If you control only 1 gear and play Dropboarder (which has 'When you play me, if you control 2 or more gear, attach me to target unit and ready me'), can you respond to the trigger with Cloth Armor (a reaction gear) to get both the attach and ready effects?

Ruling: Yes, this is legal. Dropboarder's ability triggers when it enters play and only checks if you control 2 or more gear when it resolves, not when it triggers.

Sequence:

• Play Dropboarder with only 1 gear in play
• Dropboarder's 'when played' ability goes on the chain
• Respond to the ability by playing Cloth Armor (reaction)
• When Dropboarder's ability resolves, you now control 2 gear and the effect happens

Nuances:

• The 'if' clause in Dropboarder's text is checked on resolution, not when determining if the ability triggers
• This differs from templating where the 'if' comes first (like 'If you control 2 or more gear, when you play me...'), which would check the condition before the ability goes on the chain
• Abilities with conditions after the comma go on the chain regardless of whether the condition is met, but do nothing if the condition isn't met on resolution