endstep

Endstep, in the context of trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, refers to the final phase of a player's turn just before the cleanup phase. It follows Main Phase 2 and precedes the Cleanup Step. The End Step marks the last window in which players may respond with instants or activate abilities before the turn advances to its final steps.

During the End Step, players retain priority and may cast instants or activate abilities, provided those actions are legally playable with the current timing rules. Spells with sorcery speed are not playable during the End Step, but instants and abilities with appropriate timing can still be used. The End Step also serves as a common moment for delayed or end-of-turn triggers, such as effects that say “at the end of the turn” or “at the beginning of the end step” to occur.

The End Step ends when the Cleanup Step begins. The Cleanup Step then processes any end-of-turn effects that last until the end of the turn, discards down to the maximum hand size if necessary, and resets certain temporary states. In practice, many card interactions reference the End Step or End of Turn to manage late-stage effects, timing-sensitive abilities, and the sequencing of actions as a turn wraps up.

Though most closely associated with Magic: The Gathering, the concept of an end step appears in other collectible or digital card games with turn-based structures, where a final phase provides a last opportunity for activations and triggers before the turn concludes.