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, 19 November 2008
A recent game I played with my Dueling Magistrates Dragon deck against a local Crab player brought up an interesting conundrum that no one really knew the answer to.
He had a personality (I can't recall the name) that has a Reaction to bow an assigning or moving in personality, and I had Fusami - and used her reaction to move in and immediately challenge to a duel. Since her reaction took place before my own assigning phase, we weren't sure how to work that out.
Would the Crab's reaction cause Fusami to bow and negate her duel challenge? Does the Challenge happen simultaneously to the bowing? Or does Fusami's reaction take place first, preventing the Crab personality from using it?
(For the record, I was the defender in this battle, if that changes the timing at all)
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 19 November 2008
He had a personality (I can't recall the name) that has a Reaction to bow an assigning or moving in personality, and I had Fusami - and used her reaction to move in and immediately challenge to a duel.
I'm sorry, but not knowing the text of the other card is really hampering my ability to tell you the correct interaction and sequence.
In general:
Effects happen in sequence. Reactions to those effects could cause other effects to happen "in between". If someone assigns to attack you, you can React with Fusami. If a hypothetical Reaction to her movement bows her (i.e. Reaction: After X moves: Bow X), then that occurs immediately after she moves, before the challenge. The word "and" doesn't denote simultaneous effects.
But then, her being bowed won't cause the challenge to fail. Once a sequence of effects is legally activated, making it illegal afterward (as in, abilities on bowed cards can't be used) won't stop it: "Once the action has begun to resolve, effects that influence its ability to have been played in the first place do not influence the activation of its own effects. Example: Required targeting becoming illegal, or the card leaving play." (Citation).
Minor note; challenges have a tiny exception to that rule: "If a Personality involved in a challenge or duel leaves play during it, the challenge or duel ends immediately without resolution." (Citation).
I hope these answers have helped.
A player, 19 November 2008
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=71974
Hida Genichi SE personalities Crab Clan • Samurai • Berserker. Reaction: After a unit with lower total Force than Genichi's Force assigns Genichi's battlefield: Target and bow that unit.
I believe this is the other card he is talking about.
And I believe that Genichi wouldn't even bow her, as she's not assigning, she's moving in. Being an avid crab player, this is the only card I could think of
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 20 November 2008
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=71974
Hida Genichi SE personalities Crab Clan • Samurai • Berserker. Reaction: After a unit with lower total Force than Genichi's Force assigns Genichi's battlefield: Target and bow that unit.
I believe this is the other card he is talking about.
And I believe that Genichi wouldn't even bow her, as she's not assigning, she's moving in. Being an avid crab player, this is the only card I could think of
Indeed. Lots of variables in the original post, so I didn't dare hazard a guess.
But, since you did, I'll confirm that your hypothetical scenario is correct. Hida Genichi's Reaction is only to a unit "assigning" to his battlefield, but Fusami Reaction "moves" her to a battlefield.
http://rules.l5r.com/Glossary_M#Move: "Assigning to a battle is not considered to be movement, and vice versa."