Declare attackers phase and instants
Asked by thewiredmind 13 years ago
This is more of a general question about when does a phase really end.
Situation: My opponent is in the declare attackers phase and declares his attackers. Then he passes priority to me and I decide to cast Moonmist to transform my werewolves. Stack empties and now he has priority again. Since we are still in the the Declare Attackers phase can he declare more attackers now?
Same situation with Declare Blockers. If my opponent casts an instance can I declare more blockers after that? Can I undeclare blockers if I have priority? Again, same question about Main Phase and casting creatures?
Thanks for the details.
Epochalyptik says... #2
Looking at the last question you ask, you also cannot undeclare attackers or blockers.
What exactly are you asking about the main phase and creature spells?
April 5, 2012 5:27 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
I missed that last part. Let's cover spell-casting and priority in general:
For every type of spell except Instants and non-Instants with Flash, you can cast it during either main phase on your turn when you have priority and the stack is empty. Instants and non-Instants with Flash can be cast at any time you have priority. Playing a land isn't a spell, but a special action that can be done once per turn during a main phase on your turn when you have priority. It doesn't use the stack, and you still have priority after you play the land.
These are the times a player gets priority:
- At the beginning of every step and phase, except for Untap and Cleanup, the active player gets priority.
- After a spell or ability is put onto the stack, the player who put it there gets priority.
- After a spell or ability resolves, the active player gets priority.
Some notes:
- No one can ever get priority during the untap step.
- It's only possible to get priority during the cleanup step if something happened during the step to cause an ability to get put onto the stack. If any player gains priority during a cleanup step, the game starts another cleanup step directly after it.
- Activating a mana ability doesn't use the stack, and the player who had priority when he activated it still has priority after it resolves.
- If all players pass priority in succession, then the topmost object on the stack resolves. If the stack is empty, then the game moves on to the next step or phase instead.
- The following actions are turn-based actions that happen at the beginning of the associated step (and only at that time), don't use the stack, and don't depend on priority: untapping your permanents, drawing your normal card for the turn, declaring attackers, and declaring blockers
April 5, 2012 5:39 p.m.
@Rhadamanthus When a player puts a spell or ability onto the stack, any other players get priority FIRST, then the player who put it there gets priority.
April 6, 2012 12:47 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
@ mistory: That is incorrect. A player retains priority when he or she is done placing a spell or ability on the stack. He or she may continue to add to the stack until he or she passes priority.
April 6, 2012 12:50 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #6
Here's the rules backup for that particular point:
116.3c If a player has priority when he or she casts a spell, activates an ability, or takes a special action, that player receives priority afterward.
April 6, 2012 1:03 p.m.
To the point of the original question (though I think it was answered by the first responder, mostly)
The first parts of the combat phase looks like this:
Begin Combat Step Active Player gets priority Non-Active Player gets priority Declare Attackers Step Active Player Declares Attackers, then taps them. Active Player gets priority Non-Active Player gets priority Declare Blockers Step Non-Active Player Declares Blockers, and creates a damage assignment order. Active Player gets priority Non-Active Player gets priority
Only at the very beginning of the declare attackers step (or declare blockers step), before anyone is given priority, can attackers (or blockers) be declared. Once you move past that part, and anyone has priority, new attackers (or blockers) can't be assigned, added, or removed.
April 7, 2012 1:10 a.m.
Sorry. Once more, with line breaks:
Begin Combat Step
Active Player gets priority
Non-Active Player gets priority
Declare Attackers Step
Active Player Declares Attackers, then taps them.
Active Player gets priority
Non-Active Player gets priority
Declare Blockers Step
Non-Active Player Declares Blockers, and creates a damage assignment order.
Active Player gets priority
Non-Active Player gets priority
April 7, 2012 1:13 a.m.
thewiredmind says... #9
Thanks for the answers. @landot. Your breakdown was helpful to visualize.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1
Declaring attackers is done once at the beginning of the Declare Attackers step, as a turn-based action that doesn't use the stack. Likewise for declaring blockers at the beginning of the Declare Blockers step. If players choose to use spells and abilities before the step ends, no more attackers/blockers can be declared, because the time to do that has already passed. When each player passes in succession over an empty stack, then the step ends and the game moves on to the next one.
April 5, 2012 4:56 p.m.