I have a few questions about Quentin Carnival. The card reads:

"Flip Quentin Carnival only during the build phase

Activate, KO an equipment you control --> Target Marvel Knights character you control cannot be the target of effects your opponents control this turn.

Activate --> You may put an equipment card with cost 0 from your hand into play equipped to an unequipped Marvel Knights character you control."

Now it only says to flip this card during your build phase but nothing about activating its powers during said phase, so I was wondering if you can activate at any time, and if so, does the recruiting attributes apply; such as you can only equip the Medallion of Power to a hidden character? I guess what I'm asking is if it has to be legal, because my thoughts were that if you could activate it during your combat phase, it won't have the legality check on it since it wasn't recruited during the recruit phase? Thanks for any help.

I haven't seen the card but if that's the correct text, then the activated effects COULD be used at any time and do not follow the restrictions of recruiting as you are not recruiting the equipment card, you're merely putting it into play.

The flip restriction in no way impacts the ability to use the effects. You can use it to throw down an equipment card in an attack substep, or the first power can be used to foil a targetted effect.

You can get around RECRUIT requirements [i.e. Mystical Chain can only be recruited if you control x number of characters, I forget] however the EQUIP requirement must be [i.e. you cannot use it to equip a beta club to someone who isn't a DE character]. Also, I don't know of any 0 costing unique equipment, but if there was, you wouldn't destroy the other copies this way.

As for why someone would use it outside of the normal build phase:

If your opponent attacks someone, you can equip them with unstable molecules and KO it, to give them a bonus [or if they are already equpped, KO, salvage it and requip for more damage, etc] Also, you can see which one you want to use, add an equipment to 4-drop punisher just to KO another stunned character, etc.

I used it recently in my Marvel/Gotham Knights team up ... using Barbara Gordon Batgirl's ability, I drew into another Utility Belt which I Quentined onto Robin so he could team attack with the Punisher, netting me more cards, etc.

So there's quite a few opportunities where you would equip someone with Carnival instead of just doing it during your recruit step.

Can quentin carnival be activated in response to a targeted effect? It says MK character can not be the "target", but once targeted, would QC stop it?

Does QC stop plot twist effects? Overload, etc.

I am not sure, it doesn'y specificaly state Plot Twist effects of Activated Effects. But if it did stop PT effects, yes, you could flip it in response to Overload.

Since it just says effect, it can;t be the target of any effect requardless of waht kind. Location, Plot Twist, Payment, triggered, etc.

Since targets have to be legal upon announcement AND resolution, you could put this effect on in response and the overload or whatever would be negated when it tried to resolve.