Grappling the Snake

Legend of the Five Rings card from Seeds of Decay

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Kiho

Card Text

Battle: Choose your performing unbowed Monk: After the next time (this turn) an action targets him, you may choose either to negate its effects on your Monk, or to bow the unit of one Personality that performed it after the action resolves. You may take an additional Battle action.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Age of Conquest (Emperor)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Hello, I was wondering about the following combo:
  1) I play Grappling the Snake on my unbowed Monk 2) For my additional action, I play Nerve Strike against a target and bow my monk
  Can I use the ability of Grappling the Snake to negate the bowing of Nerve Strike?
  Nerve Strike - Battle: Bow your performing Monk and target an enemy Personality with equal or lower Chi: Reduce his Force and the Force of each of his Followers to 0. Cards in that unit may not perform actions until this battle ends.
  Grappling the Snake - Battle: Choose your performing unbowed Monk: After the next time (this turn) an action targets him, you may choose either to negate its effects on your Monk, or to bow the unit of one Personality that performed it after the action resolves. You may take an additional Battle action.
  Does the act of choosing my monk count as targeting or does only the actual opposed target of Nerve Strike count?
  A: Only the actual target of Nerve Strike is targeted. "Choose your performing" is not targeting.
  Additionally, Nerve Strike bows your monk as a cost, not an effect, so even if he were targeted it still wouldn't stop his bowing. Jon Palmer, "Grappling the Snake & Nerve Strike", 2 Apr 2013
• Q: I target a monk with Tamori Takeshis ability. I then assign said 4F monk to attack a "The Shadow's Lair" province. I play Sneak Attack, then Grappling the Snake. Can he still be sent home by the stronghold The Shadow's Lairs action?
  What if I did not play grappling the snake but used Height of Courage instead after the strongholds action targets my monk?
  A: Your monk will move home.
  In these cases, the effects of Grappling the Snake and Height of Courage are not being negated by The Shadow's Lair. Rather, they are attempting to negate the effects of The Shadow's Lair, and The Shadow's Lair's text causes that to fail. Jon Palmer, "Will not be negated actions", 17 Dec 2012