Archer Squad

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

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Reserve, Formation

Card Text

While you meet the conditions to put this card into play, your Personalities at this battlefield have the ability, "Repeatable Battle, w: Ranged 3 Attack," and Personalities in different units may combine these attacks.
Battle: If you control three Samurai or Bushi Personalities at the current battlefield, put this card into play there. Discard your other Formations there. You may take an additional Battle action.

Focus Value

1

Legality

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

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can I bow a unit that has his personality bowed? Example: I have an army with 4 bushi with 1 follower each. I play archer squad and bow the personalities for the ranged attacks, then i play direct assault. Can I bow the units with unbowed followers for the action or must the personality be unbowed for that. Direct assault says "bow a unit", not "bow a personality", so if I have unbowed followers does that count as unbowed units?
  A: A Unit is a Personality and all his or her attached cards (Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 105). If any of those cards are not unbowed, then the unit is not bowed. If any of those cards do not go from unbowed to bowed status, then you have not "bowed a unit."
  So, if the Personality, Follower, Item, or Ancestor in a given unit is bowed, you can't pay the cost "bow a unit" (such as that of Direct Assault) by just bowing the remaining cards in the unit. Martin Lund, "Rules for 1 October 2004", 4 Oct 2004
• Q: I just was curious if when an archer squad is in play, are those personalities targeted by it actually considered to have ranged attack actions "on them" for purposes of Ambush Duel? (e.g. with plans within plans, Mirumoto Kaiji, etc.) Thanks in advance,
  A: Yes. They "gain" the ability, so it is "on them." Martin Lund, "Rules for 26 August 2004", 31 Aug 2004
• Q: Okay, I know that playing a Formation is considered to be a battle action, but Sup Strat doesn't care about that, it says to search for an action card with a Battle or Open Action. And Archer squad does not have either an open nor a battle action upon it. (it just gives Battle Actions to other cards)
  So the question is, can a person use Superior Strategist to grab and play Archer Squad? And if so, why?
  A: You can't use Superior Strategist to grab and play Archer Squad.
  Archer squad has no Actions on its card to meet Superior Strategist's requirement of "a card with a Battle or Open action." It only has a Trait that gives other cards an Action, just like Yogo Towers has no Action but a Trait that gives other cards an Action. Martin Lund, "Rules for 7 June 2004", 10 Jun 2004