One with the Flame

Legend of the Five Rings card from The Harbinger

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Fire, Kiho

Card Text

Battle: Bow your performing Monk without Weapons: Give him +1C if he is Fire or has one or more Fire tokens. You may target and destroy an enemy Personality with Chi equal to or less than your Monk's.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Fire • Kiho Battle: Bow your target Monk without Weapons: Give him +1C if he is Fire or has one or more Fire tokens. You may target and destroy an enemy Personality with equal or lower Chi than your Monk.
  If I have a 3 CHI Fire monk (without a weapon), can I use One with the Flame on a 5 CHI personality, simply to get the +1 CHI token? As I understand it, the Required targeting is "Bow your target Monk without Weapons". Then, in order of actions, I give him +1C (because he is Fire). Since there is no legal target, the next action would fail (I "May" target and destroy an enemy.. blah, blah, blah).
  The reason I ask, is because I recently had this issue in the Chicago Kotei Tournament, and the rules team there said I couldn't even play the card against a 5 CHI personality. I was under the impression that as long as I met the required targeting, the effects would then resolve in order. So, it would be perfectly legal to play "One with the Flame" on a 3 CHI Fire monk for the +1 CHI Token, fail to destroy a target, straighten the monk with Scout's Armor, then react off my stronghold for another One with the Flame to destroy the 5 CHI target. Am I wrong? Thank you..
  [UGH, I wish there was a way to reply to rules questions...] [EDIT] My apologies for increminating you in my declaration... I would be interested to know exactly who did make the call (as my opponent was the one contesting it, and handled the discussions).. Regardless, a second thought occurred to me after I posted my initial query.
  What happens if the 5 CHI enemy personality is Kuon? I know Kuon negates the first action that is performed on him. If the first action was the first "One with the Flame", would Kuon's trait also negate the initial +1 CHI?
  A: You are correct. The sequence above is legal and would occur in the way you describe.
  Although, personal pride does compel me to point out that technically the "rules team" at Chicago didn't botch this.
  I say so because I was there. Unfortunately, no one asked me. Brook Cunningham, "One with the Flame and Required Targeting", 21 Jun 2010
• Q: If I use the battle ability given to me from Dance of the Void and on my next action try to use (any) kiho where the cost is to bow, what happens?
  A: Costs are not effects. A cost of bowing for a kiho is not affected by Dance of the Void. Zen Faulkes, "Dance of the Void and One with the Flame", 5 Jun 2010