Mendicant Core, Guidelight
Legendary Artifact Creature — Robot
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.)
* / 3
- Set
- Aetherdrift (DFT #485)
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana value
- 2
- Released
- 2025-02-14
- Artist
- Zezhou Chen
- EDHREC rank
- #3,367
- Colour identity
- Finishes
- Foil
- Served from
- Local database
Commander bracket
Derived from card traits, not a ruling — bracket rules turn on how a deck intends to use a card. Bracket rules
EDHREC
Combos 10
All 10 combos.
Commander recommendations
Top synergy 50
Played far more in this commander's decks than elsewhere.
- Foundry Inspector
- Etherium Sculptor
- Voyager Quickwelder
- Muraganda Raceway
- Seat of the Synod
- Voyage Home
- Ancient Den
- Kappa Cannoneer
- Thought Monitor
- Organic Extinction
- Sai, Master Thopterist
- Razortide Bridge
- Thopter Spy Network
- Dispatch
- Thoughtcast
- Darksteel Citadel
- Bronze Guardian
- Padeem, Consul of Innovation
- Amonkhet Raceway
- Master of Etherium
- Steel Overseer
- Emry, Lurker of the Loch
- Mystic Forge
- Losheel, Clockwork Scholar
- Illustrious Wanderglyph
- Simulacrum Synthesizer
- Cyberdrive Awakener
- Vnwxt, Verbose Host
- Archway of Innovation
- Sculpting Steel
- Gingerbrute
- Phyrexian Metamorph
- Riptide Gearhulk
- Desynchronization
- Mechanized Production
- Solemn Simulacrum
- Uthros Research Craft
- Nesting Bot
- Academy Ruins
- Cloud Key
- Thousand Moons Smithy
- Salvation Engine
- Uthros, Titanic Godcore
- Ornithopter of Paradise
- Research Thief
- Urza, Lord High Artificer
- K-9, Mark I
- Efficient Construction
- Repurposing Bay
- Stridehangar Automaton
Most included 50
Highest share of decks running them, distinctive or not.
- Island
- Plains
- Sol Ring
- Command Tower
- Arcane Signet
- Foundry Inspector
- Etherium Sculptor
- Seat of the Synod
- Ancient Den
- Voyager Quickwelder
- Muraganda Raceway
- Voyage Home
- Swords to Plowshares
- Kappa Cannoneer
- Thought Monitor
- Razortide Bridge
- Sai, Master Thopterist
- Organic Extinction
- Glacial Fortress
- Dispatch
- Thopter Spy Network
- Darksteel Citadel
- Padeem, Consul of Innovation
- Thoughtcast
- Solemn Simulacrum
- Prairie Stream
- Bronze Guardian
- Emry, Lurker of the Loch
- Path to Exile
- Master of Etherium
- Amonkhet Raceway
- Counterspell
- Adarkar Wastes
- Mystic Forge
- Cyberdrive Awakener
- Steel Overseer
- Talisman of Progress
- Archway of Innovation
- Hallowed Fountain
- Azorius Signet
- Academy Ruins
- Losheel, Clockwork Scholar
- Phyrexian Metamorph
- Simulacrum Synthesizer
- Illustrious Wanderglyph
- Vnwxt, Verbose Host
- Ornithopter of Paradise
- Riptide Gearhulk
- Sculpting Steel
- Esper Sentinel
Format legality
Rulings
- 2025-02-07
A player “has max speed” if their speed is 4.
- 2025-02-07
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.
- 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
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
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
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.
- 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
“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.