Brutal Lesson

Legend of the Five Rings card from Rise of Jigoku

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

As a Focus Effect, your Personality uses their printed Force as their duel stat for this duel, and all focused cards' Focus Values this duel have a maximum equal to the Force of the Personality for whom they were focused.
Open: Bow your target unbowed Personality unless they are a Berserker. equal to their Force. You may not target your Personality with actions. Lose 2 Honor

Focus Value

1

Legality

Shattered Empire, War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: So if the active player wanted Brutal Lesson to resolve last the FE from Like a Twig would completely go away or just the use of current force as the duel stat?
  A: If BL resolves last, it will only supplant the stat used by the player who focused it; the other player would still be beholden to using Force via "Like a Twig"'s effect. Brook Cunningham, "Onyx Lives #rules-questions", 16 Sep 2026
• Q: [ShE] Hi, just a couple of questions that came up in a game today: Can I use my own bowed duelist to challenge with Cross Blades? I think yes but need to check as my opponent didn't think it worked like that. Also, if I challenge and my opponent focuses brutal lesson, does this increase all focus values for all focused cards to the force of the personality? I think no but also my opponent had a different interpretation so just checking.
  A: 1. Yes. If it required either target to be unbowed, it would say so explicitly.
  2. No, it does not. It makes each card Focused for both Personalities have a maximum value equal to their Force. So, for example, if your Personality is 3F, if you Focus a printed "2" for him, it is just a 2, but if it gets a bonus of +2 from some other source, the maximum caps it off at 3, being equal to his Force. Likewise, if you Focus a printed "4" for him, even with no other modifications, the maximum would cap it at a value of "3" also. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 12 Oct 2025
• Q: If they are a berserker and therefore did not bow, your Personality you targeted with Brutal Lesson may be assigned. You can use actions from that Personality or his Unit, you can however not target them with actions from your hand or from other cards in play. He can still be targeted by actions from your opponent.
  A: (Replying to a player: "So the restriction would be using the cavalry engagement ability, and targeting the personality with actions from your hand or from other cards in play, right?") Well, you're saying it like those are different things, but basically you can't target the Berserker with your actions, full stop. That includes the Cavalry engage action granted to you by the Rulebook, your actions in your hand, and your actions on your cards in play. Makes sense?
  (Replying to a player: "One more thing, though, why the personality can be assigned? It is because assigning doesn't target (I think it does) or because it is not an action? @Brook Cunningham") Both reasons. Assigning is not targeted and is not an action. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 9 Jun 2025