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, 7 February 2008
Hi,
I've been trying to figure this out on my own, but not having a degree in logic, I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around how this will work...
I know that if I play Determination followed by a Battle action that kills a personality, and my opponent reacts with Determination followed by a reaction that negates the Battle action, then the action is successfully negated.
I am wondering if it would make a difference if I were to play Determination as a reaction before playing another Determination, which I would then follow up with my Battle action. Does this in any way counteract my opponent's potential Determination + negation effect? Basically, I think my chain of actions would say "you cannot negate the fact that my subsequent battle action's effect cannot be negated". And my opponent's action says "My negation action's effects cannot be negated". From there, I cannot wrap my head around whether or not my double determination would actually accomplish anything.
Any help is much appreciated.
Martin Lund (rules official), 7 February 2008
I am wondering if it would make a difference if I were to play Determination as a reaction before playing another Determination, which I would then follow up with my Battle action.
Yes, it would matter:
Determination + Action trumps Negation Action Determination + Negation Action trumps Determination + Action Determination + Determination + Action trumps Determination + Negation Action
Whichever side has more Determination wins. If both sides have the same amount, then it is basically like no copies of Determination were played.
Of course, if you play Determination -> Determination -> Action your opponent isn't going to waste his Determination or Negation action unless he's got 2x Determination and wants to use them both.