Post for June 19, 2003

Yo, kids. A little somethin' somethin' from private email to start...

Can you use At Your Command to move an attacking personality into a battle where there are no personalities defending, just a Garrison?

I can see where you're coming from, but I'm going to say that you can't use At Your Command. You (the controller of Garrison) are the only person who's allowed to use Garrison to satisfy Presence. For the purposes of actions that your opponents play, you are not considered to have a Unit there.

Ok Vaughn, I didn't agree with Jeff on the Stand issue so I guess it's your turn now. :) Where's my Leon hat?

I find that phrase to be horribly overused. Somehow, it's just not the same when I'm not answering questions about some Martian seven card combo that ends with 40 Egg of Pan-Ku copies of a Ninja Shapeshifter in play.

Why does Stand always target? Because the first effect of the Battle action always happens, even if the second part is guaranteed to happen, too. So, after Stand is played, you first force your opponent to target and bow X personalities. Then, you create a second, usually pointless effect that bows all the opposing personalities without Followers. So, that said...

How exactly is that different from an event? Like Stand, unless the effect gets negated or cancelled isn't the event "guaranteed to happen"? Even if there are no personalities in play, the effect still happens. I'm not sure what your point was here.

The point was that most people think that because the second part doesn't target, Stand automatically skips past the first part - it doesn't. That's the part that's significant for any discussion of whether or not Stand targets.

From what I remember of your SAtW ruling, you target all the peeps fitting the criteria of no followers. Why doesnt the same follow suit for IC or PR? Each one has specific catagories of personalities which would seem to follow the same logic as Stands.

There's an important distinction between the two, though. Stand always has an abolute number of personalities that it can affect. Whether that number is one or 70,000, there's always an upper limit. For Peasant Revolt and Imp. Census, that's not true, and that's the difference between a global effect and a targeted one.

If there's no hard cap on the number of things that can be hit by an effect, it's global. If there's a hard cap, then the effect cannot be considered global, and then we go to the other 3 targeting rules to see if it targets.

IC and PR does have an absolute number of personalities that it can effect, as the number of personalities in play that can be hit by it is always a known number. I ask again, what's the difference?

That's not an absolute limit, it's a practical limit. Let's not make this discussion delve into the deep intricacies of the rules. Peasant Revolt and Census don't target because, very simply, they affect "all cards fitting a certain description." That's the verbatim text of targeting rule #3, talking about how to determine whether or not something is a global, non-targeted effect. Stand's first effect does *not* have text saying that it affects all cards of a certain description, and it's not targeted. You can argue the logic of those rules, but you can't argue that the rule itself exists.

An annoying rules question, thus:

My "Right to Rule" resolves, and my opponent, laughing at my idiocy, keeps his province.

Now...he can only win by Enlightenment, Military or Honor. The fool! He has handed my ULTIMATE POWER.

If I am in any danger of losing the game, I can merely destroy all of Rokugan at my whim, and rule over the rubble of civilization. What more could a man wish for?

I bow my SH to search for "Gifts and Favors".

It's not there...so I lose.

BUT HE DOESN'T WIN.

Yes, he does. If you're sitting at the table, and your opponent vanishes, you win by a Military victory. As far as the rules are concerned, it doesn't matter why he vanished - if you're the only person left in the game, you win a Military victory.

If I oath a clan champion of another faction (or make your choice him) can I use faith in my clan on him?

Sure.

A little bit of background, first:

I'm playing an Open game with my neighbor. I'm playing honorable Lion, he's playing SLH. It's turn 3.

Now, I have a Copper Mine out and two Mining Foremen. My stronghold has already been bowed to purchase Light Infantry for my only personality out, Matsu Ketsui. I want to buy Matsu Agetoki for 8G and still add his honor. Can I bow the Copper Mine, then as reactions bow the two Mining Foremen, or can I only bow one?

You can bow both. You can only use a printed Reaction once for each time the trigger condition happens, but if you have multiple copies of the Reaction available (either from cards in hand or in play), you can use multiple copies on a single trigger.

Heres one...

Akodo Rokoru

Reaction : once per turn before one of your lion personalities bows due to another player's card effect, negate the bowing.

Shosuro Aroru

Scorpion Clan Duelist Ninja Soul of Bayushi Yokuan Followers Aroru attaches must be Ninja. A Personality must bow to refuse a challenge from Aroru. Players can take no Reactions to a challenge, refusal, or duel involving Aroru except Reactions that cancel the challenge or duel or occur after the duel.

If I target a lion players lion personality with IA Challenge while Rokuro is in play, will he be able to negate the bowing.

I ask because it looks to me like Aroru adds a cost to refusing the duel, can you still negate that cost and even if you could negate the bowing, can you in this instance with the rest of Aroru's text being no reactions?

Aroru does indeed add a cost to refusing a challenge, so Rokuro's Reaction is prohibited.

Minor Illusions Reaction: Bow this Shugenja after a holding is bowed to negate all effects of the Holding other than Gold production.

If my opponent has a Shrine to Daikoku in play that has targeted a Jade Works, and bows the Shrine to pay a gold cost, can I react with Minor Illusions to negate the effects of the +1 gold production on the Jade Works until the end of the turn?

Yes. Anything other than a creation, destruction, or change of control effect would be considered something that could be negated by using Minor Illusions.

Hello,

I have a series of questions about the game most relating with the Unit and Personality relation. I have been through the rullings but still did not find answer to this problems.

The main cath for me is this:

- I have a bowed personality (alone, nothing attached) in an attacking army can I play "Block Supply Lines" on it ?

No. You cannot target your bowed personalities with actions, and any card that targets a unit automatically targets all cards in the unit, including the personality leading the unit.

These are some general questions mostlry related to the above.

- Does the "Northern Provinces of the Moto" abilty works with units led by bowed personalities ?

No.

- A unit with a bowed personality is considered bowed ? (see "Come one at the Time" test).

The entire Unit is not considered bowed, but the personality is definitely bowed. I don't really know what you mean by the Come one at a Time test, though...

- Can you target that unit with your actions ?

The entire unit? No. You can target specific cards within the unit, though, as long as you're not trying to target the personality with an action that doesn't straighten them.

- Does one of my actions that target a unit target it's personality ?

Yes.

- My opponent plays "Encircled Terrain" I only have units with bowed personalities. Do I choose one to stay or all go home ?

All of them would go home.

- Does the "Utaku Palaces" unbow ability works in an "Ambush" ?

Yes. There is a declaration step to the Ambush attack phase, but Ambush handles it all by itself. You can still use Reactions to things that happen in that timeframe.

- I have 2 units in a battle one have a bowed personality with 4 force the other has an unbowed personality with 2. I play "Overwhelmed". Which personality must I destroy ?

You cannot play Overwhelmed, because one of the targets required for the action is beyond your grasp. You *must* target and destroy your personality with the highest force in order to play Overwhelmedd, and you cannot because that personality is bowed.

- What if both personalities are bowed ? Can I play "Overwhelmed" ?

See above.

- And if my opponent only has units with bowed personalities ? What are his options ?

His options are much greater than yours. He's not trying to target one of his bowed personalities with one of his own actions - he's trying to target it with one of yours. That let's him target his own bowed personalities. Kinda crazy, innit?

- My opponent plays "Encircled Terrain" I only have units with bowed personalities. Do I choose one to stay or all go home ?

In this case, you can choose one. Again, players are allowed to target their own bowed personalities with other players actions.

If a Personality attaches the Celestial Sword of their Clan, can Overconfidence be played as a Reaction?

As long as the force bonus from the Sword will be greater than the personalities Chi, yes.

Can the House of Tao start with a Dark Ring in play or does the ring you start with count as being put into play and then discarded by the stronghold? If it does count as being put into play can a player react to it being put into play with cards like A Vision of Truth or Distraction of the Flesh.

The Dark Ring comes into play, and then gets discarded by the Stronghold.

Theoretically, there could someday be Reactions printed that would be available to use when the Ring enters/leaves play (either on Strongholds or Winds, because those are revealed at the same time), but right now, I don't think there's anything available to be used in that Reaction slot.