7 Steps of Battle?

Good day people of Duel Academy and beyond. This article is dedicated to my annoyances gained via random duels versus people on Dueling Network. It seems that a lot of players still fail to understand how the different damage steps work and how this influences card interactions. This article will give you more insight in how the phases work and what can and what cannot be used at the different times. The article will be broken down into the following parts;

• Spell Speeds
• Types of Monster Effects
• SEGOC and Priority
• The Battle Phase
• The Damage steps
• Quiz

To gain more insight it is needed to know what Spell Speeds are and how the influence your game(s), and more importantly the damage step(s). If you think you know Spell Speeds like a champion, cool but still read this part to refresh your memory. If not be sure to read this part fully and carefully, so that you will not get confused later on in the article.


In Yu-Gi-Oh! there are 3 different types of Spell Speeds. Each Spell Speed can only be countered with one that is greater, or equal. The exception to this is Spell Speed 1, which cannot be used against each other in normal play, unless special situations allow it. More regarding this later on in the article.

Spell Speed 1:

Spell Speed 1 is the slowest of all the Spell Speeds, and is the only Spell Speed that cannot be countered by cards of the same Spell Speed during normal play.

The following are all Spell Speed 1:

• Normal Spell cards
• Field Spell cards
• Ritual Spell cards
• Continuous Spell cards
• Flip/Ignition effects
• Trigger effects

Rules for Spell Speed 1:



Spell Speed 2:

Spell Speed 2 cards are the most common and as you can probably tell, the middle ground of the spell speeds. Spell Speed 2 cards or effects can be chained to both Spell Speed 1 and cards of an equal Spell Speed. So how to know what Spell Speed 1are;

• Quick-Play Spell Cards
• Normal & Continuous Trap Cards
• Quick Effects

Spell Speed 3:

Spell Speed 3 cards that hold the fastest Spell Speed in both the TCG and OCG game called Yu-Gi-Oh!. Spell Speed 3 cards; Counter Traps and nothing else. So keep this in mind, seeing some people have been confusing that for example Light and Darkness Dragon had a Spell Speed 3 effect.


Now that you know the difference between Spell Speeds and what sort of cards hold which certain type of Spell Speed it is about to know about the monsters effects and what sort of effects monsters have. All possible monster effects are;

• Continuous Monster Effects
• Flip Monster Effects
• Ignition Monster Effects
• Trigger Monster Effects
• Quick Monster Effects
• Summon Monster Effects


Continuous Monster Effects:

These are the most basic; Continuous Monster Effects come into play the second the monster hits the field (when the summon has been declared successful). Their effects are "always on", and do not start a chain. This is the reason why your opponent cannot respond to Jinzo’s effect by let’s say Bottomless Trap Hole.

Flip Monster Effects:

Monsters with these effects will have "FLIP" at the start of their lore. These effects activate as soon as the monster is flipped face-up, unless the effect is negated, such as by the effect of "Ceasefire". If the monster is flipped face-up during the Damage Step; damage calculation is carried out, then the Flip Effect is resolved. The details regarding this will be provided later on in the article.

Ignition Effects Monsters:

These are effects that can only be activated during your Main Phase, be it your first or your second. The most common mistake, is thinking a monster's effect can be activated during either player's turn; in truth, this is only possible if it specifically states on the card, "... can be activated during either player's turn." Ignition Monster Effects cannot be chained to each other, so you cannot, for example, chain the effects of two "Hand of Nephthys", to avoid Tributing other monsters, and at the same time, Special Summon 2 "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys".

Trigger Monster Effects:

These can be easily identified, as these effects require a specific time, event or situation to have occurred for the effect to become eligible for activation. There are two sub-types of Trigger Monster Effects. They are called; Mandatory Trigger Effects and Optional Trigger Effects.

• Mandatory Trigger Effects are effects that must activate, the player is not given a choice as to whether to do so or not. A common example would be "Sangan". These effects cannot miss their timing.
• Optional Trigger Effects are effects that must be the last link on the Chain for the player to be able to activate the effect when the condition(s) for activation are met. For example; if your opponent activates "Mystical Space Typhoon", and you chain "Call of the Haunted", targeting "Green Gadget" "Mystical Space Typhoon" will resolve after "Green Gadget" hits the field via "Call of the Haunted". "Mystical Space Typhoon" will be the last card whose effect has resolved on the field, so the controller of "Green Gadget" will not be able to activate the effect.

Quick Monster Effects:

These are a special type of Monster Effect; they are the only Spell Speed 2 Monster Card Effects, and the only one that can be activated during either player's turn. These can be easily identified because the player can choose, at any time (subject to activation limitations), to activate the effect, either on its own, or chained to another Spell Speed 1 or Spell Speed 2 effect.

Summon Monster Effects:

These are an advanced form of Monster Effects, and are only used in a few isolated cases. These are not to be confused with "Summoning Conditions" (which restrict how the monster is Summoned to the field). An example of a card with a Summon Monster Effect is "Cocoon of Evolution".

Now along with monster effects come 2 important game changing aspects of the game. I am referring to SEGOC and Priority. Understanding these 2 aspects of the game alone will already provide you with more knowledge of the game than most of your random Dueling Network opponents. So let’s continue shall we.



Sometimes, you will have multiple Trigger or Trigger-like effects that will try to activate simultaneously, such as when "Mystic Tomato" attacks another "Mystic Tomato", or when two copies of "Sangan" are sent to the Graveyard at the same time by the effect of "Dark Hole". In cases like these, the effects all activate and form a Chain, even if they are Spell Speed 1 effects. This is a special case when Spell Speed 1 effects can be chained to each other, because they are all trying to activate at the same time, and the players are not "choosing" to activate them.

The order they go in:

1. Turn Player's Mandatory Effects
2. Non-Turn Player's Mandatory Effects
3. Turn Player's Optional Effects
4. Non-Turn Player's Optional Effects

In the list of how the order of the SEGOC should be when the turn player makes use of his turn players priority. Note that monsters of their effects do not have priority! This brings me to the subject that has had so much fuzz about it that it actually made a little sick, but for the sake of the Yu-Gi-Oh! community we share it will be explained.

Priority can be defined as "A player's 'right' to be able to activate his/her effect, ensuring its spot on Chain Link 1." Priority does not allow players to automatically activate and resolve effects without a chain; it simply assures a card's activation (not resolution), and guarantees a place on Chain Link 1. How the chain resolves is up to the players. Priority tells you who can activate an effect at any certain point in the game.

Examples of this phenomenon;



Note: This is only in TCG , OCG ruling was changed on 19th March 2011

But luckily this isn’t all when it comes to priority, seeing you can also pass up on your right to make us of your turn player priority. This is automatically done when you ( the turn player ) declare the end of a phase. In cases of Mandatory Trigger effects the priority to respond it also automatically shifted towards your opponent. However in some cases Turn Priority can be ignored. If the opponent has a card that must be activated at a specific time, such as the Standby or Main Phase of the opponent's turn, these cards can be activated even if the Turn Player has no cards to play at that time. If the card is played during the end of the Main Phase the opponent has passed up their opportunity to play their card first. However, a replay can be demanded for any other situation if the Turn Player wishes to play a Chain Link 1. To avoid this dispute, it is etiquette to ask the Turn Player if they would like to play a card during a respective phase (as declining to play a card results in passing their Priority to the Opponent).

Take a little break, seeing you have absorbed a lot of information already. Take a drink, play a duel and come back to gain more knowledge of the game.

So you enjoyed your little break I see and came back for more knowledge, well it is my honor to serve you some more. So let’s get back to it. You have now learned the basic understandings of monster effects and the Spell Speeds that this game holds. Now it is about time to enter the Battle Phase, which is my favorite one.


You may not enter the Battle Phase if you are the starting player. Entering your Battle Phase is optional, except where special conditions apply (like if you control a face-up Attack Position "Berserk Gorilla"). If you do not wish to enter the Battle Phase, you must immediately proceed to your End Phase, without proceeding to Main Phase 2. You may enter the Battle Phase even if you do not control any monsters, or if all monsters you control are in Defense Position.

When you do decide to enter your Battle Phase and are willing to attack your opponent or his/her monster(s) you have to go through the damage step, which on itself holds seven sub-steps. These sub-steps are annoying for a lot of people playing this game, all because they do not understand how it works. But before you enter the damage step you will have to attack your opponent so what happens before the damage step you ask, it is as followed;

Attack Declaration:



Before the Damage Step:



Now that you know what you can do before the actual damage step and in the battle phase let’s get to the part where a lot of people start to mix up different things. As I previously stated, the damage step holds 7 sub-steps that need to be traveled in order to perform it properly. In order for you to do so here are the sub-steps listed in order;

1. Start of the Damage Step
2. Flipping the Facedown monster up
3. Before Damage Calculation
4. During Damage Calculation
5. After Damage Calculation
6. Effect Resolving
7. End of the Damage Step

I know, just listing these sub-steps out for you guys might not be enough to give you more insight into the damage step than you previously had. Therefore I will go into detail for each step using baby steps.

Start of the Damage Step:

• At the beginning of the first sub-step certain Continuous Effects “activate”, these effects alter the atk/def height of the monster that holds the effect. An example of this would be Jain the Lightsworn Paladin.
• Now it is time for certain Trigger effects to “activate” such a Neo-Spacian Grand Mole.

At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles an opponent's monster: You can return both monsters to the hand (without damage calculation).

The part underlined already indicates that the effect activates at this very moment. Which is important, seeing most cards already clear out the time in which the effect is applied or activated.

• Effects that increase, decrease, halve, or double the ATK and/or DEF of a monster can be activated at this time.

Flipping the Face-Down Monster Face-Up:

• Face-down monsters that are attacked will now automatically flip to face-up def position at the beginning of this sub-step. Any flip or Trigger effects that activate when the monster is flipped face-up will not activate at this time.
• Continuous Effects of the flipped up monsters are now being applied. So let me take the same example as I did before. Jinzo will now negate the effect of trap cards again.
• Continuous Effects that would destroy itself under certain conditions are “ignored” at this time. An example of this would be; Thunder Nyan Nyan.

If there is a non-LIGHT monster on your side of the field, destroy this face-up card.

• Because of this damage calculation is still conducted as normal. If the monster is destroyed by the battle, its effect is not applied. If the monster survives the battle, it is destroyed by its effect after damage calculation.
• Effects that increase, decrease, halve, or double the ATK and/or DEF of a monster can be activated at this time.

Before Damage Calculation:

• Card effects that state “without applying Damage Calculation” or something similar will now activate. Damage calculation will be skipped. An effect like Ehren, Lightsworn Monk will do this for example. She attacks, Sub-step one occurs. Sub-Step 2 then follows. The monster is flipped (effect is not activated yet, remember this!). Now the current step occurs. At this point Ehren will activate and send the monster flying back into the deck! Their effects are applied, then the Damage Step proceeds as normal after damage calculation.

Before damage calculation, when this card attacks a Defense Position monster: Shuffle that monster into the Deck. During each of your End Phases: Send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. You must control this face-up card to activate and to resolve this effect.

The underlined part of her effect indicates that Damage Calculation will not happen, and therefore at the start of the 3rd Sub Step (Before Damage Calculation) her effect applies before damage is dealt. Sending the monster back without any damage calculation.


• Cards that activate when flipped face-up by an attack activate at this time. Generally these cards also skip Damage Calculation. For example; Blast Sphere

If an opponent's monster attacks this face-down Defense Position card, this card becomes an Equip Card equipped to the attacking monster, before damage calculation. Destroy the equipped monster during your opponent's next Standby Phase, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK.

Notice again that this card also states before damage calculation. Any card with this phrase will activate during this sub-step. This gives it the chance to by-pass the rule that card effects of flipped monsters activate during a later sub-step. This means they will activate during this step, no damage dealt.

• Effects that increase, decrease, halve, or double the ATK and/or DEF of a monster can be activated at this time.


During Damage Calculation:

• Some effects in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG are applied "during damage calculation". Damage Calculation is a specific event in the Damage Step during which we compare the ATK and/or DEF of the monsters in battle and inflict Battle Damage, if appropriate, following the rules on Pages 35-36 of the rulebook (Version 7.0). Some effects are applied during this very specific event, like "Injection Fairy Lily" and "Kuriboh", begin a Chain, while Continuous Effects that are applied during damage calculation do not.

In this sub-step of the damage step there is only the possibility to form 1 chain, with effects that can be activated during damage calculation. Meaning, only effects that are activated "during damage calculation" and effects that negate them, such as Counter Trap Cards and the effects of cards like "Herald of Orange Light" and "Light and Darkness Dragon", can be activated at this time.
Effects that increase, decrease, halve, double, etc. the ATK and/or DEF of a monster cannot be activated at this time, unless they are specifically allowed to be activated "during damage calculation". This means that cards like "Shrink", which are not specifically activated "during damage calculation", cannot be activated, while "Injection Fairy Lily's" effect can be activated.



Any Continuous Effects specific to damage calculation are applied (turn on) before the "during damage calculation" Chain begins, but some can be applied or disappear during the Chain's resolution if the conditions of the battle change (ATK/DEF change, Life Point change, etc.) After the "during damage calculation" Chain has finished resolving and all appropriate Continuous Effects have been applied, the results of the attack are determined and any resulting Battle Damage is inflicted.

If a monster is destroyed by a card effect during damage calculation ("Divine Wrath", etc.), any remaining effects on the Chain finish resolving. After the Chain finishes resolving, damage calculation stops. No battle damage is inflicted and neither monster is destroyed by the battle. The monster that is destroyed by a card effect is not considered to have been destroyed by battle, because damage calculation stopped and this determination wasn't made. The remainder of the Damage Step continues as normal.

After Damage Calculation:

• If the flipped monster had a "self-destruct" effect such as "Thunder Nyan Nyan" and it has survived the battle, it is destroyed by its effect at this time if its proper field conditions are not met.
• Immediately after inflicting Battle Damage, "Flashbang" can be activated before any other effects activate. If "Flashbang" is activated and resolves properly, then other effect that activate when Battle Damage is inflicted will not activate.
• Activate effects that activate when Battle Damage is inflicted to a player’s Life Points, like “Don Zaloog” and “Spirit Reaper”.
• "Attack and Receive", "Numinous Healer", "Damage Condenser", and the effect of a face-up "Damage = Reptile" may be activated at this time.

Resolve effects:

This sub-step deals with the Flip Effect of the Flip Effect Monster that were flipped face-up by the attack. However if the effect targets you cannot select a target that has been destroyed during damage calculation, seeing it technically isn’t on the field anymore.

• The Flip Effect of the monster flipped face-up by the attack activate at this time. If the flipped monster had a Trigger Effect that activates when the monster is flipped face-up (“Royal Keeper”, “Nightmare Penguin”, etc.), it will be activated at this time.
• The Trigger Effects of “D.D. Warrior”, “D.D. Warrior Lady”, and “D.D. Assailant” activate at this time. If “Wall of Illusion” was attacked, its Trigger Effect activates at this time.
• If a monster destroyed by the battle has a Continuous Effect that is applied while the monster is face-up on the field (“Jinzo”, “Spell Canceller”, etc.), the Continuous Effect is no longer applied. Conditions that change where a monster goes when it is removed from the field at the end of the Damage Step are unaffected (“Crystal Beast” monsters, “Dark Magician of Chaos”, etc.).

End of the Damage Step:

Monsters that have been destroyed by battle are now sent to the Graveyard unless cards such as Dimensional Fissure, Banisher of Radiance or Marco Cosmos are face-up on the field, then the monsters get removed from the game.

• Monster effects that have the condition of being destroyed by battle and being send to the graveyard will now activate. Effects like those of “Mystic Tomato” are a perfect example of those a-like.
• Monsters like “Apprentice Magician” whose effects activate when “destroyed by battle” will activate at this time. If "Apprentice Magician" is removed from play instead (by "Macro Cosmos"), then it will still activate because it does not need to be “destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard”.
• Monster effects such as “The Six Samurai-Zanji” will now activate.
• If you have another monster on the field, once you have completed the Damage Step you can go back to Battle Step and declare a new attack. Note even if you have several monsters and you opponent has an open field, each monster must complete the entire process before another monster can declare another attack. Each attack is individual. Only one at a time must be declared and resolved.

Now you have learned the details regarding the Damage Step and all of its sub-steps. You feel like winning right now I bet, but we aren’t done just yet. Seeing just knowing something does not stand on equal ground as also knowing how to apply your knowledge, which is one step further. So let’s take that extra step shall we.

Quiz

I have prepared a couple of scenario’s for you to test your newly gained knowledge so that you will not get confused in your duels, so in a way you will not fail again after successfully finishing this Quiz. Shall we get started?

1. Player A controls Thunder King Raioh. Player B controls a Master Hyperion. Player A enters his Battle Phase and declares an attack and selects Master Hyperion as his attack target with Thunder King Raioh. Both players agree to proceed unto sub-step 4. In which Player A drops his Honest, Player B responds by dropping their own Honest.

During your Main Phase, you can return this card from the field to its owner's hand. During either player's Damage Step, when a face-up LIGHT monster you control battles, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to have that monster gain ATK equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster it is battling, until the End Phase.

So my question to you is; What happens, and why does it happen this way?

2. Player A controls a face-up attack mode Sangan. Player B controls a face-up attack mode Sangan. Player B enters his Battle Phase and declares an attack with their Sangan selecting Player A’s Sangan as his attack target. Neither player has a response, causing both Sangans to be destroyed and sent to the graveyard during sub-step 7.

My question to you; Who gets their Sangan effect first, and why is that?

PM me your answers, so that others will not receive the correct answer via your answer

Seeing you are now an expert on the details of the Battle Phase, you are ready to head-out into your epic battles on the dueling fields of Dueling Network and conquer your victories with superb knowledge and skill. Hope you all found something interesting and informative in this article, which will be of use in your future duels.

Very nicely done and through article!

oughta teach the dedicated yet unskilled duelists a thing or two, and a good review for the more experienced.

Eheroduelist wrote:

Very nicely done and through article!

Thanks, it is appreciated.

Eheroduelist wrote:

oughta teach the dedicated yet unskilled duelists a thing or two, and a good review for the more experienced.

Well there is part truth in your comment here, but then again also a part that isnt. In my honest opinion, players that are not dedicated to the game should not be playing the game at all. Sure the game is made to have some giggles and maybe win a few duels by having it. But if you wish to play this game a little more seriously or if you just wish to not lose all the time, you seriously need to dedicate yourself to it. Since the game is just too complex for the "casual"duelist. And yes, I hope this article contributes in getting those dedicated players to a point that they see improvement because of this article, along with the articles of my fellow Article Team Members.

yet again another more-than-decent article by the dutch prince and yet again my eyes needs a pack of ice because it's smoking and i don't think that's a good sign.

Thanks for this article, it will help a ton of people. I didn't read it because I believe I am already knowledgeable about the 7 steps, but if I ever need to refresh my knowledge on it I'll be sure to read this.

Good article Good job.

I used to always get confused with spell speeds.
This article will really help people.
Good job.

Thanks guys for the nice responses, it is appreciated.

As for Abominable, you can never know enough regarding Yu-Gi-Oh!, just take a look at the YCS or Nats judges. Therefore I advise you to read it, maybe for you just to refresh your memory or something, as for others to learn.

Thanks again guys.

Great stuff as always