Burning Your Essence

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Time of the Void, Promotional–CWF

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

As a Focus Effect: Increase this card's Focus Value to 6 and, after this duel resolves, permanently give this Personality -2C.
When this card is discarded as a cost of the Tactical rulebook action or its Focus Value is checked by an ability on a Personality: Increase this card's Focus Value to 6. Permanenlty give the performing Personality -2C after the action resolves.

Focus Value

0

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Burning Your Essence 0G 0FV This card has a Focus value of 6 when focused in a duel, discarded for a Tactician force bonus, or used for its Focus value with an ability on a Personality. The Personality permanently has -2C after the duel or ability resolves." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 9
• Chi loss also occurs after the use of Tactician. [DW, August 1999; JA, email, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 9
• Treat the card's current focus value as a 6, when appropriate. This happens before any other changes. [JA, 19 November 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 9
• Chi loss also occurs if used for an ability, immediately after the resolution of the ability. [l5rinfo, 10/29/97] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 19
• May be focussed for a Tactician bonus. [DW, l5rinfo, 8/99] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 19

Rules Q&A

• Q: Wouldn't their focus values when focused for Perfect Cut and Burning Your Essence be not zero because they change? At least for the purposes of Shinsei's staff. I suppose it depends on actual wording of the card, which I don't have in front of me. Maybe there could be a ruling by Jeff on that?
  A: Anything that restricts your focusing choices in a duel based on focus values does so based on the cards' values before they're focused. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 April 2002", 4 Apr 2002
• Q: 3) Another dueling question. How does Judgment of Toshiken interact with cards like Burning Your Essence or A Perfect Cut? Do they count as a 0 focus, or do they maintain their text-modified focus values?
  A: Cards which say their "printed" or "base" Focus value changes will use that new value. If neither of these terms is used, then the card is changing its current Focus value but not its printed value. Neither Burning Your Essence nor A Perfect Cut change their own "printed" Focus value, so they both add just the number in the yellow circle, which is 0 in both cases. Jeff Alexander, "post for 25 March 2002", 26 Mar 2002
• Q: From the Accumulated Rulings
  Bonuses and Penalties Similarly, the printed focus value for Fate cards is found in the circle at the bottom of the card. Special text that resets a card's Focus values (e.g., Burning Your Essence, Let Your Spirit Guide You) only affect the current (i.e., base) Focus value. [Summary of other rulings]
  A: This ruling is incorrect and has been removed. "Base" value and "current" value are NOT synonymous. "Base" value and "PRINTED" value are synonymous -- "current" value means "whatever it is right this moment".
  I believe this rectifies the contradiction you see with Burning Your Essence. Jeff Alexander, "post for 7 March 2002", 8 Mar 2002
• Q: If you discard a "Burning Your Essence" or a "Let The Spirit Guide You" to use "Know The Enemy", is the focus value 0 or the modified focus?
  A: 0 for Burning Your Essence, modified for Let Your Spirit Guide You. LYSGY gives the higher value for any use of the Tactician trait, whereas BYE is only a 6 when used for a Tactician Force bonus (or an ability printed or copied onto the Personality card). Jeff Alexander, "post for 29 January 2002", 30 Jan 2002
• Q: The current wording on JoT:
  "Judgement of Toshiken 0G 2FV Reaction: Play this card after players reveal Focus cards in a duel. Resolve the duel only by the Chi (or other stat noted on the card creating the duel) of the dueling Personalities before the challenge, plus the Focus cards' printed Focus values. The Double Chi trait works as usual. If either Personality has not focused, each can focus an extra time, starting with the challenged Personality."
  This states that it uses printed Focus values for determining the >outcome of the duel. Does this count Buring Your Essence as a 6 or a 0?
  Burning Your Essence 0G 0FV This card has a Focus value of 6 when focused in a duel, discarded for a Tactician force bonus, or used for its Focus value with an ability on a Personality. The Personality permanently has -2C after the duel or ability resolves."
  A: As it makes no mention of changing its own "printed" stat, Burning Your Essence's printed Focus value stays a mere 0, adding nothing during a Toshiken-judged duel. Jeff Alexander, "post for 15 October 2001", 16 Oct 2001
• Q: 3.) Using One Life, One Action on a Burning Your Essence has no effect (other than spending one or more gold to pay for the 1L1A.)
  A: I don't think it's possible to play OLOA against ByE. You play One Life after another player resolves an action card from his or her hand. Burning your Essence, much like Focus, never actually resolves. There's no moment of resolution for OLOA to trigger off of. But, you're right. If, in some way, you did find a way to play a One Life on ByE, it would have no effect. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for July 25th", 25 Jul 2001