Holding Cells
Legend of the Five Rings card from Gates of Chaos, Twenty Festivals, Promotional–Twenty Festivals
Open in Oracle of the Void
- Card Type
- Strategy
- Gold Cost
- 0
- Card Text
- Kolat Battle,
: Target a Personality. Before this battle resolves, bow him. Lose 1 Honor. - Focus Value
- 1
- Legality
- A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Age of Conquest (Emperor), War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)
- Deck
- Fate
- Story
- 2012 Kotei Winner - Case Kiyonaga
Printings
Gates of Chaos
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Flavor Text
- "They will be useful to us in the struggle with both Fudo's adherents and his enemy. But something about the place chills my blood." - Yoritomo Kanaye
- Artist
- Jason Behnke
- Card Number
- 122
- Publisher
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Twenty Festivals
- Rarity
- Common
- Flavor Text
- "Our guests will not be discovered here," the Abbot said sagely. "When we are finished with them, we will take their memory and return them. Or, if necessary, ensure that they will never be missed."
- Artist
- Jason Behnke
- Card Number
- 299
- Publisher
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Promotional–Twenty Festivals
- Rarity
- Promo
- Flavor Text
- "Our guests will not be discovered here," the Abbot said sagely. "When we are finished with them, we will take their memory and return them. Or, if necessary, ensure that they will never be missed."
- Artist
- Jason Behnke
- Publisher
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Rules Q&A
- Q: My fully armed Kensai is targeted with Holding Cells. If I play Swifter than Sight and bow and destroy my target unbowed weapon, does that prevent the bowing at Battle resolution?
Pretty sure it works, just want verification.
A: The bowing effect is from Holding Cells, so Swifter than Sight can negate it. Alex Jones, "Swifter than Sight vs Holding Cells", 1 Jul 2015 - Q: So as i understand the rules resolution effects resolve as the active player wants them to. Now does the active player have to resolve them in the order in which they can only be done? Here's an example.
Player A: Plays Holding cells on a magistrate personality Player B: Plays The Tale of the Disgraced on said magistrate personality and then later un bows them before resolution.
So in this instance would player A who played holding cells be able to resolve TotD before Holding Cells even though the personality is not yet bowed?
A: Yes. Since you may straighten an unbowed Personality anyway, player A may choose to apply Tale of the Disgraced's straighten effect, then Holding Cells' bow effect. Jon Palmer, "Resolution bowing and unbowing", 8 May 2015 - Q: If a Fate card gains the expendable keyword, as in the example of Holding Cells with Kobi sensei, does playing the card trigger the Expendable keyword?
Would this be different for a Kolat Kata or Allegiance?
A: No, and no.
Expendable only triggers from cards being destroyed, and none of what you described ever involves destruction; the exception would be a Kolat Terrain. Brook Cunningham, "Kobi Sensei + Holding Cells (a.k.a Expendable Fate cards)", 5 Sep 2014 - Q: If I target a person with this, and then his location is shifted (eg: to home or another battlefield), will he bow at the end of the current battlefield, not any other battlefields that he might be at later in the same turn? Ie: can he then have a chance to unbow during another battle, since he would be bowed before the other battle starts?
A: "This battle" refers to the battle currently being resolved. He will bow at the end, no matter what his location. He will not bow from this effect at the end of a different battle, so yes, you may move him out and straighten him later. Jon Palmer, "Holding Cells", 12 Jun 2014 - Q: [20F] Does the target of Holding Cells have to be at the battle where it's performed?
A: Yes. Rule of Location. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 29 Mar 2026