Magnetic Theft
Instant
Attach target Equipment to target creature. (Control of the Equipment doesn't change.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Fifth Dawn
- Price
- $4.20
- EDHREC rank
- #6697
Magnetic Theft moves any Equipment to any creature at instant speed for a single red mana — the effect is format-warping in decks built around it. In Tetsuo, Imperial Champion specifically, that one mana is the difference between a surprise kill and a telegraphed setup.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion's ability requires him to be equipped, and Magnetic Theft lets you move a Sword or Cepter onto him at instant speed in response to a kill shot or before a combat damage trigger — turning a reactive moment into a lethal one.
Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms
Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms cares about equipping creatures as a game action, and Magnetic Theft provides a one-mana equip that dodges equip costs entirely, effectively letting you cheat the engine on the cheap every turn it's available.
Slicer, Hired Muscle
Slicer, Hired Muscle gets handed to opponents, so Magnetic Theft lets you reclaim your own Equipment before passing priority — keeping Slicer dangerous while stripping opponents of the bonus they were counting on.
Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos
Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos rewards stacking a single creature with multiple pieces of Equipment, and Magnetic Theft lets you consolidate that stack at instant speed, enabling combat tricks or protecting a key threat from a targeted removal response.
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded wants Equipment attached at all times to trigger his abilities, and Magnetic Theft patches the gap when a blocker trades away the equipped creature mid-combat without burning full equip costs.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Magnetic Theft earns its keep — Equipment-based commanders are numerous, equip costs are punishing at the multiplayer pace, and one red mana at instant speed generates outsize tempo. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; powered formats don't need Equipment tricks to close games, and one-mana instants have to be busted to see play there. Modern is the only non-rotating format where it's legal and plausibly useful, but the equip-matters archetype hasn't found a home competitive enough to justify it. Magnetic Theft is a Commander card through and through.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.20 cheap tier
At $4.20, Magnetic Theft sits at the high end of the cheap tier for what is effectively a narrow, archetype-specific instant. It holds that price because Equipment commanders are perennially popular and the effect has no direct functional reprint — if you're building one of those decks, pay it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tetsuo, Imperial Champion
- Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms
- Slicer, Hired Muscle
- Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos
- Kellan, the Fae-Blooded
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.