Embalmed Ascendant

{1}{W}{B}Creature — Zombie1/2

$0.27foil $0.22TCGplayer Cardmarket Cardhoarder (MTGO)Card Kingdom

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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 creature enters, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.

Max speed — Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

What it does

Tagged as Tokens · Sac payoff · Lifegain — the jobs the deck report counts it toward.

Best token generators for Commander Best lifegain cards for Commander

Official rulings

“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)
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. (2025-02-07)
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)
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)
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4. (2025-02-07)
Each player tracks their speed (or lack thereof) separately. Increasing your speed has no effect on whether another player has speed. (2025-02-07)

Printings & prices

Every set Embalmed Ascendant has been printed in, with the art, the finishes and the market price of each — the headline price above is the cheapest of these.