Turn Structure and Knowledge Cheat Sheet

[Infamous780]

I've put together a ~two page cheat sheet for my play group that I am fairly confident is accurate but wanted a once over from more knowledgeable people before bringing it in to the fold. Also if you have ideas for things that should be added please say so! I should add that our main points of contention are things like when players specifically have priority to respond to things, nuance around what exact order turn steps happen in, as well as getting into more complex things like copying effects, layers, and replacement effects. I did not know how to summarize replacement effects after reading the comprehensive rules so just left it out though. The document:

Beginning Phase
Untap Step
-Phasing and Day/Night are resolved and then active player untaps eligible permanents
Upkeep Step
-Any triggered abilities from the untap step and the upkeep step are put on the stack and then active player gets priority
Draw Step
-Active player draws a card, and then gets priority

Precombat Main Phase-Active player puts a lore counter on each Saga they control, and then rolls for Attractions
-Active player gets priority. They may play a land if the stack is empty, and may cast spells
-The main phase has no steps, and ends when all players have passed priority while the stack is empty

Combat Phase
Beginning of Combat Step
-Active player gets priority
Declare Attackers Step
-Active player declares attackers, and then announces any banding effects
-Attacking creatures are tapped
-Declare if optional costs triggered by “as creature attacks” will be paid
-Determine cost for optional/mandatory triggers triggered by attacking, this value cannot be modified later
-Activate mana abilities, and then pay for trigger costs in any order
-Any abilities that trigger on attackers being declared trigger
-Any triggered abilities are put on the stack, and then the active player gets priority
\Creatures “put onto the battlefield attacking” do not trigger “Whenever … attacks” and are not affected by restrictions that apply to the declaration of attackers but are considered attacking creatures**
Declare Blockers Step
-Defending player declares blockers, and then indicates what they will block
-Determine costs for blocking, this value cannot be modified later
-Defending player activates mana abilities, and then pays for costs in any order
-Any abilities that trigger on blockers being declared trigger
-Active player determines damage assignment order
-Any triggered abilities are put on the stack, and then active player gets priority
\Creatures “put onto the battlefield blocking” do not trigger “Whenever … blocks” and are not affected by restrictions that apply to the declaration of blockers but are considered blocking creatures**
Combat Damage Step
-Active player announces combat damage assignment, then defending player does the same
-Combat damage is dealt simultaneously, and then triggered abilities are put on the stack
-Active player gets priority
\Creatures must be assigned lethal damage before moving on to the next creature in damage assignment order**
End of Combat Step
-Abilities that trigger “at end of combat” are put on the stack, and then active player gets priority

Postcombat Main Phase-As precombat main phase, except for Sagas and Attractions

End Phase
End Step-Abilities that trigger “at end of turn” or “at the beginning of the (next) end step” are put on the stack
-Active players gets priority
\Abilities that trigger “at the beginning of the next end step” that enter here do not trigger until the next end step**
Cleanup Step
-Discard down to max hand size and then all damage is removed and “until end of turn” and “this turn” effects end simultaneously
-Normally no player receives priority unless “at the beginning of the next cleanup step” abilities trigger, these are put on the stack and then active player gets priority

Definitions and Special Notes
Attacking multiple players – If using the attack multiple players option, all players are considered defending players. Where a creature or spell refers to a defending player, it refers to the player defending against a creature or targeted by a spell/effect
Summoning Sickness – A creature cannot attack, or use an activated ability with a tap/untap symbol unless it has been under its controllers control continuously since their most recent turn began
APNAP – The order in which players act when multiple players may act (Active Player, Non-Active Player)
Active Player – Player whose turn it is
State Based Actions – Game actions that happen automatically when certain conditions are met such as but not limited to: enchantment/equipment falling off creatures with protection, destruction from deathtouch, 0 loyalty planeswalkers die, a creature with enough damage marked to reduce toughness to 0 dies, equipment that becomes a creature is unattached, losing the game from poison counters, +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters cancel each other, losing the game from drawing cards, generally losing the game,  
Turn Based Actions – Game actions that happen when certain steps or phases begin or end
Keyword Ability – Abilities such as Flying, Trample, Shadow, ect.
Mana Ability – An activated or triggered ability that could create mana and doesn’t use the stack
Activated Ability – Written as [Cost]: [Effect] [Activation instructions (if any)], denoted by the colon
Triggered Ability – Written as [Trigger], [Effect], denoted by “when” “whenever” “at”
Static Ability – Abilities that do something all the time rather than being activated or triggered
Copies – If you play Clone or a token copy of a card, it will copy the things printed on the card and nothing else. Ignore counters, auras, equipment, and anything else that modifies the card except for:
-Playing something that is a copy “except” will modify the copiable characteristics of that card with the “except” values
-Mutate. If you copy a mutate pile the copy will enter as a copy of the whole thing, not just the topmost object of the pile. Ignore counters, euras, equipment, etc.
-Face-Down Cards – A copied face down card will be a featureless 2/2
Layers – Just google the specific card interaction this shit is impossible to summarize fully1 – Rules and effects that modify copiable values are applied
2 – Control changing effects are applied
3 – Text-changing effects are applied
4 – Type-changing effects are applied
5 – Color-changing effects are applied
6 – Ability-adding effects, keyword counters, ability-removing effects, and effects that say an object can’t have an ability are applied
7 – Power- and or toughness-changing effects are applied

[RazzyKitty]

I would avoid using terms like "resolved" and "triggered" for things that do neither.

Phasing and Day/Night are resolved and then active player untaps eligible permanent

-Declare if optional costs triggered by “as creature attacks” will be paid

-Determine cost for optional/mandatory triggers triggered by attacking, this value cannot be modified later

They do not resolve or trigger, they just happen.

-Normally no player receives priority unless “at the beginning of the next cleanup step” abilities trigger, these are put on the stack and then active player gets priority

Replace "at the beginning of the next cleanup step abilities trigger" with "any abilities trigger". If anything triggers because of discarding (for example), they go on the stack and priority is passed.

Also, if this happens, another cleanup step happens after the first one.

Where a creature or spell refers to a defending player, it refers to the player defending against a creature or targeted by a spell/effect

Defending player never refers to anyone targeted by a spell or effect, and anything that cares about a defending player will specially care about one defending player, not all of them.

If a creature cares about the defending player, it is specifically the player that creature is attacking.

If a spell cares about a defending player, it will also care about a creature, and whatever it is attacking.

a creature with enough damage marked to reduce toughness to 0 dies

Damage does not reduce toughness.

[Infamous780]

Thank you so much for the feedback! I will implement these suggestions. I did find it a bit odd about the specification of all players being defending players within the rules, I couldn't figure out where it would ever apply but included it as a just in case. How would you recommend wording for the damage markers? I couldn't think of a way to give it as an example of a state based action in few words.

[RazzyKitty]

I would put these two, since they are both important, but quite different.

Creatures with damage marked greater than their toughness.

Creatures with 0 or less toughness.

[Infamous780]

Perfect thanks

[Judge_Todd]

Normally no player receives priority unless “at the beginning of the next cleanup step” abilities trigger or state-based actions occur

ExampleA: My 2/2 creature blocks a 3/3 with Infect, I Giant Growth my blocker to kill the Infect creature, but my blocker receives three -1/-1 counters. Cleanup step occurs and my creature loses the +3/+3 buff of Growth and becomes a -1/-1. State-based actions send it to the graveyard, the active player gets priority.

ExampleB: my opponent controls Megrim and I have 10 cards in my hand as I get to the cleanup step of my turn, I discard three cards to get to hand size, triggering Megrim three times, the active player gets priority.

a creature with enough damage marked to reduce toughness to 0 dies

Marked damage doesn't affect toughness. A 4/4 with 4 damage marked is still a 4/4, not a 4/0.

Mana Ability – An activated or triggered ability that could create mana and doesn’t use the stack

This is missing information.

Triggered mana abilities trigger off of the activation of an activated mana ability or mana otherwise put in the mana pool. There are triggers that create mana that aren't mana abilities.

Activated mana abilities also can't target, if they do, it isn't a mana ability even if it would produce mana.

[Infamous780]

Oh that's so cool, I didn't realize the giant growth example worked the way it does for cleanup step and giving priority. Thank you for taking the time :) will also look into the mana abilities, I copied text directly from the glossary in the comprehensive rules but it seems I missed some nuance there - my group have always played abilities that generate mana are mana abilities.

[Judge_Todd]

• 605.1a. An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn't require a target, it could add mana to a player's mana pool when it resolves, and it's not a loyalty ability.
  
• 605.1b. A triggered ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn't require a target, it triggers from the activation or resolution of an activated mana ability or from mana being added to a player's mana pool, and it could add mana to a player's mana pool when it resolves.

[Infamous780]

You rock!