quick question while playing a game of EDH my friend had a basandra, battle seraph and went to combat immediately so the question here is does he specifically have to say when he is going from one phase to another so i can react before he goes to combat?
Notes: Completed Basandra's name so card tags work.
Normally, "moving to combat", by convention, is a shortcut (see C.R. 721.2) to pass priority to the beginning of combat step until the last player in turn order has priority to end the main phase and move to the beginning of combat step. But Basandra is a special case; here, "players can't cast spells during combat", including the beginning of combat step. If you want to respond by casting a spell, you should say you want to react during your opponent's main phase (C.R. 721.2b). (For sanctioned tournaments, see M.T.R. 4.2.)
EDIT (Nov. 21): Some rules were renumbered with Conspiracy: Take the Crown.
EDIT (Jul. 5): Edited first paragraph to better conform to changes in the shortcut rules (as found in the Magic Tournament Rules) with Amonkhet.
EDIT (Oct. 3, 2019): Some rules were renumbered in the meantime; edited.
At a more basic level: No player can ever unilaterally move the game to a new phase. Each step and phase in a turn only ends after each player passes priority in succession while the stack is empty (with the exception of steps when players don't get priority, those being the untap step and usually the cleanup step.) If your friend just turns Basandra sideways out of nowhere, you can tell them to back up because you had something to do before the game got to that point. If they announce that they intend to move to combat, you can indicate that you still have something to do before the game gets there.
so i could have cast something when he just went out and said i am attacking you with this creature i can say i wanted to do something before you went to combat such as cyclonic rift or time stop or something if he didn't say he was done with his main phase or something?
so i could have cast something when he just went out and said i am attacking you with this creature i can say i wanted to do something before you went to combat such as cyclonic rift or time stop or something if he didn't say he was done with his main phase or something?
That's correct. The game can't move to the combat phase unless you agree to it. If he goes to declare attackers without asking you whether you want to do something before that, you have full right to back the game up to his main phase.
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I'm a former judge (lapsed), who keeps up to date on rules and policy. Keep in mind that judges' answers aren't necessarily more valid than those of people who aren't judges; what matters is we can quote the rules to back up our answers. When in doubt, ask for such quotes.
Two comprehensive rules give you the right to respond to the active player moving from a step or phase where players get priority to a new step or phase: the rule for shortening shortcuts (C.R. 721.2b; for sanctioned tournaments, see M.T.R. 4.2), and the rule that says that a step or phase where players get priority doesn't end unless all players pass in a row on an empty stack (C.R. 500.2). (The latter rule was already mentioned by Artscrafter and MadMageQc.)
EDIT (Oct. 11, 2017): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Oct. 3, 2019): One rule was renumbered in the meantime; edited.
Ok yeah when he switched he just said he wasattacking me and i said wait cant we go back he didnt say he was in combat phase until he declared who he was attacking so if he doesnt say when he is done with mainphase how do i know when priorty passes to someone else is where i am stuck
to pass priority to the beginning of combat step until the last player in turn order has priorityto end the main phase and move to the beginning of combat step. But Basandra is a special case; here, "players can't cast spells during combat", including the beginning of combat step. If you want to respond by casting a spell, you should say you want to react during your opponent's main phase (C.R. 721.2b). (For sanctioned tournaments, see M.T.R. 4.2.)EDIT (Nov. 21): Some rules were renumbered with Conspiracy: Take the Crown.
EDIT (Jul. 5): Edited first paragraph to better conform to changes in the shortcut rules (as found in the Magic Tournament Rules) with Amonkhet.
EDIT (Oct. 3, 2019): Some rules were renumbered in the meantime; edited.
EDIT (Oct. 11, 2017): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Oct. 3, 2019): One rule was renumbered in the meantime; edited.