Priority in the combat phase
Asked by Jimhawk 12 years ago
I thought about a possible play error in the combat phase that I've been making and I wanted to clear it up here.
Let's assume I have one creature declared as attacking and he has no blockers. I have priority after declaring attackers; if I pass priority to my opponent and he does the same, do I have any opportunity to cast any instants or activate abilities before the combat damage step?
The combat phase is seperated into several steps: Start of Combat, Declare Attackers, Declare Defenders, Combat Damage, and End Of Combat.
If, after you declare attackers and pass priority, if your opponent passes priority too, you won't gain priority again until during the declare defenders step.
So say you declare attackers, your opponent declares defenders. You pass priority, then your opponent passes priority. You won't be able to cast any spells until you gain priority after at the end of the damage step, so obviously the damage has happened.
January 5, 2013 2:06 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #3
When all players pass priority in succession over an empty stack, the game advances to the next step or phase. You won't regain priority to cast anything until after the declaration of blockers as a turn-based action by the non-active player. Even if the defending player has no blockers to declare, the Declare Blockers step still happens. However, this step is your last chance to cast spells or activate abilities before combat damage is assigned and dealt.
January 5, 2013 2:07 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
You are correct apart from two very minor things:
1) It's technically called the Beginning of Combat, not Start of Combat. However, this is pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
2) We're assuming there are no possible blocks, but the Declare Blockers Step still happens.
January 5, 2013 2:15 a.m.
Ah yes, slightly off wording there. Just thought I would ask you, you know the rules better than me :)
January 5, 2013 2:17 a.m.
so should a pump spell be played during the declare blockers step or during the combat damage step? I always assumed that it goes:
1) Declare attacks-player 1 declares attack-player 1 passes priority-player 2 passes priority
2) Declare blocks-player 1 passes priority-player 2 declares no blocks-player 2 passes priority
3) combat damage-player 1 plays Giant Growth (or whatever)-player 1 passes priority-player 2 passes priority
January 5, 2013 10:59 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
It would be useless to cast Giant Growth in the combat damage step because players don't get priority until after combat damage is assigned and dealt. That's the first thing that happens in the combat damage step (just like drawing a card is the first thing that happens in the draw step, or declaring blockers is the first thing that happens in the declare blockers step).
January 5, 2013 11:02 a.m.
Wait, can't you use pump spells (effectively, of course) after the opponent declares blockers (or no blocker at all)?
January 5, 2013 4:25 p.m.
You can, at the end of the declare blockers step. Even if they declare no blockers, the step still happens, and both players need to pass priority before the game moves to the damage step.
demonx666 says... #1
yes at least that is what i have been told and i have been playing like that
January 5, 2013 1:02 a.m.