Shortcuts make Magic easier to play. Did you know that each player passes priority eight times in a turn where each player does nothing? It’s true! Because Magic is such a complex game, we have shortcuts to speed up gameplay and make things less technical. Most shortcuts skip multiple priority passes, but players can always interrupt shortcuts by explaining where they want to step in. Remember that you can’t ask for priority and then do nothing with it.

A common and official shortcut is when a player announces they are ending their turn. Examples of this would be saying “Go,” “Your turn,” or anything similar means you’re passing priority until your opponent has priority in your end step. At this point, it’s too late to do anything in your end step unless another player takes an action.

For example, if you say “Go”, and your opponent passes priority back, you won’t have a chance to cast that eighth card in your hand before you have to discard. If you want priority in your own end step, you should say so specifically, e.g. “Go to my end step,” or “I want to do something end of turn.”

Today’s Rules Tip was provided by Charlotte Sable, a level 2 judge from Ontario, Canada.