As we discussed previously, a turn in Yu-Gi-Oh! consists of six phases. The most complicated phase, timing wise, is the battle phase. The battle phase is seaparated into four steps, and it's easiest to understand if broken down and examined step-by-step. That's what we are going to do in this article. All a duelist needs to do is learn exactly what happens during each step, and then the battle phase will be much easier to understand.

Now then--you've passed through your main phase 1, and you're all ready to launch an attack on your opponent. Let's take a step-by-step look at what happens during each step, beginning naturally enough, with the start step. The very first thing you will do upon entering your start step is announce the beginning of your battle phase. Do this clearly, so your opponent is aware that the battle phase is beginning. That's a short, easy step! During the start step, you and/or your opponent can activate quick-play spell cards or trap cards. Remember that your opponent needs time to respond to your actions, so pause after you announce a step or play a card. If it is your turn, you may play quick-play spell cards from your hand, but remember that your opponent can only activate quick-play spell cards that have been set on a previous turn.

The start step ends as the battle step begins. The battle step is the step in which you will select a monster to attack with and decide on a target for that attack. If your opponent has monsters on his or her side of the field and you wish to attack, then you must choose one of those monsters (unless you have a card effect that will enable you to attack his or her life points directly). Indicate the monster that is attacking, and announce which monster it is targeting. You and your opponent may play quick-play spells (you, from your hand or set, your opponent, set spell cards only) such as Rush Recklessly or Scapegoat, or trap cards such as Waboku, Mirror Force, Magic Cylinder, or Call of the Haunted, during the battle step. If a card like Scapegoat or Call of the Haunted, which changes the number of monsters on the field, is activated, then a replay is triggered. The player declaring the attack can choose another target, select a different monster to attack with, or opt not to attack if the number of monsters on his or her opponent's field changes during that battle step.

When the attack has been announced and resolved (meaning the attack is not prevented), then you will enter the damage step, where damage calculation takes place. If your opponent is unlucky enough to have no monsters on his or her side of the field, then the attack is subtracted from his or her life points. If one of your opponent's monsters was attacked, and the monster targeted by the attack was in face up attack position, then the attack points of the two monsters are compared. If the targeted monster's attack value is lower than that of the attacking monster, then the targeted monster is destroyed, and your opponent takes the difference in damage to his or her life points. If the attacking monster's attack points are less than the targeted monster's, then the attacking monster is destroyed, and you lose the difference from your own life points. If the monsters have equal attack values, both monsters are destroyed. If the monster targeted by the attack was set in face-down position, it is flipped face up, and its defense points are compared to the attack points of the attacking monster. If the defense points of the targeted monster are less than the attack points of the attacking monster, then the targeted monster is destroyed.

After the damage is calculated, then effects are applied. Man Eater Bug's effect will destroy any monster on the field, Fiber Jar will cause both players to reshuffle their decks, hands, and fields and draw five new cards each, or D. D. Warrior Lady can be removed from play to remove the attacking monster from play. Non-flip effects, such as Injection Fairy Lily's damage increasing effect, also take place during the relevant damage step. Bear in mind that effects can only be applied to monsters still on the field, so a card that has been destroyed cannot be targeted by an effect—a Penguin Soldier that has just been destroyed in battle can return up to two cards on the field back to their owners' hands. It can target any of the cards on the field, so it cannot return itself since it has been destroyed and removed from the field. Once any relevant effects have been resolved, send all destroyed cards to the graveyard, where any effect that triggers in the graveyard will resolve, such as the search functions of Sangan or Witch of the Black Forest or the life point gain effect of Nimble Momonga. It is also very important to remember that during the Damage Step, neither player can activate any Spell or trap cards. For example, Magic Cylinder cannot be chained in response to the activation of Injection Fairy Lily's effect, and you cannot flip over a monster card in response to an attack to get its effect and then activate Ring of Destruction.

You then repeat the battle step and damage step for each monster you wish to attack with. Each monster on your side of the field in attack position can attack once. Once you have finished attacking, you enter the final step of the battle phase . . .

The end step! In this step, you announce the end of your battle phase. Quick-play spell cards or trap cards, such as Call of the Haunted to bring back a monster, can be activated during this step, and then you are finished with battle for this turn—another short, easy step!

So! The key to understanding exactly what happens during the battle phase is to remember the order of the different steps--start, battle, damage, and end, and what actions specifically occur during each of those steps. Think through the steps during your next duel, fix them in your mind—knowing the "rules" for what can and cannot be done during each step will help you resolve tricky chains and understand more complex card rulings, such as, "Does Dark Ruler Ha Des destroy Spirit Reaper?" (The answer is that it doesn't, since Spirit Reaper's effect states it cannot be destroyed in battle, and Dark Ruler Ha Des states it only negates the effects of destroyed monsters)—and will help make certain that you play your cards as they are meant to be played. The more advanced your understanding of the game, the better your dueling skills will be, and you'll find your enjoyment and appreciation for the game increasing.