay to copy the Workshop Assistant spell, creating a token copy of it.
- 3Activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the nontoken Workshop Assistant, adding .
- 4When Workshop Assistant dies, it triggers, returning another artifact from your graveyard to your hand.
- 5Activate Krark-Clan Ironworks by sacrificing the token Workshop Assistant, adding .
- 6When the token Workshop Assistant dies, it triggers, returning the nontoken Workshop Assistant from your graveyard to your hand.
- 7Repeat.
Related cards and tokens
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