There are some amazingly fun equipment cards in Magic The Gathering, but trying to build a deck around them can be problematic if you don’t draw them in your games.
I have put together a fair few equipment-based decks in my time and wanted to share what I have found to be some of the best equipment tutors in MTG to make these decks a fair bit more constant.
Since Magic the gathering is such a diverse game with some many interesting formats to play, the cards below are in no particular order as their usefulness and power levels will change depending on which format you are looking to play them in.
Below I’ll mention what formats you should look to play these cards in and why they may be worth a spot in your deck if you are building around equipment.
[toc]Best Red Equipment Tutors MTG
Godo, Bandit Warlord
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Commander 2016 Invent Superiority Deck |
When Godo, Bandit Warlord enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an Equipment card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
Godo, Bandit Warlord is arguable a Commander staple at this point.
I have played many games of Magic with and against Godo, and each time he doesn’t disappoint. Using Godo as your Commander guarantees that whenever you play him you will be able to search up whatever equipment you need from your deck.
Godo is most famous, or infamous, in Commander for his combo with “Helm of the Host” which can end games very quickly.
If you never heard of this combo equipment-based combo before, check out the video below that breaks down the Godo Commander deck and everything you need to know about what makes it so good!
If you are interested in getting your hands on Godo, I recommend picking up one of my favorite preconstructed Commander decks of all time – “Commander 2016 Invent Superiority Deck”. There is a tonne of sweet cards in this deck alongside “Breya, Etherium Shaper” like “Baleful Strix” and Godo.
It’s been over 5 years since the deck was printed, but you can still find it on Amazon – You can check out the prices here if you are interested – Commander 2016 Invent Superiority Deck on Amazon.
Hoarding Dragon
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Iconic Masters |
When Hoarding Dragon enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card, exile it, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
When Hoarding Dragon dies, you may put the exiled card into its owner’s hand.
Often overlooked for some of the arguably more powerful cards on this list, Hoarding Dragon is still a great artifact tutor that more than likely deserves a place in Commander deck.
It’s a 4/4 flying body is a threat your opponents have to deal with, and even if they do end up killing it, you end up getting a free artifact for all your troubles.
The downside to Hoarding Dragon is that it does need to die before you are able to use the artifact that you searched up with its ability, so I would generally recommend only getting equipment spells that you don’t need right away with it – unless you have a way to kill it yourself!
Warning: Hoarding Dragon needs to “die” for you to get the artifact you exiled with it. If Hoarding Dragon is exiled or is blinked, you won’t get the equipment!
Gamble
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Ultimate Masters |
Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, discard a card at random, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
Gamble is possibly one of the best tutors in all of Magic, but as the name implies, it comes with a risk.
Being able to get any single card in your deck has some serious upside, especially when you are playing formats like Commander that have 99 card decks.
The downside with this card is that you might end up discarding the very equipment that you just searched up! – Feelin’ lucky?
In a game of Magic, Gamble is best played when you have a lot of cards in your hand, this reduces the chance that you will end up discarding the equipment card you are looking to tutor up.
However, if you find yourself in a pinch and have Gamble and 1 other card in your hand, you still have a 50% chance of holding onto the card that you want – not terrible odds if it means you get to win the game.
If you are looking for a full break on this card, check out this fantastic video that teaches players had to full take advantage of this powerful tutor.
Best White Equipment Tutors MTG
Stoneforge Mystic
| Recommended Formats: | Legacy, Modern, Commander |
| Printed in: | Double Masters |
When Stoneforge Mystic enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
Some may refer to her as the “queen of equipment“, “Stoneforge Mystic” is one of the best equipment tutors there is!
Often seen with her trusty sidekick “Batterskull” in formats such as Modern and Legacy, Stoneforge Mystic sees play in every format that she is legal in – And for good reason!
Not only can she get whatever equipment you need from your deck, but her second ability also you to cheat expensively costed equipment into play way ahead of curve.
If you have a way to flicker or blink Stoneforge Mystic continuously, you can get as many equipment from your deck has long as you have space in your hand to hold them.
Stoneforge Mystic was so powerful in its time in the Standard format that Wizards of the coast made the decision to ban the card from the format. The card was so strong that fans at the time were relieved to see it banned. You can check out a player’s reaction to the banning in the video below.
Stonehewer Giant
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Double Masters |
Search your library for an Equipment card, put it onto the battlefield, attach it to a creature you control, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
What’s better than 1 Stongefore Mystic? A Stoneforge Mystic and her giant axe wielding older bother!
“Stonehewer Giant” is often seen as the bigger Stoneforge Mystic. Sure he is more expensive to cast at a chunkey 5 mana, but his 5/5 Vigilance stat line and ability more than compensate for the extra cost.
What makes Stonehewer Giant such a great tutor for equipment cards is that he not only gets equipment from your deck, he not only puts it directly onto the battlefield, but he also equips it directly to a creature of your choice!
Oh, and did I mention he can do all of this after he has punched your opponent in the face since he has Vigilance?
I can think of every few reasons why you won’t want to include this card in your deck build around equipment cards.
Quest for the Holy Relic
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Zendikar |
Search your library for an Equipment card, put it onto the battlefield, attach it to a creature you control, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Quest for the Holy Relic” can be a great cheap inclusion for any equipment based deck.
You will need 5 creatures to come into play to enable this card, but your playing an equipment deck so that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
The great thing about this card is it is ‘set and forget’ – but don’t actually forget your triggers and not put a counter on the card!
If you are able to get this card down early in the game, you will end up naturally getting enough counters to tutor up and equip any equipment spell of your choice before you know it.
The only downside to this card is if you draw it late in the game you may not have enough time to get enough counters on it.
If you are looking for a good example of well this card can work, check out this quick video below that has 2 decks showing off the power of Quest for the Holy Relic.
Steelshaper’s Gift
| Recommended Formats: | Commander, Modern |
| Printed in: | Duel Deck: Mirrodin Pure vs New Phyrexia |
Search your library for an Equipment card, reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Cheap” and “Flexible” are the words I would used to describe “Steelshaper’s Gift”.
The only real downside to this card is that it isn’t an instant and you will have to spend mana on your turn if you want to go get an equipment card from your deck.
But it’s only 1 mana – how can we really complain?
If you are building a deck around equipment and you’re in white, this card is almost always automatically included in every Commander deck.
Being able to go deck any equipment in your deck for only 1 mana is just too good of deal to pass up!
The card was good enough that it was played in a deck called “Hammer Time” that finished in 1st place in the “Modern Challenge” event held by Wizards of the Coast. The deck was running 4 copies of Steelshaper’s Gift.
Enlightened Tutor
| Recommended Formats: | Commander, Legacy |
| Printed in: | Eternal Masters |
Search your library for an artifact or enchantment card, reveal it, then shuffle and put that card on top.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Enlightened Tutor” has tutor in the name – so you know it must me good!
Printed as one of the first-ever white tutor cards in Magic, Enlightened Tutor is still one of the most powerful tutor cards of all time.
An Instant speed way to get an artifact/equipment from your deck with the added flexibility of being able to get an enchantment if need one too.
The only downside to the card is that it will place the equipment you need on top of your deck and not in your hand. This isn’t much of a problem if you have a way to draw cards or wait to cast the spell at your opponent’s End Step before the start of your turn.
However, if Enlightened Tutor were to put the equipment straight into your hand, it might be considered too good.
Enlightened Tutor isn’t the cheapest card to get a hold of, but I don’t expect its price to continue to rise as time goes on. Since this is great in so many different commander decks, I recommend most people just go out and pick one up when you can – it’s a great card to have in your collection.
Taj-Nar Swordsmith
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Commander 2017 |
When Taj-Nar Swordsmith enters the battlefield, you may pay X. If you do, search your library for an Equipment card with mana value X or less, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Taj-Nar Swordsmith” is a bit more the slower and expensive side of equipment tutors on this list, but still good enough to get the job done.
Although Taj-Nar Swordsmith costs 4 mana to cast normally, in your equipment deck, you almost never want to just be spending 4 mana on this card.
By paying the additional cost of using his ability, you can grab an equipment card you need from your deck in the Mid to Late Game. On average, you will be sending 7 to 8 mana on casting this card, so often it not great to draw this card in the early game.
Although maybe not a “must-include” in every equipment Commander deck you build, the card is worth considering as you get to put the equipment straight onto the battlefield without having to pay the equipment’s casting cost.
If you end up using this card in the right way, it can end up saving you a lot of mana in the long run.
Open the Armory
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Commander Legends |
Search your library for an Aura or Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Open the Armory” can be thought of as a slightly more expensive “Steelshaper’s Gift” with some added flexibility.
Although Open the Armory does cost 1 more mana than Steelshaper’s Gift, you get the added benefit of being able to go get an Aura or Equipment from your deck. With this card being slightly more flexible, I think it’s definitely worth the extra cost.
If you are looking to add real consistency to your deck, I would say that Open the Armory is close to an “auto-include” in most equipment-based Commander decks.
Relic Seeker
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Commander Legends |
When Relic Seeker becomes renowned, you may search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Relic Seeker” is a fantastic, slightly aggressively slanted, 2 drop of any equipment based deck.
If you are able to get in a hit with the card and trigger “renown“, you can deal your opponent some damage while also getting an equipment card from your deck without having to spend any extra mana – deal!
The only real downside to Relic Seeker is drawing the card later in then game.
While it can be great early when most players won’t have blockers to stop it dealing damage, later in the game, there is bound to be bigger things on the board blocking its way.
That’s not to say this card becomes unless in the Late Game, but you will definitely have a harder time triggering its ability.
With that said, I’m always happy to see a Relic Seeker in my opening hand.
Best Blue Equipment Tutors MTG
Deadeye Quartermaster
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Ixalan |
When Deadeye Quartermaster enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an Equipment or Vehicle card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
While blue isn’t really know for having any real special connection to equipment cards, “Deadeye Quartermaster” still works as a great blue tutor for equipment if you are looking to add some blue to your deck.
The card is not the cheapest tutor on this list, but it being a creature can come with its own upsides.
Since Deadeye Quartermaster triggers every time the card enters play, if you have a way to repeatedly have it enter the battlefield by a blink or a flicker effect, you can theory tutor up as many equipment cards as you would like at Instant-speed.
Although this card would not be my first choice when putting together an equipment-based deck since I’m likely to be only using the more popular equipment colors (Red and White), it is definitely worth considering if you are planning to build a deck that uses blue.
Best Multicolor Equipment Tutors MTG
Forging the Tyrite Sword
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Kaldheim |
Search your library for a card named Halvar, God of Battle or an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Forging the Tyrite Sword” is definitely more on the slow side when it comet to equipment tutors.
However, the card works pretty well if you are able to play it early in the game and provides some additional ramp in a color combination that doesn’t traditionally have access to a lot of mana acceleration.
At the very least, the Treasure tokens produced by Forging the Tyrite Sword can at least help you to cast whatever equipment card you eventually decide to go get from your deck.
The card can be destroyed before you are able to get the tutor effect from it, so I wouldn’t call this card a “must-have” equipment tutor, but is one you should maybe look towards if you are wanting to add a little might more constancy to your equipment deck.
Nahiri, the Harbinger
| Recommended Formats: | Pioneer, Commander, Modern |
| Printed in: | Commander 2020 |
Search your library for an artifact or creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. It gains haste. Return it to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
“Nahiri, the Harbinger” can act as a great finisher in almost any deck.
Not only does her +2 Loyalty ability allow her to use her Ultimate (-8 Loyalty ability) very quickly in a game, but it allows you to loot through your deck to find the cards you need more consistently in your games.
Her Ultimate allows you to go get an equipment card or creature you may need from your deck and put it straight into the battlefield with haste – leaving you with enough mana to equipment whatever equipment you need to and swing in to win the game.
Nahiri, the Harbinger is a Planeswalker I’m personally fond of, and I’m always looking for more ways to include her in decks where she helps to give me an advantage.
If you are struggling to think of Planeswalkers that you should include in your artifact deck, I would recommend that you start with Nahiri.
If you are looking to watch an overview of this card, check out this quick breakdown of the card when it was first revealed to Magic players. (Forgive the mispronunciation of her name in the video)
Best Land Equipment Tutors MTG
Axgard Armory
| Recommended Formats: | Commander |
| Printed in: | Kaldheim |
Sacrifice Axgard Armory: Search your library for an Aura card and/or an Equipment card, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
Wizards.com – Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering
If you are playing white your equipment-based deck, then Axgard Armory is, in my opinion, an “auto-include” in any deck that has an equipment theme.
In typically slower formats like Commander, the downside of having a land come into play tapped isn’t too punishing. The reward that you get for the cost of playing this tapland is huge!
Axgard Armory produces white mana when it untaps, allowing you to cast your spells as you normally wound if it were a basic Plains, but this Land also has the upside of becoming whatever equipment card you need it to later in the game.
The card may look unassuming to many, but don’t underestimate the power of a tutor on a Land card!