Battle Phase Printable version

The Battle Phase is split into 4 steps and is conducted in the following order: Start Step, Battle Step, Damage Step, End Step. The Battle Step and Damage Step can be repeated as many times as you need.

Start Step

The steps starts the Battle Phase. The turn player should announce "I'm entering the Battle Phase."

IMPORTANT: The player who goes first cannot conduct a Battle Phase in their very first turn.

Battle Step

• Select 1 monster on your side of the field to attack with, and 1 of your opponent's monsters as your attack target, and then declare an attack. If your opponent does not have any monsters on the field, you can attack directly. If you cannot see your opponent's monsters because of a divider, you choose one of your opponent's Monster Card Zones as the target. If you do not wish to attack, proceed to the End Step.
  
• Once you have declared the attack, you or your opponent may respond by activating Magic & Trap cards (follow Priority rules). For example this is when a player would activate a card that says, "When your opponent's monster attacks..."
  
• After that Chain has resolved, players may start additional chains if they wish. (However, now players may NOT activate cards that respond to attacks.)
  
• When neither player wishes to Chain, play then proceeds to the Damage Step. (Afterwards, the attacking player returns to the Battle Step, and repeats this process.)

Normally, each face-up Attack Position monster is allowed 1 attack per turn. Monsters don't have to attack if you don't want them to.

Replay Rules

After you've announced your attacking monster and the attack target monster during a Battle Step, the attack target might be removed from the field, moved to another Monster Card Zone, or another monster may be placed on the opponent's side of the field before the Damage Step, due to a card's effect. If the attack target is removed from the field or moved to another Monster Card Zone, your monster must now attack whatever is in the Monster Card Zone that contained the attack target when you first selected the target. If there is no monster in that Monster Card Zone, then nothing happens. If another monster is placed on the opponent's side of the field before the Damage Step, the new monster becomes the attack target monster.

Damage Step

In this step, the players calculate the result of the battle and whatever damage is done. There are limits on what cards you can activate. Also, Flip Effects resolve a bit differently than they normally do. After finishing the Damage Step, return to the Battle Step.

• If you attack a face-down monster, flip the card to face-up Defense Position in the Damage Step. Now you can see the monster's DEF and then calculate damage.
  
• During the Damage Step, you can only activate Counter cards, cards with effects that directly change a monster's ATK or DEF, or cards or effects that say that they can be activated during the Damage Step. These cards can only be activated before damage calculation.
  
• Effects of face-up cards that are only applied during a battle are applied here.
  
• You calculate Battle Damage based on the battle position of the monster you are attacking. If you attack an Attack Position monster, compare ATK vs. ATK. If you attack a Defense Position monster, compare your monster's ATK vs. the attacked monster's DEF.
  • When you attack an Attack Position monster (ATK of attacking monster vs. ATK of opponent's monster):
    • When your attacking monster's ATK is higher than the ATK of the opponent's monster, the attacking monster destroys the opponent's monster and sends it to the Graveyard. The amount that your attacking monster's ATK exceeds the ATK of your opponent's monster is subtracted from your opponent's Life Points as Battle Damage.
    • When your attacking monster's ATK is equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster, the result is considered a tie, and both monsters are destroyed. Neither player takes any Battle Damge.
    • When your attacking monster's ATK is lower than the ATK of the opponent's monster, the attacking monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. The amount that the oppoent's monster's ATK exceeds the ATK of your attacking monster is subtracted from your Life Points as Battle Damage.
  • When you attack a Defense Position Monster (ATK of attacking monster vs. DEF of opponent's monster):
    • When your attacking monster's ATK is higher than the DEF of the opponent's monster, the attacking monster destroys the opponent's monster and sends it to the Graveyard.
    • When your attacking monster's ATK is equal to the DEF of the opponent's monster, neither monster is destroyed. Neither player takes any Battle Damage.
    • When your attacking monster's ATK is lower than the DEF of the opponent's monster, neither monster is destroyed. The amount that the opponent's monster's DEF exceeds the ATK of your attacking monster is subtracted from your Life Points as Battle Damage.
  • If your opponent has no monsters:
    • If there are no monsters on your opponent's side of the field, you can attack directly. The full amount of your attacking monster's ATK is subtracted from the opponent's Life Points as Battle Damage.
• Effects that activate when a monster battles a monster or when Battle Damage is done are applied now. A player may also activate cards that respond to Battle Damage and Chain them with Counter cards. If an attacked monster was flipped face-up, any Flip Effects are activated and resolved after damage calculation. If you need to select a monster for the Flip Effect to target, you cannot target a monster that has already been destroyed during damage calculation. A player may also Chain to the Flip Effect with Counter cards. If more than one effect is activated at this point, they are placed on a Chain, beginning with the mandatory effects.
  
• Monsters that have been destroyed in battle are sent to the Graveyard now. Effects of monsters that say, "When this card is sent to the graveyard..." are activated now. You may also activate cards that respond to a monster being sent to the graveyard or destroyed AS A RESULT OF BATTLE. You may Chain with Counter Cards.
  
• Certain effects are applied at the end of the Damage Step. Once the Damage Step is finished, return to the Battle Step.

End Step

After you've resolved all your battles by repeating the Battle and Damage Steps, and you have no more monsters you want to attack with, announce to your opponent that you are ending your Battle Phase. Certain effects are applied at the end of the Battle Phase. Players may also activate Quick-Play and Trap cards.

At the Same Time

Some effects allow a monster to attack multiple targets "at the same time" or multiple monsters to attack a single target at the same time, or, in rare instances, multiple monsters to attack multiple targets. The potentially high number of participants increases the complexity of the battle, but it still follows the basic flow of a single battle.

Battle Step

Announce the attacking monster(s) and the target(s). Players may activate effects to respond to the attack declaration and may also start new Chains. When the Chains have resolved and neither player wishes to Chain, proceed to the Damage Step.

Damage Step

Begin by flipping each of the face-down targets face-up. Players may activate effects that normally would be activated here.

Then calculate damage:

• One monster attacking many targets:
  Starting from your left, for each target, compare the ATK of the attacking monster with the ATK of the Attack Position target or with the DEF of the Defense Position target.
• Many monsters attacking one target:
  Starting from your left, for each attacking monster, compare the ATK of the attacking monster with the ATK of the Attack Position target or with the DEF of the Defense Position target.
• Many monsters attacking many targets:
  Starting from your left, for each attacking monster, compare the ATK of the attacking monster with the ATK of each Attack Position target, starting from your left. Next, starting from your left, for each attacking monster, compare the ATK of the attacking monster with the DEF of each Defense Position target, starting from your left.

• If an Attack Position target has an ATK lower than your attacking monster's ATK, then the target is marked for destruction and a number of your opponent's Life Points equal to the difference is marked for depletion (it's probably a good idea to use paper, not only in this instance, but all the time).
• If an Attack Position target has an ATK higher than your attacking monster's ATK, then your attacking monster is marked for destruction and a number of your Life Points equal to the difference is marked for depletion.
• If a Defense Position target has a DEF lower than your attacking monster's ATK, the target is marked for destruction.
• If a Defense Position target has a higher DEF than your attacking monster's ATK, then a number of your Life Points equal to the difference are marked for depletion.

After calculating the damage for all attacking monsters and/or targets, monsters that have been marked for destruction are now considered destroyed (however, as usual, they are not sent to the graveyard until later in the Damage Step). Life Points that have been marked for depletion are now subtracted from the respective players' Life Points.

It is likely that several effects (such as Flip Effects) will activate during this battle. Follow the rules for simultaneous effects.

Afterwards, send all monsters that have been destroyed as a result of damage calculation to the Graveyard. Effects that say "When this card is sent to the Graveyard..." may activate; follow the rules for simultaneous effects.