Making damage from hand strike aggravated

In what combat step are cards like Claws of the Dead played or decisions made about ie. making Lambach's hand damage aggravated? Can it be done after opposing minion declines to prevent damage? Can the opposing minion change their decision after damage becomes aggravated?

Effects that affect a strike (e.g. change the damage into aggravated) have to be played/used before strike resolution for it to be applicable/playable, but one can wait for the opponent to announce their strike before playing/using such effects to not waste them if the opponent plays a Combat End or Dodge etc.

lewho wrote:

In what combat step are cards like Claws of the Dead played or decisions made about ie. making Lambach's hand damage aggravated? Can it be done after opposing minion declines to prevent damage? Can the opposing minion change their decision after damage becomes aggravated?

In short, the latest time window you can turn strike aggravated is after strikes have been chosen but before they have resolved.

Damage prevention window (when prevention cards are playable) appears when damage is inflicted as part of the damage resolution, so it happens after the strike has turned aggravated.
(page 29 in the rulebook)

Just to pipe in. As other have noted above, last change to use claws etc. is after strikes have been chosen, but not yet resolved. However there is nothing stopping you from playing them in earlier phase either to intimidate or to just recycle your hand.