Can You Play Enchantments After Combat? A Comprehensive Guide

The short answer is: yes, you can play enchantments after combat. In the popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, the structure of a turn allows for strategic play during different phases. The game has two main phases: one before combat (Precombat Main Phase) and one after combat (Postcombat Main Phase). Both of these main phases are periods where you can cast spells and play lands, including enchantment spells.

The Core Mechanics of Enchantments and Timing

Understanding when you can cast an enchantment is crucial for maximizing your strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Unlike instants, which can be played at any time, enchantments, like sorceries, adhere to a more restrictive timing rule. Essentially, you can cast an enchantment card from your hand only during your main phases when the stack is empty. This means the game has no other spells or abilities waiting to resolve.

The Significance of the Main Phases

Your main phases are the times for major setup and execution. Before combat, you might want to establish your board presence by casting creature spells and enchantments that bolster your forces. Similarly, after combat, the second main phase provides an opportunity to deploy new threats or continue refining your board.

What About Auras?

Auras, which are a specific type of enchantment, also follow these rules. They are cast at sorcery speed, meaning they are bound to your main phase as well. Auras require a target to attach to when cast, whether that is a creature, another object in the game, or even a player. If the target of an aura disappears, the aura is placed into the graveyard.

Strategizing Your Enchantment Play

Knowing when you can play enchantments is only half the battle; strategically when you play them is just as important. Many players often choose to play enchantments after combat, particularly those that give boosts to specific creatures, which may be the result of cards played during the first main phase and the battle phase. Also, it’s worth noting that enchantments with abilities that trigger at certain times may be strategically played in the post-combat phase to take advantage of the board state.

The Power of Post-Combat Plays

Playing an enchantment after combat allows you to react to the battlefield situation that has just unfolded. For instance, if you saw an opponent leave a key attacker vulnerable after you dealt combat damage, you can then use an enchantment during your second main phase to increase your creatures’ combat abilities or to slow down enemy units. You should get into the habit of waiting to cast creatures, enchantments and other permanents if there is no specific reason to cast them before combat.

Key Takeaway

To reiterate: You can absolutely play enchantments after combat during your second main phase, and in most cases, you should get into the habit of waiting to play your enchantments during the second main phase unless you have a specific reason to cast them before attacking. This gives you flexibility and the ability to make informed strategic choices based on how combat played out.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify how enchantments and other game elements interact:

1. Can you play creatures after attacking?

Yes, you can. It is often best to play your creatures after combat unless you have a creature with haste that you want to attack with immediately. By waiting to play creatures, lands, and other permanents, you give yourself more information to make strategic decisions.

2. Can enchantments be played during the combat phase?

No, typically, enchantments are cast at sorcery speed and cannot be played during the combat phase. Unless an enchantment specifically states that it can be played during a different time, it must be cast during your main phases.

3. What is the timing for Auras?

Auras, as a type of enchantment, are also cast at sorcery speed. This means you can only play them during your main phase when the stack is empty, and they must target a valid object.

4. What happens if the creature enchanted by an Aura is removed?

If the creature that an aura is attached to is destroyed, exiled, or otherwise removed from play, the aura is placed into the graveyard.

5. Does phasing remove enchantments?

No, phasing does not remove enchantments. When a permanent phases out, any auras, equipment, and fortifications attached to it will phase out along with it, and when it phases back in, the attached permanents will phase back in with it.

6. Can you enchant a creature with hexproof?

Yes, you can. Hexproof only prevents your opponents from targeting the creature with spells or abilities. You are still free to enchant it.

7. What does Magic rule 303.4f mean?

Rule 303.4f states that if an aura enters the battlefield under a player’s control by a means other than resolving as a spell, and if no target is specified, the player who controls the aura chooses what it will enchant as it enters the battlefield.

8. Can you cast a sorcery after combat?

Yes, you can cast sorceries during the post-combat main phase, which is sometimes referred to as the “second main” phase.

9. What happens if you give a creature flying after blockers have been declared?

Gaining an evasive ability like flying after blockers have been declared does not change anything about how damage is dealt. The creature is still blocked and will not deal damage to the defending player unless it has trample.

10. Can you equip a creature after blockers are declared?

Yes, after blockers are declared, you can activate abilities to equip or modify the amount of damage that will be dealt.

11. Does deathtouch cancel deathtouch?

“Any two instances of the Deathtouch ability against one another cancel out the Deathtouch ability.”

12. What happens if a creature with 0 power is blocked?

A creature with 0 power deals no damage. This means it will not trigger abilities based on combat damage.

13. Does regenerate remove a creature from combat?

Regenerate is a replacement effect. When you regenerate a creature, it does not leave combat, but all damage is removed, and the creature is tapped.

14. Does removing a creature from combat untap it?

Tapping or untapping a creature that has been declared as an attacker or a blocker does not remove it from combat and does not prevent its combat damage.

15. Can two creatures block a single attacker?

Yes, a single attacker can be blocked by multiple defending creatures. However, each creature can only block a single attacker.

By understanding these rules and timings, you can enhance your strategic play in Magic: The Gathering. Knowing when to cast an enchantment, and how it interacts with other game elements is essential to becoming a more skilled and successful player.