Turn Structure Overview
Turn structure · beginner
Every Magic turn has the same shape: five phases, broken into steps. Some steps almost always matter (combat, end step), some are easy to forget (cleanup), and players almost never use all of them. But the structure is always the same.
| Phase | Steps |
|---|---|
| Beginning | Untap, Upkeep, Draw |
| Pre-combat Main | (one main phase) |
| Combat | Beginning of combat, Declare attackers, Declare blockers, First strike damage, Combat damage, End of combat |
| Post-combat Main | (one main phase) |
| Ending | End step, Cleanup |
What "priority" means here
Between every step (and after every spell or ability resolves), the active player gets priority -- the chance to cast spells or activate abilities. After they pass without doing anything, each other player gets priority in turn order. When everyone passes in succession with the stack empty, the game moves to the next step.
Quick rules of thumb
- You can't cast sorceries outside your own main phases when the stack is empty.
- Most triggered abilities wait until the next time someone gets priority before going on the stack.
- The cleanup step is special: you don't normally get priority unless something triggered.
See the per-phase pages for details.
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