503. Upkeep Step

In short

The upkeep step: the gathering point for "at the beginning of your upkeep" triggers and the first window in the turn where things can be cast. The classic place for questions like "can I still respond before …?" — yes, here.

Informal summary — the official English text below is authoritative.

503.1.The upkeep step has no turn-based actions. Once it begins, the active player gets priority. (See rule 117, “Timing and Priority.”)

503.1aAny abilities that triggered during the untap step and any abilities that triggered at the beginning of the upkeep are put onto the stack before the active player gets priority; the order in which they triggered doesn’t matter. (See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”)

503.2.If a spell states that it may be cast only “after [a player’s] upkeep step,” and the turn has multiple upkeep steps, that spell may be cast any time after the first upkeep step ends.

Source: Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules. Unofficial presentation under the Fan Content Policy. Rules effective as of Sep 25, 2026