Sting, Bilbo's Sword

two generic mana Legendary Artifact — Equipment

Flash

When Sting enters, put a hone counter on Sting for each creature target opponent controls. Attach Sting to up to one target creature you control. (Each hone counter on an Equipment grants +1/+0 to equipped creature.)

Equip three generic mana

Add to list

Showing The Hobbit#178

Price

0.41 $

Foil 0.46 $

13 printings · up to 0.95 $

Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.

View onScryfall EDHREC

Buy this printingTCGplayer Cardmarket Cardhoarder

Sting, Bilbo's Sword rulings

2026-06-29
A creature equipped by an Equipment with hone counters on it gets +1/+0 for each hone counter on that Equipment. This effect is from the counter itself rather than an ability on the Equipment, so even if the Equipment loses some of its abilities, each hone counter will still grant +1/+0 to the creature.
2026-06-29
The power boost applies only while the Equipment with hone counters is attached to a creature. If an Equipment with hone counters on it becomes unattached from a creature, leaves the battlefield, or has its hone counters removed, the power of the creature changes immediately.
2026-06-29
Hone counters can be put on any Equipment and each one will grant +1/+0 to that Equipment's equipped creature, even if the Equipment the hone counters are on doesn't reference hone counters or have an ability that puts them on itself.

Sting, Bilbo's Sword keyword rules

Equip Rule 702.6

Equip is an activated ability of Equipment cards. “Equip [cost]” means “[Cost]: Attach this permanent to target creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery.”

For more information about Equipment, see rule , “Artifacts.”

Equip abilities may further restrict what creatures may be chosen as legal targets. Such restrictions usually appear in the form “Equip [quality]” or “Equip [quality] creature.” These equip abilities may legally target only a creature that’s controlled by the player activating the ability and that has the chosen quality. Additional restrictions for an equip ability don’t restrict what the Equipment may be attached to.

If a permanent has multiple equip abilities, any of its equip abilities may be activated.

“Equip planeswalker” is a variant of the equip ability. “Equip planeswalker [cost]” means “[Cost]: Attach this permanent to target planeswalker you control as though that planeswalker were a creature. Activate only as a sorcery.”

Flash Rule 702.8

Flash is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on. “Flash” means “You may play this card any time you could cast an instant.”

Multiple instances of flash on the same object are redundant.