O-Ushi Sensei

Legend of the Five Rings card from Soul of the Empire

Card Type

Sensei

Province Strength

+0

Gold Production

+0

Starting Family Honor

+0

Keywords

Crab Clan, Lion Clan, Mantis Clan, Ratling

Card Text

Before the resolution of another player's card's action that targeted one of your Personalities: Each time it checks your Personalities' Chi or Personal Honor, you may have it check the Personality's Force instead.
After your Personality enters a duel, if the duel was from another player's card's effect: You may choose to have your Personality use Force as his duel stat in that duel.
You will not gain Honor from duels.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Pre-Game

Printings

Rulings

• During a duel, focusing can add to your Personality's force (if you choose) instead of chi or personal honor. [Reversal; JA, 20 July 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 142
• Announce if you are using force in a duel before you focus, because focusing adds to the relevent stat when played. [JA, email, 15 February 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 142
• Cannot change effects from tokens. [JA, 21 July 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 142
• Does not prevent Kakita Technique from allowing an opponent to strike or focus first: it has already been played, you are not canceling it, and the action does not have any affect on your Personality. [JA, 11 June 2002] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 142
• Q: Does O-Ushi Sensei make my focuses add to Force if I use it in a duel? A: Yes. Furthermore, O-Ushi Sensei works against any other player's targeted card that checks or changes the Chi of your Personalities. For instance, you could choose to have another player's Force of Will exchange Force and Personal Honor. The Imperial Herald, Issue 17, p. 40

Rules Q&A

• Q: To Jeff & The Rulz Posse-
  Say I'm running O-Ushi Sensei. My personality has 4 Force and 1 Personal Honor. My opponent's personality, with his 3 Personal Honor, challenges my guy to a duel. I accept. Can he use Kakita Technique? Or could I substitute my guy's Force for Personal Honor in this situation?
  A: You could make it check your Force instead, but it's already been played. You are not canceling it, and the action does not have any affect on your Personality, so making yourself an illegal target for it will not stop it from applying to your opponent and letting him strike first. Jeff Alexander, "post for 10 June 2002", 11 Jun 2002
• Q: I'd like to know one more thing to. What exactly happens with a duel involving a player that uses an O-Ushi Sensei? It will be my chi against his force or my force against his force? Did you understand?
  A: Your Chi against his Force. Jeff Alexander, "post for 21 November 2001", 22 Nov 2001
• Q: The second question is O- Ushi Sensei. Does it work in any strange way with Hitomi Kokujin?
  A: Outside of creating a challenge, Hitomi Kokujin Exp. doesn't do anything with Chi. There's nothing strange for O-Ushi Sensei to work with.
  Now the original, on the other hand... His reaction can still be used if O-Ushi Sensei is used against one of his duels so long as either participant used Chi, and it will cause a -1F penalty instead. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 12-13 April 2001", 19 Apr 2001
• Q: (html) (DIV) (P)Greetings,(/P) (P)I have a question regarding O-Ushi Sensei, specifically how it reacts with To Do What We Must.(/P) (P)(I don't have the cards in front of me, but just thought of this...)(/P) (P)If you are playing this sensei, and in a battle, you target one of your own personalities with TDWWM, can you add force twice? In other words, it looks at Force, plus Personal Honor (plus 2 for Crane) can you use O-Ushi to change that PH to Force?(/P)
  A: O-Ushi Sensei only interacts with other card effects, so you can't use it this way if you're the one playing TDWWM.
  Furthermore, you can't use it against your opponent's either, since TDWWM cares about total unit Force, not the Personality's own. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 29 March 2001", 5 Apr 2001
• Q: Okay, another good look at O- Ushi Sensei has revealed another question.
  O- Ushi sensei "responds" to card actions which target my opponent's cards.
  Return for Training breaks down into 2 clauses: 1 which does not target (the lowest personal honor human personality is sent home) and one which does (if there is a tie, you choose). When I play Return for Training when my opponent has the lowest personal honor personality, and there is only one, then he can not "activate" O- Ushi Sensei right, because his card is not being targeted?
  A: False. If an action is ever targeted, it always is. Return for Training is a targeted action even if there's only one Personality it can be legally played on. It's the exact same situation as Block Supply Lines being played on a solitary attacker. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 8 February 2001", 14 Feb 2001
• Q: I'm going to overturn Vaughn here. The rulebook clearly states that if a Reaction makes one or more targets of an action illegal, that that action does not affect those invalid targets. This is a REVERSAL.
  Well, O- Ushi Sensei is not a reaction though. I can't play a reaction in response to my opponent choosing what to check for, such as Fall on Your Knees, etc... Anyway then, my question still remains: what is the procedure for picking legal targets?
  A: You have a point about O-Ushi Sensei not being a Reaction, but I'm going to stick with my reversal unless the rest of the Rules Team has serious objections. The fundamental situation is the same: a target is becoming illegal immediately after being selected. Between exactly matching the spirit and intent of the Reaction rule, and the fact that the game does not allow for repeatedly picking targets until one "works", I feel I have ruled correctly. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 7 February 2001", 9 Feb 2001
• Q: I had a question about (surprise) O- Ushi Sensei. If my opponent is using O- Ushi Sensei and I play Return for Training, what is the procedure for picking legal targets? If I picked a target which is made illegal because my opponent checks for force instead, does Return for Training bounce into my hand?
  Anyways, by the time that you've picked a target, it's too late for your opponent to change that target by making RfT reference force instead of PH. He can't make you go back, and once you've picked a target, the PH part of RfT is irrelevant, so he still goes home.
  A: I'm going to overturn Vaughn here. The rulebook clearly states that if a Reaction makes one or more targets of an action illegal, that that action does not affect those invalid targets. This is a REVERSAL. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 5 February 2000", 8 Feb 2001
• Q: I had a question about (surprise) O- Ushi Sensei. If my opponent is using O- Ushi Sensei and I play Return for Training, what is the procedure for picking legal targets? If I picked a target which is made illegal because my opponent checks for force instead, does Return for Training bounce into my hand?
  A: Jeez. Given the last few days, it *is* a surprise that this question is about O-Ushi Sensei. It should be about Gaheris! Get it right, man!
  Anyways, by the time that you've picked a target, it's too late for your opponent to change that target by making RfT reference force instead of PH. He can't make you go back, and once you've picked a target, the PH part of RfT is irrelevant, so he still goes home. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for February 6th", 6 Feb 2001
• Q: Just so I have this straight...
  O-Ushi Sensei works against Scaring the Masses and Return for Training, correct?
  A: Absolutely. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for January 10th", 10 Jan 2001
• Q: If a card effect generates token(s) that produce chi penalties will O-Ushi Sensei have that penalty apply to Force instead?
  A: No.
  Giving a penalty to a stat, or creating a token that does so, does not involve the effect "checking" the stat. Brook Cunningham, "O-Ushi Sensei and Tokens", 28 Apr 2013
• Q: Good day! I would like to ask a question regarding Brutal Confrontation & O-Ushi Sensei. Say I'm playing O-ushi Sensei & I play Brutal Confrontation. When my opponent decides to use Brutal Confrontation to issue a duel of Chi, can I use my personality's Force instead?
  Thanks!
  A: You may use your Personality's force, as described under Duel Stat: If more than one effect changes which stat is used in a duel, first apply effects from the action or trait that created the duel, then apply effects from other sources, which override the stats specified in the duel. Alex Jones, "Legacy Question: O-ushi Sensei & Brutal Confontation", 2 Nov 2011
• Q: the other day i have doubts about a couple of card interactions in legacy: When i activate first Bayushi ability agains a player with o-ushi sensei, can he change the stat to force? Is first Bayushi ability only permanent on him?
  A: No. "Checking" a stat is when an effect looks at a stat and produces an effect based on the value of the stat, not when it affects the stat directly.
  (Replying to a player: "And is Bayushi second ability only permanent on himself and until end of turn for the rest?") Correct.
  (Replying to a player: "So, o ushi sensei can change a Testo of Honor to a Test of “Strength”, right?") Correct. That was my go-to first example. And she changes Chi duels to Force for her player (but I had to Oracle some clarifying text onto her for that based on contemporary rulings, as a duel isn't exactly a direct "check"). I was looking for more, but hopefully you understand? Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 14 Oct 2026
• Q: Does O-Ushi sensei protect against Kolat Assassin/Master? Say, if my opponent target someone like Hiruma Nikaru who is 7F. @Brook Cunningham @kempy_nezumi
  A: I would say "no". I can't find any contemporary Rulings, if you're asking for specific interactions in Jade simulation. However, the way O-Ushi is worded, and the way Assassin and Master are worded (both Oracle wording and as-printed), O-Ushi's text allows for a different stat than Chi to be checked for a Personality that was already legally targeted and then the effects check its Chi. But Master and Assassin's Chi stipulations are conditions for targeting at all, so she couldn't "stop" or "redirect" those, because they would happen before she allows for "substitution". If you follow my logic? Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 19 Jul 2024