Caught Unawares

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Battle of Kyuden Tonbo, The Plague War

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Open: If you control no Personalities, target one or two Personalities: Bow them. Negate their straightening (this turn). If it is not your turn, draw a card.
Battle: Target an enemy card with no unbowed attachments: Bow it.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial)

Banned

Banned from constructed Emperor Edition tournaments, effective September 21st, 2013

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: This came up in a game the other night, and my poor comrade almost went into a fit of shocked anger over it so we wanted to be sure.
  He performed the Limited action on Aramasu's Legacy. I defended with no one, so he won the battle. My sole personality was Asako Karachu. He then tried to bow Karachu and negate his straightening, but myself and others argued that it wouldn't work because immediately after Karachu bowed he straightened and therefore the negation didn't work much like a single copy of Caught Unawares wouldn't keep him bowed.
  His counter argument was that its a different case then Caught Unawares, because the bow and negation is all one effect, not separate effects. Because CA has a period between the "Bow them" and "Negate their straightening" while AL does not ("you may target a Personality or Holding, bow it, and negate its straightening until after your next Straighten Phase ends.") that it worked differently.
  A resolution would be much appreciated.
  Asako Karachu After Karachu bows: Straighten him.
  Aramasu's Legacy Limited: Create an additional Attack Phase, during which battle resolution does not destroy defending armies or provinces and does not bow your Mantis Clan Magistrates or your attachments. After it ends, if you won any of its battles (even against no units at resolution), you may target a Personality or Holding, bow it, and negate its straightening until after your next Straighten Phase ends.
  A: According to Definition of effects, bowing a card and negating its straightening are two separate effects: An effect is anything, other than a cost, that creates a card or other thing in the game, changes the characteristics or state of a card, stat or other thing in the game, adds restrictions or permissions to the game’s procedures, or creates a new instance of a game procedure. Each individual change or creation of a card, a player, a game entity (such as Provinces), a game procedure is a separate effect.
  Bowing a card is a change to its physically marked state. Negating its straightening is a modification to changes to its physically marked state.
  The use of a comma or a full stop (or nothing) does not determine whether one or two effects are created. Alex Jones, "Asako Karachu and Aramasu's Legacy", 20 Dec 2012
• Q: Asako Karachu Personality Force: 4 Chi: 3 HR: 2 GC: 7 PH: 2
  Phoenix Clan • Air • Monk • Golden Arm • Henshin After Karachu bows: Straighten him.
  Caught Unawares Strategy Gold Cost: 0
  Open: If you control no Personalities, target one or two Personalities: Bow them. Negate their straightening (this turn). If it is not your turn, draw a card.
  The question is this... If Karachu is bowed as an open action does he remain bowed or is the straighten trait applied between effects?
  EG: Effect 1: bow a guy. Effect 2: Negate straightening. Does the straightening trait happen between these 2 effects?
  A: Yes, Karachu straightens immediately after he bows, and before the "negate his straightening" effect is applied.
  It does stay in effect for the rest of the turn, so if a separate effect then bows him again, he will not straighten. Jon Palmer, "Asako Karachu vs Caught Unawares", 27 Aug 2012