Knife is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
During your turn, equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has first strike., Sacrifice this Equipment: Draw a card. Equip
Complete guide
Knife is a versatile Equipment that brings the utility of a Clue token to a low-cost combat modifier. Whether you need to push through damage during your turn or dig for answers, this Artifact serves a dual purpose in aggressive and midrange decks alike.
Sharpening Your Offense
Knife provides two distinct bonuses to the equipped creature, but only during your turn. It grants a +1/+0 power boost and the first strike keyword, making it difficult for opponents to block effectively. If your turn ends or if you are the defending player, these combat bonuses vanish, meaning the creature returns to its base stats and loses first strike.
The Clue Connection
Because Knife has the Clue subtype, it possesses the intrinsic ability to be sacrificed for card draw. For a cost of two generic mana, you can sacrifice the Equipment itself to draw a card. This is particularly useful if the equipped creature is about to die or if you have excess mana and need to find a new threat.
Resolution and Timing
Equipping Knife follows standard sorcery-speed timing, requiring two generic mana to attach it to a creature you control. The sacrifice ability, however, can be activated at instant speed. If you choose to sacrifice Knife to draw a card while it is attached to a creature, that creature immediately loses the +1/+0 and first strike benefits as the Equipment leaves the battlefield.
Strategic Deployment
Avoid the common mistake of relying on Knife for defense. Since the bonuses only apply 'During your turn,' the equipped creature will not have first strike while blocking during your opponent's combat phase. Use it to pressure opponents early, and don't be afraid to 'crack' it for a card if your opponent targets the Equipment with removal.
Interaction examples
Sol RingOn turn one, you can cast Sol Ring using a land. Use the two colorless mana from Sol Ring to cast Knife and then immediately pay its Equip cost to attach it to a one-drop creature you played previously. This allows you to attack with a first-striking creature on the very first turn of the game.
Arcane SignetIf you find yourself stuck on lands, you can use mana from Arcane Signet to pay the sacrifice cost of Knife. By spending two mana and sacrificing the Knife, you cycle the card to draw into your deck, potentially finding the land or spell you need to stabilize the board.
When you equip Knife to Tonberry during your turn, Tonberry gains +1/+0 and first strike from the Knife. Since Tonberry already has deathtouch and first strike during your turn from its own 'Chef's Knife' ability, the Knife Equipment simply increases its power. This makes Tonberry a 3/1 attacker that deals lethal damage to blockers before they can strike back.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Knife
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Knife.
This creature enters tapped with a stun counter on it. (If it would become untapped, remove a stun counter from it instead.) Chef's Knife — During your turn, this creature has first strike and deathtouch.
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 for each blood counter on this Equipment and has "{T}, Sacrifice a creature: Put a blood counter on Rakdos Riteknife." {B}{R}, Sacrifice this Equipment: Target player sacrifices a permanent of their choice for each blood counter on this Equipment. Equip {2}
Just a second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't move permanents.) One at a time, throw ten cards you own from outside the game onto the playing area from a distance of at least three feet (about one meter). For each of those cards, Knife and Death deals 1 damage to each creature or planeswalker you don't control that card is touching. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.
Whenever one or more Humans and/or Warriors you control enter, conjure a card named Utility Knife onto the battlefield. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Knife
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.