Confusion at Court

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Shadowlands, Jade Edition, Diamond Edition, Gold Edition, Pearl Edition, Celestial Edition 15th Anniversary, Ivory Edition, Hidden Emperor Starter, The Fall of Otosan Uchi, Heaven & Earth, Dark Allies, An Oni's Fury, Wrath of the Emperor, Web of Lies, Promotional–Ivory

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Political

Card Text

Political Interrupt: Negate the effects of a Favor action, its player discards the Imperial Favor.

Focus Value

2

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Age of Conquest (Emperor), Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• The Shadowlands Horde may play this. Reactions that involve the Imperial Favor are not automatically Political. [FAQ] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 20

Rules Q&A

• Q: 3) As Commanding Favor counts as paying the cost of the favor is it actually considered a use of the favor for effects such as Far From the Empire and Confusion at Court?
  A: Yes. That's why Confusion at Court worked against Kyuden Bayushi Gozoku, and why using Kyuden Bayushi's Reaction still triggered the "until" clause of Gozoku Sensei. Martin Lund, "Rules for 28 November 2004", 30 Nov 2004
• Q: A rule question:
  My opponent use the ability of the Underhand of the Emperor to search for a Storm Heart.
  I react to the discarding of the Imperial Favor with Confusion at Court. The card is not searched.
  after, my opponent lobbies for the Favor, and he wants to use the Underhand.
  Q: Can my opponent name Storm Heart again?
  A: Currently (apparently), naming the card is part of the cost, so the answer is "no".
  Upcoming errata for the Underhand of the Emperor is that it read, "Discard the Imperial Favor TO name a Political Action card". Once Hidden City releases, the answer will be "yes". Jeff Alexander, "rules for 12 March 2004", 13 Mar 2004
• Q: You know, the way the underhand is worded, the whole ability (searching for a political action card) is an effect of the ability and has no cost.
  A: That's why it needed errata. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 12 March 2004", 13 Mar 2004
• Q: If Confusion at Court is used to negate The Imperial Standard is it discarded or is it returned to hand?
  A: Cancelled and returned to hand, unless you can pay the cost of the Favor by some other means (Diamond rules, pg. 72). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 18 December 2003", 18 Dec 2003
• Q: Can you play Confusion at Court as a Reaction to someone attaching the Imperial Standard to a personality.
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 24 February 2003", 25 Feb 2003
• Q: Just a quick question about the latest card to be revealed at the main site. Miya Gensaiken has the ability: Political Reaction: Bow Gensaiken and destroy one of your personalities to pay the cost of using the Imperial Favor for one of your Wind's actions. This counts as a Lobbying attempt. You may use this action and your Wind action regardless of stronghold restrictions. This seems to indicate, to me, that this use of the favor could not be canceled by Confusion at Court, as it is a LOBBYING attempt, not a use of the Favor. Thus the Scorpion Distractor could cancel it, but Confusion couldn't. Am I misreading this?
  A: Yes. It's both: a use of the Favor and a lobbying attempt. Using it precludes your one normal lobby attempt for the turn (which Shadowlands players won't care about, but others will), plus it's affected by things that affect lobbying. Jeff Alexander, "post for 20 March 2002", 21 Mar 2002
• Q: Spirit Wars personality Kohuri has a reaction which allows him to be discarded whenever an Imperial or Toturi card is targeted with an action, thus cancelling the action. If I for example use Toturi Tsudao's Imperial Favor Battle Action and my opponent cancels it would I be able to discard Kohuri to cancel the action? In short does interacting with the Wind Cards and their effects (Confusion at Court, etc) count as targeting?
  A: Irrelevant. The Keyword Rule does not apply to Winds. Toturi Tsudao is no a Toturi card. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 October 2001", 8 Oct 2001
• Q: I have a hard time understanding which Reactions are now legal in battles. My current feeling, just from reading the rules, is that Confusion at Court shouldn't be usable against Tsudao's Favor - and this feels wrong.
  A: It feels wrong because it is wrong. It's a failing of the new restrictions on Reactions during battle, which is why they need to be reassessed. Jeff Alexander, "replies for 14 September", 15 Sep 2001
• Q: I'm attempting to attach the Imperial Standard to an appropriate personality. My opponent has a Confusion at Court in hand. If I discard the Imperial Favour as the first cost I pay, is my opponent required to play Confusion at Court immediately[?]
  A: Yes. You have to play reactions a soon as the trigger occurs. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 22 June 2001", 24 Jun 2001
• Q: Furthermore, Confusion at Court will definitely stop the card-discarding ability, but not the whole action.
  A: Definitely. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 23rd", 23 Nov 2000
• Q: Relevant Texts:
  My question is as follows: Is the option to discard the Imperial Favor as a base cost sufficient to allow Confusion at Court to react, even if "6 Gold" is the cost paid?
  A: Answered here.
  Please use the search function before posting. Alex Jones, "Economic Repercussions & Confusion at Court", 5 Mar 2012
• Q: [Imperial]
  Is discarding the Favor to put the sword into play the same as using the Favor? Can I use Confusion at Court so it can't be played?
  A: Contemporarily, yes.
  This is in the 2000 Accumulated Rulings under "Imperial Favor"...
  ...which Kempy just posted as I was typing. 😛 Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 8 Nov 2025