Blade of Guile

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, Khan's Defiance, Samurai Edition Banzai

Card Type

Item

Force

+2

Chi

+0

Gold Cost

3

Keywords

Weapon, Shamesword

Card Text

This Personality has a maximum Personal Honor of 0.
Negate any dishonoring of this Personality.
Reaction: After this card enters play: Rehonor this Personality.

Focus Value

4

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Destroyer War (Celestial), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Deck

Fate

Story

2006 L5R Fantasy League - Doruk Ozaydin

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Blade of Guile +2F/+0C 3G 4FV Shamesword • Weapon This Personality has a maximum Personal Honor of 0. Negate any dishonoring of this Personality. Reaction: After this card enters play: Rehonor its Personality." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 123

Rules Q&A

• Q: If I have a honorable personality in my discard enter play via overlay and he has targeted a dishonable personality equiped with the Blade of Guile, when does my overlay become dishonorable?
  A: Immediately. Per the rules on overlaying, the overlaying Personality inherits the game state (in this case, dishonorable) of the overlaid Personality. Jon Palmer, "WoH Overlay + Dishonorable question", 21 Feb 2012
• Q: In response to this. viewtopic.php?f=59&t=77592&p=1017699&hilit=kosoku#p1017699
  I am a little confused, the answer was not really that clear, at least to me. Is it legal to redirect a ranged attack that is meant for a personality to a Shiba Kosoku who has a follower attached?
  Also, in the same area: If I have a Blade of Guile attached to Kosoku, can I have an action target her that is meant to dishonor a target shugenja? Does Blade of Guile make the action illegal so that her reaction cannot be used?
  A: It IS legal to use Shiba Kosoku's reaction, as the trigger (someone targeted a Shugenja at Kosoku's location) has occurred. However, Kosoku's action will have no effect, as Kosoku herself is NOT a legal target for the Ranged Attack, as she has a follower attached.
  Blade of Guile merely negates any effects which dishonor the person it is attached to, so not only may you use Shiba Kosoku's reaction, it will have it's intended effect: The action will instead target Shiba Kosoku, and any effects that would dishonor Kosoku will be negated thanks to Blade of Guile (Oh that silly Kokujin! ) Dan Jacobson, "Kosoku with followers", 24 Aug 2009
• Q: Could I target Blade of Guile, and when it moves, it rehonors whomever it attaches to?
  A: Pretty sure this has been answered before in some way, shape or form. Let's see... Hm. Not exactly. viewtopic.php?f=59&t=59266
  Transferring a card from one unit to another isn't attaching, but Clan Heirloom specifically uses the word "attach," so yes, attachment related effects would trigger. Zen Faulkes, "Clan Heirloom vs. Kakita's First Blade", 28 Apr 2008
• Q: okay ...
  Matsu McRandom assigns to attack me with a Blade of Guile attached. I defend with Doji Whoever and Kakita Whatshisface. My opponent Sneaks and Ruthless Advances Whoever. I react with Assigning Blame. What happens?
  1) Blade of Guiles trait trumps Toshi Ranbos. McRandom is not dishonored but my opponent still loses 3 honor.
  or
  2) Toshi Ranbo trumps Blade of Guile. McRandom is dishonored and my opponent loses 3 honor.
  Thanks
  Relevent Text
  Blade of Guile Weapon • Shamesword After this card attaches: Rehonor this Personality. This Personality has 0 Personal Honor, and can neither gain Personal Honor bonuses nor be dishonored.
  Toshi Ranbo Imperial • City • Unique During battles at this province's battlefield, effects of Political actions cannot be negated. Reaction: After Cavalry Maneuvers end: Create and attach a 1F Guard Follower to each honorable, opposed Samurai or Shugenja Personality defending at this Province's battlefield.
  EDIT: Any word on this yet?
  A: Much like Shiba Aikune v. Toshi Ranbo, when you have one effect that says, "X can not happen" and another effect that says, "X can not be negated," X happens.
  Assigning Blame played during a Battle at Toshi Ranbo's Battlefield will trump Blade of Guile. Martin Lund, "Blade of Guile vs. Toshi Ranbo", 26 Nov 2007
• Q: Does an Honor gain of zero exist?
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/The_Player#Family_Honor: "An Honor gain of 0 points is not considered a gain for things that check whether a gain happened; likewise an Honor loss of 0 points is not considered a loss for such things." Zen Faulkes, "Shinjo's Courage, Blade of Guile/Dishonored, and Dirty Polit", 15 Sep 2007
• Q: Just confirming I understand this and, more broadly, that I'm applying negation of effects correctly.
  Blade of Guile
  This Personality has 0 Personal Honor, and can neither gain Personal Honor bonuses nor be dishonored.
  Determination
  Dark Virtue Reaction: Before you announce an action, target one of your Samurai: The action can not have its effects negated or have its targeting changed. After the action destroys any Personality, remove him from the game.
  From the Comprehensive Rules:
  Conflicting effects
  When effects conflict in their application but not their timing, the later effect takes precedence over the previous effect. Example: If an effect can not be negated (negating anything that attempts to negate it), and is countered by a later negation effect that itself can not be negated, the later effect succeeds in negating the previous effect. [ADDED July 30 2007] [/i]
  If I play Determination on an action that states "Dishonor a target personality", then play that action on someone with the Blade of Guile attached, per the "Conflicting Effects" entry, they will still be dishonored, correct?
  And a more specific case...if I play Determination, then use Bayushi Saya's action on a target personality who has Blade of Guile attached, and that personality subsequently performs an action, will the effect of Determination remain applied, so the personality would be dishonored by the effect of Saya's action?
  Bayushi Saya
  Political Open: Target a Personality. After the next time this turn his controller assigns him or an action resolves that he performed, his controller loses Honor equal to his Personal Honor, then he is dishonored.
  [Mod edit: Formatting removed. -ZF]
  A: Determination will allow the effect to trump the "can not be dishonored" trait.
  "Do X. This can not be Negated," trumps, "Negate X," or "Can not X" instructions. Martin Lund, "Determination and Blade of Guile", 12 Sep 2007
• Q: How do you know that the second sentence on Blade of Guile is not part of the triggered trait?
  A: It's a separate paragraph. Zen Faulkes, "RE: Blade of Guile and Ongoing Effects", 15 Aug 2007
• Q: is this true for all traits?
  A: You'll have to be more specific. Zen Faulkes, "RE: Blade of Guile and Ongoing Effects", 15 Aug 2007
• Q: Let's pretend I'm playing the scorpion Deceptions Veil Dojo stronghold and my opponent equips a Blade of Guile on a personality. Is he (he meaning the guy with the sword) an eligible target for my stronghold ability?
  A: Ug, I just realized this is a Samurai Edition stronghold, so shouldn't say anything.
  The general rule for whether whether an effect will be negated has no impact on whether something is a legal target. Zen Faulkes, "Blade of Guile + Deceptions Veil Dojo", 17 Jul 2007
• Q: If so, since he can't be dishonored MUST my opponent lose 3 honor because he cannot chose to dishonor the personality?
  A: The general rule is that a player can make any choice he wants, regardless of whether the effect will be negated. Some consequences, though, look for the decision and some look for whether effects occurred. Zen Faulkes, "Blade of Guile + Deceptions Veil Dojo", 17 Jul 2007
• Q: I'm playing the scorpion DVD deck(...)
  A: Mod reminder: Please do not use abbrevations, acronyms, or nicknames. They are confusing to new players, players whose first language is not English, and potentially to Deputy Rules Guys who are trying to answer your questions. Thanks! Zen Faulkes, "Blade of Guile + Deceptions Veil Dojo", 17 Jul 2007
• Q: When I transfer (via sharing) Blade of Guile to dishonored personality does it count as attaching?
  A: Rules, Glossary, Attach: "Transferring a card from one unit to another is not attaching." Zen Faulkes, "Blade of Guile and Share rule", 15 Jul 2007
• Q: If I have a personality with the Blade of Guile attached and my opponent targets him with Maru Exp. 2's Open action am I forced to bow him?
  relevant text:
  A: Comprehensive Rules, Effects, Choices: "A choice may be made even if its subsequent effects would be negated or otherwise fail due to lack of suitable things to affect." Zen Faulkes, "Shosuro Maru (Experienced 2) vs Blade of Guile", 29 Jun 2007