How do I ready an Equipment?

Question

Accepted Answer

An Equipment (a Gear) is readied the same way as any non‑spell Game Object: it becomes Ready automatically during your Ready Step, or it becomes Ready when a game effect or ability instructs you to ready it. Readying is a Limited Action and uses the usual rotation marking. See [415] and [401].

To ready an Equipment, either (A) wait for the Ready Step on your turn, when you Ready all non‑spell Game Objects you control [415.3.a] (rotate the card to the ready orientation [415.1.a]), or (B) resolve a spell or ability that specifically instructs you to ready that Equipment (that ability will be placed on the chain as a Pending Item and finalized/resolved per the normal triggered/activated ability rules [401.1]) and then the effect will mark the Equipment Ready [415.1]. Note that Readying is a Limited Action [415.3], and an already‑Ready Equipment cannot be readied again [415.1.b]. If the Equipment is Attached, its printed rules text is Inactive while attached but it remains a Game Object that can be readied; attached Equipment that becomes un‑attached and present at a battlefield may be Recalled during the next Cleanup [452.1] and so can be removed from the battlefield then [FAQ:unleashed#14] [452].

During your Ready Step (Beginning Phase), you Ready all non‑spell Game Objects you control, which includes Equipment (rotate the Equipment 90° to the Ready orientation) [415.3.a] [415.1.a]. If a spell or ability instructs you to Ready an Equipment, that instruction must be placed on the chain as a Pending Item (Triggered or Activated ability) and finalized/resolved normally; once that effect resolves it will mark the targeted Equipment Ready [401.1] [415.1]. If the Equipment is already Ready, nothing additional happens when an effect tries to Ready it [415.1.b]. Be mindful: un-attached Equipment present at a battlefield can be recalled to its controller’s base during the next Cleanup, so readying it at a battlefield does not prevent recall if it becomes un-attached or otherwise meets the recall condition [452.1].

Attached Equipment: The FAQ clarifies that an Attached Equipment’s printed rules text is Inactive while attached, but it remains a Game Object that can be affected by effects; the Core Rules excerpts do not explicitly state whether an Attached Equipment can be rotated separately, so table judges should follow the local tournament/room convention if ambiguity arises [FAQ:unleashed#14] [415]. Timing/Showdowns: You cannot activate Gear’s Activated Abilities outside of the proper window (they can be executed during your Main Phase in an Open State) [150.2]. Readying via an ability that is an Activated Ability on the Equipment itself is subject to those timing restrictions. Recall after Ready: If an Equipment is un-attached at a battlefield (or becomes un-attached) it will be Recalled during the next Cleanup even if it was just Readied [452.1]. Already Ready: Attempting to Ready an Equipment that is already Ready does nothing [415.1.b].

Readying is defined as the action of marking a non‑spell Game Object on the board as available for action; the rule explicitly includes a rotation method for marking Ready and states that players Ready all non‑spell Game Objects they control during their Ready Step [415]. Equipment are Gear and are non‑spell Game Objects on the board, so they are covered by this rule and will be readied automatically during your Ready Step [415.3.a] [415.1.a].

If you need to ready an Equipment outside your Ready Step, you need a spell or ability that instructs you to do so. That instruction will be an Activated or Triggered ability that is placed on the chain as a Pending Item and finalized/resolved per normal ability resolution rules; when that effect resolves it marks the Equipment Ready [401.1] [415.1]. Note that Readying is a Limited Action, so arbitrary free readies are not permitted except by effects that instruct you to Ready a Game Object [415.3].

Two practical things to remember: (1) an already‑Ready Equipment cannot be readied again — attempts to do so do nothing [415.1.b]; and (2) un-attached Equipment present at a battlefield are Recalled to their controller’s base during the next Cleanup, so readied Equipment at a battlefield can still be removed by Recall if it becomes un-attached or otherwise meets recall conditions [452.1].

Finally, attached Equipment have their printed rules text Inactive while attached, per the FAQ clarification, but they remain Game Objects and can still be targeted by effects that Ready Game Objects; the FAQ also notes that granted keywords (Temporary, Deflect) still function while attached [FAQ:unleashed#14]. Because the provided Core Rules excerpts do not explicitly state whether attached cards can be rotated separately, I assumed Readying applies to any non‑spell Game Object on the board (including Attached Gear) as the most defensible interpretation based on [415]. If a specific card or local policy says otherwise, follow that text/policy.