Flanked by Nightmares

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, The Heaven's Will, Celestial Edition 15th Anniversary

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Battle: If your current army has more units than the current enemy army, bow your performing Shadowlands Personality: The enemy leader targets and destroys a Personality in his current army.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Flanked by Nightmares 0G 1FV Battle: If your current army has more units than the current enemy army, bow your target Shadowlands Personality: The enemy leader targets and destroys a Personality in his current army." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 132

Rules Q&A

• Q: I'm concerned about the rulings of flanked by nightmares. i have read alot including iron will and kuon trait. honestly i don't see how it makes any differance who does the targeting. i will argue my case about the Hida Kuon exp 6 trait specifically but i hope that you can reconsider the others.(i will simply refer to Hida Kuon exp 6 as kuon for the remainder of the thread.)
  Kuon text: After the first time each battle another player's action targets Kuon: If he is the only Personality in his army, the action's (remaining) effects do not happen.
  Flanked by Nightmares text: Battle: If your current army has more units than the current enemy army, bow your target Shadowlands Personality: The enemy leader targets and destroys a Personality in his current army
  I understand that because the enemy doesn't target kuon, the trait does not trigger. however, on further inspection, it doesnt seem like it should matter. Kuon's trait does not require the enemy to target. it does require an enemy action that targets kuon. just because kuon is targeted by his owner, the source of the action is still the enemy, or in other words and enemy action has indeed, after all is said and done, targeted kuon.
  the main arguement that contradicts mine is that i have is that the targeting of kuon happens in the effects part of Flanked by nightmares. however contraversly, flanked by nightmares and the requirements of kuon's trait activating are ALL fulfilled before the action finishes.
  i hope to persuade the rules junta to re-evaluate previous rulings concerning kuon and perhaps other rulings that are related.
  A: When referring to previous rulings, please provide a link to them in your post.
  However, I should inform you that if all the conditions of it are met, Kuon's trait WILL prevent the effects of Flanked by Nightmares.
  If there are rulings to the contrary, they are in error or outdated. Brook Cunningham, "flanked by nightmares", 10 Jul 2011
• Q: I am guessing i cant use iron will to react [to Flanked by Nightmares] because i do the targeting?
  A: Correct. Zen Faulkes, "Iron Will vs. Flanked by Nightmares", 4 Jul 2011
• Q: Does Muscle and Steel negate the destruction effect of Flanked by Nightmares?
  A: I'm guessing that the issue here is: "If my opponent uses an action that forces me to target one of my own cards, it that card targeted by 'another player's action'?"
  Yes. Muscle and Steel cares not which player does the targeting, just which player's card is requiring the targeting. Zen Faulkes, "Flanked by Nightmares + Muscle and Steel", 2 Feb 2011
• Q: If I have only Personality with Talisman of Jigoku at the current battlefield and my opponent has 3 shadowlands persoanlities and he plays Flanked by Nightmares, does the action "fizzle"?
  A: Fizzle is soooooo Magic:the Gathering in the 1990s.
  Effects do not fizzle in L5R. They fail.
  And yes, the effects of the action will fail. Zen Faulkes, "Talisman of Jigoku and Flanked By Nightmares", 4 Nov 2010
• Q: If I have two Personalities at the current battlefield, one that has Talisman of Jigoku, attached and my opponent has 3 shadowlands persoanlities and he plays Flanked by Nightmares, can I attempt to target the personality with Talisman of Jigoku attached to have the action "fizzle"?
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Effects#.E2.80. ... t.E2.80.9D: "(I)f something is required to be chosen, a player is not allowed to choose an option that is currently prevented by 'may not; if there is another legal option to choose." Zen Faulkes, "Talisman of Jigoku and Flanked By Nightmares", 4 Nov 2010
• Q: Can I use the reaction off of Hiruma Gohachiro after my opponent plays Flanked by Nightmares. I would think it would be allowed since it's my opponents action. I don't think the fact that I'm targeting the person matter, but I wanted to make sure.
  Relevant card text:
  Hiruma Gohachiro Reaction: After another player's action targets another Personality in Gohachiro's army: Negate the Personality's destruction from the action's effects.
  Flanked by Nightmares Battle: If your current army has more units than the current enemy army, bow your target Shadowlands Personality: The enemy leader targets and destroys a Personality in his current army.
  A: Yes, Gohachiro may react to being targeted by Flanked by Nightmares, for the reason you gave. Brook Cunningham, "Hiruma Gohachiro vs. Flanked by Nightmares", 2 Mar 2010
• Q: Still trying to figure out ways to get rid of T2 Kuon...
  Flanked by Nightmares says: Battle: If your current army has more units than the current enemy army, bow your target Shadowlands Personality: The enemy leader targets and destroys a Personality in his current army.
  As the enemy leader would target Kuon during the resolution of the action, Hida Kuon's (XP6) trait wouldn't trigger. Am I right in this?
  A: Appears to be correct.
  Note, however, that required targeting can be written in the effects block (see: http://rules.l5r.com/Abilities_and_acti ... _targeting), and would be affected by the trait. This is not required targeting here because it's being doing by a player other than the one taking the action. Zen Faulkes, "Hida Kuon (Experienced 6): The compilation", 7 Jul 2009
• Q: Can a personality who was targeted by Wedge be destroyed with another player’s Flanked by Nightmares strategy?
  A: No.
  Flanked by Nightmares has the enemy leader target his own Personality, but Wedge prohibits him from targeting his Personality with actions (any actions; it doesn't just specify his own). Therefore, he can't do it. Brook Cunningham, "Flanked by Nightmares and Wedge", 5 Jul 2009
• Q: I believe that this strategy can be played (because its targeting is not the part of required targeting step).
  A: Yes, that's true for the reason you give. But if the Wedge'd Personality is the only one in the enemy leader's army, Flanked's effects will simply fail. Brook Cunningham, "Flanked by Nightmares and Wedge", 5 Jul 2009
• Q: Does the action Flanked by Nightmares itself target the personality its killing? For example if I play flanked can my opponent play strength of the bamboo to stop it.
  A: Yes and yes.
  The action targets because it uses the word "target". And Strength of the Bamboo reacts to "After an action targets", not specifying which player is doing the action's targeting, so that works.
  However, if you were to have asked whether Armor of the Heavens could react to it, the second answer would have been "No", because that card reacts to "After another player targets". And Flanked by Nightmares forces the opponent to do the targeting of his own guy himself. Brook Cunningham, "Flanked by Nightmares targeting", 5 Jul 2009