Can you activate a gear ability that buffs an exhausted unit during a showdown after playing a unit that becomes exhausted from moving to an occupied battlefield?

Ruling: No, you cannot use gear abilities during a showdown unless they have the "action" or "reaction" keywords.

Sequence:

• Activated abilities on gears, units, and legends can only be used outside of a showdown during your turn by default
• Abilities with the "action" keyword can be used during a showdown when there's no chain
• Abilities with the "reaction" keyword can be used whenever a reaction spell can be used

Nuances:

• The same rules apply to spells as well as gear abilities