Iaijutsu Challenge

Legend of the Five Rings card from Diamond Edition, Pre-Imperial Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Battle of Beiden Pass, Obsidian Edition, Jade Edition, Gold Edition, Pearl Edition, Siege of Sleeping Mountain, L5R Experience, Celestial Edition 15th Anniversary, Shadowlands, Anvil of Despair, Crimson and Jade, Time of the Void, Hidden Emperor Starter, Scorpion Clan Coup Starter, Honor Bound, Fire & Shadow, Soul of the Empire, The Fall of Otosan Uchi, Heaven & Earth, A Perfect Cut, Broken Blades, Dark Allies, An Oni's Fury

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Iaijutsu

Card Text

Iaijutsu Limited: Your target performing unbowed Personality challenges another player's target Personality. He may refuse; if he did, dishonor him and his controller loses 7 Honor. The winner gains 5 Honor. Destroy the loser.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Iaijutsu Challenge 0G 2FV Limited: One of your Personalities challenges another player's Personality. If the challenge is refused, Iaijutsu Challenge dishonors the other player's Personality and causes the other player to lose 7 Honor. The winner's controller gains 5 Honor." [MRP, Diamond Edition, 27 October 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 21
• Clarified: target Personality must not be controlled by you. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 3
• Q: Can I play Defend Your Honor against the loss from a refused Iaijutsu Challenge? I say the loss is my opponent's fault since he played the card, but she says it's my fault since I chose to refuse. A: The loss from a refused Iaijutsu Challenge is a result of the challenging player's card and action and the challenged player's decision. What you need to do is read Defend Your Honor and see what, exactly, it's looking for as the loss's source. Checking the latest printing of Defend Your Honor, we see it says, "Play this card when another player's action makes you lose Honor." Since it cares whose action caused the loss, it can be played against Iaijutsu Challenge after refusing the challenge. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, May 21, 2003, p. 10
• Q: I just played Iaijutsu Challenge on my opponent's Personality, and he refused the duel. Can I play Court Jester to double his honor loss to 14? It was his refusal that made him lose honor. A: It may have been his decision to refuse the duel, but the action causing the loss is your own Iaijutsu Challenge, so you cannot use Court Jester to double the loss. The word "action" has a strict definition in L5R, and only applies to effects that start with one of the four action types: Limited, Open, Battle, or Reaction. For the same reason, your opponent can use Defend Your Honor against the honor loss, too. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, Version 3.6.2, May 1998, p. 11
• Q: One last question about Seppun Sensei: Can I play Iaijutsu Challenge when I use that Sensei? A: Yes. Treat "would" as "will." Iaijutsu Challenge doesn't always cause an Honor loss, so Seppun Sensei players can use it. The Imperial Herald, Issue 16, p. 12