Class 1 – Answers

Last updated: 02 August 2017

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1.­ During a game, Aurora moves to combat phase, and during declaring attackers step don’t declare any attackers. How many steps this phase will have?Beginning of combat step, declare attackers step, and end of combat step, since no creatures were declared as attackers, declare blockers step and combat damage step are skipped.

 

2.­ In which phases and steps players receive priority?

Generally, in every step and phase, except during Untap step, and Cleanup step.

During cleanup step, as exceptional case, if a triggered ability is created, it would be placed in the stack and priority will be given to cast spell and activate abilities.

 

3.­ When are the “at the beginning of end step phase” abilities triggered? And the ones that state “at the end of turn”?

Both are the same, only the second sentence use the old text that has become obsolete, and have received an errata. This kind of abilities triggers as soon the end step begins, before active player receives priority.

 

4.­ If I don’t want to attack, how many phases my turn will have?

You’ll have 5 phases. Combat phase will have less steps, but the number of phases doesn’t change.

 

5.­ What is the first thing happening during declare blockers step?

Defending player declares blockers.

 

6.­ I’m attacking with a 5/5 creature and my opponent blocks it with a 1/1, a 1/5, and a 3/3. When are the blockers ordered? Who does it? When the damage is assigned?

Are ordered by attacking player, immediately after being declared as blocker by their controller. Damage is assigned as soon the combat damage step begins.

 

7.­ Antioco is attacking me and I have a creature with Flash that I want to use to block. When is the last moment that I can cast my creature to block with it?

During declare attackers step, after the attackers creatures have been declared, when active player passes me priority to cast spells, and before Declare blockers step begins.


 

8.­ I have a Thoughtseize in my hand and I want to remove the last card that my opponent has in his/her hand before draws a card. During draw step, before drawing a card, I cast Quicken and then Thoughtseize, but my opponent don’t agree with my actions. Who is right?

The opponent. The first moment in which players can cast spells or activate abilities during Draw step, will be after the active player draws his turn card.

 

9.­ During damage step, which actions or decisions a player has to take, and which one may take optionally?

Mandatorily, must assign the damage of each creature with which he has attacked and which is going to deal combat damage.

Optionally, he may activate abilities, cast instant spells, or generate mana, once the damage has been assigned and resolved, before end combat step.

 

10.­ When a creature stops being attacker? And being blocker?

At the end of end of combat step.

 

11.­ My opponent blocks my 5/3 with his 3/3. I cast a Lightning Bolt on his creature, and in response he regenerates his creature. How much damage my opponent receives? Why? What happens exactly?

If the attacking creature hadn’t Trample, the opponent will not receive damage.

Ehen the creature regenerates, one of the things that happen is that is removed from combat (the other two things are that damage is removed and it’s tapped). Even so, although blocker creature is retired, the attacker creature is still blocked. If the attacking creature had Trample, then 5 damages will be deal because there’s no blocking creature to assign damage.

 

12.­ What happens in the clean step?

  1. a) If the active player has more cards in hand than his/her maximum hand size (normally seven), discards enough cards in order to reduce the hand size to that number as turn-based action.
  2. b) Then, and at the same time, the damage marked in permanents (including permanents phased-out) is removed and all the effects that long until “the end of turn” or “this turn” ends, as turn-based action.
  3. c) Finally, state-based actions are checked. If there’s any ability waiting to be placed in the stack, is placed, priority is received… and there’s a new clean step.

 

13.­ What are the State-based Actions? They use the stack? They happens before or after the players receive priority?

They are special actions that are performed during particular moments through the game, they don’t use the stack and are done at the beginning of each step when they occur, before players receive priority.

 

14.- If a player adds mana to his/her mana pool during the upkeep, in which moment the unused mana leaves his/her mana pool?

At the end of his/her upkeep step.

 

15.- What phases and steps has a normal turn?, which ones are?

  • Beginning Phase
    • Untap, Upkeep and Draw steps
  • Precombat Main Phase
  • Combat Phase
    • Beginning of combat, Declare attacker, Declare blockers, Combat damage and End of combat steps
  • Postcombat Main Phase
  • Ending Phase
    • End and Cleanup steps

 

16.- Aaron has a Grizzly Bears and declares them as attacking creature. Nancy wants to tap the Bears with her Tumble Magnet to avoid being attacked. Can she do it?

She can target them with her Tumble Magnet, although will not prevent them to attack. As they already have been declared as attackers, tap them will not prevent them to attack. Tumble Magnet effect will be keep them tapped (because when they are declared as attackers, they will be tapped if they didn’t have vigilance) or tap them (if they had vigilance when attacked).

In order to prevent them to attack, she should do it before Declare Attackers Step (Beginning of Combat Phase, Precombat Main…).

 

17.- Amanda controls a Mogg Flunkies enchanted with Bloodshed Fever, and a Grizzly Bears. Which are all the attackers declarations that Amanda has available to do?

The only legal declaration is to attack with both of them. In order the declaration is legal the maximum number of requirements must be accomplished without violate any restriction. Here we have:

– Requirements: Mogg Flunkies attack if they can.

– Restriction: Mogg Flunkies cannot attack alone.

So:

– If Mogg Flunkies attack alone, we accomplish one requirement, but we violate a restriction.

– If the Grizzly Bears attack, we don’t accomplish a requirement that we may be fulfilled.

-If none attack, we don’t fulfill any requirement.

– If both attack we fulfill the requirement without violating any restriction.


 

18.- Players, receives priority between the damage is assigned and dealt?

No, both are turn-based actions that must be performed before receiving priority.

 

19.- Name three state-based actions that happens during combat.

– As soon the Beginning of combat step begins, in a multiplayer game, declare which of your opponents is the defending player (if the game is one in which active player opponents don’t become automatically in defending players)

– At the beginning of Declare attackers step; active player declares attackers.

– At the beginning of Declare blockers step; defending player declare blockers.

– After blockers were declared; announce the order of damage assignment to any creature blocked by multiple creatures.

– After active player damage assignment were announced; announce the order of damage to any blocker creature that is blocking multiple attackers (if appropriate)

– At the beginning of Damage step; announce how combat damage is assigned by every creature (in APNAP order)

– After damage is assigned during Combat damage step; all the combat damage is done at the same time.