Crushing Attack

Legend of the Five Rings card from Pearl Edition, Forbidden Knowledge, Jade Edition, Celestial Edition 15th Anniversary

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Battle: If the current enemy army contains at least one unit and your current army's total Force is greater than twice the other army's total Force, this battle's Combat Segment ends.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• May not be played if there are no opposing units. [Reversal] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 11
• May still be played if there is no opposing army (for example, it was entirely destroyed, or no units were ever committed). [DW, l5rinfo, 5/16/97] Accumulated Rulings, April 22, 1998, p. 11
• Accumulated Rulings Accumulated Rulings, April 22, 1998, p. 12
• Q: What? Why not? A: The definition of 'army' has officially changed. It is now 'One or more units involved in the attack or defense of a Province.' (This overrides the rulebook, which got printed before this change could be added.) Zero units is not an army anymore, and cards that refer to an 'opposing army' cannot be played if there isn't one. Flattery and Crushing Attack are affected most by this. The Imperial Herald, Issue 11, p. 27

Rules Q&A

• Q: Okay, so we ran into some problems with Norikazu nonexp.
  The first question is, can his ability be used to cancel actions that end the battle without resolution, such as Crushing Attack or Flattery?
  A: Crushing Attack, yes. For Flattery, read on. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 16 March 2001", 22 Mar 2001
• Q: Crushing Attack Battle: You may only play Crushing Attack if your army currently has more than twice as much total Force as the opposing army. The battle action phase ends (resolve any terrain, if applicable), and this battle is now resolved.
  Dead Eyes This card costs 0 Gold when targeting a Crab Personality. Limited: Target one of your Personalities. Lower the Personality's Personal Honor to 0. The personality permanently gains the Berserk trait and the ability "Battle: Once per turn, this Personality gains +3F. Destroy this Personality immediately after this battle unless his or her army has at least twice the opposing army's Force at the battle's resolution."
  From the Archives: Crushing Attack May not be played if there are no opposing units. [REVERSAL]
  Since Crushing Attack and Dead Eyes have the same exact wording ("army currently has more than twice as much total Force as the opposing army."), I would expect them to work the same way. That means that either:
  A) A personality using the Dead Eyes ability will die if there are no opposing units (because there is no opposing army to have twice the force of) or
  II) Crushing Attack can be played when there are no opposing units at all because you have more force than two times zero.
  Which is it?
  A: It looks like it should be A. However, this looks like it's definitely against designer intent, so... Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 23rd", 23 Nov 2000
• Q: The focus value on Crushing Attack as printed in Pearl Edition is still 3. Why does the errata lower it to 2? I hope the errata is an error.
  A: Typo! Thanks Brook Cunningham, "Crushing Attack CE15 errata", 13 Oct 2011
• Q: I have three separate questions, but since they are about non legal cards i'm making only one thread. If this is against the rules (i didn't see anything about it) please let me know and i'll make separate threads.
  A: Nope. You're fine. Brook Cunningham, "House of Tao, Crushing Attack, and Broken Lines", 18 Feb 2011
• Q: First question: House of Tao and The House of TaoAre the two strongholds mentioned above different, or is the first one just a MRP of the second one? Both have the same text (irrelevant for this question) but are from two separate factions (Dragon and Brotherhood), and have different stats. If House of Tao is a MRP of The House of Tao, can i play it as a Brotherhood alingned faction, or is it just a Dragon stronghold now and i can't play my monk deck out of it?
  A: Legacy Pregame Rules, Most Recent Printings: "Despite their similarities, the differently-titled "The House of Tao" (Brotherhood of Shinsei Stronghold, Hidden Emperor 3) is distinct from "House of Tao" (Dragon Clan Stronghold, Diamond Edition)." Brook Cunningham, "House of Tao, Crushing Attack, and Broken Lines", 18 Feb 2011
• Q: Second question: Crushing Attack Can i play this if i am unopposed? For example, to keep a faceless player from playing his defensive cards
  A: CE15 Flashback Errata: Crushing Attack: Text: “0G 2FV Battle: If the current enemy army has any units and your current army has more than twice its Force: The Combat Segment ends.” Brook Cunningham, "House of Tao, Crushing Attack, and Broken Lines", 18 Feb 2011
• Q: Third question: Broken Lines When does this reaction happen? Is it during the Combat Segment or between that and the Battle Resolution Segment?
  A: The latter. Reactions timed to "before" a defined time period do not happen during the previous time period. Brook Cunningham, "House of Tao, Crushing Attack, and Broken Lines", 18 Feb 2011
• Q: Can I play this card after getting hit by Crushing Attack?
  A: Yes, made clear Crushing Attack's errata text. Brook Cunningham, "House of Tao, Crushing Attack, and Broken Lines", 18 Feb 2011
• Q: At a Legacy tournament I played at recently, I was informed that Soften the Resistance does not work while unopposed as the enemy leader has to control units opposing yours in order to be, well, 'opposing'. My question is whether this means that Crushing Attack also does not work while unopposed as does an empty army count as an 'opposing army'?
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Glossary_A#Army: "A side with no units is not an army and has no Force total."
  Crushing Attack won't work unless there's a unit there. Zen Faulkes, "Crushing Attack", 27 Apr 2010
• Q: From here
  quote="Remi" Can I play Crushing Attack during a battle action segment if my army has 1 or more strength and without any opposing unit?
  quote="Zen Faulkes" No. There must be an army.
  Does the above mean that Broad Front suffers the same restriction? (ie must have an defending army at the second province?)
  Broad Front
  Battle: Target two battlefields that have a unit you control. Move all units at the first to the second. At the resolution of the second one's battle, if the attacking army exceeds the defending army's Force by more than the combined Strength of both Provinces, the battle destroys both Provinces.
  Crushing Attack
  Battle: You may only play Crushing Attack if your army currently has more than twice as much total Force as the opposing army. The battle action phase ends (resolve any terrain, if applicable), and this battle is now resolved.
  A: Absent stats: If a card’s type does not have that stat, the card does not have that stat either – the stat is absent from the card. If something in the game needs to know the value of an absent stat, the value is zero. If a side at a battlefield has no units, its total army Force is treated as an absent stat. Absent stats do not receive bonuses or penalties.
  Broad Front does not care whether there are units in the opposing army; it can still destroy the two provinces if your army has sufficient force.
  However, note that Crushing Attack was printed when the rules were slightly different. The ruling for Crushing Attack is specific to it, and has never applied to Broad Front. It is not precedential. Alex Jones, "Unopposed Broad Front", 13 Aug 2009
• Q: Crushing Attack provide that "You may only play Crushing Attack if your army currently has more than twice as much total Force as the opposing army." Under the rules at the time, it was held that Crushing Attack cannot be played unless there are units in the opposing army. Is this still the case, or do Samurai rules make it so that Crushing Attack simply asks for the opposing army's force, gets a zero back if there are no units, and then compares that zero to your army's force?
  A: No, you cannot play Crushing Attack if there is no enemy army.
  With older cards, a strict reading applying the current ruleset does not always yield the proper interaction. Sometimes, though this is certainly not always the case, the older interpretation should stand (The Longest Night being an excellent example).
  Fortunately, nebulous cases such as these are one of the reasons that we have a Rules Team. And I thank you for the opportunity to make a current ruling that upholds the older one, so that I'll have something to link to in the Legacy ruling section. Brook Cunningham, "Crushing Attack and no units in enemy "army"", 12 Jun 2008
• Q: Can I play Crushing Attack during a battle action segment if my army has 1 or more strength and without any opposing unit?
  A: No. There must be an army. Zen Faulkes, "Crushing Attack unopposed, A samurai's Fury", 17 Apr 2008
• Q: May I use Samurai's fury after Crushing Attack?
  A: No. The battle has resolved, which is past the point where Delayed Terrains resolve. Zen Faulkes, "Crushing Attack unopposed, A samurai's Fury", 17 Apr 2008
• Q: [Imperial] Is Crushing Attack and other related cards need opposing unit in the battlefield to be used?
  A: Crushing specifically, yes. Other cards may be different depending on wording/contemporary Rulings; specifics required.
  (Replying to kempy_nezumi: "That was changed in 99. So i believe, earlier you could play it unopposed.") Ah, shoot. I had that Ruling in mind but forgot it was a Reversal. Yeesh; arc simulation is a pain. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 9 Apr 2025