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.
Must a card be in a focus pool as a strike is called for the Focus Effect to apply? Whe Focus effects are checked?
For example, may I use the Focus Effect of Triumph of Courage to get a Ring of Fire into my focus pool, and then use the Focus Effect on Ring of Fire to play it?
Thank!
F: Focus Effects resolve. All Focus Effect traits on focused cards are triggered at this time, and resolve in an order chosen by the active player. Focus Effects only resolve if the card is in the focusing area at the time it is chosen to resolve. If a new card enters the focusing area during this process, its Focus Effect must resolve before proceeding.
Taken from the step-by step process of Dueling from The Comprehensive Rules: Challenges and Dueling.
For example, may I use the Focus Effect of Triumph of Courage to get a Ring of Fire into my focus pool, and then use the Focus Effect on Ring of Fire to play it?
Yes, specifically because it says that if a new card enters the focusing area during the process of resolving Focus Effects you must resolve its Focus Effect before leaving Step F: "Focus Effects resolve".
Triumph would switch with another card - and any Focus Effect of that card would have to take place before moving to Step G where final dueling scores are computed.