9 minute read · Published August 10, 2026 · Reviewed August 19, 2026

The Combat Phase, Step by Step

Combat is where most games of Magic are decided, and yet the combat phase is also one of the most frequently misunderstood parts of the rules. This guide walks through every step of the combat phase, explains when each player has priority, and covers the rules that determine how damage is actually dealt and assigned.

The Five Steps of Combat

The combat phase is divided into five steps: (1) beginning of combat, (2) declare attackers, (3) declare blockers, (4) combat damage, and (5) end of combat. Each step is a distinct phase of play with its own priority windows. Actions in earlier steps can dramatically change what happens in later steps.

Understanding that these are distinct steps — not one continuous action — is the foundation of reading combat correctly. Many powerful instants and abilities are deliberately timed to one specific step. Knowing when to use them is knowing how combat works.

Beginning of Combat

Before attackers are declared, both players receive priority in the beginning of combat step. This is an often-overlooked window that matters greatly when creatures have "at the beginning of combat" abilities, or when you want to use a tap ability on your own creature before it becomes a potential attacker (rule 507).

The defending player can also use this window. If you want to kill your opponent's best creature before it can attack, the beginning of combat step is your last chance to do so with an instant — after the declare attackers step begins, that creature may already be attacking.

"At the beginning of combat" triggered abilities trigger at the start of this step, are placed on the stack when a player would receive priority, and resolve before either player can declare attackers. Notably, some cards say "at the beginning of combat on your turn" — these only trigger during the attacking player's turn, not during opponent's combat.

Declare Attackers Step

The active player (the one whose turn it is) chooses which creatures will attack and which defending player, planeswalker, or battle each creature is attacking. Declaring attackers is a single action — all attackers are declared simultaneously, and tapping creatures to attack doesn't use the stack (rule 508.1). You cannot respond to individual attackers being declared; you respond after all attackers have been declared as a group.

A creature must be untapped and must have been under your control since the beginning of your turn to attack, unless it has haste (rule 302.6). Vigilance allows a creature to attack without tapping. Both conditions — needing to be untapped to attack, and needing to tap when attacking (unless vigilant) — are governed by game rules, not card text, for most creatures.

After attackers are declared, triggered abilities that trigger on attacking ("whenever this creature attacks," etc.) go on the stack. Both players then receive priority before the declare blockers step. This is another meaningful window: this is when you should use Giant Growth, First Strike tricks, or pump spells if you want them in place before blocks are declared.

Declare Blockers Step

The defending player declares blockers. All blocking declarations are simultaneous. Each creature can block at most one attacker unless an ability allows otherwise, and each attacker can be blocked by multiple creatures (rule 509). An unblocked creature assigns combat damage to the player, planeswalker, or battle it is attacking.

Under the current combat rules, blockers are not put in a damage-assignment order. If multiple creatures block or are blocked by one creature, that creature's controller divides its combat damage among them during damage assignment as the rules allow (rule 510.1).

Players receive priority after blockers are declared and before combat damage. This is a common window for combat tricks — boosting toughness, granting first strike, or removing a creature before damage is dealt.

Combat Damage Step

If any attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike as the combat damage step begins, only creatures with first strike or double strike assign damage in that first step (rule 510.4). The game then creates a second combat damage step. In it, the remaining creatures that had neither ability as the first step began assign damage, along with remaining creatures that currently have double strike.

A creature blocked by multiple creatures may divide its combat damage among them without a damage-assignment order. A creature with trample may assign damage to the player, planeswalker, or battle it is attacking only after assigning lethal damage to every creature blocking it. Damage already marked counts toward lethal damage, and any positive amount from a source with deathtouch is considered lethal for assignment (rule 702.19).

Damage is dealt simultaneously. A creature doesn't die mid-combat; instead, all damage is marked, and then state-based actions are checked after the damage step concludes. This is why two creatures with deathtouch that have blocked each other don't progressively kill each other — both die at once when state-based actions are checked.

End of Combat Step

After combat damage is dealt and state-based actions are checked, the end of combat step begins. Any "at end of combat" triggered abilities trigger here. More importantly, this step is where effects that last "until end of combat" expire — creatures that had been temporarily given abilities, boosts that were granted only for the duration of combat.

Creatures that attacked or blocked are still tapped after the end of combat step (unless they have vigilance). They remain tapped until they are untapped in the untap step of the controller's next turn — meaning creatures that attack don't immediately become available to block on your opponent's next turn.

Deathtouch, Lifelink, and Special Damage Rules

Deathtouch causes any amount of damage from that creature to be considered lethal (rule 702.2). This means a 1/1 with deathtouch can block a 10/10 and kill it — 1 damage is lethal because of deathtouch. However, the 10/10 also deals 10 damage to the 1/1, which kills it unless it has indestructible or some other protection.

Lifelink causes damage dealt by that creature to also cause its controller to gain that much life (rule 702.15). Lifelink is a static ability — not a triggered ability and not a replacement effect. The life gain happens simultaneously with the damage as part of how the game processes damage from a source with lifelink (rule 119.4). There is no separate trigger on the stack; the life gain and the damage occur at the same instant. This is relevant for edge cases where a player might go to 0 life from another source just before damage is dealt.

Indestructible permanents cannot be destroyed (rule 702.12). They can still receive damage — damage is marked on them as usual — but the "destroy" that would result from lethal damage simply doesn't happen. However, state-based actions that don't use the word "destroy" (like reducing a creature to 0 toughness) still affect indestructible creatures.

Source and verification

This explanation is based on the Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules sections cited in the article. Card-specific Oracle text and rulings should be checked against an official card database. At a sanctioned event, ask the event judge for the ruling that applies to the current game.

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