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, 14 March 2011
Muscle and Steel Text Reaction: After another player's action targets one of your Personalities, bow one of his attachments with a base Gold Cost of 7 or more: Negate either the action's bowing, destruction, or movement of cards in his unit.
Overwhelming Pressure This card has -1 Gold Cost for each Samurai you control. Battle: Target your unbowed Samurai: Destroy a target enemy attachment. You may target and bow an enemy Personality with Chi lower than or equal to your Samurai's Chi.
I just want some clarification on this issue since I have had this come up against me in top 8 and i have heard it go both ways.
I have a unit with a Rising Sunblade(8g attachment). My opponent pays all costs and plays overwhelming pressure. Can i react with Muscle and Steel to save the attachment's destruction or is overwhelming pressure's timing different. Such as since it is destroy a target enemy attachment period then target with the bow action.
Thanks
Alex Jones (rules official), 14 March 2011
Muscle and Steel Text Reaction: After another player's action targets one of your Personalities, bow one of his attachments with a base Gold Cost of 7 or more: Negate either the action's bowing, destruction, or movement of cards in his unit.
Overwhelming Pressure This card has -1 Gold Cost for each Samurai you control. Battle: Target your unbowed Samurai: Destroy a target enemy attachment. You may target and bow an enemy Personality with Chi lower than or equal to your Samurai's Chi.
I just want some clarification on this issue since I have had this come up against me in top 8 and i have heard it go both ways.
I have a unit with a Rising Sunblade(8g attachment). My opponent pays all costs and plays overwhelming pressure. Can i react with Muscle and Steel to save the attachment's destruction or is overwhelming pressure's timing different. Such as since it is destroy a target enemy attachment period then target with the bow action.
Thanks
You cannot react with Muscle and Steel to prevent the destruction of the attachment by Overwhelming Pressure.
The Reaction on Muscle and Steel is taken after the action targets one of your Personalities, but the only required target for Overwhelming Pressure is the attachment; this is the only targeting done before the effects resolution step of the action. The optional targeting of the Personality is done during the resolution step, after the destruction of the attachment, which is too late to negate the destruction of the attachment.
See Abilities and Actions, Using Abilities.