Desperate Wager

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Hidden Emperor 4, Diamond Edition, Lotus Edition, Promotional–Samurai

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

7

Card Text

You may only play one Desperate Wager per turn.
Reaction: Before your Dynasty Phase begins: Straighten all your Personalities. Declare an additional Attack Phase. After its Declaration Segment, straighten all the Defender's Personalities and Followers; this straightening will not be negated. You lose the game at the end of this turn.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Desperate Wager 7G 1FV You can only play one Desperate Wager per turn. Reaction: Before your Dynasty Phase begins: Straighten all your Personalities. Declare an additional Attack Phase. After its Declaration Segment, straighten all the Defender’s Personalities and Followers; this straightening cannot be negated. You lose the game at the end of this turn." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 132

Rules Q&A

• Q: If a Jusai with Fire tokens on him is bowed and Desperate Wager is played by the opposing player,
  A: It straightens him, as per Desperate Wager's card text which says, "including those that cannot straighten." Martin Lund, "Rules for 6 June 2004", 8 Jun 2004
• Q: Would BiN negate DW? It calls for the straitening of all of your units including those who are restricted, which would make it an action which targets one or more of your bowed personalities.
  A: How do you figure? At what point does it target? It isn't like you get any choice about which cards unbow. It takes all of one group of cards. It does not target them because it does not make you choose between one thing and another.
  Read page 72 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook. Actions and Effect that can never make you choose don't target. Martin Lund, "Rules for 14 May 2004", 17 May 2004
• Q: Suspend terrain vs. Desperate Wager
  Can DW striaghten a unit which has been bowed from ST?
  phil
  A: Desperate Wager wins in this case. It says "including those that can not straighten," and those cards affected by Suspended Terrain qualify. Martin Lund, "Rules for 1 April 2004 (no jokes)", 3 Apr 2004
• Q: Desperate Wager Reaction: Before your Dynasty Phase begins: Straighten all your Personalities. Declare an additional Attack Phase. After its Declaration Segment, straighten all the Defender’s Personalities and Followers; this straightening can not be negated. You lose the game at the end of this turn.
  Winter Storm Until the end of the game, after each time an attack is declared, each player targets two of his unbowed Personalities with a Gold Cost eqal to or less than his Stronghold's Gold Production plus 2. Bow them.
  Question: I am the active player. Winter storm is in effect. My opponent has 2 random spud GC = Stronghold's Gold plus 2 I play desperate wager
  What happens A. Desperate Wager creates new attack phase. Desperate Wager straightens defenders. Winter Storm bows two Boxable spuds. B. Desperate Wager creates new attack phase. Winter Storm bows two Boxable spuds. Desperate Wager straightens defenders.
  Many thanks
  A: Declaration Segment: A. Declare an attack. The player creating this Attack Phase declares an attack. B. Create Battlefields. C. Invite Allies.
  Winter Storm triggers after step A of the Declaration Segment. Desperate Wager straightens the Defender's Personalities and Followers after the end of the entire Declaration Segment. So Winter Storm bows, and, later, Desperate Wager straightens. Alex Jones, "Desperate Wager vs Winter Storm", 19 Jun 2008
• Q: Regarding this : viewtopic.php?f=59&t=66157
  I perfectly understand (and agree with for what it's worth) your reasoning Marty (should have been clearer, sorry), I was wondering about Zen answer.
  (sorry, but not being able to answer can sometimes be not very practical)
  A: Sorry for the less than clear explanation, folks. Marty got it: restrictions aren't negation. Zen Faulkes, "Determination + Desperate Wager", 4 Mar 2008
• Q: Regarding this : viewtopic.php?f=59&t=66145
  I always read that Determination can go around trait such as Sozen XP and XP2 "cannot die" and it was ruled here
  So, did something change?
  A: Determination says, "Dark Virtue Reaction: Before you announce an action, target one of your Samurai: The action can not have its effects negated or have its targeting changed. After the action destroys any Personality, remove him from the game."
  Restrictions of Actions do not Negate Effects or Change Targets, so Determination certainly doesn't let you play an Action ignoring its own card's Restrictions such as "You can play only one Desperate Wager per turn."
  That's not an Effect that causes Negation - it's a Restriction the constrains the legality of playing the card itself. Martin Lund, "Determination + Desperate Wager", 4 Mar 2008
• Q: quote="Zen" No.
  "You can play only one Desperate Wager per turn" is not preceded by Limited, Open, Battle, or Reaction. Thus, it is not the effect of an action and is not touched by Determination. [/quote]
  Either this answer opens up a whole new can of worms (saying that Determination only prevents negation from actions) or the original question was misunderstood.
  Clarification Questions:
  A) Does Determination only stop negation from actions? (When there's nothing on the card saying anything about the negation having to come from an action) B) Is "You can play only one Desperate Wager per turn" a negation effect?
  A: "You can play only one Desperate Wager per turn." has nothing to do with Negating Effects or Targeting, so Determination doesn't impact it in the slightest.
  Determination does not circumvent play restrictions of the Action you are attempting to use it on. Martin Lund, "Determination + Desperate Wager", 4 Mar 2008
• Q: Can I play one Desperate Wager, and then bypass the Desperate Wager's restriction of One-per-Turn by playing Determination and following up with the second Desperate Wager?
  A: No.
  "You can play only one Desperate Wager per turn" is not preceded by Limited, Open, Battle, or Reaction. Thus, it is not the effect of an action and is not touched by Determination. Zen Faulkes, "Determination + Desperate Wager", 4 Mar 2008
• Q: I attack with 4 units without followers in one province. My opponent blocks with one unit and on his chance to play a battle action he plays a Three Stone river. The battle ends, our personalities suffer a force penalty going down to 1 force and the battle concludes with me getting 2 honor from killing him. Then I play Desperate Wager, assigning the same personalities on one battlefield. Will the force of my army still stay down to 1 force per unit, or the terrain's effect will wear off and the force will get to normal again?
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/Glossary_T#Terrain: "If a Terrain leaves play, its effects with a duration end." Penalties are effects with durations. They're gone. Zen Faulkes, "Three Stone River and Desperate Wager", 28 Jan 2008
• Q: The Text The first time each phase each other player targets one of your Personalities with an action, he must discard a card from his hand. Battle: Bow Razor's Edge Dojo to give each of your Crab Clan Personalities in the current battle +1F.
  Is this talking about Action and Attack Phases per turn or if you use such as Desperate Wager which makes a second Attack phase would you need to discard another during this attack?
  A: Yes, they need to discard. Amush, too. Zen Faulkes, "Razpr's Edge Dojo", 3 Mar 2005
• Q: Is this talking about Action and Attack Phases per turn or if you use such as Desperate Wager which makes a second Attack phase would you need to discard another during this attack?
  A: Yes, they need to discard. Amush, too. Zen Faulkes, "Razpr's Edge Dojo", 1 Mar 2005