Phase advantage
From Solium Infernum Wiki
Phase advantage happens when your orders for a given phase will resolve before another players orders.
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Why does it exist
The game processes everything in a series of steps. For orders, all phase 1 orders are processed before any phase 2 orders. Within a phase, the player selected as regent will have their orders processed first, then the player to their left will have their orders processed, and it continues around clockwise.
How can I use it
A common use of phase advantage is if your phase 1 is going to be processed before your targets phase 1, then they will be unable to act. For example, if in the previous turn, you declared a vendetta on playerB and moved a legion close enough that it will be able to attack one of playerB's places of power, by moving in phase 1, you know that playerB will not be able to affect the situation before you legion strikes.
Or if someone is likely to attack you, by using a ritual in phase 1 on their legion(s), you may be able to immobilize or destroy them before they get to do their attack.
How about negative phase advantage
There are also some actions where it is best done as late as possible. For example, if multiple players succeed in stealing an artifact on the same turn, the last success processed gets to keep it. So putting your attempts to steal or bribe in phase 6 is to your advantage, and preferably after everyone else has processed their phase 6.
Similarly, if you acquire tribute during a phase (for instance, by looting someones vaults), it is immediately placed in your vaults. So to minimize the chance it will be re-stolen (and maximize the amount of tribute available to steal), looting in phase 6 could be to your advantage (it also could not, if a third player steals or destroys your target's tribute before you can get to it).
What can I do to mitigate it
Make an ally! You almost always have phase advantage over the players to your left, and almost never have it over the players to your right. But the player sitting across from your has the exact opposite problem. So by teaming up, you can have your partner perform actions (deceit mostly) that mess with the players to your right, and you can do the same in return.
