Does Equip Count as a Spell or Ability?

Equip is considered an activated ability in Magic: The Gathering, specifically a keyword ability found on artifacts with the subtype “Equipment“. It allows a player to attach an equipment to a creature they control by paying the equip cost, which can only be done at sorcery speed.

Understanding Equip and Its Mechanisms

Introduction to Equip

Equip is a unique ability that enables players to enhance their creatures with additional powers or attributes. Understanding how equip works and its distinction from spells is crucial for effective gameplay.

Equip as an Ability

Equip is distinct from a spell and is categorized as an activated ability, meaning it can be used at specific times during the game, such as during the main phase when the stack is empty. This ability requires the player to pay a specific equip cost, usually defined on the equipment card, to attach the equipment to a creature.

Equip vs. Spells

While equip is an ability and not a spell, it interacts with the game state similarly to spells in certain aspects, such as targeting and timing. However, since it is not a spell, effects that trigger on spell casting or can counter spells do not apply to equip.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Equip an Ability? Equip is indeed an ability, specifically an activated ability, which allows a player to attach an equipment artifact to a creature.

2. Is Equip a Spell? No, equip is not considered a spell but rather an activated ability of equipment artifacts.

3. Can Equip be Responded to? Yes, whenever a player pays the equip cost, their opponent has a chance to respond before the equipment is attached to the creature.

4. Is Equip Only a Sorcery? The Equip ability can only be activated as a sorcery, emphasizing that it cannot be used at instant speed unless specified otherwise by another ability.

5. Does Equipping an Artifact Count as an Activated Ability? Yes, equipping is an activated ability of an artifact, which allows a player to attach the artifact to a controlled creature.

6. What is the Difference Between Equip and Equipped? Equip refers to the action of attaching an equipment to a creature, while equipped describes the state of a creature that has an equipment attached to it.

7. Is a Land Ability a Spell? No, playing a land is not considered a spell and does not use the stack, meaning players cannot respond to it with instants or activated abilities.

8. Do Equip Spells Get Destroyed? If an equipped artifact is considered a spell due to an effect, it would follow the rules of spells, including being destroyed and sent to the graveyard under certain conditions.

9. Is an Ability a Spell in MTG? No, abilities are not spells in Magic: The Gathering. They have different rules and interactions within the game.

10. Is a Card Ability Considered a Spell? Only cards that are on the stack are considered spells. While abilities may use the stack, they themselves do not count as spells.

11. Are Abilities Considered Spells? Creatures are considered spells while they are on the stack, but their triggered abilities once cast are not spells but rather abilities.

12. Do Equip Spells Stay on the Field? Equip Spell Cards only have their effect as long as they remain face-up on the field. If an Equip Spell Card is destroyed or removed, its effects disappear.

13. Does Deathtouch Cancel Deathtouch? According to the rules, any two instances of the Deathtouch ability against one another cancel out the Deathtouch ability.

14. Do Equip Monsters Count as Spells? If a Monster Card is equipped to another monster and is treated as an Equip Spell Card, it cannot be destroyed by effects targeting monsters but can be affected by effects targeting Spell Cards.

15. What Counts as a Target Spell? An instant or sorcery spell is targeted if its spell ability identifies something it will affect using the phrase “target [something],” where the “something” describes an object and/or player.