Entrenched Position

Legend of the Five Rings card from Forgotten Legacy, Promotional–Ivory

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Interrupt: Negate a Battle action's effects taken by the Attacker if it is taken before the Defender's first normal opportunity to act or pass.
Battle: Bow a target enemy card without attachments.

Focus Value

4

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), Age of Conquest (Emperor), Destroyer War (Celestial)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Per the CR on "Enemy":
  Enemy: Referring to the player on the opposing side to the player of reference during a battle (also, the “enemy leader”), and to cards in units he or she controls. Cards not in units, such as Holdings or Terrains, are not “enemy cards.”
  I would like to ask this because i am having a rules debate with another member of my playgroup on cards like Entrenched Position that say Bow an Enemy card without attachments and nowhere on the CR on Enemy does it say that enemy cards have to be units at the battlefield. So he says he can use Entrenched Position to bow a card in a unit not at the current battlefield which feels completely wrong to me.
  I would humbly like to get an official ruling and more indepth explanation on this to settle the debate and if the CR requires updating i would also request that the CR be updated to more accurately reflect what makes an enemy card an enemy card.
  Regards
  A: The definition of "Enemy", which you quote, states that only cards in units are "enemy cards". The Rule of Location states on p38 that, during battle, cards in units must be at the current battlefield to be targeted by an action.
  Putting these together, a action which targets an enemy card must target a card at the current battlefield. Alex Jones, ""Enemy" clarification required on CR", 5 Aug 2014
• Q: Hello, quick question.
  Steal an Advantage says: This Strategy's ability is Battle/Engage if you control a Scout at this battlefield. Battle: A target enemy card may not use one of its abilities (you choose).
  Entrenched Position says: Interrupt: Negate a Battle action's effects taken by the Attacker if it is taken before the Defender's first normal opportunity to act or pass.
  If Steal an Advantage is used with a scout at the battle field as a Battle/Engage does it still count as a battle ability giving me the opportunity to Entrenched it?
  A: No.
  When taking an action that has multiple action types (such as Battle/Engage or Battle/Open), for purposes of other cards looking for the action type played, it depends on how the original action was used. If it's played as a Battle it's affected by cards that affect Battle actions; if it's played as an Engage it's affected by cards that affect Engage actions. Jon Palmer, "Steal an Advantage vs. Entrenched Position", 30 Jan 2014
• Q: Regarding these questions: viewtopic.php?p=1323227#p1323227
  Is there a timeline for getting some answers? I'm also curious how his effect work against things such as Iron Will and Entrenched Position.
  A: Answered. And as with everything else that says "Will not be negated", this prevents Iron Will and Entrenched Position from negating the effects. Jon Palmer, "Re: Tamori Takeshi questions", 16 Nov 2012
• Q: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=99897
  Lets say that the mantis player used Koshin Keeps reaction, and declared Naval. After announcing his naval ranged attack action, the defender reacts with Entrenched Position. The ranged attack would be negated, there would be no force reduction, and there would be no chance for an additional ranged attack targeting the same card, correct?
  A: Entrenched Position negates all of the announced Battle action's ("its") effects.
  As I said above, the extra effects added by Koshin Keep are effects of the action that created the Ranged Attack, so they would be negated as well. Brook Cunningham, "Koshin Keep and Negation", 4 Oct 2012
• Q: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=96455
  This brings up an additional question. If an attacker uses Sneak Attack to attach a spell and then uses their additional action to use a battle action on that spell, then the defender could use Entrenched Position to negate that action's effects since it was taken before the defender's first normal opportunity to act or pass, correct?
  A: Both the Equip action and the additional action from the spell are taken "before the Defender's first normal opportunity to act or pass." Alex Jones, "Sneak Attack/Entrenched Position/Equip negation", 28 Feb 2012
• Q: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=95590&p=1266688&hilit=Suitengu%27s#p1266688
  I read the above thread. Why does it work that way? I thought that when an action was taken it fully resolves. There are no chains essentially.
  Thus, why doesn't the fact that Entrenched Position was used first and fully resolved cause the action's effects to be negated even if Suitengu's Torch's reaction is used afterwards?
  A: Entrenched position does fully resolve, and sets up negation that will negate the effects of the action. However, Suitengu's Torch's reaction then also fully resolves, and sets up a prevention to that negation. Therefore, when the original actions effects are resolving, it will see both negation and prevention of negation, and the prevention of negation wins. Jon Palmer, "How reactions resolve - Suitengu's Torch vs Entrenched", 19 Feb 2012
• Q: There was some discussion of this in the previews thread and Mr Reese gave a fairly definitive response, but I just wanted to get clarification from the Rules team.
  I declare an attack with a Naval Personality, Moshi A, and my opponent defends with a non-Naval personality, Kakita B.
  I declare a Naval Invasion and use the Battle action on Suitengu's Torch targeting Kakita B.
  My opponent reacts with Entrenched Position to negate the send home effect.
  If I now use the Reaction on Suitengu's Torch, does the send home work? Or is it too late? Would I have to use the strongholds reaction before he plays Entrenched Position?
  Suitengu's Torch Thunder Reaction: After you announce a Thunder Battle action: Its effects will n ot be negated or delayed. Battle: Choose your performing unbowed Personality and target an enemy Personality: Move him home.
  Entrenched Position Reaction: After the Attacker announces a Battle action before the Defender's first normal opportunity to act or pass: Negate its effects. Battle: Target an enemy card without attachments: Bow it.
  A: The sequence of play you described is legal, and it would indeed result in send home effect working.
  Entrenched Position and Suitengu's Torch's Reactions have the same timing, so you may take the latter after the former. Then, when it comes time to resolve the effects of the Stronghold's Battle action, ST's Reaction's effect "trumps" EP's Reaction's effect. Brook Cunningham, "KE - Suitengu's Torch vs Entrenched Position", 7 Jan 2012
• Q: If Entrenched Position negates the actions effects (let's say a Naval Ranged Attack), can I still react with Incredible Resilience?
  A: In most cases, including your example, the answer is "yes". The effects were negated, not the targeting, so Incredible Resilience still has a trigger.
  However, some targeting is optional or conditional, such as being preceded by "You may target..." or "If X happens, target Y...". Those examples of targeting are part of effects, and will not happen if effects are negated. Brook Cunningham, "Entrenched Position / Incredible Resilience", 6 Oct 2011