Sacrifice of Pawns

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Enemy of My Enemy

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Political

Card Text

Limited: Destroy your performing unbowed Courtier and target another player's Personality: His controller may destroy the target. If he did not choose this, search your Dynasty deck for a Personality and bring him into play, paying all costs but paying two more Gold. (Discard him if you are unable to play him.)

Focus Value

3

Legality

Age of Conquest (Emperor), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

MRP

The personality now costs two more to enter play (though you may apply your Clan Discount)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Am I right to assume I can't proclaim her when she comes in this way...right?
  A: You're correct:
  Player abilities (emphasis mine):
  "(Proclaim) Reaction: After you bring a Personality in your province with your Clan alignment into play without Clan discount, if it is your turn: Gain Honor equal to his base Personal Honor." Brook Cunningham, "Sacrifice of Pawns into a M'rika", 27 Oct 2013
• Q: Greetings! From here http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=102454
  It was stated that
  Say that i have only 2 gold available, and i know that my deck contains a travelling peddler (or any 2-2 random holding). I know all the the other holdings in my deck are 6GC. I use peace to get my peddler, but as it turned out, it was not in my dynasty deck (It was actually face down in one of my provinces). Can i then get a 6gc holding and discard it in hopes of using my govern the land for a later turn? Same question with sacrifice of pawns. I know i have a legal personality in my deck i can pay for, but it ended up face down on my provinces. May i get a any personality then to put in my discard pile?
  Thanks.
  A: According to the Good Faith Rule, A player is not assumed to know the face-down contents of his or her decks, for purposes of the Good Faith Rule.
  Thus, you may announce an action that directs you to search your deck for a card meeting that condition even if you know that no such card is in your deck.
  However, the Good Faith Rule also states: A player cannot announce an action on the basis of a legal card to play, but then choose an illegal attachment or other card for the actual play choice.
  Thus, even though you may announce Peace regardless of whether you have any Holdings in your deck that you can afford to buy, you may only choose a Holding you can afford. Similarly for Sacrifice of Pawns: you may not use it to eg, put a Loyal Personality of another Clan in your discard pile for Fukuzo to wear. Alex Jones, "Peace + Sacrifice of Pawns revisited", 21 Mar 2013
• Q: I give you an example:
  a) I have Coutier A at home b) I play Sacrifice of Pawns to bring a Courtier B, from dynasty deck. c) I play The Empress' Address, reacting to the death of my A Courtier from action, bringing that very same A Courtier from discard, gaining 2 honor.
  Is that legal ?
  A: No. You can now only react with The Empress' Address to the death of your personality in a defending army. Ben Higgins, "The Empress' Address", 8 Mar 2012
• Q: I announce Sacrifice of Pawns, target my opponent's personality, and then my own courtier who will be destroyed. If my opponent chooses to destroy his personality, then plays Ancestral Protection to negate its destruction, do I have still have to pay the cost of destroying my courtier? I get that announce>target>costs, but I'm unclear as to how to apply that to this situation.
  Sacrifice of Pawns: Limited: Destroy your performing unbowed Courtier and target another player's Personality: His controller may destroy the target. If he did not choose this, search your Dynasty deck for a Personality and bring him into play, paying all costs but paying two more Gold. (Discard him if you are unable to play him).
  Ancestral Protection: Reaction: After an action targets your Personality, destroy your performing Ancestor: Negate the action's effects.
  Many thanks in advance.
  A: The correct sequence for Sacrifice of Pawns is: A. Announce that you wish to use the ability on Sacrifice of Pawns B. Choose your performer C. Target the other Personality - Ancestral Protection is played here D. Destroy the performer as a cost E. The other player makes his choice, and either his Personality is destroyed or the Dynasty deck is searched - these are the effects that are negated by Ancestral Protection F. End
  Costs can only be chosen not to be paid if the cost is dependent on a target, and the target is changed from what was originally chosen. This does not happen in this case, so you may not choose not to destroy the performer. Alex Jones, "Sacrifice of Pawns vs Ancestral Protection", 8 Mar 2012
• Q: If instructed to search for a particular type of card, you must find a card of the required type if there is one. [JA, 8 March 2004; ML, JA, email, 19 October 2004]
  A: If you or your opponent wishes for verification that none exist, call a judge. Chris Fuchs, "Follow up to Sacrifice of Pawns", 24 May 2007
• Q: When a card is retrieved from a deck with instructions to play it, it is discarded if it cannot be legally played. [JA, 27 November 2001]
  A: If the personality searched for by Sacrifice of Pawns is not entering play due to play restrictions, you will not need to pay the cost. Chris Fuchs, "Sacrifice of Pawns", 24 May 2007
• Q: Regarding Bayushi Saya, if a person is targeted by her effect and then required to perform and action (Ie Ambush, and rumours suggest Sacrifice of Pawns also applies (Zen or Marty, can you yes/no this?) ) is the honour loss causd by Saya or the dishonoured personality? Would they be able to seppuku in responce to the Ambush/Saya effect?
  A: No. Diamond rules, pg. 88. The honor loss is not due to performing, targeting, or decision making. And I don't understand the Sacrifice of Pawns thing. Zen Faulkes, "Seppuku Timing", 11 May 2005