Perilous Snare — ruling 1

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.

Perilous Snare — ruling 2

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.

Perilous Snare — ruling 3

Each player tracks their speed (or lack thereof) separately. Increasing your speed has no effect on whether another player has speed.

Perilous Snare — ruling 4

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.

Perilous Snare — ruling 5

A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4.

Perilous Snare — ruling 6

“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.

Perilous Snare : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Perilous Snare 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.) When this artifact enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until this artifact leaves the battlefield. Max speed — : Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature or Vehicle you control. Activate only as a sorcery.

How it works : Perilous Snare

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1February 7, 2025· 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.
#2February 7, 2025· 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.
#3February 7, 2025· 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.
#4February 7, 2025· 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.
#5February 7, 2025· Wizards of the Coast
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#6February 7, 2025· 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.