Combat

1. Beginning of Combat — last chance to act before attackers are declared.
2. Declare Attackers — the active player chooses attackers. Attacking taps them (unless they have vigilance). Only untapped creatures without summoning sickness can attack.
3. Declare Blockers — the defending player assigns blockers. A creature can only block if it is untapped.
4. Combat Damage — attackers and blockers deal damage simultaneously.
5. End of Combat.

Players receive priority in each step, so instants and abilities can be used at each stage.

A creature can only attack, or use an activated ability with the tap ({T}) or untap ({Q}) symbol in its cost, if its controller has controlled it continuously since their most recent turn began. This is summoning sickness. Haste removes this restriction. Note that summoning sickness has nothing to do with blocking — a freshly-cast creature can block just fine.

If an attacking creature is blocked by multiple creatures, its controller chooses the order the blockers are stacked and must assign at least lethal damage to one blocker before moving on to the next. A blocked creature deals no damage to the player unless it has trample (excess damage tramples over to the player or planeswalker).

An attacker that becomes unblocked after being blocked still deals no combat damage to the player unless an effect says otherwise (it "remains blocked"). A creature "blocked but with no blockers" deals no damage.

• Flying — can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach.
• Reach — can block flyers.
• First strike — deals combat damage in a separate, earlier step.
• Double strike — deals damage in both the first-strike step and the normal step.
• Deathtouch — any amount of damage it deals to a creature is lethal.
• Trample — excess damage beyond lethal is assigned to the defending player/planeswalker.
• Vigilance — attacking doesn't cause it to tap.
• Menace — can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
• Lifelink — damage it deals also gains its controller that much life.