Magic the Gathering: When do mana pools empty?

Question

I've heard that mana pools empty at the end of every phase, and I've heard that they empty at the end of the 1st main phase and every phase after. What I really want to know here is if mana empties after your upkeep phase.

Example: Can I use the mana from a Braid of Fire to spend on a Fireball?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, you can’t use the mana that you got from Braids of Fire to play fireball, because fireball is a sorcery. Mana pools empty out at the end of each upkeep phase, so the mana that you got from braids of fire will have burned before you had a chance to cast the fireball. This is why Braids of Fire is a dollar rare instead of a fifty dollar rare.

There are, however, many interesting ways to use braids to your advantage. I think that with a few early braids of fire out, the Helix Pinnacle deck might actually work. Try it out sometime.

Hope that helped

Answer 2

Mana pools empty after the draw step, after precombat main, after combat cleanup, after postcombat main, and at the end of the turn.

You can play instants during your draw step, after you have drawn a card before you move onto precombat main.

You cannot use Braid of Fire mana to cast Fireball.

300.1. A turn consists of five phases, in this order: beginning, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and end. Each of these phases takes place every turn, even if nothing happens during the phase. The beginning, combat, and end phases are further broken down into steps, which proceed in order.

300.3. When a phase ends (but not a step), any unused mana left in a player’s mana pool is lost. That player loses 1 life for each one mana lost this way. This is called mana burn. Mana burn is loss of life, not damage, so it can’t be prevented or altered by effects that affect damage. This game action doesn’t use the stack. (See rule 406, “Mana Abilities.”)

EDIT:

It is most definitely after the DRAW step and not the upkeep step that mana pools empty. The level 2 judge is incorrect. See rule 300.3

301.1. The beginning phase consists of three steps, in this order: untap, upkeep, and draw.