Combat is one of the first parts of Magic: The Gathering that feels simple until you actually have to make a difficult attack. Which creatures can attack? Who chooses the blockers? Can two creatures block one attacker, and what happens when a creature has trample?
The basic system is straightforward: the attacking player chooses attackers, the defending player chooses blockers, and creatures then deal combat damage. The decisions surrounding those steps are where Magic becomes much more interesting.
This guide explains exactly how attacking and blocking work in MTG, from declaring attackers and blockers to combat damage, summoning sickness, multiple blockers and the most common combat abilities.
How Does Combat Work in MTG?
Combat in Magic follows a fixed sequence. The attacking player decides which eligible creatures will attack, the defending player chooses how to block them, and the surviving creatures then deal combat damage. What makes combat strategic is that both players receive opportunities to cast instants and activate abilities between those decisions.
You normally attack players, planeswalkers or battles rather than attacking opposing creatures directly. The defending player controls the blocking decisions, which means a strong attack is not simply about counting your creatures. You also need to anticipate how your opponent can block and what they might do with any untapped mana.
If you are still learning the rest of the game, our How to Play Magic: The Gathering guide explains mana, card types, turn structure, casting spells and the other fundamentals every new player needs.
The 5 Steps of the Combat Phase
Combat happens in a strict chronological order. Between each step, priority passes around the table, meaning players can cast Instants or activate abilities before the game moves forward.
1. Beginning of Combat Step
-
What Happens: The active player announces they are entering combat. This is normally the last opportunity to tap, remove or otherwise stop a creature before attackers are declared.
-
Tactical Play: If an opponent controls a creature you do not want attacking you, you must cast a tap-down spell or a removal spell like Go for the Throat during this step. Once the game moves to the next step, it is too late.
2. Declare Attackers Step
-
What Happens: The active player chooses which eligible creatures are attacking and taps them. Once chosen, these attackers are locked in.
-
The Golden Rule: You attack players or planeswalkers, never specific creatures. You cannot choose to have your giant dinosaur attack your opponent’s small wizard directly.
-
Priority Window: After attackers are declared, both players get priority to cast instant-speed spells before blockers are chosen.
3. Declare Blockers Step
-
What Happens: The defending player chooses which of their untapped creatures will block the incoming attackers. Multiple creatures can block a single attacker.
-
The Unblocked Target Rule: Once a creature is legally blocked by a defender, it remains „blocked“ for the rest of the turn. Even if you use a removal spell like Lightning Strike to destroy the blocker after it is declared, the attacking creature does not suddenly become unblocked. It will deal no damage to the player unless it has the Trample keyword.
4. Combat Damage Step
-
What Happens: All creatures deal damage simultaneously. Attacking creatures deal damage equal to their Power to the player or the blocking creatures. Blocking creatures deal damage equal to their Power to the attackers.
-
No Responses Allowed: Players cannot cast spells or activate abilities during this step while damage is physically being dealt. Any pump spells like Giant Growth must be cast during the Declare Blockers Step before the game moves to damage.
5. End of Combat Step
-
What Happens: The combat phase is wrapping up. Most creatures that took lethal combat damage have already been put into the graveyard, but abilities that trigger at the end of combat can happen here before the game moves to the second main phase.
How Attacking and Blocking Work in MTG
1. Who Chooses the Blockers?
The defending player chooses which untapped creatures will block each attacker. The attacking player does not normally choose which opposing creature their attacker will fight. A blocker can usually block one attacking creature, while a single attacker can be blocked by multiple creatures.
Once blockers have been legally declared, an attacking creature remains blocked for the rest of that combat even if every creature blocking it later leaves the battlefield. Without trample or another ability that changes how damage works, removing the blocker after blocks are declared does not cause the attacker to suddenly deal damage to the defending player.
2. What Happens When an Attacker Is Unblocked?
If an attacking creature is not blocked, it normally deals combat damage equal to its power to the player, planeswalker or battle it is attacking. A 4/4 creature that attacks a player and goes unblocked will therefore normally deal 4 damage to that player.
This is why the timing of removal matters. If you remove a potential blocker after attackers have been declared but before blockers are chosen, your opponent may lose the opportunity to put that creature in front of your attacker.
3. Can Multiple Creatures Block One Attacker?
Yes. The defending player can assign multiple creatures to block the same attacking creature, which is often called double blocking or multiple blocking. This allows smaller creatures to combine their power against a much larger attacker, although all of those creatures may be exposed to combat damage in return.
How Multiple Blockers and Combat Damage Work
Multiple blockers used to involve a system called damage assignment order, but that rule was removed with Magic: The Gathering Foundations. Under the current rules, if one attacker is blocked by multiple creatures, its controller does not put those blockers into a damage order.
When the combat damage step begins, the attacking creature’s controller can divide that creature’s combat damage among the creatures blocking it however they choose. There is no requirement to assign lethal damage to one blocker before assigning damage to another.
For example, imagine a 4/4 creature is blocked by a 2/2 and a 3/3. The attacking player has 4 combat damage to distribute. They could assign 2 damage to each blocker, all 4 damage to the 3/3, 3 damage to the 3/3 and 1 to the 2/2, or another legal combination. Meanwhile, the two blocking creatures normally deal their combined 5 damage back to the 4/4, destroying it.
Trample is the important exception. If the attacking creature has trample and you want excess damage to reach the player, planeswalker or battle it is attacking, you must still assign lethal damage to all creatures blocking it before assigning the remaining damage beyond them.
Combat Timing: When Should You Cast Instants?
Combat becomes much more interesting once instant-speed interaction enters the picture. The important rule is that players receive opportunities to cast instants and activate abilities between the major combat decisions, but not between the assignment and dealing of combat damage.
If you want to prevent a creature from attacking by tapping or removing it, act before attackers are declared. Once that creature has legally been declared as an attacker, tapping it will not remove it from combat.
If you want to remove a potential blocker so your creature can attack through, the best opportunity is normally after attackers have been declared but before blockers are chosen. Once a creature has legally blocked an attacker, removing that blocker does not normally make the attacker unblocked.
Combat tricks such as Giant Growth are often most valuable after blockers have been declared. At that point you already know how your opponent chose to block and can use your spell with much more information. Once the game proceeds to combat damage assignment, however, there is no opportunity to cast another spell between assigning that damage and dealing it.
Combat is only one part of a Magic turn. Our MTG turn structure guide explains where the combat phase sits between the two main phases and when players receive priority.
Combat Abilities That Change the Rules
1. Trample
Trample allows an attacking creature to deal excess combat damage beyond its blockers. The attacker must first assign lethal damage to every creature blocking it before the remaining damage can be assigned to the player, planeswalker or battle being attacked.
For example, a 6/6 creature with trample blocked by a 2/2 can normally assign 2 damage to the blocker and the remaining 4 damage to the defending player. Effects such as deathtouch can change what counts as lethal damage for this purpose.
2. First Strike and Double Strike
First strike creates an earlier combat damage step in which creatures with first strike and double strike deal their damage before creatures without those abilities. If a normal creature is destroyed during that first-strike damage step, it may never get the opportunity to deal combat damage back.
Double strike goes one step further: the creature can deal damage during both the first-strike combat damage step and the normal combat damage step.
3. Deathtouch
Any amount of combat damage dealt by a source with deathtouch is normally enough to be considered lethal to a creature. This makes even a 1/1 deathtouch creature an uncomfortable blocker for a much larger attacker and creates particularly powerful interactions with trample.
4. Flying and Reach
A creature with flying can normally only be blocked by another creature with flying or by a creature with reach. Flying therefore makes combat less about raw creature size and more about whether the defending player has an eligible blocker at all.
Common Combat Mistakes New Players Make
One of the most common beginner mistakes is trying to interact too late. Tapping a creature after it has already attacked does not undo the attack, and destroying a blocker after blocks have been declared does not normally make the attacking creature unblocked.
Another mistake is casting combat tricks too early. If you cast Giant Growth before your opponent chooses blockers, you give them additional information and may allow them to simply block another creature. Waiting until blockers are declared often forces the opponent to commit before you reveal your trick.
New players also frequently attack simply because a creature is able to attack. Every creature sent into combat is usually one fewer blocker available during the opponent’s next turn. Sometimes the strongest combat decision is not attacking at all.
Finally, always check the keywords involved before calculating a trade. Trample, deathtouch, first strike, double strike, flying and similar abilities can completely change a combat that initially looks straightforward.
Final Thoughts: Good Combat Is About Information
The biggest lesson in combat timing is patience. When possible, avoid committing instant-speed resources before you have the information you need. If you are using a combat trick, waiting until blockers are declared often lets you see exactly where the important fight will happen. If you need to remove a potential blocker entirely, you may need to act one step earlier.
Once you understand those timing windows, combat becomes far less mysterious. You stop thinking only about which creatures are bigger and start thinking about information, open mana, possible responses and what your opponent is trying to accomplish. That is where attacking and blocking become one of the most rewarding parts of Magic.
Still learning the fundamentals? Continue with our How to Play Magic: The Gathering guide for a complete introduction to mana, spells, card types, turn structure and winning your first game.
