Pointless Sacrifice

Legend of the Five Rings card from 1,000 Years of Darkness

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

8

Card Text

Reaction: After your attacking army wins a battle at a province against a defending army, if your army's total Force exceeds the province's strength: Destroy the province.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can I destroy Provinces with Pointless Sacrifice during a Raid Attack?
  A: Pointless Sacrifice says, "Play as the Attacker after your army wins a battle against a defending army to destroy that Province if your army's total Force is greater than the Province's strength."
  The province is destroyed by Pointless Sacrifice, not battle resolution. Any effect that specifically prevents "battle resolution" from destroying the Province won't affect Pointless Sacrifice in any way.
  If the previews I've seen for Aramasu's Pride are correct, it only prevents battle resolution from destroying the Province, not card effects like Pointless Sacrifice.
  Keep in mind, however, that you still need to win a battle against an actual opposing army to play Pointless Sacrifice, and you need to beat the Province Strength with your Army to get the Province-destruction effect. Martin Lund, "Rules for 26 November 2004", 29 Nov 2004
• Q: Is it possible to use Pointless Sacrifice at a battle in which you used wedge on a unit, and still add that units force for the sake of using the PS? I guess the main point of concern is when I have actually "won" the battle, per the wording on Pointless Sacrifice.
  A: Yes, you can. You've "won" the battle once the Force Totals are tallied up (assuming there was a Defending Army).
  Wedge doesn't kill you until the battle ends, which is significantly later on than "after your army wins a battle." Martin Lund, "Rules for 6 July 2004", 9 Jul 2004
• Q: If I attack a Province and my opponent defends and I win the battle and have enough force to destroy the Province but instead use the reaction from the Armor of Osano-Wo to put the Ring of Earth into play could I then play Pointless Sacrifice pay the eight gold and destroy the Province?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 November 2002", 9 Nov 2002
• Q: Or the opposite, if I win the battle and do not have enough Force to destroy the Province could I play Pointless Sacrifice to desrtoy the Province and then use the Armor of Osano-Wo to not destroy the Province and play the Ring of Earth
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 November 2002", 9 Nov 2002
• Q: I looked in the archives but it didn't fully answer the question. You wrote:
  Only prevents Province destruction from battle resolution, not from card effects (e.g., Pointless Sacrifice). [ML, 29 November 2004]
  Pointless Sacrifice
  Reaction: Play as the Attacker after your army wins a battle against a DEFENDING ARMY to destroy that Province if your army's total Force is greater than the Provine's strength.
  Would Aramasu's Pride allow you to forgo the clause of defending army or would a personality have to be opposing you in the raid itself?
  Lion's Rampant also follows a clause like that and would it allow itself to be played?
  A: The relevant Archive ruling is, "If there is no opposing army, the battle is only counted as a win for the purposes of the stronghold's own text, not any other effects (e.g., Rend the Soul)." Zen Faulkes, "Raiding and Card Rulings 2", 21 Mar 2005
• Q: Can you use Wedge and Pointless Sacrifice together to destroy a Province, or does Wedge destroy your unit before Pointless Sacrifice can be activated?
  Wedge
  Quote:
  Battle: Target one of your units in this battle. You cannot target that unit or cards in it with actions until after the battle ends. Destroy the unit when the battle ends. If the unit is still in this army at the beginning of the Resolution Segment, double the Force of the Personality and each Follower in the unit.
  Pointless Sacrifice
  Quote:
  Reaction: Play as the Attacker after your army wins a battle against a defending army to destroy that Province if your army's total Force is greater than the Province's strength.
  A: "When the battle ends" is distinctly after the battle resolves. All army-killing and province-destruction happens before wedge destroys anything. Pointless Sacrifice is played during the resolution, so it is played before Wedge destroys your unit. Martin Lund, "Using Wedge and Pointless Sacrifice?", 17 Mar 2005
• Q: With the cards: Pointless Sacrifice, and Lions Rampant, does it require you to still defeat actual personalities there(?)
  A: Archive, Strongholds, Aramasu's Pride. Zen Faulkes, "Raiding and Card Ruling", 17 Mar 2005