506-511 Combat Phase
Rules by topic
The combat phase has five steps in fixed order, plus a second combat damage step when a creature in combat has first strike or double strike (506.1). Most turns fly through them, but players get priority in every step that happens, so each one is a chance to respond.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 507 Beginning of combat | In some multiplayer games the active player first picks the defending player (507.1). "At beginning of combat" triggers fire. Last chance to tap creatures down to prevent attacks. Every player gets priority. |
| 508 Declare attackers | The active player declares attackers and what each one attacks: a player, a planeswalker or a battle. Attackers tap (unless they have vigilance). "Whenever this attacks" triggers go on the stack. |
| 509 Declare blockers | The defending player declares blockers, each blocking one attacker. "Whenever this blocks" and "becomes blocked" triggers go on the stack. |
| 510 First-strike combat damage | Only exists if a creature in combat has first or double strike. Those creatures deal damage now. SBAs check; dead creatures hit graveyards. |
| 510 Combat damage | The creatures that haven't dealt damage yet deal it simultaneously, and double strikers deal theirs again. SBAs check. |
| 511 End of combat | "At end of combat" triggers fire. "Until end of combat" effects end with the combat phase. |
Common pitfalls
- Removing an attacker after declare attackers doesn't undo the attack -- it removes the creature, so combat damage isn't dealt by it, but any "whenever this attacks" trigger already on the stack still resolves.
- Tapping a creature down to prevent an attack must happen before declare attackers (i.e., during the beginning of combat step at the latest).
- An attacker blocked by two or more creatures divides its combat damage among them however its controller chooses (510.1c). There's no damage assignment order, and no need to give one blocker lethal damage before the next. Trample is the exception: every blocker must be assigned lethal damage before any damage can go past them (702.19b).