Equipment
What happens to attached equipment when a unit dies?
The equipment detaches and remains at the unit's last location, recalling if at a battlefield.
If that location is a battlefield, the detached equipment will be recalled to its controller's base during the next cleanup.[435.4.a] If that location is the controller's base, the equipment simply remains there.
What happens to attached equipment when you take control of an enemy unit?
Equipment stays attached but its controller does not change — only the top-most unit's controller changes.
When you take control of a unit, any equipment attached to it retains its current controller. Changes in control of the top-most card do not affect control of attached cards, and vice versa.[718.5.f]
When the equipment detaches, it remains at the unit's last location.[719.5][435.4.b] If that location is a battlefield, it is recalled to its controller's base during the next cleanup.[435.4.a] If that location is another player's base, the equipment remains there until the next cleanup, when it is recalled to its controller's base.[323.7]
Because the equipment remains under the other player's control, that player can play a unit with Weaponmaster and choose the equipment, even while it is attached to the unit you control.[718.5.b][821.1.c] If its Equip cost can be paid and it can legally be detached and attached, it moves to the newly played unit.[821.1.c.4][821.1.c.5]
Do Equip, Quick-Draw, or Weaponmaster count as choosing a unit?
Equip and Quick-Draw choose units; Weaponmaster does not.
Some abilities trigger or care about when you choose friendly units. Here's how equipment-related effects interact with such abilities:
- When you activate a gear's Equip ability, you choose a unit you control to attach the equipment to.[818.1.b.1] This choice is a target, so activating Equip counts as choosing a unit.[355.7]
- When you play a gear with Quick-Draw, its triggered ability instructs you to "attach it to a Unit you control".[819.1.d] While attaching cards doesn't inherently choose or specify a target,[434.3] Quick-Draw's ability does require you to choose which unit to attach to.[355.10] This counts as choosing a unit.
- When you play a unit with Weaponmaster, you choose an equipment you control, not the unit.[821.1.c] The rules explicitly state that "The Equip ability is not activated this way, and the unit with the Weaponmaster ability is not chosen".[821.1.c.6] Therefore, Weaponmaster does not count as choosing a unit.
Can opponents react to Equip, Quick-Draw, or Weaponmaster abilities?
Yes — all three equipment-related abilities create chain items that opponents can respond to before the attachment resolves.
Equip is an activated ability.[818.1] Activated abilities use the chain,[377.3] so when you activate Equip, opponents have an opportunity to play a Reaction spell or ability before the attachment resolves.[377.3.b.2]
When you play a Quick-Draw gear, the gear itself resolves immediately when finalized and cannot be reacted to.[337.2] However, Quick-Draw's triggered ability — "When you play this, attach it to a unit you control"[819.1.d] — is placed on the chain as a separate item.[383.4.a.2] Opponents can respond to that ability before the attachment resolves.
Weaponmaster is also a triggered ability keyword.[821.1] Its ability triggers when you play the unit, and is placed on the chain just like any other triggered ability.[383.4.a.2] Opponents can respond to it before the equipment is attached.
Skipping straight to attaching without checking for reactions is not correct play for any of these abilities.
Related rulings
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Written by Christian I. (Near).
Last updated on .