Doji Saori

Legend of the Five Rings card from Lotus Edition, Web of Lies

Card Type

Personality

Force

2

Chi

3

Honor Requirement

5

Gold Cost

8

Personal Honor

4

Clan

Crane

Keywords

Duelist, Courtier, Crane Clan, Samurai

Card Text

Battle/Open, w: Your target performing unbowed Duelist Personality challeges another player's target Personality who must be opposing your Duelist if this is an Attack Phase. Bow the loser.

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Doji Saori 2F/3C 5HR 8G 4PH Crane Clan Samurai. Courtier. Duelist. Open: Bow Saori: Target an unbowed Duelist Personality you control and a Personality controlled by another player; they must oppose each other if it is an Attack Phase. Your Personality issues the other an unrefusable challenge. Bow the loser." [MRP, Khan's Defiance, 22 January 2007] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 97
• May target herself to issue a challenge, because she was unbowed when the action began. [JA, 7 December 2004] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 97

Rules Q&A

• Q: I saw a thread on the Unicorn forums stating that Saori can target a bowed duelist to perform a duel, so I thought "that can't be right" and started running everything through what little brains I have left. So now I'm posting this becauseI just want to make sure I'm perfectly clear on this since Saori has caused a ton of confusion for me until going over the rules w/ a fine tooth comb. My conclusions are marked w/ a [J].
  Pg 32 "Bowed Personalities cannot perform challenge actions" [J] Saori is performing the action (per the rules on Page 71)
  Pg 71 To determine who performs an action, follow the first rule below that applies: Rule 1: "Actions on a personality or follower are performed by that card." Rule 4: "Actions which issue challenges from one of their own personalities are performed by the challenger." Rule 4 does not apply because Rule 1 comes first. [J] Rule 4 does not apply because Rule 1 obviously comes first. Thus, Saori is performing the action.
  A: <SNIP> Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 January 2005", 20 Jan 2005
• Q: I got in a bit of a discussion about this issue on The Kobune Port, and wanted to get an official answer to this. I would like to know whether Doji Saori is able to target herself and issue her own duel. I understand that she can target herself, I have no problems with that. My issue is with being able to issue the challenge herself, and here is why I say this:
  A: Saori can target herself. She can target a bowed duelist other than herself too.
  Saori is the one Performing the Action, since it is on her card. The rule prohibiting bowed Personalities from Performing challenge Actions only checks initially when the Personality begins performing the Action, otherwise cards like Akodo Jusho, Judgment, and others that say, "Bow this Personality to issue a challenge" would be completely useless. Same thing goes for Spells that bow the caster.
  It is not considered to be a "targeting requirement" or the like, as it applies to non-targeted Actions just as well. It is its own distinct rule. Martin Lund, "Rules for 29 and 30 December 2004", 5 Jan 2005
• Q: If my Doji Saori uses her action to have another one of my duelist personalities issue a challenge to one of my opponent’s personalities, what personality is “performing” the action?
  Diamond Edition Rulebook page 71: Some actions are performed by cards in play as well as by a player. To determine who performs an action, follow the first rule below that applies: 1. Actions on a Personality or Follower are performed by that card.
  A: You've provide the answer right there. IT says to follow the first rule that applies. The first rule applies - Saori is a Personality and the Action is on her card. Saori performs the Action, even if the Challenger is a different Duelist, since #1 comes before #4. Martin Lund, "Rules for 27 and 28 December", 4 Jan 2005
• Q: And another Question:
  Doji Saori. Bow Saori: Target a Duelist you control and a Personality another player controls. The Duelist issues the other target an unrefuseable challenge.
  Can she target herself and make the duel or can she not.
  A: Yes. Targets are chosen before costs are paid. Also, once an action has been legally announced, the rule that bowed Personalities may not perform challenge-causing actions can no longer make the action illegal. Martin Lund, "Rules for 7 December 2004", 10 Dec 2004
• Q: Well after a lot of playing last night my playgroup and I decided to ask a couple questions on some of the new WoL cards we got from the pre-release. Okay first, Doji Saori, can she bow and target herself to issue the unrefusable challenge? I don't think so personally as you have to be unbowed to issue a challenge.
  A: It isn't that you have to be unbowed to challenge, but that you must be unbowed to perform an Action that produces a challenge. As long as Saori is unbowed when you go to perform the action, it is a valid play. That's how personalities with built in challenges with a bowing cost function and Shugenja can cast spells that require bowing.
  Oh, and Saori targets something and THEN bows. Declare. Target. Pay. Resolve. Martin Lund, "Rules for 3 December 2004", 8 Dec 2004