Contested Ground

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

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Terrain

Card Text

Each player has the ability, "Battle: Any number of times per turn, bow one or more of your target cards in one unit, which perform this action if they are Personalities, Followers, or Ancestors, with equal or greater total Force than a target enemy Follower or Personality without Followers: Destroy it."
Battle: If there are no Terrains at the current battlefield: Put this card into play there.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Contested Ground 0G 1FV Terrain Battle: Each player has the ability, “Battle: Any number of times per turn, bow one or more of your target cards, in one unit, which have equal or greater total Force than the enemy target: Destroy a target enemy Follower, or Personality without Followers.”" [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 129

Rules Q&A

• Q: Does Contested Ground act like an immediate terrain so when I play it, I will be able to use it right away or does my opponent have the next opportunity to do something first before I can use the terrain's action?
  A: As an additional clarification, your understanding of the "Immediate Terrain" keyword on older cards is incorrect. The keyword never did mean that you could immediately have an additional action to take any actions the Terrain granted you. It only meant that the Terrain's effects occurred when it was played, as opposed to occurring just before battle resolution (as "Delayed Terrain"s did). Brook Cunningham, "Contested Ground - Immediate Terrain?", 13 Mar 2008
• Q: Does Contested Ground act like an immediate terrain so when I play it, I will be able to use it right away or does my opponent have the next opportunity to do something first before I can use the terrain's action?
  A: Contested Ground gives all players an ability; it does not give you an additional action to use that ability. It's not a formation! Alex Jones, "Contested Ground - Immediate Terrain?", 13 Mar 2008
• Q: I have a situation that came up in a game today. Misdirection reads Political Gozoku Reaction: Before another player would choose targets for one of his action’s effects during a battle, target one of your Courtier or Gozoku Personalities: You choose the targets instead.
  Consider the following: Contested Ground has been played, which reads: Terrain Battle: Each player has the ability, “Battle: Any number of times per turn, bow one or more of your target cards, in one unit, which have equal or greater total Force than the enemy target: Destroy a target enemy Follower, or Personality without Followers.” I have a 5 force personality at the battlefield with a 3 force followered attached. I am opposing a 3 force personality and a 4 force personality, both of which are courtiers.
  I announce the ability given to me from contested ground. I declare that my 3f follower in my unit is being targetted. I declare that I wish to target the 3 force personality. My opponent wishes to play Misdirection to direct the action away from the 3 force personality.
  Can he legally play Misdirection in any way to stop his 3 force personality from dying?
  A: Misdirection only let's you choose the targets of the effect - not the targets of the cost. You targeted your 3F Follower as a cost and he can't change that. Misdirection's player can only choose a target of 3F or less for the effect - the same restriction placed upon your selection once you chose the 3F Follower for the cost. Further, the rules say that targets are chosen in the order they appear on the card, so he can't play Misdirection until you've done the targeting in the Constraints Block.
  Citation Martin Lund, "Contested Ground vs Misdirection", 26 Feb 2008
• Q: 1. Using contested ground, is it legal for me to bow a +4 force item to destroy an opposing follower or personality without followers with 4 or less force?
  A: Yes. Martin Lund, "Contested Ground + items", 11 Feb 2008
• Q: 2. Suppose I have a 3 force personality with a +4 force weapon attached. Using contested ground, is it legal for me to bow the 7 force personality as well as the +4 force item to destroy an opposing follower or personality without followers with 11 or less force?
  A: Yes. Items have the unique function in this case to "double dip," so to speak.
  Shame on your opponent for not bowing one of his 4F or +4F cards to destroy your item first. Martin Lund, "Contested Ground + items", 11 Feb 2008