Ruthless Advance

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, Khan's Defiance, Promotional–Lotus, Samurai Edition Banzai

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

*

Card Text

Battle: Pay Gold equal to a target defending unit's total Gold Cost minus 2: Destroy it.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Destroyer War (Celestial), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Ruthless Advance *G 2FV Battle: Pay Gold equal to the targeted unit's total Gold Cost minus 2: Destroy a target defending unit." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 151
• If the basis for Ruthless Advance's cost is interfered with (e.g. Misdirection, Seat of Power) or changed (e.g. Kumade) between announcement and paying its cost, you may choose to not pay its cost and have it fail (see XI.2.3 C. Pay costs). Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 153

Rules Q&A

• Q: If I play a Ruthless Advance and my opponent changes my initial target to a unit with the same gold cost. Would I still be able to choose not to pay the cost?
  A: Here's a similar question on changing costs in the FAQ: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_FAQ#What_happen ... ld_cost.3F
  Which reads in part, "the person paying the cost of Dramatic Assassination" -- or, by extension, Ruthless Advance -- "has the option to try to generate enough Gold to use on the new target but is not obligated to do so." Zen Faulkes, "Changing Targets and Same Gold Cost", 11 Jan 2011
• Q: If this was already answered, I apologize. I did a search for Eihoko + Location and Eihiko + presence and didn't find what I was looking for.
  Eihiko reads: Reaction: After you announce an action: Reduce the Gold Cost of a target card (in play) by 2 until the action ends.
  My question is this. In a battle, let's say I wanted to use Yoritomo Tatsuhiko to bow a unit, or a Ruthless Advance, or any other action in a battle basically. Can I use Eihiko's reaction if he is home or at another battelfield to lower the gold cost of an enemy card or does he have to be at the current battelfield. I'm assuming that he has to be at the current battelfield, but I wanted some clarification. Thank you much.
  A: Eihiko's ability is a Reaction, and hence the Rule of Location does not apply. Alex Jones, "Yoritomo Eihiko - location question.", 18 Oct 2010
• Q: In regards to this: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=78820&view=unread#unread
  While the gold cost HAS a value while the card is being played, the gold cost is not the BASE gold cost. From the definition of Base, as already quoted:
  "Base" refers to a stat, keyword, ability, or trait that exists on a card or other entity as printed (following the most recent printing) or initially created, without modifications from effects. A stat’s base value can not be changed.
  For Family Keep to produce 3 gold, the base gold cost must be a value of 9 or more. This means that there are several things it should check, to determine if the cost is a base gold cost. They are (per the rulebook definition of base):
  A) the printed/initial value B) Without modifications from effects C) Cannot be changed.
  The printed/initial value of Ruthless Advance is an asterisk, which by rulebook definition, means it has NO BASE VALUE. Ruthless does not meet this condition.
  The gold cost is modified depending on target, but that isn't really from an effect, so Ruthless is probably ok here.
  The gold cost of Ruthless changes, so that's out to.
  Based on the rulebook definition of Base, there are three things that determine a base value. Ruthless fails to meet two of those three. How can Family Keep produce three gold instead of two for Ruthless Advance?
  A: It's been pointed out that the previous posts are all operating on an incorrect assumption.
  The asterisk gold cost on Ruthless Advance is a cost for its action, not the strategy card.
  http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Card_types#Strategy_cards: "Gold Cost: a Strategy card's Gold Cost is part of the base costs of each of its abilities. The number in the coin is not a separate cost of playing the Strategy card." (Emphasis added.)
  Family Keep can't be used in any case. It pays card costs, not action costs.
  The base cost issue will be tidied up, but at least the initial question is put to bed. Zen Faulkes, "Family Keep", 2 Sep 2009
• Q: Regarding this ruling:
  viewtopic.php?f=59&t=78820
  Family Keep will pay 3 gold for a card with a BASE gold cost of 9 or more per its wording.
  Asterisks: An asterisk (*) appearing instead of a stat on a card means that the stat has no base value, but is determined according to other circumstances. This also means that the stat is variable. If such a value cannot be determined at any given time, its base value is zero.
  Ruthless Advance has an asterisk for its gold cost. This means the BASE gold cost is null, and is not determined when played. Regardless of what Ruthless is targeting, Family Keep should only produce two gold.
  http://rules.l5r.com/Glossary_B#Base
  Base "Base" refers to a stat, keyword, ability, or trait that exists on a card or other entity as printed (following the most recent printing) or initially created, without modifications from effects. A stat’s base value can not be changed.
  A: Arguably, the quoted paragraph is contradictory: the first sentence says that an asterisk means that the stat has no base value, which could reasonably imply that the base value is zero; the last sentence implies that if the value can be determined, its base value is non-zero, since if the base value were always zero then the rule should state that.
  I decided that the second interpretation is more consistent with the concept of showing the base value with an asterisk rather than as 0. Alex Jones, "Family Keep", 2 Sep 2009
• Q: Q: When playing Ruthless Advance, Can Family Keep produce 3Gold? (I think its a yes, but I want to be sure. Ruthless is a variable Gold cost while Family Keep says Base Gold cost.( Ex. 8GPersonality with Fubatsu Blade, making it a 12GC[10 to ruthless])
  References:
  Ruthless Advance: Battle: Pay Gold equal to the targeted unit's total Gold Cost minus 2: Destroy a target defending unit. Gold *
  Family Keep: Castle Bow this card: Produce 2 Gold, or 3 Gold if paying for a card with a base Gold Cost of 9 or more. Open: If it is not your turn, you have only one Province, and you have one or zero cards in your hand: Draw a card.
  Thank you for your answers!
  A: Yes.
  Strategy cards: Gold Cost: a Strategy card's Gold Cost is part of the base costs of each of its abilities. The number in the coin is not a separate cost of playing the Strategy card.
  Asterisks: An asterisk (*) appearing instead of a stat on a card means that the stat has no base value, but is determined according to other circumstances. This also means that the stat is variable. If such a value cannot be determined at any given time, its base value is zero.
  When playing a Strategy, you must pay the Gold Cost of the Strategy (which is one of the costs of the action). The base cost of Ruthless Advance is variable, but when you are paying its cost this value is known, and if it's 9 or more, a Family Keep will produce 3g towards it. Alex Jones, "Family Keep", 1 Sep 2009
• Q: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=65674&p=843890&hilit=ruthless+advance#p843890
  with regard to the original post, if i would use seat of power to redirect a ruthless advance from domotai to akagi what would be the cost paid by my opponent? 8 or 3?
  thank you
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/Rulings_R#Ruthless_Advance:
  "Cost is set after targeting. Therefore: ...
  "Cost must be paid if... a new unit is selected in... in the targeting step by a triggered effect or Reaction with "would target" (e.g., Seat of Power)... unless the new cost exceeds a player's ability to pay it completely." Zen Faulkes, "Ruthless Advance Cost", 6 Apr 2008
• Q: Suppose I use Insight to look at the top 3 cards of my opponent's Fate deck, find a Ruthless Advance there and use it to kill my own defending Sentei no Oni (exp). Can I now use Sentei's Reaction as technically it was my opponent's card's effect that destroyed him?
  A: Looks that way, yes. Zen Faulkes, "Insight + Sentei no Oni (exp)", 5 Apr 2008
• Q: I have a personality with three followers attached. The personality was targeted by:
  A) Hired Killer B) Ruthless Advance
  If I bow my follower for Few Against Many, will I be able to save my whole unit or just the personality?
  A: "Negate the Personality’s destruction." (Card text, emphasis added.) Zen Faulkes, "Few Against Many", 22 Jan 2008
• Q: It's about this topic: Here
  The question is that is Kamoko's Avatar card has the format of a personality and in the Gold Cost stat has a 8 so I supposse she has a cost of 6 for a Ruthless Advance.
  If not, is her honor of zero with the same rule?
  You can see her Here -- Edited for adding the picture
  A: No. Kamoko's Avatar is an action card. The Gold cost is the cost of the action. The stats of the Personality are set by the card text. Zen Faulkes, "Re: Kamoko's avatar vs Ruthless Advance", 4 Dec 2007
• Q: One of our players claimed that Ruthless Advance could be played during a Naval Invasion as the first action, so long as Yoritomo Tadame helps to pay for the action.
  A: Note: There is no such thing as a "Naval invasion."
  No, for reasons stated. Zen Faulkes, "Yoritomo Tadame and Ruthless Advance", 21 Nov 2007
• Q: refering to http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=62543
  im sorry but i have to open another thread about this because i really dont get it
  sb is able to pay 9g, he trys to kill a personality with ruthless advance but his opponent redirects the action so he has to pay 10g
  u guys always refer to the ruling that costs have to be paid but thats not the problem because he isnt able to pay the costs no matter what
  what happens:
  1) he trys to pay all costs bowing his holdings but because he cant pay them, the action is negated 2) he does not need to bow his holdings because even if he has to pay the costs he cant, the action is negated
  plz just give me 1 or 2 as an answer and dont link some rule chapters again
  A: You pay as much as you can.
  Correction: The above is incorrect. You do not have to pay anything. http://rules.l5r.com/Abilities_and_actions#C._Pay_costs (Fixed.) Zen Faulkes, "Ruthless Advance + redirecting target again...", 14 Oct 2007
• Q: I have been reading posts on Misdirection and Ruthless but I couldnt find this..
  What happens if I have 7G unbowed and I target a 9GC Personality with a Ruthless Advance which is Misdirected to a 10GC personality?
  Do I have to bow all of my gold? or Can I choose to leave my gold unbowed? making the Ruthless Advance fail and go to my discard pile because I cannot pay the cost.
  Thanks.
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/Rulings_R#Ruthless_Advance: "Cost must be paid if changes to the unit Gold cost occur, or a new unit is selected in the announcement step (e.g., Misdirection, Turn of Fortune)." (EMphasised.) Zen Faulkes, "Ruthless Advance + Misdirection (insufficient gold)", 14 Oct 2007
• Q: I assume that the Ruthless advance will only be able to misdirected to another defender's unit (and not back to one of the attacker's own guys), correct?
  A: You have to pick targets that are allowed by Ruthless Advance. And it is still the other player's card. You don't play it as if you played it. Zen Faulkes, "Misdirection & Ruthless Advance", 7 Sep 2007
• Q: If a unit is being destroyed, are all cards destroyed simultaneously? If so, how are reactions to the unit's destruction determined?
  For example, if an attacking player used Ruthless Advance to destroy an opposing Personality with Follower attached, would the defending player have the opportunity to play Few Against Many, or would the active player determine that the follower was destroyed first, followed by the personality?
  A: As simultaneous as possible. In the case of Few Against Many, it triggers before destruction, so will always be able to be played in response to a unit destruction. Chris Fuchs, "Unit Destruction and Reactions", 21 Aug 2007
• Q: Is a Variable Gold Cost, such as with Hired Killer or Ruthless Advance, needed to be announced as part of the "Good Faith Rule"?
  A: That is determined based on targeting and has nothing to do with ability announcement. The Good Faith rule still applies to the resulting cost. Chris Fuchs, "Reinforce the Gates Negation of Announcement, pt. duex!", 13 Aug 2007
• Q: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=60023&p=770354&hilit=Reinforce+the+Gates#p770354
  Would the above not also apply to, for example, a Peasant Vengeance off a Naval Follower, or Ruthless Advance if/when negated by Reinforce the Gates?
  A: Be more specific. Zen Faulkes, "Reinforce the Gates Negation of Actions", 13 Aug 2007
• Q: To cleanse your palate of TTT for a moment, I present what was probably a very basic question in GE; pardon my poor memory:
  If the Goblin Warmonger has Goblin Followers attached and something (battle resolution or Ruthless Advance, as two examples) destroys the entire unit at once, is the Warmonger now bowed or destroyed?
  [Mod edit: Thread title. There is no need to specify format in thread titles. -ZF]
  A: Active player chooses. Chris Fuchs, "Goblin Warmonger", 24 May 2007