Martyr

Legend of the Five Rings card from Obsidian Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: After one of your Personalities is destroyed by battle resolution or by a card's effect and if the target is still in play, target a Personality in the army that opposed yours during that Resolution Segment, the card that performed the action that destroyed yours, or the card that created the effect that destroyed him: The target's controller loses 5 Honor.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial)

Deck

Fate

Notes

Some of the Imperial Edition versions of this card were printed with a lower text alignment

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Martyr 0G 3FV Reaction: Play this card after the death of your Personality, targeting the card that destroyed him, or her. That card's controller loses 5 Honor. In a battle, the target may be any Personality in the opposing army." [MRP, Obsidian Edition] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 24
• May not be played against an opposing Personality after a tied battle or duel, because it is played after your Personality dies, at which point the card that killed him is no longer in play either. [DW, 26 February 1997, 3/11/97] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 25
• If your Personality died as a result of a battle or duel, Martyr's only legal target is an opposing Personality. [DW, email, 14 July 1997] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 25
• In the case of a Spell or Item, this is generally the Personality holding that card and not the card itself. [Reversal, DW, email, 1/10/98] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 25
• May not be used if the action killed the Personality by generating a Chi penalty (or other stat change). [JA, 30 November 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 25
• Multiples may be played as reactions to a single death (though not simultaneously). [DW, l5rinfo, 6/6/96, and card text] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 40
• May be used if the action created or moved a token that killed the Personality. [DW, email, 3/29/99] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 40
• Erratum: Changed: when used after battle resolution, may now target any Personality in the opposing, rather than the victorious, army. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 4

Rules Q&A

• Q: Just a couple questions we could use answering please
  #1... If Street to Street is in play and I use the Scorpion Clan Martyr with a follower to switch him in with someone who was in the battle (or any other switch or move into the battle action for that matter) what happens to that personalty's follower? Do they remain attached since the personality was not in the battle at the time the Street to Street triggered?
  A: Followers brought into the battle after Street to Street is played stay attached to their Personalities. They also do not need to reattach when the terrain goes away. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19-22 April 2002", 23 Apr 2002
• Q: I am finding myself beset by these Underroos wearing, faceless,...sorry about that it was about to get unfriendly. So I decided to have a little fun at there expense. The difficulty is my card affects can not cause the Ninja to lose honor. I can redirect though. Since this is the case, I need to find out what is causing the loss of honor when/if I play Martyr, the personality/duel/Kolat action or the Martyr card. Right now I see it as the action taken that killed my peep that caused the honor loss. If this is the case, the next time one of my peeps is killed by Kolat Assassin I am going to have a little treat instore for the perpetrator. ;)
  A: Sorry to have to tell you this, but Martyr is considered to be the card causing the honor loss, not the action/effect/act of god that triggered Martyr in the first place. As far as I can tell, there are very few ways to cause a Ninja player an honor loss (none, so far as I can tell). Best that you can do is Court Jester one of the losses that he creates for himself. How's that? Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for January 26th", 27 Jan 2001
• Q: No rush, just a gentle reminder since Palmer answered my most recent question but not the previous ones, which I imagine just got buried under the IvE questions.
  With the "everything is an action" paradigm, does March of the Alliance restrict things such as Recruiting (with or without Proclaiming), the rulebook Cycle, discarding face-up Dynasty cards EOT (if this is an action too?), ...? viewtopic.php?f=59&t=107147
  and
  If you play Geisha Assassin on an opponent's personality and lose the duel, can you react with Martyr? viewtopic.php?f=59&t=107166
  A: Answered. Sorry we missed those. Jon Palmer, "Pending questions", 21 Mar 2014
• Q: Does it still work? If you play Geisha Assassin on an opponent's personality and lose the duel, can you react with Martyr?
  A: Nope.
  If you look at the current wording of Martyr, the opponent's Personality did not beat yours at Resolution, perform the action that destroyed yours, or create the effect that destroyed yours. So Martyr does not have a legal target. Jon Palmer, "Geisha Assassin and Martyr", 21 Mar 2014
• Q: Martyr reads, in the Oracle:
  Reaction: After one of your Personalities is destroyed by battle resolution or by a card's effect and if the target is still in play, target a Personality in the army that opposed yours during that Resolution Segment, the card that performed the action that destroyed yours, or the card that created the effect that destroyed him: The target's controller loses 5 Honor.
  What a tricky one to phrase... so if I tie a battle I can't play Martyr from my dying dudes right?
  And if I use The Price of Power to kill one of my guys + one of my opponent's guys he can't use Martyr either (since the event discards itself as a cost, before the effects are applied, and then Martyr fails to meet "if the target is still in play")?
  A: Both of your assertions are correct. Brook Cunningham, "Fun with Martyr", 30 Sep 2013
• Q: Scorpian personality A with an attached follower issues a Iaijutsu Challenge to personality B. Personality B wins the duel. As a reaction to the duel Kawanchi bows for his ability.
  Bayushi Kwanchai (Experienced)
  Text Scorpion Clan Martyr. Experienced. Unique Reaction: Bow Kwanchai before one of your bowed or unbowed Scorpion Clan Personalities dies during battle or duel resolution to negate that destruction. Either destroy Kwanchai or put him on top of your Dynasty deck (your choice).
  Does the follower attached to Scorpian personality A die?
  A: No. The Challenge only destroys the Personality, not the unit. If the Personality had actually been destroyed, it would have taken the attached cards with him - but he didn't die, so nothing bad happens to them. Martin Lund, "Bayushi Kwanchai (Experienced)", 23 Mar 2005
• Q: [Jade]] olaying a Geisha Assassin for zero allows me to play Martyr?
  A: No. For Martyr, if the dying Personality did not die in a battle, then you must target the card that destroyed them. The Rulebook destroys Personalities for having 0C, so you have no card to target and can't play it. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 20 Sep 2026
• Q: Oh so I get the honor loss from Martyr? I just thought 'that destroyed' mean the winner of the duel
  A: And actually, the targeted "fault" card has to have a "controller" or "performer" and the Geisha Assassin Strategy doesn't. So, yeah, you can't react with Martyr to Geisha Assassin because there's no legal "card at fault" target for Martyr, regardless of her being "your" Personality when she died. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 17 Apr 2025
• Q: [Imperial] As per the Accumulated Rulings on Geisha Assassin being 'affected like a true personality', can I react with Martyr when the Assassin dies in the duel?
  A: Yes, you can. Just because she's RFG/gone doesn't mean she wasn't "your Personality" when she died from the duel. But... um, yeah, saaam is right. Your card that created the duel killed her if she lost. 😛 Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 17 Apr 2025