Hida Yakamo

Legend of the Five Rings card from Pearl Edition, Jade Edition, Time of the Void

Card Type

Personality

Force

6

Chi

5

Honor Requirement

5

Gold Cost

14

Personal Honor

4

Clan

Crab

Keywords

Experienced 2, Loyal, Tactician, Unique, Clan Champion, Crab Clan, Samurai, Seven Thunder, Thunder

Card Text

Attaches The Jade Hand and The Ancestral Sword of Hantei ignoring Gold cost.
Repeatable Tireless Battle: Even if you were not invited as an ally, if there are any Shadowlands cards, and none of your cards, in the current attacking army, straighten Yakamo and move him into the current defending army. Negate his movement home from that battlefield.

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rulings

• Is considered an allied unit after using his ability to enter a battle, even if he wasn't invited. [DW, email, 12/9/97] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 100
• Erratum: Reads, "Hida Yakamo 4F/4C -HR 7G 0PH Crab Clan Oni. Shadowlands. Nonhuman. No Followers. May not Focus. Oni gains a 1F/1C bonus for each Crab Personlity you control. Crab Oni cannot be committed to an Attacking or Defending Army that has other units. No other unit may be committed to the Oni's Army." [MRP, Obsidian Edition] Rules Archive, November 11, 2006, p. 115
• May join other units by moving into battle. Rules Archive, November 11, 2006, p. 115
• Cannot join other units by effects that "assign" or "commit" units during the Maneuvers Segment, before battle actions start. [Extension from Dark Oracle of Water, DW, 9/10/96] Rules Archive, November 11, 2006, p. 115
• Cannot assign with the Experienced Crab Clan Oni, because both cards' restrictions must be obeyed. [DW, 12/9/96] Rules Archive, November 11, 2006, p. 115

Rules Q&A

• Q: 2. I will be changing address in two weeks. Where should I call/write/fax/email to let AEG know about this?
  3. Does anyone have the old Hida Yakamo (Crab Clan Oni) from Imperial Edition? If so, what border does he have? The blue-grey of the crab or the brown of a shadowlands personality?
  A: Blue-gray. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 September 2002", 4 Sep 2002
• Q: I need current topics to change so I can go back to ignoring the list. :-)
  Anyway, an unrelated question on Foxwife.
  When an effect increases or decreases the Personal Honor of a Personality with a Foxwife (such as with Hida Yakamo exp. or Oath of Courage) does the Foxwife reset the PH to 5, or is that 5 changed?
  A: It's changed. Jeff Alexander, "post for 6 May 2002", 7 May 2002
• Q: Hida Yakamo (Experienced 2) : Is considered an allied unit after using his ability to enter a battle, even if he wasn't invited. So in a multi-player, if a person declares an attack, invites no allies, and sends no-one, so the defender can do some tricks, and he enters, can he play that action that will cause the attacker an honor loss?
  A: I need to know which "that action" you're talking about. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 April 2002 pt. 1", 5 Apr 2002
• Q: <snip>
  I just finished our local SotSh tournament, and got a Dark Oracle of Earth. I looked over the card, and came up with a question. If you use the Dark Oracle on the Province that the experienced Hida Yakamo is in, may he enter play? He won't enter paly if you have any shadowlands cards in play, and vice-versa, but you don't have any in play when he is trying to enter.
  He'll enter.
  No, he won't. Last time I looked, the Dark Oracle of Earth was a Shadowlands card.
  A: Um..."oops". Sorry about that. Couldn't see the forest for the trees. You're right.
  If, somehow, you end up with a Shadowlands Yakamo still in your Province and no Shadowlands cards in play, his own trait will not prevent himself from entering, but that wasn't the case in the example given. Sorry for the confusion. Jeff Alexander, "post for 11 December 2001", 12 Dec 2001
• Q: I just finished our local SotSh tournament, and got a Dark Oracle of Earth. I looked over the card, and came up with a question. If you use the Dark Oracle on the Province that the experienced Hida Yakamo is in, may he enter play? He won't enter paly if you have any shadowlands cards in play, and vice-versa, but you don't have any in play when he is trying to enter.
  A: He'll enter. Jeff Alexander, "post for 10 December 2001", 10 Dec 2001
• Q: Half yes, half no. PART of the story is driven by player input, but never has design be a part of player input. This isn't Pendragon. The Designer make their choices according to what they, as professionals, think is best for the game. The designers never have asked player input for MRPs or something. Be it Osugi, Shiba Halls, Hida Yakamo, Matsu Turi, or anything, a design decision has always been taken by the DESIGNER. That's his job.
  Actually, Dave did call for a vote on whether or not Merchant Caravan should be changed to cost 1G. But that was the only mechanics issue, I believe.
  A: There's an epilogue to this story. There was some indignation when Bandit Attack and Plague of Locusts were printed following this vote. Some players interpreted the "Should we change Merchant Caravan's cost?" vote as a "Should we ever do anything bad to Merchant Caravans at all?" vote. One in particular was quite peeved at the "sham" of being offered a vote when Dave knew all along that he was going to do *something* to try to counter MC's effectiveness. He told me personally he'd much rather have had Dave do what he wanted in the first place instead of leading players on and letting them think they had a say in the matter.
  I think there's a moral there. Jeff Alexander, "replies to the 7 June digest", 10 Jun 2001
• Q: I know that Ninube Ogoku can assign on the opposite side of the battle, even from your own units, but I'd like to know about Hida Yakamo and teh Dark Oracle of Water.
  Hida Yakamo (I think it's the Thunder) can assign to battle if there are Shadowlands cards in the opposing army 'ignoring assignment restrictions'. Can he be in the opposite army from your own (I think not)?
  One of the guys I play with plays a Shadowlands deck (Junzo's Army). Can he use the DOoW to assign with another player? Can he assign to the opposite army?
  A: No in both cases. This is actually a pretty old issue, and is covered in the FAQ. Unless a card specifically says that it breaks a rule, always assume that the card doesn't break the rule. In the case of Yakamo and the Dark Oracle, they both do not *specifically* say that you can assign in opposition to yourself, so they don't break that basic rule of assignment. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for January 31st", 31 Jan 2001