Seeking the Way

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Khan's Defiance, Samurai Edition Banzai, Ivory Edition, Three Dynasties

Card Type

Spell

Gold Cost

2

Keywords

Air

Card Text

Air Battle: Bow this Shugenja to move home a target attacking Personality and himself, and gain 2 Honor.

Focus Value

4

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Ivory Edition), A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Age of Conquest (Emperor), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Three Dynasties

Erratum

Tech erratum to link the Honor gain to the condition of bowing of the Shugenja.

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Isawa Tadaka, Seven Thunder has the trait: "Tadaka need not bow for your Kiho or Spell actions"
  Does this only refer to kihos/spells that have a "bow the shugenja to" type clause?
  Examples: "Seeking the Way: Bow this Shugenja to move home a target attacking Personality and himself, and gain 2 Honor." - Tadaka would not bow.
  "Strength of the 5th Ring: If this Shugenja has 4 or higher Chi, or is Void, bow him to draw a card." - Tadaka would not bow.
  However... "Veil of Water: If this Shugenja is unbowed and is targeted by the Battle action, bow him, negate the action, and you may move him home if he is Water." - Tadaka *would* bow.
  Thanks,
  A: Tadaka does not bow, if you wish it, for any of these actions.
  See Need Not: This phrase, “need not X”, means that the card’s player can optionally have an effect (X) not happen, but later effects within the same action or trait proceed as if the effect had happened. This also means that even if the effect X fails, the later effects proceed as if the effect had happened. Alex Jones, "Isawa Tadaka, Seven Thunder", 31 Aug 2015
• Q: Can i activate my 3 alchemy lab (which says that it would increase a positive numeral on a spell by one)on my seeking the way's gain 2 honor to boost it to gain 5 honor and attack my single cavalry unit (which has the seeking the way) on the opponent and assuming he/she doesn't have any blockers and activate the seeking the way's ability to gain 5 honor by bowing the same attacking personality? tia
  A: Yes, you may. Jon Palmer, "Alchemy Lab + Seeking the Way", 24 May 2015
• Q: Scenario: I have an attacking unbowed shugenja with Seeking the Way attached, and I'd like to gain honor. As seeking the way reads:
  Can the shugenja legally target himself as the attacking personality? And thus (redundantly) move home and gain 2 honor?
  A: Yes, he can.
  The only things that need "to" happen in order for the movement and honor gain to occur is to first meet required targets, which is an attacking Personality that can be himself, and for him to bow. After that, the Spell moves the attacking Personality home, it moves the Shugenja home (which fails, since he's already there from the first movement effect), then you gain 2 Honor. Brook Cunningham, "Seeking the way - Same targets", 30 Mar 2014
• Q: So, I have been hunting around the Googlenet, and have yet to find an answer to this question. I also haven't found any mention of it, so it might just be so obvious to not need mentioning, lol. Anyways, what if I were to combine Koan's Scroll satchel with a spell like Seeking the Way or Shielded by Tempest? Would the spell be unable to resolve because the personalities cannot move home, or would it be fine, as that is part of the effect and not a cost (so it would be like bowing a bowed guy)? Thanks for your time.
  Koan's scroll satchel:"Open, w: Give Home to one or more Spells in this unit, up to the number of Koan cards in this unit. (Home actions may be used from home.)" Seeking the way: "Air Battle: Bow this Shugenja to move home a target attacking Personality and himself. Gain 2 Honor." Seeking the way:Air Battle, w: If this Shugenja is opposed, give this Province +2 strength and gain 1 Honor. Move this Shugenja home.
  A: It would work with Seeking the Way - the effect of moving your shugenja home would fail, of course, but the attacker would still move home and you would gain 2 honor (actions only stop resolving when targeting fails, not when an effect fails).
  Shielded by Tempest would not work, however, because you would not be able to meet the "If this shugenja is opposed" clause at the beginning. Jon Palmer, "Koan's scroll satchel and Seeking the way", 12 Mar 2014
• Q: OK, so as per this thread, you can't announce a Seeking the Way attached to a bowed shugenja just to gain the 2 honor. Just to be clear (and to save everyone the trouble of asking similar questions about different cards), this doesn't work because of the "to" joining the first two effects of "bow this shugenja" and "move home a target attacking personality," correct? And since the (only) mandatory targeting of the action is tied into the second half of the effect, if the shugenja is already bowed, you won't be able to meet the targeting. As a point of comparison, if the action read "Bow this shugenja. Target an attacking personality and move him home if this shugenja bowed. Gain 2 honor.", then that WOULD work because the targeting isn't conditioned on the bowing, right?
  Sorry to be a little pedantic about this, but I'm trying to make sure I and my playgroup are exactly clear on why this doesn't work so we can apply the rationale to other cards.
  Thank you
  A: Looks like you've understood all our points correctly. Brook Cunningham, "Seeking the Way (Last Time, I Promise)", 21 Jan 2014
• Q: With the new IvE templating, can I now announce Seeking the Way's battle action if it is attached to a bowed shugenja? I know in EE you couldn't as the bowing was a cost. If so, I know the movement effects won't happen because they say "bow this shugenja to...", but will the independent effect of gain 2 honor still happen?
  Thanks
  A: No, I'm afraid you cannot.
  You're right that the Gain 2 Honor is independent of the bowing the Shugenja to move home a target attacking Personality. But, because the targeting itself is also wrapped up in the effect that you need to bow to do, it means you can't meet the required targeting if you can't bow the Shugenja to do it, and therefore can't announce the action at all in Good Faith. Brook Cunningham, "Seeking the Way", 21 Jan 2014
• Q: Although I see that there is already a ruling on this question, that was made under the old rules template, so I would like clarification.
  If attacking with a single shugenja, can Seeking the Way be used? It would not appear so, because sending the shugenja home and targeting an attacking are both costs of the action. However, the older ruling made under the previous version of the card said that this was possible at the time.
  Battle: Bow this Shugenja, move him home, and target an attacking Personality: Move him home. Gain 2 Honor.
  Thanks in advance.
  A: You can indeed use Seeking the Way when it's Shugenja is the only attacking Personality in his army.
  According to the sequence for using abilities, you pick required targets (step C) before costs are paid (step D), so at the point in time where you would designate a target for Seeking the Way, your Shugenja is a perfectly legal choice.
  It should also be noted that, "Targeting may occur in a trait or ability's constraints block but is not itself a cost. "(From the CR Definition of Costs). Ben Higgins, "Seeking the Way on the attack", 24 Feb 2012
• Q: Secondly, can I use Supply Outpost to attach Seeking the Way (This spell cannot have its gold cost reduced) if I pay the extra Gold?
  A: It's not really "extra" gold, but yes, if you pay the gold cost of Seeking the Way you will successfully attach it. Alex Jones, "Isawa Chinatsu and Supply Outpost", 6 Oct 2008
• Q: Which of these two conflicting rulings is correct regarding using Seeking the Way on the attack with only the caster present at the battle?
  Zen:
  http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=60385
  Marty:
  http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=65489
  Thanks,
  Steven
  [Mod edit: Thread title. -ZF & ALJ]
  A: I misunderstood the original question. I'll fix my post. Zen Faulkes, ""Seeking" less confusion: Seeking the Way", 8 May 2008
• Q: I'm defending with a shugenja and my opponent has Moto Chagatai 4 attacking me. My shugenja has the Seeking the Way. Can I use the Seeking the Way? If I can, Will I gain the honor from the action?
  A: You want to read the FAQ.
  http://rules.l5r.com/FAQ#Is_an_action_l ... _happen.3F Zen Faulkes, "Moto Chagatai Exp.4 + Seeking the Way", 1 Dec 2007