Dragon Pearl

Legend of the Five Rings card from Diamond Edition, Scorpion Clan Coup 2

Card Type

Item

Force

+0

Chi

+0

Gold Cost

10

Keywords

Unique, Dragon, Pearl

Card Text

Before Dragon Pearl enters play, target an Item that the Personality attaching Dragon Pearl could legally attach. After entering play, this card permanently copies all of the target's printed text (including stats) and all permanent effects on the target are applied to this card, but no further entering-play effects beyond this are produced.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Dragon Pearl +0F/+0C 10G 3FV Unique. Before Dragon Pearl enters play, target an Item, including a Unique Item, that this Personality can legally attach. After entering play, this card becomes a copy of that Item's printed card plus all permanent changes in effect on it. None of the Item's costs need to be paid and no entering-play effects are produced." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 50
• Similar to the Egg of P'an Ku, the Dragon Pearl also copies permanent effects played upon the copied item. Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 24

Rules Q&A

• Q: Your Rules for Friday, July 30, 2004
  * * * * * * * * * *
  Is it legal to Egg a Singular person you already control, and/or what happens when you control two copies of a Singular card? Same question with Dragon Pearl and a Singular Item, if there are any, though I hope it's the same answer.
  You can copy Singular personalities you already control with the Egg of P'an Ku.
  Singular prohibits you from gaining control of another copy of a singular card, either by bringing one into play under your control or gaining control of one already in play. However, you already have control of the Egg card before it becomes a copy of the Singular card in question. Ergo, you are not "gaining control" of anything - you already had it - so the Singular trait does not impact you.
  Page 104, DE Rulebook: Singular - Limited to one in play by each player.
  No mention of "gaining control". Just "one in play by each player". So either we need a rewrite of Singular's definition for LE (and a change on a rulesheet would be nice too), or we need a reversal, correct?
  A: Page 56 refers to bringing cards into play for both Unique and Singular. Marty's ruling is correct. Martin Lund, "Rules for 6 August 2004", 9 Aug 2004
• Q: Is it legal to Egg a Singular person you already control, and/or what happens when you control two copies of a Singular card? Same question with Dragon Pearl and a Singular Item, if there are any, though I hope it's the same answer.
  A: You can copy Singular personalities you already control with the Egg of P'an Ku.
  Singular prohibits you from gaining control of another copy of a singular card, either by bringing one into play under your control or gaining control of one already in play. However, you already have control of the Egg card before it becomes a copy of the Singular card in question. Ergo, you are not "gaining control" of anything - you already had it - so the Singular trait does not impact you. Martin Lund, "Rules for 30 July 2004", 5 Aug 2004
• Q: What kind of tokens are the Pack tokens? Are they followers? In a previous post from around September when mentioned with the Dragon Pearl it was ruled that the tokens did not effect the Bone and therefore could not be copied by the Dragon Pearl. That makes it sound like they would be a type of follower token. Would that not be correct? And if so do they classify as Ratling Packs?
  A: They not follower tokens, nor are the "permanent changes to the card." They are Pack tokens, and nothing else - not Items, not Followers, not Ratlings, just Pack tokens for what it is worth. Martin Lund, "Rules for 30 April 2004", 3 May 2004
• Q: Does the one weapon per personality clause preclude attaching the Dragon Pearl to a personality as a copy of weapon when that Personality already has a weapon attached?
  A: Yes (card text). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 21 November 2003, Part 2", 22 Nov 2003
• Q: Huh, another weird question I suspect I know the answer to (and was likely common at one point in time, if correct) if I use Dragon Pearl on Blade of Secrets, does it copy the bonuses already generated by playing the original Blade of Secrets and will it also trigger the opportunity to discard for an additional bonus again for coming into play? Or would it do some partial version of any of that?
  A: Yes it copies the current permanent bonuses already on the original Blade, and no you can't discard again. But all that is pretty evident in either copy of the Pearl's text. Brook Cunningham, "Oracle of the Void #rules", 25 Apr 2025
• Q: Hi @Brook Cunningham thanks~ those definitely help! Yup! Equip will be the correct term. Was thinking that since Equip is defined in the latest CR, it being in the Oracle text should help make it less confusing with other actions that make created cards that're followers. In line to the above w/ the "Fu" rule, since this card was printed before SE, can you shed some light why it doesn't have the Pearl keyword? https://preview.oracleofthevoid.com/#game=l5r,#cardid=2215 - Dragon Pearl
  A: Just an oversight on the part of the Pearl; fixed now. As for allowing or disallowing cost reductions for created Ratling Followers, now that you mention it, I might have to try to look into contemporary rulings on whether the Sensei reduced those or not. 😦 Brook Cunningham, "Oracle of the Void #rules", 23 Jan 2022