Gear — Riftbound Rules

148.

Gear are:

148.1.

A Game Object

148.1.a.

While on the Board.

148.1.a.1.

Gear can only be played to a player's Base unless an effect specifies otherwise.

148.1.a.2.

Gear and their details are Public Information while on the Board.

148.1.a.3.

Gear can be chosen, affected, or manipulated by spells, effects, or game actions that specify Gear.

148.1.a.4.

Gear can be Killed. See rule 428. Kill for more information.

148.1.b.

While in the Trash

148.1.b.1.

Gear are treated as Cards before Game Objects, similar to the Hand.

148.1.b.2.

They retain the properties of being Gear, but are not on the Board and thus cannot take actions or be affected by spells, abilities, or game actions that affect Gear on the Board.

148.1.b.3.

Gear can be affected by spells and game effects that affect Gear in the Trash.

148.2.

A Card Type

148.2.a.

This is a unique identifier that some spells or abilities will use to restrict what they can choose or affect.

148.2.b.

The card type is relevant in all zones.

149.

Gear have several Intrinsic Properties unique to them.

149.1.

Gear enter play Ready.

149.2.

Gear can only be played to a player's Base unless an effect specifies otherwise.

149.3.

If an unattached non-Unit Gear is at a Battlefield for any reason during a cleanup, then it is recalled to its controller's Base as a corrective action. See rule 454. Recalls for more information. See rule 318. Cleanups for more information.

150.

Gear can have the Equipment tag.

150.1.

These Gear are referred to as Equipment.

150.2.

Equipment have effect text and a Might bonus. See rule 136. Effect Text for more information on effect text. See rule 137. Might Bonus for more information on Might bonuses.

150.3.

Equipment can have the Equip or Quick-Draw keywords. See rule 818. Equip for more information on the Equip keyword. See rule 819. Quick-Draw for more information on the Quick-Draw keyword.

150.4.

Equipment are still Gear and have the same intrinsic properties and rules that Gear do.

150.5.

Equipment and whether a Gear has the Equipment tag is a characteristic of the Gear may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.

151.

Gear may have Activated Abilities.

151.1.

Activated Abilities are Game Effects that are written as Costs followed by a ":", and then succeeded by an effect. See rule 376. Activated Abilities for more information.

151.2.

The Activated Ability of Gear may be executed at any time during the controlling player's Main Phase during an Open State, and not during a Showdown.

151.2.a.

This follows the same process as playing a card. See rule 349. Playing Cards for more information.

151.2.a.1.

This behaves, once activated, like a spell without an associated card.

152.

Gear have a Location.

152.1.

A Gear’s Location is the Base or Battlefield it currently occupies. See rule 197. Locations for more information.

152.2.

Non-Unit Gear cannot normally become located at a Battlefield unless by some special means. Example: Gear are played to Base unless an effect specifies otherwise. A gear played from Facedown, which is specified to be played to the Battlefield it was played from, will enter at that Battlefield. Gear can also become located at a Battlefield if they are attached to a unit who becomes located at a Battlefield. A Gear that is a Unit can move to a Battlefield. See rule 811. Hidden for more information. See rule 716. Attachment for more information.

Related FAQ (1)

Some spells and abilities require choosing units, gear, or other things for them to affect. The rules say some of these choices are made when I put the spell or ability on the chain, but it seems like some of them can't be or shouldn't be. How do I know the difference?

Riftbound uses a set of contextual rules rather than specific words on cards to determine which choices are made as a card is played. When a spell or ability chooses something else to affect, the rules refer to those choices as “targets." Targets must be chosen as the spell or ability is placed on the chain, and they must still meet all targeting requirements as the spell or ability resolves. The next version of the rules will have more rigorous guidelines on which choices are targets, which we'll summarize here. For the most part, these rules don't change what choices are targets, they just spell it out more. An object or player mentioned in a spell or ability is a target if all of the following are true: 1. something publicly visible to all players; 2. that you and you alone choose; 3. that isn't part of a targeting restriction, cost, trigger condition, replacement effect, or an action that “must" be taken. This explanation sounds complicated, but in general, most things that are affected by a spell or ability are targets. For a more precise breakdown of what each of those entails, see the Appendix. There are two other choices that are not considered targets, but are made while putting something on the chain. Those are: 1. The location to which a unit will be played (normally either your base or a battlefield you control). 2. The destination or destinations for any spell or ability whose effect is moving one or more units, whether or not it mentions a destination by name.