Dark Ring of Fire

Legend of the Five Rings card from 1,000 Years of Darkness

Card Type

Ring

Keywords

Unique, Fire, Shadowlands

Card Text

This card does not count toward an Enlightenment Victory.
After the second or later time one of your Personalities wins a duel this turn, you may put this card into play from your hand.
After this card enters play, lose 5 Honor.
After a Ring of Fire enters play, destroy this card.
Cards focused by the controller of a Personality facing one of your Personalities in a duel have -2 Focus Value.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Dark Ring of Fire reduces the focus value of a card by 2. If I focus a 1, do I get a stat penalty of 1 or do I get a "bonus" of 0? (I.e. can focus values go below 0?)
  A: The card's stat gets reduced by 2, to a minimum of 0. The game gives you a bonus based on that stat - a "+0 bonus." That bonus could be increased directly by other effects.
  Keep in mind the difference between modifying the Bonus and modifying the Focus Value of the Card, too. While one is generated off the other, they are completely distinct once the effect is generated. You'd need a 2 point increase in the Focus Value of the card to get it above 0. (1 - 2 + 2 = 1). You'd only need a 1 point increase to the Bonus Effect created by Focusing, however (0 + 1 = 1). Martin Lund, "Rules for 4 November 2004", 8 Nov 2004
• Q: Unless I'm misreading the two cards, it seems to me that the Ring of Fire and Dark Ring of Fire seem to meet the playing requirements when you win two or more duels in one turn (RoF says "two or more", while DRoF says "more than 1"). If I win two duels in one turn, can I decide which order the Rings are played (play the RoF so the DRoF can come into play without blowing up)?
  A: Sure. You can choose what order to drop them in. Martin Lund, "Rules for 30 July 2004", 5 Aug 2004
• Q: Dark Ring of Fire says to play after winning a duel if you have won more than 1 duel this turn.
  I had originally read this to mean that I could play it after winning my 3rd duel, but re-reading it, I think I can play this after winning just 2 duels in a turn.
  A: Yes. You can play it after the second duel victory. Martin Lund, "Rules for 3 May 2004", 6 May 2004
• Q: 2) Does the Dark Ring of X count as the Ring of X for things that look for the Ring of X - eg Dark Ring of Fire vs Ring of Fire for Will of Fire.
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 15 October 2002", 16 Oct 2002
• Q: Just a silly question...if my opponent focuses a 1 while the Dark Ring of Fire is in play for me, is their focus now 0 or -1?
  0. Stats other than Family Honor and Honor Requirements can't go below 0. [GE p. 31]
  Thanks, but the next sentence says 'don't disregard excess penalies, though.'
  A: I didn't forget it. It doesn't matter in the situation you proposed. The Focus Value of the card starts at 1, and you're subtracting 2. That gives you 0. Now, if you're doing something else to try raising that Focus Value back up (Snow Crane Tattoo), then that rule would matter. But you didn't mention anything. Jeff Alexander, "post for 2 October 2002", 3 Oct 2002
• Q: Someone dueling against me while I have the Dark Ring of Fire in play focuses a 2, 1, then 3. Dark Ring of Fire makes them total 1 (0,0,1) or 0 (0,-1,1)?
  A: 1 (0, 0, 1). Jeff Alexander, "post for 2 October 2002", 3 Oct 2002
• Q: Just a silly question...if my opponent focuses a 1 while the Dark Ring of Fire is in play for me, is their focus now 0 or -1?
  0. Stats other than Family Honor and Honor Requirements can't go below 0. [GE p. 31]
  So if I Retired Wasp General a Range 1 attack that is targeting my 0 Force personality, my personality is still going to die because the range attack meet or exceded my personalities force?
  A: Correct. Jeff Alexander, "post for 2 October 2002", 3 Oct 2002
• Q: Just a silly question...if my opponent focuses a 1 while the Dark Ring of Fire is in play for me, is their focus now 0 or -1?
  A: 0. Stats other than Family Honor and Honor Requirements can't go below 0. [GE p. 31] Jeff Alexander, "post for 30 September 2002", 1 Oct 2002
• Q: [OBH]
  My ninja plays Test of Enlightenment against a Samurai. I win and search for False Ring of Earth. May I play False Ring of Earth immediately? Edit: same question with Dark Ring Of Fire assuming this is the second duel in a phase?
  Similarly: My ninja plays Demonstration Technique against a Samurai. My ninja wins and draws False Ring of Earth. May I play False Ring of Earth immediately? Edit: same question with Dark Ring of Fire assuming this is the second duel in a phase?
  A: No to all of those. "After" in triggered traits and Reaction triggers implicitly means "immediately after", not "any time after". Resolving the effects of winning/losing happen after determining the winner/loser (which is when you would play those Rings), so by the time you draw said Rings from those effects, it's too late to play them. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 31 May 2026