What happens immediately after the active player announces damage assignment orders during the declare blockers step?

During the combat damage step, after the active player announces damage assignment orders, it is essential to understand how combat interactions progress in Magic: The Gathering. When the active player—typically the attacking player—declares damage assignment orders, they are providing their intentions regarding how the damage will be dealt to the blockers, if any.

This step is crucial because it clarifies which attacking creatures will deal damage to which defending creatures. The announcement of damage assignment orders sets the stage for resolving combat damage. This involves the defending player recognizing how much damage each of their blockers will receive from the attackers and how much any potentially assigned damage might be modified due to effects or abilities.

After the active player has made these announcements, the roles of the players continue into the combat damage resolution phase. Here, the defending player will not be declaring blockers, assigning soft damage, or immediately resolving combat damage just yet. Instead, by announcing damage assignments, the active player is establishing which creatures will deal damage to one another, which is a preparatory step before any actual damage is dealt.

This understanding of the turn sequence helps clarify mechanics in combat and ensures that players follow the expected protocols of gameplay.