Damage Step

Japanese (romanized)
 English

* **German**: Damage Step
* **Italian**: Damage Step
* **Korean**: 데미지 스텝 *Demiji Seutep*
* **Portuguese**: Etapa de Dano (formerly Damage Step)
* **Spanish**: Damage Step
* **Chinese**: 傷害步驟 *Shānghài Bùzhòu*

Template:Turn Structure

The **Damage Step** (Japanese: ダメージステップ *Damējisuteppu*) is a step during the Battle Phase during which battle is performed. It occurs immediately after the Battle Step ends, if an attack is still occurring.

Only certain types of cards and effects can be activated during the Damage Step. *Template:See below*

## Breakdown of the Damage Step

There are five distinct timings within the Damage Step.

* Start of the Damage Step (Japanese: ダメージステップ開（かい）始（し）時（じ） *Damēji Suteppu Kaishiji*)
* Before damage calculation (Japanese: ダメージ計（けい）算（さん）前（まえ） *Damēji Keisanmae*)
* Damage calculation (Japanese: ダメージ計（けい）算（さん）時（じ） *Damēji Keisanji*)
* After damage calculation (Japanese: ダメージ計（けい）算（さん）後（ご） *Damēji Keisango*)
* End of the Damage Step (Japanese: ダメージステップ終（しゅう）了（りょう）時（じ） *Damēji Suteppu Shūryōji*)

### Start of the Damage Step

* The turn player declares they are entering the Damage Step.

* Effects that apply "*during the Damage Step (only)*", such as those of "Steamroid" and "Double or Nothing!", are applied immediately.

* At this timing, cards and effects that activate "*at the start of the Damage Step*" (such as those of "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole" and "Follow Wing") can be activated.
	+ For cards without Problem-Solving Card Text even on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG - Card Database, the text "*without (applying) damage calculation*" indicates that the effect activates either at this timing or before damage calculation.
		- Some effects with this text also state that it activates at this timing (such as "Gundari"); other effects indicate this timing by specifying the position (face-up or face-down) of a battling monster or state that a battling monster is not flipped face-up (such as "Nanobreaker" and "Ally of Justice Reverse Break").
		- Cards without Problem-Solving Card Text that have effects that activate at this timing, but have no way to distinguish whether they activate at the timing or before damage calculation in their card text, are "Disciple of the Forbidden Spell", "Core Blaster", and "Blackwing - Jin the Rain Shadow".

* Spell/Trap Cards and Quick/Quick-like Effects that **directly** alter the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) (increasing or decreasing ATK/DEF, changing ATK/DEF to a certain amount, switching ATK/DEF values, etc.) can be activated at this timing.

* If a face-down monster is being attacked, it is not flipped face-up at this time.
	+ If a face-down battling monster is destroyed by a card effect now, since it was never flipped face-up, its effects that activate when flipped face-up (such as Flip effects) cannot be activated.

### Before damage calculation

* At this point, if a face-down monster is being attacked, flip it face-up.
	+ If the attacked monster has an effect that activates when it is flipped face-up (such as a Flip effect), that effect will **NOT** activate at this time. Its effect will activate after damage calculation, even if the flipped monster itself leaves the Monster Zone before then.

* If a monster is flipped face-up and it has a Continuous Effect, then typically that Continuous Effect is applied immediately, such as the effects of monsters like "Star Boy" and "Jinzo".
	+ Continuous Effects that would prevent the flipped monster from being **targeted for attacks**, such as the effect of "Command Knight", are not relevant at this time, since the monster has already been targeted as an attack target. If the monster survives the Damage Step, its effect will prevent itself from being targeted by any future attacks.
	+ Continuous Effects that would prevent the flipped monster from being **attacked** or the attacking monster from **attacking**, such as the effect of "Machina Sniper" and "Big-Tusked Mammoth", do not apply at this time, since the Battle Step is already over. If the monster survives the Damage Step, its effect will protect itself from any future attacks.
	+ If the flipped monster has a Continuous Effect that destroys itself under certain conditions that are currently met (such as "Giant Kozaky", "Zombie Mammoth", etc.), the monster is not destroyed yet and the Damage Step proceeds normally, until after damage calculation.
		- The same applies if "Rivalry of Warlords" or "Gozen Match" is active and the flipped monster has the wrong Type/Attribute, or if there is an active 'Unclassified Effect' (belonging either to the flipped monster or another face-up monster) that states "*You can only control 1 […]*" or "*There can only be 1 […] on the field*" and the flipped monster has a name that conflicts with another face-up card on the field (as defined by that 'Unclassified Effect'); the appropriate actions are determined and performed after damage calculation.

* Regardless of whether or not the attacked monster was initially face-down, if the attacked monster is changed to face-down Defense Position at this point or later in the Damage Step (up until damage calculation is completed), such as by the effect of "Gemini Counter", it will be immediately flipped face-up again.

* At this timing, cards and effects that activate "*before damage calculation*" (such as those of "Drillroid" and "Performapal Barracuda") can be activated.
	+ For cards without Problem-Solving Card Text, the text "*without (applying) damage calculation*" indicates that the effect activates either at this timing or at the start of the Damage Step. All cards that have effects that activate at this timing that used this wording have since been reprinted with Problem-Solving Card Text, except "Disc Fighter".

* Spell/Trap Cards and Quick/Quick-like Effects that **directly** alter the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) (increasing or decreasing ATK/DEF, changing ATK/DEF to a certain amount, switching ATK/DEF values, etc.) can be activated at this timing.

* After both players have agreed that they have finished activating cards and effects in this part of the Damage Step, damage calculation is entered.
	+ However, if a monster was attacked and left the Monster Zone by a card effect during this Damage Step (up to this point), damage calculation is not conducted, but the rest of the Damage Step proceeds normally (allowing for appropriate Trigger Effects to activate normally, such as those of Flip monsters, "Nightmare Penguin", "Amazoness Sage", etc.).

### Perform damage calculation

* In general, cards and effects that modify the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) **can no longer be activated** at this point or for the rest of this Damage Step.

* Effects that apply "*during damage calculation (only)*", such as those of "Dark Artist" and "Skyscraper", are applied immediately.

* At this timing, cards and effects that activate "*during damage calculation*" (such as those of "Kuriboh" and "Forbidden Scripture") can be activated.

* Compare the relevant ATK/DEF values and the appropriate amount of battle damage is inflicted; if two monsters are involved in the battle, then at this time it is determined which monster(s) will be destroyed by the battle or not.
* If a monster has been determined to be destroyed by battle, it is not sent to the Graveyard yet.
	+ If there is a Continuous/Continuous-like Effect that can be used to prevent a monster from being destroyed by this battle (such as that of "Vicious Claw"), the relevant player must choose (at this point) whether or not they will use it. If such an effect is chosen to be used, the effect does not apply at this time: it will apply at the end of the Damage Step, when monsters that are destroyed by battle are normally sent to the Graveyard (if the monster is still on the field by that point).

### After damage calculation

* Monsters that have been considered to be destroyed by battle are still not sent to the Graveyard yet.

* The following rules apply to monsters that are determined to be destroyed by battle, until they are sent to the Graveyard (or another appropriate location):
	+ They cannot be targeted by cards or effects, have their battle positions changed, or have their ATK/DEF changed.
	+ Their Continuous Effects are no longer applied.
	+ They cannot be returned to the hand by card effects, unless a card effect specifies that it can return destroyed monsters (such as "Last Minute Cancel"), but even then the destroyed monster will not be returned yet.
	+ Their effects can still be negated.
	+ Before those monsters would be sent to the Graveyard (or another appropriate location) as a result of being destroyed by battle, it is possible for them to be destroyed by card effects, sent to the Graveyard by card effects, or banished by card effects before that can occur.
	+ If a monster ends up leaving the field before it can be sent to the Graveyard (or another appropriate location) as a result of battle, cards and effects that would activate when/if that monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard cannot be activated.
	+ They cannot be used as a cost to activate a card or an optional effect. But they **can be used** as a cost to activate a mandatory effect, such as "Doomcaliber Knight".

* If a monster with a Continuous Effect that destroys itself under certain conditions ("Giant Kozaky", "Zombie Mammoth", etc.) survives damage calculation without being determined to be "destroyed by battle", that Continuous Effect will immediately apply at this point and destroy that monster if those conditions are still met.

* If a monster was flipped face-up during the Damage Step and "Rivalry of Warlords"/"Gozen Match" is still active, if that monster has a Attribute/Type that conflicts with another monster already face-up on the field, the flipped monster will immediately be sent to the Graveyard at this point.

* If a monster was flipped face-up during the Damage Step and its name conflicts with another monster that is already face-up on the field, as defined by an 'Unclassified Effect' that states "*You can only control 1 […]*" or "*There can only be 1 […] on the field*" (belonging either to the flipped monster or another face-up monster), the flipped monster will immediately be destroyed at this point, unless it was already determined to be "destroyed by battle".

* At this timing, cards and effects that activate "*after damage calculation*" (such as those of "Wall of Illusion" and "Madolche Waltz"), if a player takes battle damage (such as "Don Zaloog" and "Damage Condenser"), or if a monster is flipped face-up (including Flip effects) can be activated.

### End of the Damage Step

* Monsters that were determined to be destroyed by battle are now normally sent to the Graveyard, unless they are Pendulum Monsters (they are placed face-up in the Extra Deck instead) or if a card effect states otherwise.
	+ If an effect that prevents a monster's from being destroyed by battle was chosen to be applied earlier in the Damage Step, it applies at this point.

* At this timing, cards and effects that activate "*at the end of the Damage Step*" (such as those of "Amazoness Sage" and "Enlightenment") or if a monster is destroyed by battle (such as "Grenosaurus" and "Hero Signal") can be activated.
	+ If a card with Problem-Solving Card Text has an activation timing of a monster being destroyed without specifying a method (such as "Chthonian Blast"), it can be activated at this timing. However, it cannot be if it specifies "*(except during the Damage Step)*", such as "Seismic Shockwave".

* Once there are no effects left to activate or resolve, the Damage Step ends, and the Battle Step is automatically re-entered.
	+ At the time both players agree to enter the Battle Step, effects that apply "*until the end of the Damage Step*" now expire and no longer apply.

## Cards and effects that can be activated

During the Damage Step, only certain cards and effects may be activated. Note that some cards and effects may specify that they cannot be activated during the Damage Step, which supersedes any reason that would otherwise allow them to be activated.

The following cards/effects can be activated during the Damage Step:

* Counter Trap Cards

* Mandatory effects

* Quick Effects of monsters that negate the activation of a card(s), or negate the activation of an effect(s).

* Spell/Trap Cards and Quick/Quick-like Effects that **directly** alter the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) (increasing or decreasing ATK/DEF, changing ATK/DEF to a certain amount, switching ATK/DEF values, etc.) can be activated during the Damage Step, but only up until damage calculation. During damage calculation or afterwards in the Damage Step, they cannot be activated.
	+ These cards and effects do not have to affect a battling monster; they can be used during the Damage Step to affect the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) that is not currently battling.
	+ Optional Spell/Trap Cards and Quick/Quick-like Effects that can **indirectly** change the ATK/DEF of a monster, such as "Reverse Trap" or "Skill Drain", cannot be activated during the Damage Step for that reason alone.
		- As such, "Curse of Anubis" cannot be activated either, since its DEF-altering effect is applied separately from its effect that changes battle positions.
	+ Trap Cards that equip themselves to monsters and have Continuous-like Effects that directly alter the ATK/DEF of the equipped monster, such as "Horn of the Phantom Beast", can be activated during the Damage Step for that reason alone.
	+ Cards like "Half or Nothing", which might not alter ATK/DEF at resolution, cannot be activated during the Damage Step for that reason alone.
	+ Cards such as "Powerful Rebirth" and "Reverse of Neos", which Special Summon a monster and exclusively modify the ATK/DEF of that Summoned monster, cannot be activated during the Damage Step for that reason alone.
	+ If a Set Continuous Trap Card has an optional Quick-like Effect that directly alters the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) (such as "Attack of the Cornered Rat"), that Trap Card can be activated during the Damage Step until damage calculation, but only if that Quick-like Effect is activated and resolved in the same Chain Link as the activation of the Trap Card itself.
	+ Continuous Trap Cards with Continuous-like Effects that directly alter the ATK/DEF of a monster(s), such as "Fire Formation - Kaiyo", can be activated during the Damage Step until damage calculation.
		- Such Trap Cards can be activated even if their relevant Continuous-like Effect would not affect any monsters, such as activating "Dark Contract with the Witch" during your own turn or while you control no Fiend-Type monsters, or activating "Unpossessed" when a monster other than a "Familiar-Possessed" monster is attacking.
		- Such Trap Cards can be activated even if their relevant Continuous-like Effect only applies an ATK/DEF change under particular conditions and those conditions are not currently met (such as activating "Chosen of Zefra" while there are fewer than 3 "Zefra" monsters face-up in your Extra Deck), unless that condition could never be met during the Damage Step (such as "Swift Samurai Storm!").
		- Even if a Continuous Trap Card can be activated during the Damage Step due to having a Continuous-like Effect that alters ATK/DEF, if it also has a Quick-like Effect that can be activated in the same Chain Link as the activation of the Trap Card itself (such as "Dark Contract with the Witch"), that Quick-like Effect cannot be activated at the same time as the Trap Card's activation during the Damage Step, unless it has another valid reason allowing it to be activated during the Damage Step.
	+ Unique exceptions are "Evil Blast", "Scrap Sheen" (*TCG* only), "Zero Force", and the Quick-like Effect of "Rocket Hand", which have rulings stating that they cannot be activated during the Damage Step.
	+ Unlike Quick/Quick-like Effects, having the effect of directly altering the ATK/DEF of a monster(s) does not permit optional Trigger/Trigger-like Effects to be activated during the Damage Step, with examples being "Morpho Butterspy" and "Performapal Turn Toad".

* Optional Trigger and Trigger-like Effects—if that effect activates in response to **the card itself** being moved to a different location (including leaving the field), being flipped face-up (including Flip effects), or having its battle position changed—can be activated during the Damage Step, unless the effect Fusion Summons.
	+ In general, other optional Trigger and Trigger-like Effects that have activation conditions that can be met **both** during and outside the Damage Step **cannot be activated**. These effects can be easily identified with cards that have PSCT, as they will state "*(except during the Damage Step)*" in their activation conditions. Otherwise, these effects are associated with activation conditions that involve actions regarding other cards, such as "*When/If a ... is destroyed*", "*When/If a ... is added from ... to your hand*", "*When/If a ... monster is Special Summoned*", etc. of cards like "Revival Rose", "Ambulanceroid", and "Cyber Dinosaur".
		- This includes Trigger Effects of monsters that can activate in response to actions involving itself and/or other cards (but not just itself or other cards), such as "Madolche Chickolates"; they cannot be activated during the Damage Step.
		- If optional Trigger and Trigger-like Effects with these activation conditions have PSCT, but do not state "*(except during the Damage Step)*" (such as those of "Vampire Grace", "Mermail Abyssdine", "Superheavy Samurai Kabuto", etc.), then they can be activated during the Damage Step.
		- Cards with these Trigger/Trigger-like Effect activation conditions that lack PSCT, but have rulings stating they can be activated during the Damage Step, include but are not necessarily limited to: "Verdant Sanctuary".
		- *OCG*/*TCG* ruling differences:
			* In the *TCG*, the Trigger Effects of "Shark Stickers", "Statue of Anguish Pattern" (Trigger-like Effect), "Superheavy Samurai Kabuto", "U.A. Blockbacker", "Vampire Grace", and "Wind-Up Shark" (all of which have PSCT) that can activate when another monster is Summoned do not state "*(except during the Damage Step)*", so those effects can be activated during the Damage Step. In the *OCG*, none of their effects can be activated during the Damage Step.
			* In the *TCG*, the Trigger-like Effect of "Attack the Moon!" (which has PSCT) that can activate when a Rock-Type monster's battle position changes does not state "*(except during the Damage Step)*", so that effect can be activated during the Damage Step. In the *OCG*, it cannot be activated during the Damage Step.

* Any effect that specifically mentions an activation timing that is unique to the Damage Step.
	+ This is indicated by phrases in the text such as "*During damage calculation*", "*At the end of the Damage Step*", "*If/When you take battle damage*", etc.
	+ This includes cards and effects that activate in response to damage (without specifying battle damage), like "Blackfeather Darkrage Dragon", "Attack and Receive", and "Numinous Healer".
	+ If a Set Continuous Trap Card has an optional Trigger-like or optional Quick-like Effect with an activation timing at least partially specific to the Damage Step (such as "Yang Zing Creation" and "Damage = Reptile"), that Trap Card can be activated during the Damage Step if that Trigger-like/Quick-like Effect is also activated in the same Chain Link as the activation of the Trap Card itself.
		- In contrast, if a Set Continuous Trap Card has a mandatory Trigger-like Effect with an activation timing at least partially specific to the Damage Step, **the Trap Card itself** cannot be activated, even if its controller intended on activating that Trigger-like Effect in the same Chain Link as the activation of the Trap Card itself.

* Cards that cannot be labeled as any of the above cards, but have rulings stating that they and/or their effect(s) are allowed to be activated during the Damage Step.
	+ In both the *TCG* and *OCG*: "Desrook Archfiend"
	+ In the *TCG* only: "Muko", "Skull Meister", "Spell Reactor・RE", "Tethys, Goddess of Light", "Trap Reactor・Y FI", and "T.G. Blade Blaster"

A card only needs to meet one of the above requirements to be activated during the Damage Step. As long as it does not explicitly specify *(except during the Damage Step)*, even if it fails to satisfy one of the above requirements, if it satisfies another one it can be activated during the Damage Step. For example, "Rope of Life" Special Summons a monster and exclusively changes the ATK of the Summoned monster (like "Reverse of Neos"); cards with such effects cannot be activated during the Damage Step for that reason alone, but since "Rope of Life" also has an activation timing that is unique to the Damage Step ("*When a monster(s) is destroyed by battle and sent to your Graveyard:*"), it can be activated during the Damage Step.

## Notes

1. ↑ This is supported by comparison with the texts of cards such as "Supay", which has two independent actions (doubling ATK and returning to the hand) dependent on one action (Special Summoning a monster) coalesced into a single sentence format, which differs from the two-sentence format of "Curse of Anubis". If "Curse of Anubis" was formatted in a single sentence, it would look similar to the Ignition Effect of "Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste".
2. ↑ The ruling "*You can activate "Attack of the Cornered Rat" (and/or its effect) during damage calculation, or at any point in the Damage Step prior to damage calculation.*" is partially incorrect. With the release of Konami's "Damage Step Rules" article, in conjunction with page 33 in *Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game - Official Rulebook Version 9.1* (which also refers to the "Damage Step Rules" article), neither "Attack of the Cornered Rat" nor its effect can be activated during damage calculation.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 This statement is an extrapolation, as there are no rulings that specifically state that such a card can be activated in this particular scenario; there are merely rulings stating that Trap Cards with such Continuous-like Effects can be activated during the Damage Step until damage calculation (with no other context).
4. ↑ This statement is an extrapolation, as there is no source anywhere that explicitly confirms this; there is merely a consistent pattern of rulings for such Continuous Trap Cards stating that the cards themselves cannot be activated during the Damage Step.

## External links

* The Organization - That Wacky Damage Step!
* The Organization - Demystifying Rulings, Part 9: The Damage Step

* Official OCG websites:
	+ OCG (English)
	+ OCG (Japanese)

* Official TCG websites:
	+ yugioh-card.com/en *Damage Step Rules*
	+ yugioh-card.com/uk *Damage Step Rules*

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