Locating the End Step in the Turn Cycle
You’ve just played a nail-biting game of Magic: The Gathering. You’ve cast spells that ripped through your opponent’s defenses, attacked with your fearsome creatures, and expertly blocked their advances. The board state is complex, the tension is palpable… and the end of your turn is quickly approaching. But, what exactly *happens* next? What is the end step in MTG, and why is it so important?
The End Step is a crucial, often overlooked, phase of each turn in Magic: The Gathering. It’s a critical moment in the game’s flow, a place where a flurry of actions occur, crucial effects resolve, and the stage is set for the next player’s turn. Understanding what goes on during the end step is not just beneficial, it’s *essential* for playing Magic effectively, from avoiding missed triggers to making strategic decisions that can swing the game in your favor. If you want to be a better Magic player, understanding the end step is a foundational skill.
To truly grasp the significance of the end step, we need to understand where it fits within the overall structure of a Magic turn. Each turn in a game of Magic progresses through a specific series of phases, and the end step is the final hurrah before passing priority to your opponent.
It follows the second main phase, after you’ve cast your spells and attacked with your creatures. The turn sequence goes like this:
- Beginning Phase (includes Untap, Upkeep, and Draw steps)
- First Main Phase
- Combat Phase (Combat begins, Declare attackers, Declare blockers, Combat damage, Combat ends)
- Second Main Phase
- End Step
As you can see, the End Step is strategically placed at the very end. This positioning provides a crucial “cleanup” phase, resolving the various effects that shaped the game during that particular turn. The end step acts as a transition, clearing away temporary effects and setting the stage for the next player to unleash their own strategies.
Triggers and Timing in the End Step
The End Step isn’t just a passive phase; it’s often filled with triggered abilities that spring into action. These abilities, triggered by specific conditions, are crucial to understand. Many cards in Magic, especially those focused on sacrifice, drawing, or reanimating creatures, have effects that trigger “at the beginning of the end step.” Understanding that trigger is essential for playing the game efficiently and playing around your opponents strategies.
Another important concept is priority. At the End Step, like many other phases, players receive priority, meaning they have the opportunity to cast spells or activate abilities. This is your last chance to react to any triggers, prepare for the next turn, and influence the game state before it’s passed to your opponent.
Significant Actions During the End Step
The End Step is busy, and many essential actions occur in a precise order, each with its own specific impact on the game. There are a few crucial aspects of the End Step that are very important.
Discarding Down to Hand Size
One of the most fundamental actions taken during the end step is discarding down to your maximum hand size. This rule ensures that players are prevented from hoarding a massive arsenal of spells, promoting constant decision-making throughout the game. The standard maximum hand size is seven cards.
This is how it functions. At the beginning of your End Step, you check the number of cards in your hand. If it exceeds your hand size limit (typically seven), you must discard cards until you have only that many cards in your hand. It’s important to note that this is a game rule that happens automatically.
Cleanup Time
The end step is a time for cleaning up from a long combat, or from the impacts of a spell. There are a few key actions that occur here.
- Damage Removal: All damage dealt to creatures and players “wears off” at the beginning of the Cleanup Step. Any creatures that have lethal damage marked on them are destroyed as part of state-based actions (more on those later).
- Effects Ending: All effects that last “until end of turn” expire. This is a critical point, as spells and abilities that have drastically altered the game state during your turn will revert to their normal state. This includes things like pump spells that have made your creatures larger.
State-Based Actions
After damage and effects expire, state-based actions are checked and resolved. State-based actions are automatic actions that occur in response to the current game state. Some examples include:
- A creature with lethal damage marked on it.
- A creature with 0 or less toughness.
- A player with 0 or less life.
If any state-based actions exist, they are performed immediately and simultaneously. Creatures with lethal damage are put into the graveyard, creatures with 0 or less toughness are put into the graveyard, and players with 0 or less life lose the game. It’s critical to understand that state-based actions happen *before* triggered abilities are placed on the stack.
Triggered Abilities on the Stack
If any triggered abilities have activated during the End Step, they go on the stack after the discard and cleanup steps. This includes effects like those that trigger “at the end of turn.” When multiple triggered abilities are ready to go on the stack, the active player (the player whose turn it is) places their triggered abilities on the stack in the order they choose. Then, the non-active player adds their triggered abilities on the stack in the order they choose. This means the non-active player’s triggered abilities will resolve first. Players then get priority to respond to these abilities.
Strategic Implications and Examples
The End Step has strategic implications, and knowing how to play the End Step is key to Magic, and it can significantly impact your decision-making throughout a game. Here are a few examples.
Forethought and Planning
Knowing what happens during the End Step should influence your decisions throughout the game, from the spells you cast to the attacks you make. If you understand the implications of the End Step, you can get a leg up on your opponent. For instance, you might want to:
- Choose your spell. Some spells are much more effective when used in the End Step.
- Manage your hand. Having discard effects on the battlefield means you’ll want to consider what you want to discard at the end of the turn.
Common End Step Effects
Let’s consider a few examples of how the end step functions.
- A creature with “at the end of turn, sacrifice this creature.” In this case, you want to consider what you’ll be getting out of the creature. Will it be worth it to sacrifice the creature? What will you be losing?
- A card that causes you to draw cards and discard at the end step. This is an incredible effect, as it essentially replaces cards and allows you to get rid of any that are less effective in the situation.
- Effects that trigger on “until end of turn.” Pump spells that have a strong impact on combat during the active turn may become useless in the end step if their effects are over. It’s critical to keep those kinds of implications in mind.
Gaining Strategic Advantages
Comprehending the End Step gives you the ability to anticipate your opponent’s actions and proactively build your strategy. It allows you to:
- Plan your plays: Knowing that damage clears and effects expire allows you to gauge the long-term value of your actions.
- Maximize value: Recognizing that triggers will occur in the end step allows you to get extra value from cards.
- Predict opponents: Knowing what triggers are likely to happen allows you to make the most of your strategy and adapt based on the circumstances.
The Path to Mastery
The End Step is not just a perfunctory part of the turn structure; it’s a dynamic zone in Magic: The Gathering where crucial actions occur, and critical strategic implications can impact the flow of the game. From discarding to cleaning up the battlefield and making sure the stack is resolved, the End Step is the final test that decides how the events of the turn will play out.
So, the next time you’re playing, take a moment to consider the End Step. Anticipate the triggers, plan for the discard, and understand the timing. By focusing on this element, you’ll be equipped to make more informed decisions, better leverage your card advantage, and elevate your skills. Go forth and conquer – and may the End Step be ever in your favor!
