Ambush Strategist

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Fire & Shadow

Card Type

Follower

Force

2

Chi

0

Honor Requirement

1

Gold Cost

6

Personal Honor

-

Card Text

Repeatable Battle, w: Give each card in this unit with an action that produces a Ranged Attack a Force bonus equal to the highest non-variable strength of any of its Ranged Attack actions.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Does not give a Force bonus to cards with a variable strength ranged attack. [VRD, 21 October 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 42
• Gives a Force bonus to items capable of ranged attacks (e.g., Jade Bow). [VRD, 27 October 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 42

Rules Q&A

• Q: And, if combined with Ambush Strategist or the aforementioned Duel, is it consdiered to be variable?
  A: It will work with those cards. The Ranged Attack's strength is pre-determined, rather than chosen by you, so it isn't variable. Martin Lund, "Rules for 26 August 2004", 31 Aug 2004
• Q: If [Ambush] Strategist is attached to a shugenja with a ranged attack spell, would the spell or shugenja gain a Force bonus?
  A: The spell. But because a spell does not contribute to the force of a unit (Gold Edition rulebook, pg. 55) or a Personality (Gold Edition rulebook, pg. 32), it turns out to be completely and utterly irrelevent. :) Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 19 August 2003, Part 2", 20 Aug 2003
• Q: Would Ambush Strategist give a force bonus to a spell producing a ranged attack? EG: Cascading Fire...
  A: "Effects that try to change a value that a card does not normally possess fail -- the value will always be 0." [p. 32]
  Ambush Strategist tries to give a Force bonus to the Spell, since that's where the Ranged Attack is, and it fails. Jeff Alexander, "post for 13 August 2002", 14 Aug 2002
• Q: Question about Ambush Strategist force bonus to attached cards: Mantis personality has attached Hiruma Archers and Ambush Strategist. Hiruma Archers have 2 RA's, a ranged 2 and a ranged 4 when attached to a crab personality. does the Ambush Strategist give a 2, or a 4 force bonus?
  A: 4. Whether the Hiruma Archers can use that Ranged 4 Attack doesn't matter. Ambush Strategist only cares that they have it. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 July 2002", 22 Jul 2002
• Q: Does Ambush Strategist affect Fox Nagamaki to make it a +4 Force bonus that remains in effect even after it is bowed to produce its Ranged 3 attack?
  A: See Archive: "Gives a Force bonus to items capable of ranged attacks (e.g., Jade Bow). [VRD, 27 October 2000]" Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 7 July 2002", 8 Jul 2002
• Q: After looking at the stratagist last night and then looking at Ikiryo I am wondering if this is something I can pull off.
  Ambush Strategist Rarity/Edition C Fire and Shadow [ Reprints ] Text Battle: Bow the Ambush Strategist to give each card in this unit with one or more ranged attacks a Force bonus equal to the card's highest non-variable Ranged Attack strength.
  Ikiryo Rarity/Edition C Shadowlands [ Reprints ] Text Nonhuman Shadowlands Battle: Bow and destroy Ikiryo to have it make a ranged attack with strength equal to the Chi of Ikiryo's Personality. The ranged attack can target a Personality with Followers. Lose Honor equal to the Chi of Ikiryo's Personality. Dishonor Ikiryo's Personality.
  If I have Bayushi Pankei (4/4) with Ikiryo and Ambush Strategist attached, can I bow the AB to give the Ikiryo a +4 bonus?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 30 May 2002", 31 May 2002
• Q: For example, hypothetical situation:
  Ambush Strategist, according to the rules archive: *Does not give a Force bonus to cards with a variable strength ranged attack. [VRD, 21 October 2000] *Gives a Force bonus to cards with a ranged attack for which the strength is described in the card text. [VRD, 16 November 2000]
  Now, is a card such as Ikiryo considered a "ranged attack for which the strength is described in the card text"? If not, what is?
  A: It is.
  For an example of a card that isn't, look at Yotsu Seou. "Battle: Give Seou one or more shuriken tokens as long as the total number of shuriken tokens on Seou is less than four. Produce a Ranged Attack with a strength equal to the number of tokens just given to Seou. This does not bow Seou." Jeff Alexander, "post for 27 March 2002", 28 Mar 2002
• Q: Will Ambush Strategist give the force bonus to Ikiryo(follower) and Firestorm Legion. Both of their range attacks are based off their personalities chi's. But is this variable, because the personalities chi is set, unless it is changed.
  A: At any given time it's known how strong their attacks are. Ambush Strategist only has trouble giving non-0 bonuses to cards where their ranged attack strength isn't known until it's made. Jeff Alexander, "post for 21 January 2002", 22 Jan 2002
• Q: Plus I know that Jade Bow will recieve the force bonus from Ambush Strategist, and in turn the personality it is attached to. But what about spells with ranged attacks that are attached to the personality. Like Cascading Fire. First will it recieve the force bonus because it's a spell, and will the personality recieve the force bonus?
  A: That's one for the Rules Team. Jeff Alexander, "post for 21 January 2002", 22 Jan 2002
• Q: [D]oes [Ambush Strategist] allow an item which had no force bonus before such as a jade bow to gain a force bonus to itself, and thus by the rule under Bonuses and Penalties (p32 gold) "Items add their force and chi directly to their personality's stats," add the bonus to the personality?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 1 August 2001", 2 Aug 2001