Consuming the Flesh

Legend of the Five Rings card from Path of the Destroyer

Card Type

Spell

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Singular, Maho

Card Text

Reaction: After another player's action targets your Personality in your current army, destroy the Personality and bow this Shugenja: The action's effects do not happen. Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality at the current battlefield. Lose 3 Honor.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Consuming the Flesh now has the Singular keyword and its ability now reads, "Reaction: After another player’s action targets one of your Personalities in your current army, destroy the Personality and bow this Shugenja: The action’s effects do not happen. Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality at the current battlefield. Lose 3 Honor." [CE 15 MRP, 22 March 2010] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 126

Rules Q&A

• Q: In a game a few weeks ago me and friend ran into this little combo and were wondering whether or not Consuming the Flesh will stop Tsuruchi from entering play, or just 'negate' his ranged attack.
  A: The latter. Tsuruchi Gosho is in play by the time he targets anything for his Ranged Attack, which is the trigger for Consuming the Flesh. Reactions cannot undo effects that have already happened.
  http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Effects#.E2.80. ... .E2.80.9DL: "Prevention of instantaneous occurrences is never retroactive. Specifically, if “all effects” of an action or trait are prevented partway through the action or trait’s resolution, instantaneous effects that have already resolved are not undone." Zen Faulkes, "Tsuruchi Gosho Vs Consuming the Flesh", 3 May 2011
• Q: Does Consuming the Flesh negate all effects of action that may target personality? For example i announce Walk in Shadows then move my ninja into currrent battefield and declare to target enemy Personality for -1F Poison token. Player reacts with Consuming the Flesh and negates everything, also movement of my ninja?
  Walk in Shadows Battle: Move your target Ninja Personality with no non-Ninja Followers to the current battlefield. You may target a Personality and give him a -1F Poison token.
  Consuming the Flesh Reaction: After another player's action targets one of your Personalities in your current army, destroy the Personality and bow this Shugenja: The action's effects do not happen. Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality at the current battlefield. Lose 3 Honor.
  A: No, it will only stop effects that occur after the targeting.
  In this case it can prevent only the giving of the -1F Poison token as that is the only effect that occurs after the optional targeting - but, since the Personality is destroyed by Consuming the Flesh, that effect will fail anyway, as the Personality is out of play. Alex Jones, "Consuming the Flesh and optional targeting", 14 Mar 2011
• Q: What happens if i play Endless Rain, bowing 1 of my personalities or followers in able to get it back into my hand but my opponent reacts w/ Consuming the Flesh? Do i still get my cards back into my hand b/c i paid the costs or does it go to the discard pile because the action never happened even if i paid the costs?
  A: The latter; you do not get it back.
  Consuming the Flesh causes all of Endless Rain's effects to "not happen", including the returning of it to your hand, despite you paying the cost for it. Brook Cunningham, "Endless Rain vs Consuming the Flesh", 9 Dec 2010
• Q: Please forgive a question that probably has an obvious answer, but is it legal for an Udo under my control to react to my use Consuming the Flesh? I tried searching for the combo of Consuming and Udo and didn't get anything, forgive me if I missed it.
  Relevant cards: Consuming the Flesh: Maho Reaction: After another player's action targets one of your Personalities in your current army, destroy the Personality and bow this card: The action's effects do not happen. Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality at the current battlefield. Lose 3 Honor.
  Udo:Maho Reaction: After the resolution of an action that destroyed a Follower or Personality: Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality at Udo's location.
  I wasn't sure because Udo says "action" and I don't think Consuming qualifies. Is it possible to react to a reaction like this?
  Thanks.
  A: As I understand it, the core question here is, "Is a Reaction an action?"
  Yes, it is.
  Or perhaps I'm mistaken, and the core question is, "Does destroying something when paying the cost of an action count as 'an action that destroyed something'?"
  Yes, it does.
  In other words, nothing prevents it. This combo is fine. Zen Faulkes, "Consuming the Flesh and Udo", 6 Jan 2010
• Q: Consuming the flesh states: Reaction: After another player's action targets one of your Personalities in your current army, destroy the Personality and bow this card: The action's effects do not happen. Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands • Undead Personality at the current battlefield. Lose 3 Honor.
  Can you use this reaction if the Shugenja is either at home or not at the current battle field and the target is in the current battlefield?
  A: Yes, you may. Reactions do not follow the Rules of Presence and Location.
  The trigger states that the person being targeted (and destroyed) by Consuming the Flesh must be at the current battlefield, however. Dan Jacobson, "Consuming the Flesh, Presence", 23 Nov 2009
• Q: If I target the personality that has Consuming the Flesh with an action, will its reaction work?
  A: No, for reason stated. Costs must be paid in order. http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Costs_and_restr ... g_of_costs Zen Faulkes, "Consuming the Flesh", 6 Nov 2009
• Q: Hello there,
  Does Consuming the Flesh react to cards that say 'choose' such as Encircled terrain?
  Thank you!
  A: Choosing is not targeting. Alex Jones, "Consuming the Flesh and choosing", 22 Sep 2009