Harder question

[ClockWork]

This might be a harder question.....

Do Champion's Gauntlets prevent Steal Equipment from targeting an item that can and will be stolen?

[RomeoXero]

I believe the short answer is no. If you were perhaps using it to destroy the equipment though (as in you used it on a mage only piece of equipment, then you would need to pay the extra mana to destroy it as you can't have it on your mage. But for the actual theft of equipment i belive one pays normal price

[ClockWork]

so restricted equipment can't be targeted at all, or at least not destroyed, opposed by un-restricted items which can simply bypass the the gloves, right?

[RomeoXero]

Ok, so the gauntlets only make you pay more mana to destroy items in the described equipment slots. If you are a forcemaster and you target a priests Staff of Asyra, you would be forced to pay the mana and then destroy the equipment, because you are a forcemaster, not a priest/priestess and therefore you cannot attach the staff to your mage. You can still target it and destroy it, but you cannot steal it.
Now if you target a warlords mage wand for example, and he had the gauntlets on, you have two options. You can pay 10 (i believe, don't have the card in front of me) 5+5 to remove the equipment and then attach it to yourself. Or you can pay 5+2 and destroy it (perhaps you already have two things in your hands or you just don't want the wand.). Either way is legal but only one of those options has destroyed the wand, so you would only have to pay the extra mana if the object in question would be destroyed.

So you can target anything you want you just might not be able to "steal"the equipment if it's restricted from your mage by a "Mage or school only" trait on the card.

[Zuberi]

I believe RomeoXero may be a little confused as to what spell effects we are discussing.

Champions Gauntlets: "Equipment objects in the Mage's Weapon, Ring, and Shield locations cannot be destroyed by an opponent's effects. When Champion's Gauntlets would be destroyed by an opponent's effect, prevent that destruction unless that opponent pays 2 mana."

[mwcard=FWI09]Steal Equipment[/mwcard]


Now, the order of things matters here. First you'll have to pay double the items casting cost (regardless of what you're doing with it). Then you take control of the item. Then you may either destroy it or equip it to your own Mage.

With that established, you definitely don't pay extra to steal the item, nor are you prevented from stealing it. However, choosing to destroy it is indeed a more complex question. What matters here is whether or not you are considered an "opponent" at the time of destruction. When you take control of something, you are no longer its opponent. So, is the reference to opponent from the view point of the item you just took control of, or from the viewpoint of the Gauntlets?

If you're trying to destroy the Gauntlets, then the answer is the same either way. You are not its opponent and can destroy it at no extra cost. If you're trying to destroy a weapon, ring, or shield however, then I think you would not be allowed to destroy it as opponent is considered from the Gauntlet's perspective. I will note that I'm not positive on this though, and my partner disagrees with me, and we are both native English speakers. So, confirmation may be nice.

[RomeoXero]

Yup! What he said! (Definitely didn't have the cats in front of me, missed a whole aspect of that card)

[Halewijn]

How about curse item? Can you choose not to take damage and the gauntlets will prevent destruction?

[Coshade]

How about curse item? Can you choose not to take damage and the gauntlets will prevent destruction?

Yes it will prevent the destruction. Another card that interacts with Curse Item -> [mwcard=MWSTX1CKE01]Armor Ward[/mwcard]

[ClockWork]

So, after reading and thinking more. I would point out, Steal Equipment grants you control of the equipment, which is not prohibited by the gauntlets. Moving them to your Mage also isn't expressly prohibited, so I would say yes. For destruction though, I'm gonna say NO, because although you gain control of the target equipment, nowhere does the card say to remove the equipment from the mage unless you choose to steal. So if you choose not to, or can not steal, u gain control of the equipment in the mages hand or ring slot, which is still protected by Champion Gauntlets because they are still equipment objects in a protected slot.

We have no evidence that gaining control of an object moves it. Mind control doesn't move the target creature. Steal enchantment first FORCES YOU to move the enchantment. Then it gives you control of the enchantment and it doesn't move anymore.

[Beldin]

Steal Equipment (Forcemaster vs. Warlord)

To equip the equipment, you first return any equipment already taking up the equipment slot to your spellbook, then attach the new equipment to yourself.

Steal Equipment cannot be used to take control of an equipment item you are restricted from.

Example: If the Forcemaster casts Steal Equipment, she can target a Warlock’s Lash of Hellfire, which has the Warlock Only trait. However, since she cannot use or equip this spell, it is destroyed instead.

Example: If the Priestess steals a Mage Wand with a Drain Life spell bound to it, she cannot use cast that spell, because it is Dark Mage Only. She can steal the wand, but the wand would be of no use to her unless she chooses to bind a new spell to it.

Therefore upon resolution you can either move the equipment to your mage or destroy it. As Ivan has already pointed out at which point you are no longer the opponent as you are now own the card. Upon ownership you no longer have to pay the extra cost on the card to destroy it.

[ClockWork]

Steal Equipment allows you to become the controller, not the owner. Either way Champions Gauntlets does not refer to either of those conditions, simply the location of "equipment objects"

[ClockWork]

I feel pretty confident that it can steal, but cannot destroy....

Can we summon an official answer? I have a full round action and a bunch of mana

[wtcannonjr]

I feel pretty confident that it can steal, but cannot destroy....

Can we summon an official answer? I have a full round action and a bunch of mana

I agree with this interpretation. It seems pretty clear that Champions Gauntlets doesn't prevent stealing equipment from the equipment slots listed as protected by the Gauntets' spell. It also restricts destruction of equipment in those slots regardless of who controls that equipment. As Zuberi points out, the sequence matters for the Steal Equipment spell. It states that destruction is a choice that must occur immediately upon taking control of the equipment. At this point, the caster has elected not to steal it but rather destroy it. However, the equipment has not changed location and therefore the Gauntlets restriction would apply and prevent that destruction.