Essence of Gaki-do

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, Reign of Blood, Lotus Edition, Samurai Edition

Card Type

Spell

Gold Cost

8

Card Text

Battle: Even if this Shugenja is at home, bow him and bow zero or more of your other Shugenja at any location: Create a number of 2F/2C/0PH Spirit Personalities at the current battlefield equal to the number of Shugenja bowed. After the battle ends, remove these Personalities from the game.

Focus Value

4

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Destroyer War (Celestial), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Essence of Gaki-do 8G 4FV Battle: Even if this unit is home, bow this Shugenja, and any number of your other target Shugenja at any location: Create a number of 2F/2C/0PH Spirit Personalities at the current battlefield equal to the number of performing Shugenja. After the battle ends, remove these Spirits from the game." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 131
• Erratum: Reads, "Essence of Gaki-do 8G 4FV Battle: Bow this Shugenja, even if he is home; you may target and bow any of your other Shugenja at any location: Create a number of 2F/2C Spirit Personalities at the current battlefield equal to the number of Shugenja bowed. After the battle ends, remove these Personalities from the game." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 134

Rules Q&A

• Q: Hi all,
  Just got back from playing in the Wrath pre-release, and I had some questions regarding the changes made to tokens.
  for those who don't have a copy, here's the text:
  /start quote
  Tokens (p71)
  This section has been greatly expanded.
  The second paragraph should read "some effects create Follower tokens, or Item tokens, or Personality tokens. Any token that matches a card type (see p 59-61) is considered a card in every way as well as a token. Other kinds, such as Weapon or Fire tokens, are tokens only."
  Any card or action that creates a token is considered just as much the source of all the token's immediate effects as the token itself is. For example, an action that creates a +1F token on a Personality is treated as an action that creates a Force bonus.
  Only cards can bow. Pure tokens cannot bow, including to pay costs. Things that count as both tokens and cards follow the rules for cards.
  /end quote
  This seems to clear up a few problems with token personalities (Essence of Gaki-Do, Bayushi Tai XP), who couldn't be bowed by other players card effects.
  My problem is with the statement: "Other kinds, such as Weapon or Fire tokens, are tokens only."
  Unless I missed something, a Weapon token is an Item that is attached to a personality, not something like a Spirit, Poison, Aura, Fire or unnamed (eg -1 chi) token, that is not attached but is a permenant change that goes away if they hit the discard pile :)
  A: You've missed something. "Weapon" is not a card type. It is a trait. Being a Weapon does not automatically make something an Item.
  If a token counts as an Item, it will be both a token and a card regardless of what traits it has. Martin Lund, "Rules for 22-25 August 2004", 30 Aug 2004
• Q: 5) If the answer to #3 is No and the answer to #4 is "A shugenja can cast multiple copies of the same spell", does three copies of Essence of Gaki-Do when Celestial Alignment goes off really wreck your opponent's day?
  A: One copy of Essence of Gaki-do is usually enough to get the job done. Just keep the other copies on hand for when your opponent drops a pair of Kolat Assassins followed by a pair of Naval Ambushes and clears out all your copies of Shiba Danjuro AND the Shugenja holding the spell in a single Action Phase. :) Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 April 2004", 16 Apr 2004
• Q: If a spell like Importune Kami or Essence of Gaki Do has already been cast and has a few other shugenja bowed in the ritual. I play Ryoshun' Last Words to destroy the spell, do the tokens go away or do they stay or with Importune Kami, does the increased province strength stay or go away?
  Ryoshun's Last Words Kiho Open: Bow one of your Shugenja or Monks to destroy a Spell.
  A: Destroying a card does not normally have any effect on the duration of effects that card has created. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 24 March 2004", 26 Mar 2004