Svellsongur

Svellsongur

Q: Does Svellsongur copy text that the unit has gained from other sources, such as the Assault granted by Cleave? What about text it's gained from other Equipment?

No, Svellsongur only copies the text that's actually printed on the unit. This is an ambiguity in the current rules, which refer to "appending" and "removing" rules text without reference to whether that text is original to the unit or not.

The key word here is actually copy, a system that will be fleshed out in a future rules update. For now, we'll just tell you that copies of objects or text take on their original traits, without regard to any subsequent alterations.

Svellsongur doesn't grant the unit additional "copies" of the abilities of other Equipment. So putting 3 Svellsongur on the same unit will give that unit four total instances of its abilities, not eight. (Four should be plenty.)

Q: Aphelios, Exalted has an ability that triggers when I attach an Equipment to him and tells me to "choose one that hasn't been chosen this turn." If I attach Svellsongur to him, does he have the second copy of his ability in time for both to trigger? And do I have to choose different options?

He does have the second copy of his ability in time, and it will trigger. The "one that hasn't been chosen this turn" restriction applies separately to each instance of his ability. So you could choose the same option for both, but you'll have to track which options you've used for each copy of his ability.

This question deserves a bit more depth. As of the Vendetta rules update, we have clarified how effects like Shady Spectacles and Svellsongur work; they are replacement effects that replace the event of the equipment being attached to a unit with that event plus whatever their effect specifies.

In the case of Svellsongur, the resulting series of events will be:

Attach → Copy the equipped unit's text to Svellsongur's effect text for as long as Svellsongur is attached

These events are not simultaneous. The attach event executes first, and then whatever event is instructed by the replacement effect is executed. Thus, the answer in the Spiritforged FAQ is no longer true: if you attach Svellsongur to Aphelios, he will not trigger twice. Svellsongur doesn't have the copied effect text when the attach event executes.

Each instance of the copied ability is a different ability. The game object remains the same throughout this whole process, so any temporary modifications will remain on the Sand Soldier as it transforms, but the copied rules text is an entirely new instance of the ability. It is the same idea as Svellsongur's copy of an ability being "refreshed" if Svellsongur is detached and then reattached to the same unit.

479.1.d. Effects for this layer can be identified by the phrase "copy" in the text. Example: Svellsongur is an Equipment that reads in part "As this is attached to a unit, copy that unit's text to this Equipment's effect text for as long as this is attached to it." This is a copy effect that is applied in this layer.