2010-06-15 A creature's level is based on how many level counters it has on it, not how many times its level up ability has been activated or has resolved
While fetch lands and shock lands are out of reach, a combination of guildgates, common tap-lands (like Scoured Barrens), and bounce lands (like Simic Growth Chamber) can create a surprisingly consistent foundation
This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the highest number you noted for cards named Lurking Automaton
I just wish this were legendary
Biting-Palm Ninja falls into the former category, as it can ambush opponents through its ninjutsu effect and cause trouble by removing a menace counter to take a non-land card from an opponent's hand
Flash gives this card a lot of game, and takes away from weight of the expensive mana value quite a bit