Outsider Keep

Legend of the Five Rings card from Empire at War

Card Type

Stronghold

Province Strength

7

Gold Production

5

Starting Family Honor

4

Clan

Unicorn

Card Text

Reaction: After engaging at a battlefield where you control an opposed unit, give each of your Personalities there +1F. Draw a card. Discard a card unless one of your Personalities there is a Tactician.

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial)

Deck

Pre-Game

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Just to check my understanding - if you used Fires of War on Outsider Keep, and engaged at TWO battlefields over the course of the Battle phase, then I could react to each battle with Outsider Keep, right?
  A: Yes, that's correct, because each battle engages separately (http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Battles#B._Combat_Segment). Zen Faulkes, "The Fires of War + Last Step Castle", 23 Jan 2011
• Q: In response to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=88534
  The comprehensive rules states: "A player may not use the same copy of a Reaction or triggered trait more than once to a single trigger."
  Doesn't that mean you can't use Outsider Keep to react twice to the same engagement?
  A: Whoops! You are correct. Thanks for the catch. Zen Faulkes, "The Fires of War + Last Step Castle", 22 Jan 2011
• Q: Relevant text:
  Title Outsider Keep Text Reaction: After engaging at a battlefield where you control an opposed unit: Give each of your Personalities there +1F. Draw a card. Discard a card unless one of your Personalities there is a Tactician.
  Title Ambush Text Limited: Target your unbowed Personality: Create a battlefield (not at any province). Assign your Personality's unit to attack there. Assign another player’s target unit to defend there, even if its Personality is bowed. Other units will not move there. Fight a battle there (after this action's resolution). After the battle ends, lose 5 Honor.
  Title Countermove Text Tactical Battle: Target your Tactician who is not at the current battlefield: Target one of the enemy leader's Personalities who is not at the current battlefield. Move both targets to the current battlefield. Straighten their units.
  Question 1: I assume, that I can create a battlefield with Ambush in my Limited Phase and then fire the stronghold reaction. I'm asking just to have a written confirmation in case someone less agile in understanding the rules will not agree. Can't see why though.
  Question 2: Let's assume that the battle never happend due to some negation effects (not redirection). Will the honor loss occur? I assume not, since there was no battle.
  Question 3: Assuming mentioned Ambush happens - during a battle I've been send home from the created battlefield. Can I jump in with Countermove if my enemy has some another personality (movement of his would be negated, mine will work) ? What if he has only one personality, currently present at the created battlefield - can I just skip targeting of his personality ? If so - can Countermove be used to just jump into unopposed battle everywhere (don't think so) ?
  A: Question 1: I assume, that I can create a battlefield with Ambush in my Limited Phase and then fire the stronghold reaction. I'm asking just to have a written confirmation in case someone less agile in understanding the rules will not agree. Can't see why though. Ambush creates a battlefield at which a battle is then fought; you may indeed use Outsider Keep's Reaction during it.
  Question 2: Let's assume that the battle never happend due to some negation effects (not redirection). Will the honor loss occur? I assume not, since there was no battle. The honour loss from Ambush is not contingent on the battle being fought. See Abilities and actions, Action resolution: Effects of an action are independent. If any effect fails to occur (for example, bowing an already bowed Personality, moving him to a location he was already in, or being negated), the other effects still happen.
  Question 3: Assuming mentioned Ambush happens - during a battle I've been send home from the created battlefield. Can I jump in with Countermove if my enemy has some another personality (movement of his would be negated, mine will work)? Yes - Effects of an action are independent.
  What if he has only one personality, currently present at the created battlefield - can I just skip targeting of his personality ? No. The "enemy leader's Personality" is a required target.
  If so - can Countermove be used to just jump into unopposed battle everywhere (don't think so)? Sort of, but only if you can find an enemy target who won't move. Alex Jones, "Ambush, Outsider Keep, Countermove", 25 Oct 2010
• Q: Regarding viewtopic.php?f=59&t=86895
  While I'm almost certain that it has no barring on the ruling, I'd like to point out Thorough Preparations does not have a reaction. It is a trait.
  A: The rule that Alex mentioned refers to triggers, not Reactions, so no difference in the answer I can think of. Zen Faulkes, "Thorough Preparations and Outsider Keep", 16 Oct 2010
• Q: Thorough Preparations 0GC Reaction: After this card enters a discard pile from your hand during a battle: Draw a card. 4FV
  Outsider Keep Unicorn Clan Stronghold 7/5/4 Reaction: After engaging at a battlefield where you control an opposed unit: Give each of your Personalities there +1F. Draw a card. Discard a card unless one of your Personalities there is a Tactician.
  If I discard Thorough Preparations using Outsider Keep's ability, do I get to draw a card from its reaction?
  A: You may use Thorough Preparations' Reaction.
  Battles, Combat Segment: Engaging is the time point at which the battle, and the Combat Segment, both begin. Specifically, things that are triggered “before engaging” do not occur in or during the battle, and things that are triggered “after engaging” do occur in and during the battle. Alex Jones, "Thorough Preparations and Outsider Keep", 15 Oct 2010