Ambush

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, Celestial Edition, Jade Edition, Diamond Edition, Lotus Edition, Pearl Edition, Samurai Edition, Training Grounds 2, Gold Edition, Promotional–Emperor, Ivory Edition, Onyx Edition, Shattered Empire

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Limited: Target your unbowed Personality and another player's Personality. Create a battlefield (not at any Province). Assign your Personality to attack there. Assign the other Personality to defend there, even if he is bowed. Other Personalities cannot move there. Fight a battle there (after this action resolves). After the battle ends, lose 5 Honor.

Focus Value

2

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Age of Conquest (Emperor), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Clan Wars (Imperial), Destroyer War (Celestial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond), Shattered Empire, War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Ambush 0G 2FV Limited: Target a unit you control and a unit controlled by another player. Declare an attack against the player. This attack has one battlefield, not associated with any Province. Assign your unit to attack there. You assign the other unit to defend there, even if illegal. No units other than these may assign or move there. After the attack ends, lose 5 Honor and resume the previous phase." [MRP, Lotus Edition, 31 October 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 5
• Units may enter play in the battlefield (e.g., Shinjo Suboto, Essence of Gaki-Do). [ML, 6 January 2004] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 5
• There is still and Infantry and Cavalry Maneuvers Segment, and controllers may choose in which phase to assign their Personalities. [ZF, web, 15 April 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 5
• Is considered to be declaring an attack. [DW, personal correspondence, 11/5/98] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 14
• The two units are considered to be assigning. [Ibid.] The unit chosen as the attacker must be one currently able to be assigned as a solitary attacker (i.e. unbowed, no attack-prohibiting effects in play such as Emperor's Peace, etc.) [summary of other rulings] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 14
• However, the unit chosen to be attacked does not have to be one which can legally defend. It can be bowed, inherently prohibited from defending (such as Kakita Yoshi), and so on. [FAQ 3.2] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 14
• Target must belong to another player. Your unit is the attacker. Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 14
• Clarified: battle actions may be played as normal. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 1
• Erratum: Added: Units may not be moved from this battle to a Province. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 1
• Cannot be played during Emperor's Peace. [DW, l5rinfo, 2/18/97] Accumulated Rulings, April 22, 1998, p. 7
• Erratum: Clarified: battle actions may be played as normal. Added: Units may not be moved from this battle to a Province. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, Version 3.4 & errata, June 1997, p. 21
• Q: Can I play Ambush against a Personality who can't defend, or that can't defend by himself? A: Yes. The Imperial Herald, Vol. 1, Issue 4, p. 9
• Erratum: Reads, "Ambush 0G 2FV Limited: Target your unbowed Personality: Create a battlefield (not at any province). Assign your Personality's unit to attack there. Assign another player’s target unit to defend there, even if its Personality is bowed. Other units will not move there. Fight a battle there (after this action's resolution). After the battle ends, lose 5 Honor." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 121
• Limited or Open actions may not be taken during the battle. [ZF, 6 August 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 121
• Erratum: Reads, "Ambush 0G 2FV Limited: Target one of your unbowed Personalities: Create a battlefield (not at any province). Assign your Personality to attack there. Assign another player’s target Personality to defend there, even if bowed. No other units may move there. Fight a battle there. After it ends, lose 5 Honor." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 122
• Limited or Open actions can not be taken during the battle. [ZF, 6 August 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 122