General Rulings - 506

• 506.1 - The combat phase has five steps, which proceed in order: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. The declare blockers and combat damage steps are skipped if no creatures are declared as attackers or put onto the battlefield attacking (see Rule 508.5). There are two combat damage steps if any attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see Rule 702.7) or double strike (see Rule 702.4). [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.2 - During the combat phase, the active player is the attacking player; creatures that player controls may attack. During the combat phase of a two-player game, the nonactive player is the defending player; that player and planeswalkers he or she controls may be attacked. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.2a - During the combat phase of a multiplayer game, there may be one or more defending players, depending on the variant being played and the options chosen for it. Unless all the attacking player's opponents automatically become defending players during the combat phase, the attacking player chooses one of his or her opponents as a turn-based action during the beginning of combat step. (Note that the choice may be dictated by the variant being played or the options chosen for it.) That player becomes the defending player. See Rule 802, "Attack Multiple Players Option," Rule 803, "Attack Left and Attack Right Options," and Rule 807, "Emperor Variant." [CompRules 2009/10/01]
• 506.2b - In the Two-Headed Giant multiplayer variant, the nonactive team is the defending team. See Rule 806, "Two-Headed Giant Variant." [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.3 - Only a creature can attack or block. Only a player or a planeswalker can be attacked. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.3a - If an effect would put a noncreature permanent onto the battlefield attacking or blocking, the permanent does enter the battlefield but it's never considered to be an attacking or blocking permanent. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.3b - If an effect would put a creature onto the battlefield attacking under the control of any player except an attacking player, that creature does enter the battlefield, but it's never considered to be an attacking creature. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.3c - If an effect would put a creature onto the battlefield blocking but the creature it would block isn't attacking either the first creature's controller or a planeswalker that player controls, that creature does enter the battlefield, but it's never considered to be a blocking creature. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.4 - A permanent is removed from combat if it leaves the battlefield, if its controller changes, if an effect specifically removes it from combat, if it's a planeswalker that's being attacked and stops being a planeswalker, or if it's an attacking or blocking creature that regenerates (see Rule 701.11) or stops being a creature. A creature that's removed from combat stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. A planeswalker that's removed from combat stops being attacked. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.4a - Once a creature has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature, spells or abilities that would have kept that creature from attacking or blocking don't remove the creature from combat.
• 506.4b - Tapping or untapping a creature that's already been declared as an attacker or blocker doesn't remove it from combat and doesn't prevent its combat damage. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.4c - If a creature is attacking a planeswalker, removing that planeswalker from combat doesn't remove that creature from combat. It continues to be an attacking creature, although it is attacking neither a player nor a planeswalker. It may be blocked. If it is unblocked, it will deal no combat damage. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.4d - A permanent that's both a blocking creature and a planeswalker that's being attacked is partially removed from combat if it stops being either a creature or a planeswalker (but not both). It's not removed from the portion of combat that's relevant to the card type it still is. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 506.5 - A creature attacks alone if it's the only creature declared as an attacker during the declare attackers step. A creature is attacking alone if it's attacking but no other creatures are. A creature blocks alone if it's the only creature declared as a blocker during the declare blockers step. A creature is blocking alone if it's blocking but no other creatures are. [CompRules 2009/07/08]