A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 9 July 2015
I use Kaiu Akemi's ability to make my opponent show a random card and the card he shows has focus value 4. Am I allowed to actually use the discard ability at that point if the highest card I have is a 4 FV? Voice of Experience appears to pump a card up once I discard it, but Kaiu Akemi's ability seems to imply that I can't discard it unless it's higher in the first place.
Kaiu Akemi: Battle: If Akemi is opposed, show a random card in the enemy leader's hand. You may discard a card with a higher Focus Value (from your hand) to discard the shown card.
Voice of Experience: Interrupt: After each time the action discards or shows any cards, you may give them +1FV. (Focused cards cannot gain this bonus.)
Thanks,
Alex Jones (rules official), 17 July 2015
I use Kaiu Akemi's ability to make my opponent show a random card and the card he shows has focus value 4. Am I allowed to actually use the discard ability at that point if the highest card I have is a 4 FV? Voice of Experience appears to pump a card up once I discard it, but Kaiu Akemi's ability seems to imply that I can't discard it unless it's higher in the first place.
Kaiu Akemi: Battle: If Akemi is opposed, show a random card in the enemy leader's hand. You may discard a card with a higher Focus Value (from your hand) to discard the shown card.
Voice of Experience: Interrupt: After each time the action discards or shows any cards, you may give them +1FV. (Focused cards cannot gain this bonus.)
Thanks,
You cannot discard a 4FV card to discard you opponent's 4FV card, as your card would only get the FV bonus after you discard it, but the FV comparison is done before the discard.