Mechanics

Question 1

What are the phases to Magic The Gathering?

Answer 1

5 Phases make up a players “turn”.

Beginning Phase
Pre-Combat Main Phase
Combat Phase
Post-Combat Main Phase
Ending Phase

Question 2

When does a phase or step end?

Answer 2

When all players pass priority in succession and the stack is empty, a phase or step ends.

Question 3

What steps make up the beginning phase?

Answer 3

Untap step
Upkeep step
Draw step

Question 4

What happens during the Beginning phases Untap step?

Answer 4

Phasing

• Phasing permanents phase out.
• Phased out permanents phase in.

Day/Night
- If Day/Night cycle started the number of spells cast in
the previous turn is checked:
- If it’s day as a turn begins, and the previous turn’s
active player didn’t cast a spell last turn, it
becomes night.
- If it’s night as a turn begins, and the previous turn’s
active player cast two or more spells last turn, it
becomes day.
- Transform Daybound/Nightbound permanents to
their new state.

• Any state-based effects or triggered abilities that happen during this step are delayed until the upkeep step.

Question 5

What happens during the Beginning phases Upkeep step?

Answer 5

Abilities that trigger either during the untap step or at the beginning of upkeep go on the stack.

Active player gains priority the first time during their turn.

Question 6

What happens during the Beginning phases Draw step?

Answer 6

The active player draws a card from their library.

Any abilities that trigger at the beginning of the draw step go on the stack.

The active player gains priority.

*If a player mulligan’s and has less cards than his opening hand he may Scry 1 on their starting hand. (Vancouver mulligan)

Question 7

What steps make up the pre-combat Main Phase?

Answer 7

Abilities. Abilities that trigger at the beginning of the main phase go onto the stack.

The active player gains priority.

Play a land [Special action and doesn’t use the stack]

When both players yield priority in succession while the stack is empty during the pre-combat main phase, the game proceeds to the combat phase.

Question 8

What steps make up the Combat phase?

Answer 8

Beginning of Combat Step

Declare Attackers Step

Declare Blockers Step

Combat Damage Step

End of Combat Step

Question 9

What happens during the Combat steps Beginning of Combat Step?

Answer 9

If the target isn’t automatically chosen the active player chooses one of the opponents.

Active player gets priority.

Question 10

What happens during the Combat phase Declare attackers step?

Answer 10

Creatures may be assigned to attack.

Question 11

What happens during the Combat phase Declare blockers step?

Answer 11

Creatures that will block attackers are declared.

Declared blockers can choose who they block.

If the blocked attacker is done so by 2 or more creatures the attacker chooses the order of the blocked.

Question 12

What happens during the Combat phase Combat damage step?

Answer 12

All creatures in combat deal combat damage at the same time, except when one or more creatures have first strike or double strike, then there are two damage assignment steps.

• First strike/Double strike deal combat damage at the same time and first.
• Regular combat damage and Double strike deal combat damage at the same time.

An attacking creature that is blocked assigns combat damage among the creatures that block it.

An attacking creature that is not blocked assigns combat damage to its target [Player, Planeswalker, creature, permanent]

*Combat damage is dealt only by creatures and only during the combat damage step of the Combat Phase.

Question 13

What happens during the Combat phase End of Combat step?

Answer 13

The end of combat step has no turn-based actions. Once it begins, the active player gets priority.

Abilities that trigger “at end of combat” trigger as the end of combat step begins. Effects that last “until end of combat” expire at the end of the combat phase.

As soon as the end of combat step ends, all creatures and planeswalkers are removed from combat. After the end of combat step ends, the combat phase is over and the postcombat main phase begins.

Question 14

What steps make up the post-combat Main Phase?

Answer 14

The active player gains priority.

Play a land if you didn’t during your pre-combat Main Phase [Special action and doesn’t use the stack]

When both players yield priority in succession while the stack is empty during the post-combat main phase, the game proceeds to the Ending Phase.

Question 15

What steps make up the Ending phase step?

Answer 15

End step

Cleanup step

Question 16

What happens during the Ending phase End Step?

Answer 16

Active player gets priority.

Abilities that say “at the beginning of the end step” or “at the beginning of the next end step” trigger here.

If a permanent with an ability that triggers “at the beginning of the end step” enters the battlefield during this step, that ability won’t trigger until the next turn’s end step.
- This rule applies only to triggered abilities; it doesn’t apply to continuous effects whose
durations say “until end of turn” or “this turn.”

Question 17

What happens during the Ending phase Cleanup Step?

Answer 17

First, if the active player’s hand contains more cards than their maximum hand size (normally seven), they discard enough cards to reduce their hand size to that number. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.

Spells and abilities may be played during this step only if the conditions for any state-based actions exist or if any abilities have triggered.

Normally, no player receives priority during the cleanup step, so no spells can be cast and no abilities can be activated. However, this rule is subject to the following exception
- The game checks to see if any state-based actions would be performed and/or any triggered abilities are waiting to be put onto the stack (including those that trigger “at the beginning of the next cleanup step”). If so, those state-based actions are performed, then those triggered abilities are put on the stack, then the active player gets priority. Players may cast spells and activate abilities. Once the stack is empty and all players pass in succession, another cleanup step begins.