Revise of Damage Step

Bull Blader

Hey, guys! Today I will share with you guys regarding the whole flow and what cards that you capable to activate during Damage Step. Bull Blader is a GB support card whereby it can help GB monster to clear the high attack monster. GB always face the problem of hardly to get rid of high attack monster. As a result, Bull Blader is needed. Bull Blader's effect will be resolved After Damage Calculation which is different from Ally of Justice Catastor.

First of all, Damage Step is a step in the Battle Phase whereby Battle Phase will be divided into Start Step > Battle Step > Damage Step > End Step. Start Step is the step where you would prepare to declare for entering Battle Step. Battle Step is the step where you would declare attack and select attack target. Damage Step is the step where you and your monster may or may not destroy by battle or card effect. End Step is the step where you would declare to end your Battle Phase.

In Damage Step, we can further categories it into 6 major sub-steps which is Start of Damage Step > Before Damage Calculation > Damage Calculation > After Damage Calculation > Result of Battle, Resolve of flip/trigger effect > End of Damage Step. Every monster will enter Damage Step once their battle are succeed. If there is chain link occur, the chain link will be arranged according to turn player priority.

Generally, we are forbid from activate any spell speed 2 or below cards EXCEPT spell speed 2 cards that can alter the monster ATK or DEF point and counter trap card in Damage Step. All face-down monster that being attacked will flip face-up unless card effect that caused it not to flip face-up. All face-down flip/trigger effect monster that flip face-up due to attack will activate and resolve right after Damage Calculation. If this monster is destroyed by battle, then it cannot choose itself as the target of its effect.

1) Start of Damage Step (before flipping up the face-down monster)
At this timing, you can activate quick effect/card that can alter the ATK or DEF point of monster and the face-down monster being attacked will not be flip face-up at this point. During this timing, trigger monster effect that apply before flipping the monster face-up will activate and resolve at this timing. All continuous monster effect that apply before flipping the monster face-up will resolve at this timing too. MULTIPLE CHAIN LINK can be occur at this timing.

*Note: All continuous monster effect will not have activation timing and it will automatically apply once the condition is fulfilled, therefore, no chain will be started at this point.

Eg of continuous monster effect that activate during Start of Damage Step is Jain, Lightsworn Paladin, Steamroid, Rampaging Rhynos and etc. Eg of trigger monster effect that activate during Start of Damage Step is Neos-Spacian Grand Mole, Mystic Swordman, Sasuke Samurai and etc will start a chain at this timing due to they will not flip face-up the attacked monster.

2) Before Damage Calculation (after flipping up the face-down monster)
At this timing, the face-down monster that being attacked will be flip and monster effect that activate when it is flip will not activate and resolve now. Eg of continuous effect that will apply Before Damage Calculation is Gaap the Divine Soldier, Level Limit - Area A, Level Limit - Area B and etc. Eg of trigger monster effect that activate Before Damage Calculation is Reflect Bounder, Blast Sphere, Drilldroid and etc.

Once again, you are allow to activate quick effect/card that can alter the ATK or DEF point of monster and MULTIPLE CHAIN LINK can be occur at this timing. Card effect that have the card text of "Without Applying Damage Calculation" having the same meaning with the card text of "Before Damage Calculation" and the Damage Calculation sub-step will be skipped. However, the remainder of sub-step in Damage Step (After Damage Calculation) will proceed as normal.

3) Damage Calculation
At this timing, you can only activate cards that have "During Damage Calculation" in the card text description such as Defense Draw, Kinetic Soldier, Honest, Injection Fairy Lily, Psychic Commander and etc. You are not allow to activate card that can alter ATK or DEF point of the monster except it have "During Damage Calculation" in the card text description. Eg, Shrink, Rush Recklessly and etc.

You can only have A CHAIN LINK in this timing thus if you miss this chance then you are not allow to play any cards that can activate in this timing. Once the chain of card effect that can alter ATK or DEF point of monster finish resolved, then only continuous effect will be applied. Eg, once the effect of The Wicked Avatar, The Wicked Dreadroot and etc have been applied then Damage Calculation will only perform.

Damage Calculation will go through in such sequence: Confirmation of ATK/DEF point > Damage Point Confirmation (apply of piercing or battle destroy effect) > Occurrence of Battle Damage (reduction of Life Point) > Confirmation of Battle Destroy (apply of continuous effect). During Confirmation of Battle Destroy, which monster that battle destroy will be confirmed here. During this timing, Spirit Reaper that targetted by card effect, Giant Kozaky or Thunder Nyan Nyan that flipped up will be destroy by its own effect.

*Note: Some judges clarify that Spirit Reaper self-destruction effect will start a chain is TOTALLY FALSE and self-destruction of Spirit Reaper will NOT START A CHAIN.

4) After Damage Calculation
Trigger effect that activate after receiving battle damage will activate and start a chain link at this timing. Eg, Gorz The Emissary Darkness, Tragoedia, Airknight Parshath and etc. After Reflect Bounder have applied its effect that inflict opponent battle damage Before Damage Calculation, it will activate its self-destruction effect at this timing.


5) Result of Battle, Resolve of flip/trigger effect
All chain of flip/trigger effect that should be activate during Before Damage Calculation will be delayed till this timing then it will activate and resolve it. Eg, Snowman Eater, D.D. Warrior Lady, Divine Knight Ishzark and etc will activate at this timing. The monster effect that activate at this timing is treated as activate on the field thus Destiny Hero- Plasma, Skill Drain, Rainbow Veil and etc can negate the monster effect.

6) End of Damage Step
At this timing, the battle destroyed monster will leaving the field and card effect such as Banisher of the Radiance, Dimensional Fissure, Macro Cosmos and etc will resolve here. Trigger card effect such as recruit monster(SS monster from the deck), Coffin Seller and etc that will be activate during this timing. Card effect that prevent the equipped monster from battle destroy such as Relinquished, Machina Gearframe and etc will also resolve at this timing.

Okay, that's all I wanna share to you guys today! Thanks for your precious time and wish you guys have a nice day. Please stay tuned for my next post. If you guys have any issue regarding the card, please leave your comment here. I will try to reply as soon as possible.