Iron Pillar

Legend of the Five Rings card from Lotus Edition, Hidden City

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Center, Formation

Card Text

While you meet the conditions to put this card into play, you have the ability, "Reaction: Any number of times per turn, before a Personality in your current army is destroyed, bow your performing Follower: Negate the destruction."
Battle: If you control two Samurai or Bushi Personalities, each with a Follower or Armor, at the current battlefield: Put this card into play there. Discard your other Formations. You may take an additional Battle action.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: A question about Iron Pillar:
  I have an Iron Pillar in play and I loose the battle. I have all my personalities in the battle with follower. Can my personalities be save from the destruction,via Iron Pillar, at the end of the battle or not?
  A: Of course they can - so long as their followers are alive and unbowed up to the point where Battle Resolution is about to destroy all cards in the losing Army. Let's examine Iron Pillar's Action's text for a moment:
  "Reaction: Before a Personality in your army is destroyed, bow one of your Followers in this battle to negate the destruction."
  The timing of this action is "before" the destruction. That means you use the ability - before - the armies are destroyed. That means each of your followers who are about to be destroyed can be bowed to save each of your Personalities who are about to be destroyed.
  All attached cards in the units and any Personality you don't save with Iron pillar are still going to be destroyed afterwards, though. Martin Lund, "Rules for 6 January 2005", 10 Jan 2005
• Q: During Battle Resolution can multiple Followers bow to negate the destruction of multiple Personalities using the Reaction on 'Iron Pillar', or can it be used just once?
  A: You can use it multiple times. Each destruction of each card be addressed individually, even if they happen en masse from a single source at the same time. Martin Lund, "Rules for 5 December 2004", 9 Dec 2004
• Q: 2. Iron Pillar and Suiteiru no Oni.
  If I destroy Suiteiru no Oni while he is part of an army to activate his ability while Iron Pillar is in play, and then use Iron Pillar to negate his destruction. Is the cost of his open action still payed? Does it resolve? Are the tokens created?
  A: If you Negate the destruction, then Suiteiru no Oni's cost has not been paid. You can either destroy him again, or do nothing and the Action is canceled.
  You won't get any tokens in any case unless Suiteiru no Oni actually gets destroyed. Martin Lund, "Rules for 3 June 2004", 6 Jun 2004
• Q: Iron Pillar "negates" the destruction of the personality being used to pay the cost of the To Do What We Must. Does the To Do What we Must Still Resolve?
  A: Not unless you use further resources to pay the cost, as per page 72 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook "Canceling Actions and Negating Effects." You can try to destroy your Personality again, or let the Action be canceled due to failed payment and return it to your hand. Martin Lund, "Rules for 29 May 2004", 2 Jun 2004
• Q: Can Iron Pillar be used to prevent the destruction of personalities during the resolution segment of a battle?
  A: Yes. It gives every Follower the ability of Decoy, without the pesky self-destruction clause or the restriction of having to only negate the destruction of their unit's Personality.
  Wow, that's way more useful than I originally thought it would be. Savage beatings on the defense, and ridiculously efficient with Personalities that have Yu, Ranged Attacks, Bowing abilities, or even Tactician + Retribution.
  Savage Beatings. Martin Lund, "Rules for 25 April 2004", 28 Apr 2004
• Q: Can this formation (Iron Pillar) be used to negate (Bayushi Shusui's) destruction?
  A: Yes. Formation stick through resolution segment, too. Zen Faulkes, "3 quick rules questions.", 22 Feb 2005