Last updated on January 6, 2026

Hammer of Nazahn - Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

Hammer of Nazahn | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

A knight levels his lance at his foe and charges across the plains. A fur-cloaked berserker swings her ax in wide arcs, cleaving through a horde of goblins. A rogue dons a magic cloak, and slips unseen past the guards. Heroes with fancy weapons are popular images in fantasy media, and Magic: The Gathering is no exception. Since 2003, players have been attaching equipment to creatures for a variety of buffs and effects.

Equipment cards carry a variety of modifications; some are merely power/toughness boosters while others bank on triggering abilities or using their own. With over 20 years of equipment cards, weโ€™re spoiled for choice when determining which cards to run. Lucky for you, Iโ€™ve compiled a list of the best and most useful artifacts around. Letโ€™s take a look!

Table of Contents show

What is Equipment in MTG?

Heirloom Blade - Illustration by Carmen Sinek

Heirloom Blade | Illustration by Carmen Sinek

Equipment is a subtype of artifact, usually permanents with the โ€œequipโ€ keyword. Equip is usually written as โ€œequip X:โ€, and a player can pay the cost (X) any time they could cast a sorcery to attach the equipment to target creature they control. If the creature leaves play, it โ€œdropsโ€ the equipment, becoming unattached and leaving the equipment behind on the battlefield. Through this, equipment became a way to invest in buffs for your creatures without the fear of losing two cards to a single removal spell, like you would by losing a low-cost aura-enchanted creature.

Equipment first appeared in Mirrodin. Up until then, artifacts had a pseudo-equipment effect but it wasnโ€™t quite perfect. Cards like Sword of the Chosen could tap to give a creature a temporary buff, but were never โ€œattachedโ€ to that creature specifically.

Some equipment carry other types. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty gave us creature-equipments, creatures like Simian Sling who use โ€œreconfigureโ€ instead of equip to attach themselves to creatures. Aetherdrift gave us our first planeswalker equipment.

#46. Unscythe, Killer of Kings

Unscythe, Killer of Kings

The Shards of Alara block brought with it the first equipment with a colored mana cost, with Unscythe, Killer of Kings as the crown rare from the cycle. Unscythe is a 6-mana investment for +3/+3 and first strike, plus some graveyard hate to boot. Itโ€™s not the best possible value, but it makes for a piece of thematic Grixis equipment and has some sick art that looks like it's straight from a death metal album cover.

#45. Heirloom Blade

Heirloom Blade

When it comes to creature type-based equipment, look no further than Heirloom Blade. For just 4 mana, youโ€™ll be replacing those dragons and vampires and knights with the next best thing: another dragon or vampire or knight. Itโ€™s not locked into a specific color, so it slots right into any typal deck with no trouble. Iโ€™ve seen it used to great effect alongside Teysa Karlov to get twice as many creatures from the trigger. +3/+1 doesnโ€™t hurt, either!

#44. Viridian Longbow

Viridian Longbow

Viridian Longbow comes out of the original cycle of equipment, and turns the equipped creature into a pinger. Three to equip is too slow for most formats, but Viridian Longbow shines in the Pauper format, where it frequently makes appearances in elf decks. Appropriately on theme, that deck struggles with dealing with flying creatures and getting past walls and the lockdown effect of Stonehorn Dignitary.

#43. Sunforger

Sunforger

I love Sunforger. Itโ€™s expensive to get going, but once youโ€™ve got it attached to a creature you get to play a fun mind game with your opponent and force them to consider what sort of combat trick you could pull from your library. Besides the obvious Boros Charm and Deflecting Palm, I like to fetch Temur Battle Rage or weird stuff like Final Fortune and Glorious End.

#42. Illusionistโ€™s Bracers

Illusionist's Bracers

Gatecrashโ€™s Illusionist's Bracers was one of the first activated ability doublers printed in Magic, and it still holds a place as one of the strongest ways to double-up on those effects. It still shows up in Commander decks full of activated abilities, and pairs well with commanders like Feldon of the Third Path and Dynaheir, Invoker Adept. Battlemage's Bracers is a stronger riff on the card, but locked to red decks.

#41. Thornbite Staff

Thornbite Staff

Thornbite Staff gives a creature a slow and low-damage โ€œpingerโ€ ability, but thatโ€™s not why it makes the list. Rather, Thornbite Staff is infamous for going infinite with nearly anything with a tap-to-activate effect. Any activated effect goes infinite with the staff so long as you have a free sacrifice outlet like Ashnod's Altar. Use Krenko, Mob Boss and Skirk Prospector, for example, to create infinite red mana. Use Goblin Bombardment to turn those goblins into direct damage. Attach it to Marrow-Gnawer and watch it go infinite by itself. Avatar of Woe is suddenly an In Garruk's Wake.

#40. Vorpal Sword

Vorpal Sword

Iโ€™m a big fan of any alternative ways to win the game, so I was understandably excited about Vorpal Sword. The card really only has a home in Commander, but it sure it fun. Eight mana seems like a hefty investment, but blackโ€™s access to rituals and the generally prevalent amount of ramp in the format makes it easy to hit . As soon as you do, your opponentsโ€™ are effectively forced to block that creature every turn, and the deathtouch buff guarantees you destroy whatever you touch.

#39. Worldslayer

Worldslayer

Worldslayer is a punishing board wipe that demands you build around it, or at least have a plan in place to recover from it. For a total of 10 mana and an unblocked attack, Worldslayer will destroy everything but itself, including lands. This is worse than Armageddon, this is worse than Worldfire. Worldslayer doesnโ€™t have any built-in outs to end the game, and instead resets the board completely. If you must run it, please keep some cheap recovery methods around so the game doesnโ€™t become an endless cycle of โ€œdraw-goโ€ gameplay.

#38. Pact Weapon

Pact Weapon gets a spot on the list for being one of the only Lich-adjacent equipment around. Itโ€™s a Dark Confidant on a (point) stick, with the added benefit that you donโ€™t have to worry about draining yourself to death while you draw cards. The buff to the creatureโ€™s power and toughness is secondaryโ€“really all we care about is drawing a massive amount of cards and staying alive past 0 life.

#37. Scythe of the Wretched

Scythe of the Wretched

Scythe of the Wretched hails from the first iteration of equipment in the Mirrodin set. A flat +2/+2 on a 2-mana artifact isnโ€™t bad, and to equip is more than made up for by the sheer volume of combos this card enables. My favorite is in an Ashling the Pilgrim deck, where you can combine Ashling with a Basilisk Collar and the Scythe to wipe the entire board each turn, returning every creature destroyed to the battlefield under your control. Make sure Ashling returns last to reattach the Scythe, and do it all again next turn. Or, skip all that mess and just equip it to a self-destructive Triskelion to return it to the battlefield infinitely.

#36. Lavaspur Boots

Lavaspur Boots

Lavaspur Boots may not provide the same level of protection as the other boots, but if youโ€™re looking for a very cheap way to give a creature haste and slight protection, ward makes this a good enough option to run.

#35. Mithril Coat

Mithril Coat

Protecting your commanders is a must, and most of the time it's not enough to give them hexproof or shroud. Mithril Coat provides the indestructible keyword and saves your creatures from dying. This card is single-handedly responsible for nearly obsoleting Darksteel Plate.

#34. Cryptic Coat

Cryptic Coat

Cryptic Coat is a cool addition from Murders at Karlov Manor as itโ€™s an equipment that doesn't equip normally; rather it creates a body similar to living weapon, and it enters the battlefield attached to it. The trick here is that you can return it to your hand for 2 mana and recast it to keep creating more cloaked bodies on the field. This niche use has become very handy and popular across formats, including Pioneer, Legacy, and Cube.

#33. Lost Jitte

Lost Jitte

Magic formats that donโ€™t have access to Umezawa's Jitte like Modern can use Lost Jitte as a different value source for decks like Eldrazi Tron that may value the repeatable untap ability.

#32. The Spear of Leonidas

The Spear of Leonidas

As it turns out, The Spear of Leonidas was released as part of the Assassinโ€™s Creed set, and what makes it unique is that you can summon this equipment to the field from your library when Kassandra, Eagle Bearer enters the battlefield. It an excellent addition for aggressive Commander decks.

#31. Chainsaw

Chainsaw

Chainsaw is a very particular piece of equipment that can act as a removal spell when it enters the battlefield. What makes it great is that it can turbo charge itself as the power it gives to the equipped creature is stronger for each creature that dies. In a multiplayer environment, this can easily provide +10/+X to a target creature.

#30. Assimilation Aegis

Assimilation Aegis

Stoneforge Mystic now has the potential to search for a removal spell in its colors. Assimilation Aegis may not excel at buffing a creature, but rather works towards clearing the board of problematic threats.

#29. Sword of Light and Shadow

Sword of Light and Shadow

Sword of Light and Shadow is on the weaker end of the โ€œSwords ofโ€ฆโ€ cycle, but itโ€™s still a powerful piece of equipment on its own. Three life isnโ€™t an insignificant amount in a 20-life format, and a free Disentomb is, well, alright. Sword of Light and Shadowโ€™s best use will be returning those free evoke creatures like Fury and Grief to your hand to cast again.

#28. Sword of Sinew and Steel

Sword of Sinew and Steel

Planeswalker-specific removal is a little hard to come by, so Sword of Sinew and Steelโ€™s effect makes it one of the better from its cycle. Giving a creature +2/+2 and evasion usually means youโ€™ll be using its combat damage to destroy that troublesome โ€˜walker, but with the Swordโ€™s triggered ability you can focus an attack at your opponentโ€™s life total instead. Typical targeted planeswalker removal runs you 2-3 mana, so at 5 mana weโ€™re effectively getting the artifact destruction for free.

#27. Sword of Truth and Justice

Sword of Truth and Justice

Another mid-tier Sword of X&Y, Sword of Truth and Justice still has a lot of play in any deck thatโ€™s built around it, even just a little bit. Any repeatable proliferate effect synergizes well with everything from planeswalkers to poison counters and beyond. Compare its 5-mana minimum investment to something like Contagion Clasp or Contagion Engine; youโ€™ll save anywhere from 1-5 mana on the initial proliferate, plus youโ€™ll get protected damage on the board and multiple +1/+1 counters wherever you need them.

#26. Whispersilk Cloak

Whispersilk Cloak

Another EDH staple, Whispersilk Cloak does double-duty as protection for your creature as well as evasion to deal unblocked combat damage to your opponent. Five mana is a bit on the expensive side as far as combination protection-evasion equipment goes, but the Cloak has stood the test of time.

It's rarely worth it for an opponent to waste targeted removal first on the Cloak, and then on the creature, forcing them to commit to a board wipe to truly remove it. Whispersilk Cloakโ€™s main drawback is that shroud means you wonโ€™t be able to equip any other cool weapons to that creature, so be sure to order your equipping effects correctly, or else risk wasting 4 mana to move the Cloak back and forth from one creature to another to finish arming one of them.

#25. Sword of Fire and Ice

Sword of Fire and Ice

Repeatable card draw is always valuable, especially when it isnโ€™t locked into a specific color. Sword of Fire and Iceโ€™s triggered card draw means that alongside its protection buffs and +2/+2, youโ€™re easily refilling your hand while also pushing fair damage through. At that rate, the extra Shock from dealing combat damage is just icing on the cake.

#24. The Aetherspark

The Aetherspark

The Aetherspark might be the most unique equipment in the game since itโ€™s a planeswalker. Itโ€™s no slouch, either; four mana is a lot for an equipment, but The Aetherspark doesnโ€™t have an equip cost since the loyalty abilities take care of it. An equipment that spreads +1/+1 counters and draws cards here and there gives you pretty good value, especially with proliferate effects.

#23. Swiftfoot Boots

Swiftfoot Boots

The classic boots are the basic downgrade to Lightning Greaves, but still see enough play that they're worth mentioning. There are some instances where youโ€™d actually prefer Swiftfoot Boots over the Greaves, but theyโ€™re few and far between. Every Commander deck that cares about attacking or preserving its commander should be running a copy of Swiftfoot Boots if they donโ€™t have Lightning Greaves, and most decks can benefit from both.

#22. Conqueror's Flail

Conqueror's Flail

Sure, +1/+1 for each color of permanent you control is fine. It means this cardโ€™s technically best in a 5-color deck. However, where its value really lies is in that second effect. If you can keep the Conqueror's Flail equipped, youโ€™ll never have to worry about a Counterspell again. Four generic mana is a great investment for whatโ€™s normally an effect thatโ€™ll cost you white mana (see: Grand Abolisher, Voice of Victory, etc.).

#21. The Reaver Cleaver

The Reaver Cleaver

Oooo-wee! I was so excited for the Dihada, Binder of Wills Commander precon from Dominaria United, but really only because it came with a copy of The Reaver Cleaver. Weโ€™d already seen treasure-generating artifacts along the lines of Goldvein Pick and Prying Blade, but nothing compares to the sheer value of The Reaver Cleaver.

Key to its superiority is its trample-granting effect, essentially ensuring youโ€™ll squeeze by a point or two of damage and netting you at least one Treasure on each attack. Six mana may seem a hefty investment, but consider that this could potentially be swinging in on a creature as soon as turn 4 with an average amount of ramp. From that point on, your second main phase will be spent Scrooge Mcduck-ing into a pile of golden coins and Halo juice (or whatever the New Capenna treasures are supposed to be).

#20. Kaldra Compleat

Kaldra Compleat

Kaldra Compleat is a cool reference to the original Mirrodin blockโ€™s Kaldra equipment cycle, where youโ€™d assemble a massive legendary avatar token and attach all of its respective weapons to it. Kaldra Compleat shows this old character corrupted by the Phyrexians. Effectively a 7-mana 5/5 with a keyword soup pulled from that original cycle of equipment, Kaldra Compleat is a nigh-unkillable threat and represents one of the top-end finishers in Stoneforge Mystic decks. Itโ€™s both an immediate, hard-to-remove threat and a future buff for something even scarier.

#19. Buster Sword

Buster Sword

Buster Sword earns its spot by being incredibly solid, even if itโ€™s far from busted. Neither the mana cost nor the equip cost are terribly high for the stat boost, and it has a dramatic damage trigger fit for a protagonist. Card draw alone is valuable, but casting free spellsโ€”even just a 1-mana cantrip or mana dorkโ€”gets you ahead quickly. If you ever cast a large spell, the gameโ€™s practically over.

#18. Sword of the Animist

Sword of the Animist

Sword of the Animist used to be the best possible land-ramp on an equipment, though it has definitely been dethroned. Two mana to cast and 2 mana to equip makes it comparable to Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus, but itโ€™s just ever-so-slightly slower. Plus, it relies on you already sticking a creature to the board before you can start fetching basics. This isnโ€™t to say that the card's not good; itโ€™s great. If I could afford the deck space to run both, I would. Especially in any deck where you plan to attack with at least one creature each turn.

#17. Bitterthorn, Nissaโ€™s Animus

Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus

They did it. Those crazy bastards did it. They printed a better Sword of the Animist. Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus is the living weapon version of Sword of the Animist, coming in at 1 mana cheaper and (most likely) one turn sooner than the Sword. Its only drawback is that vulnerable Germ token could die before you can search up nearly as many basics as youโ€™d like, leaving you with a costly equip cost. In most instances, though, this equipment outclasses the sword by the barest margin.

#16. Commanderโ€™s Plate

Commander's Plate

Commander's Plate is probably the single best equipment for the Commander format. Besides its clear superiority as excellent protection for mono-colored commanders, itโ€™s also a great way to sneak those already equipment-focused Voltron commanders past any other playerโ€™s blockers. And donโ€™t forget: Itโ€™s still +3/+3 and evasion on any other creature you slap it on, letting you squeeze that last bit of damage by in the late-game when you have enough mana to equip it to your non-commander creatures.

#15. Colossus Hammer

Colossus Hammer

Colossus Hammer is the favorite pick for Modernโ€™s โ€œHammer Timeโ€ deck, which works off of using Stoneforge Mystic or Sigarda's Aid to get the +10/+10 weapon attached to a creature for free. Combine with any sort of non-flying evasion and weโ€™re really cooking!

#14. Blade of the Bloodchief

Blade of the Bloodchief

While a number of creature-type focused equipment exist, Blade of the Bloodchief stands out amongst the crowd by virtue of being one of the quickest possible ways to put a ton of +1/+1 counters on the field. In any vampire deck, a turn 1 Blade of the Bloodchief spells doom for your opponents, and there are a couple infinites you can pull off with the Blade's counter production.

#13. Basilisk Collar

Basilisk Collar

Basilisk Collar is another versatile equipment that I see make it into lots of decks, even non-equipment focused ones. Three mana for two relevant evergreen mechanics on a single creature is a deal you wonโ€™t find anywhere else. Need an early rattlesnake to shake at your pod and scare off attackers? Need to stabilize after taking some hits in response to playing your big threat? Basilisk Collarโ€™s got you. Need to turn your pingers into Avatar of Woe? Give Kelsien, the Plague this equipment and watch them turn into a machine gun.

#12. Luxior, Giadaโ€™s Gift

Luxior, Giada's Gift

Luxior, Giada's Gift is one of the only ways to turn planeswalkers into creatures, absent doing some weird trickery to give Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God one of those Gideon abilities. Luxiorโ€™s not necessarily the best equipment, but it makes the list for the sake of the weird interactions it creates.

Typically, you donโ€™t want to risk your valuable planeswalkers by opening them up to removal in combat or by Murders, but there are some goofy things you can do with this. For example, what happens when you mutate a creature on top of the equipped planeswalker and then remove Luxior from it? You end up with a creature with loyalty abilities (that you can still activate!) that canโ€™t be attacked like a planeswalker. Wonky! Now let's proliferate some counters onto it and kill our opponents with commander damage from Commodore Guff.

#11. Hammer of Nazahn

Hammer of Nazahn

Hammer of Nazahn is a masterclass in equipment synergy. Besides automatically attaching itself to a creature you control, itโ€™ll also give you a free equip on each of the rest of your equipment as they hit the field. Suddenly, weโ€™re bypassing the prohibitive equip costs of Ultima Weapon and Kaldra Compleat, and our indestructible Hammer of Nazahn target is suddenly a massive beater with trample, first strike and haste. A must-have for any equipment-themed EDH deck.

#10. Astrologianโ€™s Planisphere

Astrologian's Planisphere

Astrologian's Planisphere does several things right. Itโ€™s effectively a cheap creature that grows over the course of the game, one that remains relevantโ€”if not dominantโ€”so long as you can follow it up with a few noncreature spells and card draw. Its typing also matters; this card functions as a creature that triggers cards that care about noncreature permanents, so your Vivi Ornitier and Stormchaser's Talent become that much stronger.

#9. Embercleave

Embercleave

Embercleave, the best red artifact, dominated Throne of Eldraineโ€™s aggro environment for that entire Standard season, frequently hitting the field on turn 3 or 4 and ending a game that had just begun. Double strike and trample is brutal enough, but then you take into consideration that it can be cast for as cheap as and attaches itself immediately to one of those unblocked attacking creatures. Watch your opponentโ€™s face turn sour as you change that modest mid-game punch to a game-ending haymaker.

#8. Sword of Body and Mind

Sword of Body and Mind

It really feels like they buried the lede on Sword of Body and Mind. Besides the typical +2/+2 and protection weโ€™ve come to expect from this cycle, Body and Mind creates a 2/2 token, too, but it also mills a resounding 10 cards off your opponent's library. Easily one of the quickest ways to mill out your opponent while simultaneously putting a fair amount of power on the field, Sword of Body and Mind easily outclasses many other 3-mana equipment.

#7. Shadowspear

Shadowspear

Theros Beyond Deathโ€™s Shadowspear is one of the only ways to remove the indestructible and hexproof abilities from your targets. And itโ€™s ridiculously cheap. The mythical Shadowspear was built to kill gods, and thatโ€™s just what itโ€™ll do. Trample, lifelink, +1/+1, and a way to threaten the permanents your opponent thought were safe, all on a 1-mana artifact? It doesnโ€™t even need to equip to activate its indestructible nullification, it just does it for 1 additional mana. Shadowspear easily makes the top 10 equipment.

#6. Helm of the Host

Helm of the Host

Helm of the Host is one of the only ways to make an aggressive Voltron deck โ€œworkโ€ in a multiplayer format like Commander. Many Voltron decks struggle at defeating multiple opponents in one turn, so they have to rely on cards like Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar to spread the damage around from their single attacker. Unless theyโ€™re running Helm of the Host, which safely creates a nonlegendary copy of the equipped creature that you can swing at a second player.

#5. Cori-Steel Cutter

Cori-Steel Cutter

Cori-Steel Cutter dominates games so easily it caught a well-deserved Standard ban. The issue is card advantage: Because the equipment creates so many tokens, your opponent canโ€™t profitably remove them or it. If you kill CSC once a player has two or three tokens, youโ€™re down on card advantage; the same if you waste removal on the tokens while CSC keeps training monks. Couple that with Wizardsโ€™ insistence on putting prowess on every red creature that costs less than 4 mana, and you get a compact, resilient threat that can win the game in a few short turns.

#4. Lightning Greaves

Lightning Greaves

Lightning Greaves is the fastest protection for your Commander that you can find on any equipment, and thatโ€™s a well-deserved honor. Lightning Greaves is the turn-1 drop that inevitably leads to a chorus of groans from your pod, especially when it follows a Sol Ring into your commander. Most Commander decks have enough targeted removal to destroy your creature once or twice, but locking the Greaves on it basically ensures theyโ€™ll have to two-for-one you (perhaps Shattering the Greaves then destroying your creature) or board wipe. Drop this early and set the pace for the rest of the game.

#3. Sword of Feast and Famine

Sword of Feast and Famine

The black-and-green Sword of Feast and Famine is one of the strongest of the MTG sword cycle. A 5-mana investment gets you +2/+2, a forced discard, and โ€“ wait, whatโ€™s that? Untap all lands you control? Well, why donโ€™t I just take a second turn during my post-combat main phase, if you donโ€™t mind? Iโ€™ll also have preemptively discarded your removal and disruption, leaving you with just an empty threat in your hand.

#2. Skullclamp

Skullclamp

Skullclamp is my favorite mistake. Infamous for the mountain of value it can create, this card-drawing artifact is hardly used for its intended purpose. Instead, itโ€™s a 1-mana draw-two effect thatโ€™s repeatable so long as you have some extra 1/1s lying around on your board. And in most cases where youโ€™re running Skullclamp, you will! Skullclamp shows up with commanders like Ghave, Guru of Spores, Elenda, the Dusk Rose, Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper, and just about everything else.

#1. Umezawaโ€™s Jitte

Umezawa's Jitte

Umezawa's Jitte was banned preemptively in Modern when the format was created because of its insanely valuable ability to just completely hose aggro decks. The sheer versatility of this card wouldโ€™ve made it an absolute staple in the format, hands down. It gains you life, removes opponentsโ€™ creatures, and puts extra damage on the board at least twice per turn, possibly more if you can block on your opponentโ€™s turn. Iโ€™ve seen Umezawa's Jitte win Legacy games for players that should not have won, and I have no doubt it would drastically shape the Modern format should it be unbanned.

Best Equipment Payoffs

Shadowspear

Itโ€™s easier than ever to synergize with equipment spells these days, and a ton of mechanics have been printed over the years to play nice with your armory of swords, axes, and Shadowspears.

Metalcraft cards are the obvious choice. Hailing from the Scars of Mirrodin set, cards like Mox Opal, Galvanic Blast, and Dispatch see a huge jump in power once youโ€™ve hit three equipment on the field.

Lots of creatures want to be equipped as well. Nahiri, Forged in Fury churns through your deck when attacking with equipped creatures, and Reyav, Master Smith turns those Bone Saws into Fireshriekers.

There are even a number of legendary creatures that make the perfect commander for any equipment deck. Wyleth, Soul of Steel generates a ton of free draw off of your equipment, and Galea, Kindler of Hope can help you skip those prohibitive costs.

The easiest way to support your equipment is by reducing the cost to play or equip them. Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale, Bruenor Battlehammer, Puresteel Paladin, Stoneforge Mystic; the list goes on and on. There are cost-reducers for your equipment deck at every price point and in almost every color.

Another way to use your equipment is in decks with the modified mechanic, including cards that have a direct synergy with equipment like Golden-Tail Trainer or direct payoffs like Lethal Throwdown.

Though not directly related to equipment, ability doublers are an excellent payoff for these cards as the best equipment are often those with strong triggered abilities, like Skullclamp and the Swords. Cloud, Midgar Mercenary is one of the best since it comes with an equipment tutor, but Strionic Resonator, Felix Five-Boots, and Echoes of Eternity are all ways to get even more from your best equipment.

What Equipment Costs the Most (Mana Value)? Which Has the Highest Equip Cost?

Excalibur, Sword of Eden

The equipment with the highest mana value is Excalibur, Sword of Eden with a big โ€œifโ€ in its clause: It costs significantly less for each historic permanent you control, meaning that artifact or legendary-themed decks can cast it for relatively free.

As far as which has the highest equip cost, Belt of Giant Strength is technically the one with the highest, but it varies depending on the creature it targets. The runner-up is Colossus Hammer with a straight 8-mana equip cost.

Which Equipment Is Worth the Most Money?

If you go by TCGplayer pricing, the highest-price equipment on their website is a serialized version of Shadowspear, specifically the reskinned Morgul-Knife from Lord of the Rings Commander. Though the most recent sale of the card is marked at $699.99, it looks like only one has been sold on the platform, so there's no real indication of what the actual long-term value of this card is.

Next behind that is the LTC version of Sword of Hearth and Home (Herugrim, Sword of Rohan), another serialized version that has only had one copy sold on TCGplayer for $600.

Coming in third is a serialized version of the Retro Artifact schematic frame Swiftfoot Boots from The Brothers' Warโ€˜s bonus sheet. TCGplayer lists the market value of this card just over $400, though different serialized numbers tend to sell at different pricepoints.

Most Fun Equipment

The Aetherspark

The Aetherspark

The Aetherspark is a fun equipment because it doesnโ€™t play like others. Merging equipment with a planeswalker delivers excellent storytelling while it provides a unique playstyle that encourages players to run lots of proliferate effects and build up to an explosive finish.

Sunforger

Sunforger

Sunforgerโ€™s mana value and restrictions are worth the effort considering how many little tricks you can do with it. For example, you can use Sunforger, Silence, and Mistveil Plains to lock an opponent from playing spells (in 1v1 formats), or you can tutor up burn spells and removal for a controlling engine. The variety makes it a brewerโ€™s dream equipment.

Assimilation Aegis

Assimilation Aegis

Some players balk at the idea of a removal spell being a โ€œfun cardโ€, but Assimilation Aegis makes up for it with the ability to copy the removed permanent. It gets even more exciting when you factor that Azorius () is the color pair of flicker effects, so you can always reset the Aegis if you want to copy a different threat. If you canโ€™t accept removal being fun, think of this less as removal and more of a strange Clone.

Wrap Up

Sword of Feast and Famine - Illustration by Chris Rahn

Sword of Feast and Famine | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Equipment are a staple of Magic: The Gathering gameplay. Since Mirrodin, we havenโ€™t seen many premier sets without equipment, and I doubt we'll see many without them again. The subtype has become as ubiquitous as auras, and fills a similar yet slightly different slot in terms of gameplay. With WotC continuing to push equipment into new design space, Iโ€™m certain weโ€™ll have loads more equipment to rank in the coming years.

What do you think? Are the โ€œSwords of X and Yโ€ really so spread out in terms of power level? Should Umezawa's Jitte be unbanned in Modern? And what are some of your favorite low-power equipment? Let me know in the comments, or over on Draftsimโ€™s Twitter/X.

Thanks for reading, and be prepared!

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7 Comments

  • Zach Richardson November 2, 2023 8:47 am

    Bitterthorn is 3 mana, and sword of the animist is 2 mana, but your list says bitterthorn is one mana cheaper. What am I missing?

    • Jeff Dunn
      Jeff Dunn November 2, 2023 10:17 am

      Hi Zach – I’m counting up the total mana you have to invest before you’ll see any returns on the equipment. While Bitterthorn is 1 more CMC than Sword of the Animist, the living weapon means it’ll skip that first equip cost. Because of this, Bitterthorn is a three mana investment before you’ll see any damage, and Sword of the Animist a four mana one.

  • Bradley August 3, 2025 1:57 am

    On the entry for #1. Hammer of Nazahn, you wrote that a creature with that and Colossus Hammer and Kaldra Compleat would be “suddenly a 12/10”, but you forgot the +5/+5 from Kaldra Compleat, and the creature’s base stats, so it should say “suddenly have +17/+15”. Great article. Thanks!

  • Bradley August 3, 2025 2:14 am

    On #11. Luxior, Giadaโ€™s Gift, you should mention that attaching it to Devoted Druid is automatic infinite green mana.

    • Timothy Zaccagnino
      Timothy Zaccagnino August 4, 2025 12:33 pm

      Good point on the Hammer of Nazahn entry, and always love a good Devoted Druid combo shoutout!

  • Some Guy October 27, 2025 2:03 am

    Whoever made this list is bad at evaluating cards.

    No Sword of Hearth and Home (Easily the best Sword of X and Y)
    No Sword of Wealth and Power
    No Tarrian’s Soulcleaver
    No Pip-Boy 3000
    No Sting, the Glinting Dagger
    No Masterwork of Ingenuity (It is an equipment)
    No Bloodforged Battle-Axe

    Sword of Fire and Ice > Body and Mind (Draw and Damage is much more powerful while protection from red is more relevant than green)
    Skullclamp should be much, much higher. Arguably even #1.

    • Timothy Zaccagnino
      Timothy Zaccagnino October 27, 2025 6:56 am

      I’d love to engage with this much more if you didn’t lead off with such a diminishing statement.
      Give real feedback, be constructive, and lay out cases for what you’re arguing for. That’s a more effective way to do this.
      The article is also in need of an update, and I agree there should be some tweaking.

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