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, 22 June 2010
Hi,
Hida Ikarukani After the resolution of an action that destroyed Ikarukani while he was at a battlefield: The enemy leader chooses and destroys one of his unbowed Personalities at the current battlefield.
Imperial Command Reaction: After a target card is destroyed: Remove it from the game. Reaction: When an action would target your Unique Personality, pay 2 Gold: The action targets another of your Personalities instead, if legal.
I'm facing Ikarukani in battle and let's say I managed to kill him via a Ranged 7 attack. Could I use Imperial Command to remove him from the game to prevent his trait from going off or will it be too late?
Thanks!
A player, 22 June 2010
I'm facing Ikarukani in battle and let's say I managed to kill him via a Ranged 7 attack. Could I use Imperial Command to remove him from the game to prevent his trait from going off[?]
Yes you could, assuming his destruction comes from an action. Because they do not have the same timing, the Reaction on Imperial Command will always be taken before Ikarukani's trait triggers, which would happen when Ikarukani has already removed from the game, so it does not trigger any longer (see Implications of in and out of play).
See also "Imperial Command vs. Wanyudo and resolution".