Isawa Taeruko

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, The Dark Journey Home, Heaven & Earth, Dark Allies

Card Type

Personality

Force

1

Chi

3

Honor Requirement

0

Gold Cost

5

Personal Honor

2

Clan

Phoenix

Keywords

Earth, Elemental Master, Phoenix Clan, Shugenja

Card Text

Earth Battle/Open, , w: Target one of your Provinces. Search your Dynasty deck for a non-Unique Fortification and Recruit it, attaching it to the target.

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Isawa Taeruko 1F/3C 0HR 5G 2PH Phoenix Clan Master of Earth. Shugenja. Elemental Open: Bow Taeruko to get a non-Unique Fortification from your Dynasty deck and attach it to one of your Provinces, paying all costs." [MRP, Dark Allies, 8 April 2002] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 106
• May use her ability if there are no Fortifications in the Dynasty deck. This still counts as a successful use. [2/1/2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 106

Rules Q&A

• Q: If I use Isawa Taeruko to get a non-Unique Fortificaton may I attach it to a Province that contains a region like Togashiís Shrine?
  A: Yes. Again, cards "attached" to a Provice are not "contained" in the Province. Jeff Alexander, "post for 27 February 2003", 28 Feb 2003
• Q: If I don´t have any more fortifications in my deck, and I bow Isawa Taeruko to search for one paying 0 gold. I´m doing an ilegal action?
  A: No. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 September 2002", 20 Sep 2002
• Q: Isawa Taeruko (3chi) is declared to be my Doji Kurohito's (inexp, 4Chi) nemesis. Can Taeruko now I. Art [Kurohito]?
  A: Yes; it's one of the best Ring of Fire combos out there. The Chi bonus doesn't apply until the duel is on, and Iaijutsu Art only cares about the Chi of the recepient when challenged. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 13 July 2002", 13 Jul 2002
• Q: If Isawa Taeruko is in play, but not defending in a province which is being attacked (and no other Personalities are defending in that province), is it legal for her to use her Open action to fetch a Garrison fortification and attach it to that province? This would seem to satisfy the Rule of Presence requirement that you gain a unit in the battle as a result of the action. Am I interpreting this correctly?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 February 2002", 20 Feb 2002
• Q: Question:
  Now, obviously, in order to cancel an action targetting my shugenja I must have the Towers unbowed. However, when it also says:
  Reaction: When an action targets one of your Samurai, bow one of your Shugenja Personalities to cancel it.
  So, let's assume I'm being attacked by some guys on the opponents turn. And I have Shiba Aikune and Isawa Taeruko guarding, the towers are bowed. If one of the bad guys throws refugees on Aikune, can I bow Taeruko to cancel it? or does my stronghold need to be unbowed in order to use that ability as well?
  A: The Towers of the Asako must be unbowed to use either of its Reactions. Jeff Alexander, "post for 15 January 2002", 16 Jan 2002
• Q: Isawa Taeruko now reads "..paying all costs.".
  Great Walls of Kaiu reduces fortifications by 4.
  Would Isawa Taeruko make a Kaiu player's PPGs, when fetched with Taeruko, 5G, or 1G?
  A: 1g. Her statement about paying all costs does't specifically override any other modifications, so she just makes you pay whatever you would have if you were buying the Fortification normally. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for July 27th", 27 Jul 2001
• Q: If they had made it a 'Limited Action', it would have reduced her effectiveness to a more balanced level. Killing her ability to pay for the fortification was going overboard, but hey, its what I expect for all the whining done against the Phoenix.
  A: Whining does not result in play balance changes.
  A change to a Clan about which much whining was done does not logically imply that the whining caused the change.
  Taeruko changed because she was giving a too-good-for-the- game speed boost to a select few Clans in combination with another strong (but not, in my opinion, overpowered) card. Since said other card was not going to be in Gold Edition, and since Taeruko was, and since Taeruko has far greater potential for causing future troubles, she's the one that got changed. Jeff Alexander, "replies to the 6 June digest", 10 Jun 2001
• Q: Since it [Otomo Sensei] doesn't specify can I use Otomo Sensei to prevent a player from searching his dynasty deck? (Imperial gift, restoring doji treasury, Isawa Taeruko etc...) or does it apply to fate deck search/drawing alone?
  A: No, Otomo Sensei applies equally to Fate and Dynasty searching. I was extremely impressed when I saw guys at the Michigan Regional using this Sensei to completely shut down Phoenix decks with the stupid Taeruko/Crevasse trick. It was cool. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for January 6th", 6 Jan 2001