What it does
Max speed is a condition tied to the Start Your Engines! mechanic, primarily from the Aetherdrift set. Your "speed" is a number that starts at 0 once you have a starting engine, increasing (up to 4) when you deal combat damage to an opponent or an opponent loses life in certain ways. "Max speed" simply means your speed equals 4, which unlocks the strongest versions of abilities on cards that care about it.
The nuance players miss: speed only goes up once per turn from damage/life loss—you can't rack up multiple increases in a single turn from multiple sources. It also can decrease (via certain effects) but never below 1 once you've started. In multiplayer, any opponent losing life can trigger speed gains, so reaching max speed is generally easier in Commander than in 1v1. Cards check speed continuously, so dropping below 4 turns off max-speed bonuses immediately.
Iconic cards with Max speed
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