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The Turn
Cheat Sheet
A turn is five phases, always in the same order. Three of them break into steps. Every phase and every step happens every turn, whether or not anything happens in it. 500.1
- A step where players get priority ends only when the stack is empty and every player passes in succession. An empty stack on its own ends nothing. 500.2
- The untap step, and a cleanup step where nothing triggers, give nobody priority. They end as soon as their actions are done. 500.3
- As any step or phase ends, effects that last until then expire and any unused mana empties from every player's mana pool. 500.5
- Nothing can happen between steps, phases, or turns. 500.12
Adapted from BoiledOwlbear's Turn Structure Guide, after April King's original one-sheet. Full credits.
Beginning phase
Untap step
Phasing happens. The active player's phased-in permanents with phasing phase out, and their phased-out permanents phase in — all at once.
Day and night is checked. If it is day and last turn's active player cast no spells, it becomes night. If it is night and they cast two or more, it becomes day. If it is neither, nothing is checked.
The active player decides which of their permanents untap, then untaps them all at once. Normally that is all of them.
Nobody gets priority. Nothing can be cast or activated, and anything that triggers here waits until the upkeep to go on the stack.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Unused mana empties500.5
Upkeep step
Everything that triggered during the untap step, and every “at the beginning of your upkeep” ability, goes on the stack together before the active player gets priority. The order they triggered in does not matter.
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB503.1Unused mana empties500.5
Draw step
The active player draws a card.
In a two-player game, whoever goes first skips this on their first turn. 103.8a
Abilities that trigger “at the beginning of your draw step” trigger, as does anything that triggers on the active player drawing a card.
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB504.2Unused mana empties500.5
Precombat main phase
No steps. One stretch of priority, from the moment it begins until everyone passes on an empty stack. 505.2
ArchenemyIf the active player is the archenemy, they set the top card of their scheme deck in motion.
The active player puts a lore counter on each Saga they control that has one or more chapter abilities.
AttractionsIf the active player controls any Attractions, they roll to visit them.
Abilities that trigger “at the beginning of your precombat main phase” or “at the beginning of your next main phase” trigger, and go on the stack before anyone gets priority.
The active player gets priority.
While the stack is empty, they may also cast sorcery-speed spells — creatures, sorceries, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers, battles — and play a land if they have not played one this turn. Playing a land does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. 505.6a · 505.6b · 305.2
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Unused mana empties500.5
Combat phase
Beginning of combat
MultiplayerIf the active player's opponents do not all automatically become defending players, the active player chooses one opponent. That player is the defending player this combat.
Abilities that trigger “at the beginning of combat” trigger, and go on the stack before anyone gets priority.
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB507.2Unused mana empties500.5
Declare attackers
The active player declares attackers: untapped creatures that are not battles, each with haste or under their control since the turn began. They say what each one attacks — a player, a planeswalker, or a battle — tap them, and pay any costs to attack.
If any part of the declaration is illegal, the whole thing is undone and redone. 508.1a–k
No attackers? The declare blockers and combat damage steps are skipped entirely — combat goes straight to end of combat.
“Whenever this creature attacks” and “whenever you attack” abilities trigger, and go on the stack before priority. Nothing here triggers for a creature that was put onto the battlefield attacking.
Attack triggers fire once, at declaration — a creature that later starts matching the trigger condition does not retroactively trigger it. 508.2a · 508.3a
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB508.2Unused mana empties500.5
Declare blockers
The defending player declares blockers: untapped creatures that are not battles, each blocking one attacker, and pays any costs to block. An attacker with at least one blocker is now blocked and stays blocked even if every blocker leaves; the rest are unblocked.
Same rule as attacking — an illegal declaration is undone and redone. 509.1a–h
“Whenever this creature blocks”, “whenever this creature becomes blocked”, and “whenever this creature attacks and isn't blocked” abilities trigger, and go on the stack before priority.
Unblocked triggers belong to this step, not declare attackers — a creature has not “not been blocked” until blockers have been declared. 509.3g
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB509.2Unused mana empties500.5
Combat damage
If any attacker or blocker has first strike or double strike as this step begins, only those creatures deal damage now — and a second combat damage step follows this one.
The active player assigns each attacker's damage, then the defending player assigns each blocker's. An unblocked attacker hits what it is attacking. A blocked attacker divides its damage among its blockers as its controller chooses. A blocker hits what it is blocking.
A creature assigns damage equal to its power; zero or less means it assigns none. An attacker whose blockers have all gone, or a blocker whose attacker has gone, assigns nothing. 510.1a–d
All assigned damage is dealt at the same time. Nobody can act between assigning and dealing.
“Deals combat damage” and “is dealt damage” abilities trigger, along with anything set off by the state-based actions that follow — creatures dying, players losing. All of it goes on the stack before priority.
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB510.3Unused mana empties500.5
Second combat damage
Only if a first-striker or double-striker was in combat as the first damage step began.
Every remaining attacker and blocker that had neither first strike nor double strike when the first damage step began, plus every creature that currently has double strike, assigns and deals damage exactly as in the first step.
A creature that lost first strike after the first step already dealt its damage and does not deal it again; one that gained first strike after the first step began still deals damage here. 510.1 · 510.2
“Deals combat damage” and “is dealt damage” abilities trigger again for this step's damage, and go on the stack before priority.
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB510.3Unused mana empties500.5
End of combat
Abilities that trigger “at end of combat” trigger as the step begins, and go on the stack before priority.
The active player gets priority.
As the step ends, every creature, planeswalker, and battle is removed from combat, and effects that last “until end of combat” expire.
A creature is only ever “attacking” or “blocking” inside the combat phase. 511.2
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Unused mana empties500.5
Postcombat main phase
No steps. One stretch of priority, from the moment it begins until everyone passes on an empty stack. 505.2
Abilities that trigger “at the beginning of your postcombat main phase” or “at the beginning of your next main phase” trigger, and go on the stack before anyone gets priority.
The active player gets priority.
While the stack is empty, they may also cast sorcery-speed spells — creatures, sorceries, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers, battles — and play a land if they have not played one this turn. Playing a land does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. 505.6a · 505.6b · 305.2
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Unused mana empties500.5
Ending phase
End step
Abilities that trigger “at the beginning of the end step” or “at the beginning of the next end step” trigger, and go on the stack before priority.
A permanent with such an ability that enters during this step, or a delayed trigger created during it, waits for next turn's end step. The step does not back up. 513.2
The active player gets priority.
Unused mana empties from every mana pool.
- Active player gets priorityB513.1Unused mana empties500.5
Cleanup step
The active player discards down to their maximum hand size — normally seven.
All damage marked on permanents (phased-out ones included) is removed, and every “until end of turn” and “this turn” effect ends. Both happen at once.
Normally nobody gets priority here. But if any state-based action would happen, or any ability has triggered — including “at the beginning of the next cleanup step” — those actions are performed, the triggers go on the stack, and the active player gets priority after all.
Once that stack is empty and everyone has passed, a fresh cleanup step begins — discard, damage, effects, and the same check all over again. 514.3a
If nothing triggered and no state-based action fired, unused mana empties and the cleanup step — and the turn — ends.
The chart tags rows with A and B rather than spelling these out fourteen times. Here they are once, in full.
- A triggered ability does not go on the stack the instant it triggers. It waits until the next time a player would receive priority. 603.3
- If several things have triggered, they go on in two passes. First, each player in APNAP order — active player, then the rest in turn order — puts on the stack every trigger they control that did not trigger off another ability triggering, in any order they like. Then, again in APNAP order, each player puts on the rest. 603.3b
- The last thing put on the stack resolves first. So the active player's triggers, placed first, resolve last. 603.3b
- Before a player receives priority, the game performs every applicable state-based action as a single event, and repeats until none apply. Then waiting triggers go on the stack (A). Then it checks again. Only when nothing changes does the player actually get priority. 117.5
- With priority a player may cast instants and spells with flash, activate abilities, or take special actions. After they do, they get priority again. 117.3c · 116
- Passing hands priority to the next player in turn order. When every player passes in succession, the top of the stack resolves — or, if the stack is empty, the step or phase ends. 117.3d · 117.4
- Mana abilities do not use the stack and cannot be responded to. Playing a land is a special action, not a spell, and cannot be responded to either. 605.3b · 116.2a
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Where this comes from
Every rule number on this page was checked against the Comprehensive Rules text rather than written from memory, because section numbering moves between revisions. This sheet is a paraphrase and a snapshot; the rules document is the authority.
- Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules08.2026
The rules text every number on our sheets is checked against, effective August 7, 2026. Wizards revises it with each set release, and section numbering does move — the link always points at the current revision.
- Comprehensive Rules, searchable — Yawgatog
An unofficial mirror of the rules text with an anchor on every rule and a linked glossary, which the official .txt has neither of. Every rule number on our sheets links here. It tracks the official text but it is not the authority — the Wizards link above is.
Adapted from
The wording on this page is ours. The shape of the chart is not — it descends from two one-page tables.
- Turn Structure Guide — BoiledOwlbearPDFReddit
The table this page adapts: April King's format, brought up to the Comprehensive Rules effective August 7, 2026, with every row tagged and cited.
- Magic: The Gathering Turn Structure — April King (@CubeApril)Her post
The original: the whole turn on a single letter-size sheet, which is where the Phase / Step / Actions layout and the factored-out legend come from.
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