Identifying L5R cards
Open in Oracle of the VoidDiscord · Report a problem · Patreon · YouTube
- The bugs: which arc
- Two bugs
- No bug
- Bugs and legality
- Which set: from Gold Edition on
- Which set: the Imperial arc borders
- Which set: the Jade arc borders
- Look-alikes
Which arc and which set an old Legend of the Five Rings card comes from, read off the card itself: the bug tells you the arc, and the border (before Gold Edition) or the set code (from Gold Edition on) tells you the set.
The bugs: which arc
From Jade Edition (1998) on, each card prints a small symbol, the "bug", in a lower corner of its text box: the kanji of the arc it was printed for. A card with a bug was made to be played in that arc.
| Bug | Arc | Look |
|---|---|---|
 | Hidden Emperor (Jade) | green 玉 in a black disc, lower left |
 | Four Winds (Gold) | yellow 金 in a black disc, lower right |
 | Rain of Blood (Diamond) | white 鑽 in a black disc, lower left |
 | Age of Enlightenment (Lotus) | pink 蓮 in a black disc, lower right |
 | Race for the Throne (Samurai) | blue 侍 in a black disc, lower left |
 | Destroyer War (Celestial) | grey 神, no disc, lower right |
  | Age of Conquest (Emperor) | green 帝, no disc, lower left; on the late sets a white 帝 in a green disc, lower right |
 | A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition) | white glyph in a purple disc, lower left |
 | A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals) | white glyph in a blue disc, lower right |
 | War of the Seals (Onyx Edition) | white 瑪 in a black disc, lower left |
 | Shattered Empire | black 瑪 in a white disc, lower right |
Two bugs
Sets released near the end of an arc often print two bugs, one in each corner: the arc that's ending and the one about to start (Gold and Diamond, Ivory and Twenty Festivals, Onyx and Shattered Empire, ...). The card was made for both.
No bug
The first arc, Clan Wars (the Imperial arc, 1995–1998), had no bugs at all: every card from Pre-Imperial Edition to Scorpion Clan Coup has none. Some later products also print none: tokens, some promotional cards and reprint collections. For those, the border or the set code says where the card is from.
Faint or hidden bugs exist: a few starter-deck reprints print the bug very lightly, and on some cards the text runs over it. Look closely before deciding a card has none.
Bugs and legality
The bug shows what a card was printed for. Whether it's legal to play is a separate question: cards were banned from arcs after they were printed, and some formats allow cards from other arcs. The card page's legality shows the current answer, each arc with its bug beside it (redrawn as a wax seal, the same style for every arc, so not exactly as printed). A Detailed Search result shows the bugs of the arcs the card is legal in under its versions.
Which set: from Gold Edition on
From Gold Edition (2001) on, every card prints its set's code, its number in the set and its rarity along the bottom edge, so the set can be read straight off the card. Rarity symbols: circle common, diamond uncommon, star rare, triangle promo, hollow diamond premium (from Emperor Edition), star in a circle fixed.
Which set: the Imperial arc borders
Before Gold Edition nothing on the card names the set: the outer border does. Look at the black band between the card's edge and the frame, all the way round. These strips are the bottom edge of each set's border.
| Set | Border |
|---|---|
Pre-Imperial Edition  | black, with a thin rule just inside the edge, solid red along the bottom and right |
Imperial Edition  | black with faint grey veins, and a thin rule that runs gold and red on every side |
Shadowlands  | purple and green speckle that changes around the card |
Forbidden Knowledge  | dense rust-red speckle, like lichen |
Emerald Edition  | black marble with faint grey-green veins |
Battle of Beiden Pass  | plain black, no set marks anywhere, and the old card back |
Anvil of Despair  | an even slate blue-grey mottle |
Crimson and Jade  | dark green mottle, like moss |
Obsidian Edition  | black with fine brown crackle veins |
Time of the Void  | black with gold veins and a gold glow, strongest on the left edge |
Scorpion Clan Coup  | black with bright red lightning lines (all three scrolls are the same) |
Which set: the Jade arc borders
Jade arc cards all carry the Jade bug, and most of their borders have a coloured pattern, so they're easier to tell apart.
| Set | Border |
|---|---|
Jade Edition  | black with thin bright-green swirling lines |
Hidden Emperor 1–6, The Dark Journey Home  | wood-grain streaks of red-brown, green and blue (the same on all seven) |
Pearl Edition  | dark indigo with violet circle swirls, like pearls |
Siege of Sleeping Mountain  | dark slate with faint dark-red swirls |
Honor Bound  | black with a dark-red net of cells, like cracked earth |
Ambition's Debt  | black with faint dark-blue blotches (very dark) |
Fire and Shadow  | black with an olive-green net of cells |
Top Deck Learn to Play  | plain black |
Heroes of Rokugan  | black with gold coins round the edges |
Soul of the Empire  | black with a bright-green net of cells |
Storms Over Matsu Palace  | a purple-magenta glow fading to red, the brightest of the arc |
The War of Spirits  | black with red flame marks; the artist and "©2000 Wizards" along the bottom |
Look-alikes
- Hidden Emperor 1–6 and The Dark Journey Home share one border: the border can't tell them apart.
- Scorpion Clan Coup scrolls 1, 2 and 3 are identical.
- Plain black borders: Battle of Beiden Pass, Top Deck Learn to Play, and the dark ones (Ambition's Debt, Pearl Edition, Siege of Sleeping Mountain) are easiest to confuse. Look at the border in good light, and at the back: Battle of Beiden Pass has the old card back.
- Honor Bound, Fire and Shadow and Soul of the Empire use the same net of cells in different colours: dark red, olive and bright green.