Step

A Step is one of the 6 phases of a players turn during a game of Duel Masters.

Details

In Duel Masters, the actions that a player can take during a turn are strictly defined. This order is called a step, with each turn divided into 7 steps. This is shown in detail on the How to Play page.

A turn consists of the following steps.

• 1) Begin your Turn: Resolve any summoning sickness from creatures in the battle zone.
• 2) Untap Step: Your creatures in the battle zone and cards in your mana zone are untapped. This is forced.
• 3) Start of Turn Step: Any abilities that trigger at "the start of your turn" are resolved now.
• 4) Draw Step: You draw a card. This is forced. If you have no deck, you lose when you draw the last card.
• 5) Charge Step: You may put a card into your mana zone. This is optional.
• 6) Main Step: You may use cards, such as summoning creatures, casting spells, generating and crossing cross gear or fortifying castles. You can do these actions as many times as you want, in any order, as long as you can pay their costs.
• 7) Attack Step: You can attack with creatures or use Tap Abilities. You may do this in any order as long as you have eligible creatures to attack.
• 8) End Step: The turn finishes after you have no more creatures to attack with.
• 9) End of Turn triggers: Any abilities that trigger at "the end of your turn" are resolved now.
• 10) The turn is complete and the active player switches.

Steps

Step 1 (Start of Turn step)

Your turn begins, and any creatures that previously were affected by summoning sickness now lose it.

Step 2 (Untap step)

The active player untaps all cards in the battle zone and their mana zone, unless certain effects prevent cards from being untapped. This is the only part of the turn where abilities such as Silent Skill can be used.

Step 3 (Start of Turn triggers)

Any abilities that trigger at "the start of your turn" are resolved now.

Step 4 (Draw step)

The player draws a card from their deck. This is forced. During your first turn, if you are going first, you don't draw a card.

Step 5 (Charge step)

The player can put a card from their hand into their mana zone, to use for summoning creatures or casting spells. However, it isn't compulsory and you can choose not to put anything into the mana zone and proceed directly to the next step.

Step 6 (Main step)

If the player possesses enough untapped mana, they can tap them to pay for the cost of his/her creature, spell, cross gear, castles or fields.

Creatures go directly into the battle zone, while spells get put into your graveyard after they are cast and resolve, unless other effects state otherwise.

Cross Gears stay in the battle zone and must have their cost paid a second time to be crossed onto a creature of the player's choice.

A castle is placed onto a shield until the shield is removed from the battle zone.

A field stays in the battle zone until removed.

Step 7 (Attack step)

If the player has a creature in the battle zone, he can tap it to attack either a tapped creature, or a player. If he attacks a player and they have a shield, the attacking player must choose a shield for the creature to break. Creatures other than evolution creatures and linked Gods that have been put into the battle zone this turn have summoning sickness can't attack in the same turn, unless effects state otherwise.

This is also the only part of the turn where tap abilities (which are used instead of attacking) can be used.

Step 8 (End of Turn Step)

The player ends the turn, and resolve any pending triggers.

Step 9 (End of Turn triggers

Any abilities that trigger at "the end of your turn" are resolved now.

Step 10 (Turn Ends)

The turn completely ends, and your opponent proceeds to their untap step.