post for 17 October 2001

Rules Questions

Can the Spirit Legion be targeted by actions that target units? E.G. Block Supply Lines?

Spirit Legion reads: "Spirit * Nonhuman * Unique Action cards and ranged attacks cannot target the Spirit Legion."

Targeting a unit counts as targeting the Personality. It does not count as targeting every single card in the unit. The presence of a Spirit Legion will not stop BSL.

If BLS works on the Spirit Legion, then is it legal to Fear the Unit and play Face of Fear on the personality?

Yes.

Questions about the new mailing list

How can I join the new official mailing list?

Send a message with the text "subscribe l5rinfo" to majordomo@darkedge.com .

What will happen to l5rinfo list?

That's entirely up to Wizards of the Coast.

When the new list will become official?

We're in the process of duplicating l5rinfo's subscriber list and settings as closely as possible as well as transmogrify all the relevant software to function under the alderac.com domain name instead of the originally-intended darkedge.com. Once these tasks are complete, we can make the new mailing list the primary one at any time. I personally see no reason to delay the switch once everything is in place.

Rules question

Strike of Flowing Water When you focus this card, double the Focus value of the next card you focus in this duel. Reaction: When one of your Personalities would focus, instead discard all cards focused by both Personalities'controllers for the duel and negate the discarded cards' effects.

Daidoji Megumi Upon entering a duel, Megumi gains +3C until the duel ends or either player focuses.

Now, say Megumi is dueling, oh, Hida Kuon. I challenge Kuon with Megumi, we're both at 2 Chi, except as we enter the duel Megumi jumps to five. Kuon focuses and Megumi's Chi drops back to two. I play Strike of Flowing Water to discard Kuon's focused card and negate its effects. Since the focuses have been negated, does that mean Megumi's Chi goes back up to 5?

No. Her bonus ended when Kuon focussed. Furthermore, Strike of Flowing Water only discards the cards that have been focussed. It does not undo the fact that a focus was done.

Absolute Open

Phoenix does dominate with FETA, because you play the cards as read, not as errated. The MRP on the new card just delays things. Because the effect is until the end of the turn. It is not permanent.

I thought I addressed this. Please tell me, if a card says "Destroy a Shadowlands card," or "Bow a Follower," or "Gain 3 Honor," do these effects wear off at the end of the turn too? After all, I don't believe the rulebook ever says that destruction is a permanent effect...

"As the card reads" and "as the card reads as interpreted by someone with a detailed and pedantic knowledge of the English language" are two very different things in more than half of all possible cases.

post for 15 October 2001

Just making sure I have the logic right here. Do dragonfly forts boost a geisha assassin? I think yes, but thought I would ask to be sure.

Yes, because she counts as a Personality while in play.

Does this mean that a 0-1 gold Geisha Assassin won't die immediately?

Correct. She won't.

If Akasha I. Challenges Hida Kuon (PH1), who refuses and commits seppuku, and Ide Michisuna reacts, does the Crab player lose 2 honor or 8? In other words, since Michsuna "negates the re-honoring", is he also negating the ability to reduce the honor loss from 7 to 1?

2. Only the restoration to honor is negated. The reduction of the loss from 7 to 1 still happens.

You might want to think about that one... From Zen's archive:

Iaijutsu Challenge * Reads, "Iaijutsu Challenge 0G 2FV Limited: One of your Personalities challenges a Personality. If the challenged Personality's controller refuses the challenge, he or she loses 7 Honor and this card dishonors the Personality." etc

The honour loss occurs before Hida Kuon is dishonored, so if Kuon commits seppuku in response to the honour loss, he isn't dishonored, and Ide Michisuna has nothing to react to.

Interesting.

You could also argue that Kuon dies honorably, and is then immediately dishonored by the rest of the text of Iaijutsu Challenge, but I'm guessing that the rationale is that once he's dead you stop applying those effects.

Well, no. My gut reaction is that it would still apply. I'll see what the Rules Team has to say on the matter.

post for 15 October 2001

"(Do you really think we'd let a first-turn 8 Force cavalry Personality into the Gold environment?)" -- Jeff A.

Here's a shocker... You did.

That can dependably and easily be brought into play by all or most Clans by simply bowing the Stronghold? The Kwanchai/Tsuburu combo works less often than Unexpected Allies.

Gardens Question

I need to know if the ability of Shosuro Gardens does target my personalities. I mean ... if I attack with a Bayushi Paneki with thousands of followers and a Soshi Jujun, so I use the ability of Jujun (bowing him) and my opponent play a BSL in Paneki, may I redirect the BSL to my bowed Jujun?

Yes. When redirecting an action, you are bound only by the action's original targeting requirements. You do not impose your own restrictions on the new choice as well.

And if was the another way ... from bowed Jujun to the unbowed Paneki, would it be legal?

Yes, for the same reason.

Just one more question: after redirected, the action can be cancelled?

In general, yes.

For example: If my Paneki was received a previous BSL and I've played a Test of Courage on him, may I redirect the second Block Supply to Jujun then play a Test of Courage on him? Please help me ...

You cannot redirect the second Block Supply Lines because that would require targeting Paneki with your Stronghold ability, which you cannot do because of the first Test of Courage.

Just one more thing about Shosuro Gardens: may it redirect the actions of a Come One at a Time? Is it considered an action card? And does it target?

Come One At a Time is an Action card but it does not do the targeting itself. It gives all players actions which they can perform.