Beginner Series
The Phases of a Turn
Every turn of Magic runs through the same five phases, every time, whether anything happens or not. Once you know the order, the whole game stops feeling random.
A turn in Magic isn't one big block of time — it's five phases, always in the same order, every turn, for every player. Some phases have their own sub-steps, some are over in an instant, but the order never changes.
Think of it like a factory line: untap your stuff, draw a card, do your main-phase things, fight if you want to, do more main-phase things, then wrap up. Skipping ahead isn't allowed — even if "nothing happens" in a phase, the game still passes through it.
"You can't cast a sorcery during combat, and you can't attack during your second main phase's leftovers from last turn." — the kind of mistake every new player makes exactly once.
— common table experience
Turn structure is defined in section 5 of the Comprehensive Rules, rules 500–514.
Comprehensive Rules · Rule 500.1
"A turn consists of five phases, in this order: beginning, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and ending. Each of these phases takes place every turn, even if nothing happens during the phase. The beginning, combat, and ending phases are further broken down into steps, which proceed in order."
Comprehensive Rules · Rule 500.2
"A phase or step in which players receive priority ends when the stack is empty and all players pass in succession."
Broken into steps, a full turn runs: Untap (502) → Upkeep (503) → Draw (504) → Precombat Main (505) → Beginning of Combat (507) → Declare Attackers (508) → Declare Blockers (509) → Combat Damage (510) → End of Combat (511) → Postcombat Main (505) → End Step (513) → Cleanup (514).
Here's what a completely ordinary turn looks like, step by step.
Walking through a turn
Untap step: all your tapped permanents untap. No one gets priority — nothing can be cast here.
Upkeep step: “at the beginning of your upkeep” triggers happen now (like a Phyrexian Arena trigger). Players can cast instants here.
Draw step: you draw your card for the turn. The player going first skips this draw on their very first turn of the game.
Precombat main phase: sorcery-speed plays happen here — creatures, sorceries, lands.
Combat phase: broken into its own sub-steps — beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. Each is its own priority window, and blocking rules alone (multi-block, first strike, deathtouch, trample) are enough to fill a separate guide.
Postcombat main phase: a second window for sorcery-speed plays, often used for what you didn't want to commit before combat.
End step: “at the beginning of the end step” triggers happen, and it's the classic window opponents use for instant-speed plays.
Cleanup step: you discard down to your maximum hand size (usually 7), and “until end of turn” effects wear off.
A common beginner mix-up
New player casts a creature, then tries to cast a second sorcery-speed spell during the combat phase.
That's not legal — sorceries and sorcery-speed abilities can only be played during a main phase, with an empty stack, on your own turn.
If they want to play it after combat, they wait for the postcombat main phase instead.
How to take advantage of it
Knowing the phases is step one. Using the phases on purpose is what separates a beginner from a player who's actually playing well.
Hold up instants until the end step. If you don't need to act on your own turn, waiting until your opponents' end step to cast a spell (removal, a flash creature) keeps your mana open for as long as possible and denies them information.
Split your plays between main phases. Playing a creature precombat telegraphs your attack plan; holding it for postcombat main can let you see how combat goes before committing.
Watch for upkeep and end-step triggers. These are the phases most likely to have something happen even when it "looks" like nothing is going on — always double check before passing priority.
Cards & commanders that spotlight each phase
Plenty of cards are built specifically around a phase or step — here's one for each part of the turn.
Untap step
Cards that change what "untap" even means — either denying it to opponents or breaking the normal rule for yourself.
Upkeep step
Some of the most powerful recurring effects in the game trigger here, every single turn.
Draw step
Cards that punish or reward the simple act of drawing a card for turn.
Combat phase
Cards that grant an extra combat phase entirely, effectively doubling your attack step.
Declaring attackers is the easy part — blocking, damage assignment order, and keywords like first strike, deathtouch, and trample are their own can of worms. See
How Combat Works for the full breakdown.
End step
The classic window for instant-speed value — cards built specifically to come down on someone else's end step.
Track every phase without losing the thread.
TurnZero keeps life totals, turns, and triggers straight so you can focus on playing well, not bookkeeping.
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