Magic: The Gathering — Turn Structure Reference

I Beginning Phase 3 Steps

Untap Step

auto 1. Phasing occurs. All phased-in permanents with phasing you control phase out simultaneously. All phased-out permanents you control phase in simultaneously.

auto 2. Day/night check happens. If conditions are met, it becomes day or night.¹

auto 3. Untap all your permanents (lands, creatures, artifacts, enchantments, tokens) simultaneously, unless an effect prevents it.

none No player receives priority. No spells or abilities can be cast or activated. (Triggered abilities wait for Upkeep.)

Upkeep Step

auto "At the beginning of your upkeep" abilities trigger and go on the stack. Any untap-step triggers also go on the stack now.

each Cast instants, activate abilities, or cast spells with flash. Respond to upkeep triggers.

Draw Step

auto Draw one card. In two-player games, the starting player skips this on their very first turn. In most multiplayer formats, no player skips this.

each Cast instants, activate abilities, or cast spells with flash. You can act on what you just drew before the main phase.

II 1st Main Phase Precombat

auto Saga lore counters are added (if applicable). "At the beginning of your main phase" abilities trigger.

Active Player May

you Play a land from your hand (once per turn, stack must be empty)

you Cast any spell — creatures, sorceries, instants, enchantments, artifacts, planeswalkers, battles

you Activate planeswalker loyalty abilities (once per planeswalker per turn, sorcery speed)

you Activate other abilities.

auto ETB effects trigger when permanents enter the battlefield.

Each Player May

each Cast instants or spells with flash

each Activate abilities

III Combat Phase Up to 6 Steps

1. Begin Combat 2. Declare Attackers 3. Declare Blockers 4. First / Double Strike Damage* 5. Combat Damage 6. End of Combat

Begin Combat

auto "At the beginning of combat" abilities trigger.

each Cast instants, activate abilities. Last chance to tap down or remove potential attackers before they're declared.

Declare Attackers

you Choose which creatures attack and who/what they attack (player, planeswalker, or battle). Attackers tap unless they have vigilance.

auto Attack triggers go on the stack. If no attackers are declared, skip to End of Combat.

each Cast instants, activate abilities. Can pump attackers, remove potential blockers, etc.

Declare Blockers

auto Defending player assigns blockers. Multiple creatures can block a single attacker. (Unblockable creatures can't be assigned blockers.)

auto Block triggers go on the stack.

each Cast instants, activate abilities. Last chance for combat tricks — pump spells, removal, etc. — before damage.

First / Double Strike Damage*

auto Only creatures with First Strike or Double Strike deal damage in this step. *This step only exists if such creatures are in combat.

each Cast instants, activate abilities. Creatures killed here won't deal regular damage.

Combat Damage

auto Assign and deal combat damage:

Unblocked attackers deal damage to the player, planeswalker, or battle they attacked.
Blocked attackers — if blocked by multiple creatures, the attacker's controller divides damage among those blockers however they choose.²
Trample — must still assign at least lethal damage to all blockers before excess goes to the defending player/planeswalker/battle. (Deathtouch + trample: 1 damage per blocker counts as lethal.)

auto All damage is dealt simultaneously. Defenders do not get to react between damage assignment and damage being dealt.

each Cast instants, activate abilities. "When this creature deals combat damage" triggers go on the stack here.

End of Combat

auto "At end of combat" and "until end of combat" abilities trigger/expire.

each Cast instants, activate abilities.

IV 2nd Main Phase Postcombat

Active Player May

you Play a land (if you haven't yet this turn)

you Cast any spell — same options as 1st Main Phase

you Activate planeswalker loyalty abilities (if not already used this turn)

you Activate abilities. Good time to play creatures you don't want exposed to combat.

auto ETB effects trigger when permanents enter the battlefield.

Each Player May

each Cast instants or spells with flash

each Activate abilities

V Ending Phase 2 Steps

End Step

auto "At the beginning of your end step" and "at the beginning of the next end step" abilities trigger.

each Cast instants, activate abilities. Final opportunity for instant-speed interaction this turn.

Cleanup Step

auto Discard down to maximum hand size (usually 7).

auto Remove all damage from permanents. All "until end of turn" and "this turn" effects expire simultaneously.

none No player receives priority. — unless a triggered ability fires³

Automatic / Required

Active Player May

Each Player May

No Priority

◈ Key Rules to Remember

Mana pools empty at the end of every step and every phase. You cannot float mana past the current step.
Priority: A phase or step only ends when the stack is empty and all players pass priority in succession. You always get a chance to respond.
Sorcery speed (creatures, sorceries, enchantments, artifacts, planeswalkers, battles, playing lands) can only happen during your main phases when the stack is empty — unless a card grants flash.⁴
Instant speed (instants, activated abilities, flash spells) can happen any time you have priority, in any phase or step (except Untap and usually Cleanup).
The Golden Rule: If a card's text contradicts a general rule, the card wins. Always follow the card's text.
In multiplayer (Commander, etc.), the same phase structure applies. When you attack, you may direct each attacking creature at any opponent or at a planeswalker/battle an opponent controls. Each defending player independently declares blockers only for the creatures attacking them.

◈ Clarifications & Edge Cases

¹ Day/Night Conditions: It becomes night if the previous turn's active player cast no spells. It becomes day if they cast two or more. Day/night tracking only applies once a card or effect has established it in the game.
² Damage Assignment Order (Removed): As of Foundations (Nov 2024), players no longer order blockers during the Declare Blockers step. The attacker's controller divides damage freely among blockers with no requirement to assign lethal to one before moving to another.
³ Cleanup Step — Priority Exception: If a triggered ability fires during cleanup or state-based actions result from discarding/damage removal, players receive priority. Once the stack is empty and all players pass, another cleanup step follows.
⁴ Lands and Flash: The "unless a card grants flash" exception applies to spells only. Lands aren't spells and can't have flash — only specific card effects (e.g. "you may play lands from your graveyard") allow lands to be played outside normal timing.

◈ Glossary

ETB — Enters the Battlefield. Refers to abilities that trigger when a permanent is put onto the battlefield.

Card Types

Land — Produces mana. Played (not cast) from your hand — one per turn. Not a spell.
Creature — Has power/toughness. Can attack and block. Enters with summoning sickness (can't attack or use tap abilities until your next turn).
Instant — A spell you can cast any time you have priority. Goes to the graveyard after resolving.
Sorcery — A spell you can only cast during your main phase when the stack is empty. Goes to the graveyard after resolving.
Enchantment — A permanent that stays on the battlefield. May attach to a creature (Aura) or stand alone.
Artifact — A permanent that stays on the battlefield. Often provides abilities or mana. Usually colorless.
Planeswalker — A permanent with loyalty counters. Activate one loyalty ability per turn at sorcery speed.
Battle — A permanent that can be attacked. Has defense counters; when the last is removed, it transforms.

Keywords Referenced in This Guide

Flash — You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.
Vigilance — Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.
Trample — Excess combat damage beyond what's needed to kill blockers is dealt to the defending player/planeswalker/battle.
Deathtouch — Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.
First Strike — This creature deals its combat damage before creatures without first strike.
Double Strike — This creature deals combat damage twice: once during the first strike step, and again during normal combat damage.
Phasing — A permanent with phasing phases out at the start of your turn (treated as though it doesn't exist), then phases back in on your next turn.

Other Terms

The Stack — A zone where spells and abilities wait to resolve. Last in, first out — the most recent thing added resolves first.
Priority — Permission to act. You must have priority to cast spells or activate abilities. Players pass priority back and forth; when all pass with an empty stack, the current step/phase ends.
Sorcery Speed — Shorthand for "only during your main phase when the stack is empty."
State-Based Actions — Game rules that are checked automatically (e.g., a creature with 0 or less toughness dies, a player at 0 or less life loses).

Based on the Comprehensive Rules — January 2026, Lorwyn Eclipsed