Magic: The Gathering’s second visit to Mirrodin saw the Phyrexians invade the plane and eventually reshape it into the oily, corrupted world of New Phyrexia. It was full of new mechanics that showcased the frightening powers of the villainous Phyrexians, includingthe Equipment-themed living weapon mechanic.
Equipment was a key feature of Mirrodin as a plane, debuting in the original Mirrodin set back in 2003.Living Weapon puts a corrupted, or ‘compleated’ spin on equipment, tying it thematically to the perfection-seeking Phyrexians, and further tainting the world of metal that they overtook.
How Does Living Weapon Work In MTG?
Living weapon is an ability that shows up on equipment cards. When an equipment with living weapon enters the battlefield,its controller creates a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ creature tokenand equips the artifact to that Germ. In other words, it’s a piece of equipment that comes pre-attached to its own creature.
The Germs from living weapon were errata’d into Phyrexian Germs in 2021. Cards printed before that won’t include the Phyrexian text, but it applies to all living weapon cards.
Note that the Germ being created and the attaching of the equipment all happens as part of the resolution of a living weapon trigger, so there’s no time between when the ability resolves and when the equipment becomes attached in which players can interact with the Germ token.
The Germ created by the equipment exists independent of the equipment once living weapon resolves. That meansif you move the equipment to a different creature, the Germ will still be thereas a separate creature token. It’s a base 0/0 though, so moving the equipment will usually result in the Germ dying unless it’s been buffed by a +1/+1 counter oran anthem effect.
Variations Of Living Weapon
Living Weapon is a pretty intuitive mechanic, but due toits connection to Phyrexians, it’s not an ability that shows up that often. There have been some riffs on the mechanic, most notably For Mirrodin! from Phyrexia: All Will Be One.
Funnily enough, this is another Mirrodin-centric mechanic, and basically works the same way,except it makes a 2/2 red Rebel token instead.
There’s also what Wizards refers to internally as ‘snap-on equipment.’ This isn’t a named mechanic, but rather refers to the type of equipment that automatically attaches to creatures once it enters the battlefield, like Embercleave or Mithril Coat. This type of equipment was popularized in Zendikar Rising and has been used pretty liberally since.
There are also plenty of examples ofequipment that create their own tokens when they enter the battlefield, but don’t use a named mechanic at all. Examples include Citizen’s Crowbar and Mask of Immolation, which were certainly inspired by the living weapon mechanic.
Combos With Living Weapon
Though many living weapon cards are good enough on their own, these artifacts still have a few shells in which they excel. Most obviously isin equipment decks, whereliving weapon equipment solves a major issueof what happens when you’ve got a bunch of equipment, but nothing to equip them to. Spotting you a creature is perfect for this style of deck.
Since the Germs are also Phyrexians, there are some unique builds that might favor living weapon cards for the creature type it produces. Commanders like Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos and March of the Machine’s Elesh Norn can make good use ofequipment that comes with its own Phyrexian.
There’s also a place for living weapon cardsin blink decks, specifically ones that are capable of flickering artifacts. Commanders like Brago, King Eternal and Abuelo, Ancestral Echo can ‘reset’ living weapon equipment that have dropped off and lost their Germs,essentially creating an entire new creatureon the battlefield when the equipment re-enters play.
Best Living Weapon Cards
Batterskull
Batterskull was a hallmark ofthe Modern formatfor quite some time, and also makes the occasional appearance in Legacy, where it’sone of the best equipment to pair with Stoneforge Mystic. Mystic’s ability to tutor for Batterskull then subsequently put it into play the next turn makes for a powerful one-two punch in formats where they’re both legal.
Bitterthorn, Nissa’s Animist
Bitterhorn is a Phyrexianized version of anotherstaple equipment in Commander: Sword of the Animist. As with the Sword,Bitterhorn’s a great ramp toolfor colors that plan on attacking often and don’t have as much access to ramp. Bitterhorn costs an additional mana over Sword, with its advantage being that it skips a step and comes attached to its own creature.
Cranial Ram
As a direct callback to Cranial Plating, Cranial Ram isn’t a particularly hard card to parse out. Artifact decks areverygood at filling a board with artifacts, which meansthe Ram should grant a sizable power boost in decks built around it. Never underestimate a two-mana card that can come into play as a 6/1 or larger.
Kaldra Compleat
Kaldra Compleat supplanted Batterskull as the Stoneforge Mystic target of choice. Batterskull’s a good card in races and makes it very hard to die, butKaldra Compleat just ends the game in a few swings. It’s a liability if it gets stuck in your hand, butIndestructible makes it so much more resilientwhile it’s in play.
Nettlecyst
Nettlecyst poses a deckbuilding requirement, butfill your deck with enough artifacts and/or enchantmentsand the card definitely pulls its weight. It’s not uncommon for Nettlecyst to enter as a 5/5 or larger, and the equipment can be attached elsewhere if the Germ is taken care of.
