Can You Equip as a Sorcery? Understanding the Equip Ability in Magic: The Gathering
Yes, the equip ability can only be activated at sorcery speed. This means you can only activate the equip ability during your main phase, when the stack is empty. This restriction is a fundamental rule of Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and is crucial for understanding how equipment cards function. Let’s delve deeper into the intricacies of the equip ability and address some frequently asked questions.
The Core of the Equip Ability
The equip ability is a staple of many MTG sets, allowing you to attach equipment artifacts to creatures you control. This attachment grants the equipped creature additional abilities or stat boosts, making them more formidable in combat. However, the key to understanding the equip ability lies in its timing restriction: sorcery speed.
Sorcery speed essentially means that you can only activate the equip ability when you could cast a sorcery spell. This typically means:
- During your main phase (both pre-combat and post-combat).
- When the stack is empty (no spells or abilities are waiting to resolve).
This restriction prevents you from equipping artifacts in response to your opponent’s actions, like blocking or casting spells. It adds a layer of strategic planning to your gameplay, forcing you to anticipate your opponent’s moves and equip your creatures proactively.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Equipping
1. What exactly does “Equip [cost]” mean?
“Equip [cost]” is an activated ability on an Equipment card. It means you can pay the specified cost to attach that Equipment to a target creature you control. The complete meaning is: “[Cost]: Attach this Equipment to target creature you control. Activate this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.”
2. Does equipping a creature count as casting a spell?
No, equipping a creature is not casting a spell. It is activating an ability. Activating an ability involves paying its cost (if any) and putting it on the stack. Unlike spells, abilities like equip can be countered by effects that specifically target abilities, like Disallow.
3. If my opponent destroys the creature equipped with an artifact, what happens to the equipment?
When the equipped creature leaves the battlefield, the Equipment remains on the battlefield. Unlike Auras, which are attached to permanents and go to the graveyard when the permanent leaves play, Equipment simply becomes unattached. It stays on the battlefield as an artifact ready to be equipped to another creature during your main phase.
4. Can I equip an artifact to my opponent’s creature?
Normally, no. The equip ability specifically states that you attach the Equipment to a target creature you control. However, there might be rare scenarios with card effects that temporarily give you control of your opponent’s creature or allow you to attach Equipment to creatures you don’t control, but these are exceptions, not the rule.
5. Are there any ways to equip at instant speed?
Yes, there are ways to circumvent the sorcery-speed restriction of the equip ability. Some cards have abilities that allow you to attach Equipment to creatures at instant speed. An example would be a card with an activated ability that states “Attach target Equipment you control to target creature.” Since this isn’t the equip keyword ability, it doesn’t have the sorcery speed limitation. Also, certain equipment might have other abilites that specify to attach the equipment at instant speed. Read the card carefully!
6. If I have multiple Equipment cards, can I equip them all to the same creature?
Yes, you can equip multiple Equipment cards to the same creature, provided you pay the equip cost for each Equipment. There is no inherent limit to the number of Equipment a creature can have attached, unless a specific card effect states otherwise.
7. Does the “Equip” ability target?
Yes, the equip ability targets a creature you control. This means that your opponent can respond to the equip ability before it resolves, and if the target becomes illegal (e.g., it leaves the battlefield or gains protection from artifacts), the ability will be countered upon resolution.
8. What happens if I activate the equip ability, but the creature I targeted is no longer a valid target when the ability resolves?
If the target creature is no longer a valid target when the equip ability resolves, the ability is countered. This means the Equipment remains unattached, and the equip cost you paid is essentially wasted. This highlights the importance of timing and target selection when using the equip ability.
9. Can I equip an artifact to a creature that is summoning sick?
Yes, you can equip an Equipment to a creature that is summoning sick. Summoning sickness only prevents a creature from attacking or activating abilities with the tap (T) or untap (Q) symbol. It does not prevent you from attaching Equipment to it.
10. Can I move an Equipment from one creature to another during combat?
No, you cannot move an Equipment from one creature to another during combat using the standard equip ability. Since equip is a sorcery speed ability, you can only use it during your main phase when the stack is empty, and that is not during combat. Some cards may have abilities that do this however.
11. Does an equipment change a creature’s type?
Generally, no, an equipment card does not change a creature’s type. Unless the equipment card explicitly states that it does, equipping a creature will only add to its existing abilities and stats but won’t alter its creature type (e.g., from Human to Elf).
12. What if an Equipment has other abilities besides equip? Can those be activated at instant speed?
The timing of other abilities on an Equipment depends on the specific ability. If an ability has a tap symbol, it can only be activated at sorcery speed. However, if an ability doesn’t have a tap symbol and doesn’t specify sorcery speed, it can typically be activated at instant speed, provided it meets any other requirements. Always read the card carefully.
13. If a creature has “protection from artifacts,” can I equip an Equipment to it?
No, if a creature has “protection from artifacts,” you cannot equip an Equipment to it. Protection prevents the creature from being targeted by artifacts, being damaged by artifacts, being blocked by artifacts, and having artifacts attached to it. Since equip targets, the protection will prevent equipping it.
14. How does the equip cost interact with cost reduction effects?
Cost reduction effects can reduce the equip cost. For example, if you have a permanent that says “Artifact spells you cast cost 1 less to cast,” it will reduce the equip cost by 1. However, cost reduction effects cannot reduce the equip cost to less than zero.
15. Why is equip restricted to sorcery speed?
The restriction of equip to sorcery speed is a design choice to balance the power of Equipment cards. Allowing players to equip at instant speed would make combat much more unpredictable and Equipment much more powerful, potentially warping the game. This restriction forces players to plan ahead and make strategic decisions about when to equip their creatures. Understanding the timing restrictions of equip is crucial to mastering Magic: The Gathering, for a better grasp of the intricacies of gaming, consider visiting the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for more on the educational aspects of gameplay.
Conclusion
The equip ability in Magic: The Gathering is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your creatures, but it’s crucial to understand the sorcery-speed restriction. This limitation adds a layer of strategic depth to the game, forcing you to think ahead and carefully plan your moves. By understanding the rules and nuances of the equip ability, you can effectively utilize Equipment cards to gain an edge over your opponents and achieve victory on the battlefield.