Shiba Aikune

Legend of the Five Rings card from Hidden City

Card Type

Personality

Force

4

Chi

5

Honor Requirement

10

Gold Cost

10

Personal Honor

3

Clan

Phoenix

Keywords

Experienced 2, Unique, Phoenix Clan, Samurai

Card Text

Battle/Open: Choose any number of your performing Shugenja: Raise Aikune's Force and lower his Chi, or raise his Chi and lower his Force, by an amount equal to that number.
Battle/Open: Bow your performing Shugenja: Give Aikune Tactician, Double Chi, or Cavalry.

Legality

Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Shiba Aikune exp2 has the text: Open: Once per turn, target any number of your Shugenja to raise Aikune's Force and lower his Chi, or to raise his Chi and lower his Force, by that number.
  Question is, is it possible to reduce his force/chi below their minimum?
  A: It is possible to create a penalty greater than the current value of Aikune's stat, yes. The penalty is an effect, not a cost.
  The minimum will still be imposed after all the bonuses and penalties have been counted up, however. Martin Lund, "Rules for 18 April 2004", 20 Apr 2004
• Q: I have an army containing Shosuro Seibei and 3 courtiers. My opponent has Shiba Aikune Exp. 2 and a several other personalities opposing me. If he tries to use Aikune's ability, what happens? Aikune must target two personalities, but anything targetting the courtiers is redirected to Seibei.
  Is Aikune's action legal? Does only Seibei die? Does Seibei's trait consider her to not be a legal target, and therefore fail when redirecting from one of the courtiers?
  Does the answer change at all if the action in question can have any number of targets, such as Shuten Dojo's Fury? Can my opponent use his 4 Personal Honor personality to target all 4 of my personalities (including Seibei)? If so, what happens?
  Thanks
  A: http://rules.l5r.com/Glossary_T#Target "When multiple targets are chosen simultaneously, the same target cannot be chosen twice. This also means that when one target out of multiple, already-chosen targets is being changed, another one of those already-chosen targets cannot legally become the new target."
  This means that in either case (Aikune's multiple required targeting or Shuten Doji's Fury's multiple variable targeting), once Seibei is one of the targets, his trait won't cause him to become a target AGAIN; that would be illegal, so his trait would fail.
  Now, how he becomes a target is mostly up to you. If you choose all your Courtier targets and not Seibei, the active player decides which Courtier's targeting Seibei's trait triggers for (Here, "If the order of simultaneous triggers to an occurrence needs to be determined, the active player determines their order.").
  The better option, whether or not you're the active player but especially if you're not, (and I'm editorializing here) is always to choose Seibei WITH the group of Courtiers. Before all the simultaneous targeting actually occurs, his trait will trigger for each Courtier (in an order chosen by the active player) and fail each time because he's already one of the chosen targets.
  As a caveat, these sequences could be further complicated by the addition of Reactions such as Turn of Fortune or Shosuro Aroru. Just let the link above be your guide, as far as resolving conflicts of timing.
  (Edited twice for absolute correctness; essential point and ruling remained constant, however.) Brook Cunningham, "Shosuro Seibei + Actions that require multiple targets", 4 May 2009
• Q: What If I target Shiba Aikune Exp. 3 while he's alone?
  A: Same thing. The trait is not optional, and Furious Assault looks for an effect, not a decision. Zen Faulkes, "Furious Assault vs. Moto Chagatai/Shiba Aikune", 24 Mar 2008
• Q: Shiba Aikune - exp 3: If i use the special ability and destroy Houhou i can bring him back?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "I doubt about Shiba Aikune versus Houhou", 27 May 2007
• Q: If he still Honored, Houhou has a honorably dead?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "I doubt about Shiba Aikune versus Houhou", 27 May 2007
• Q: Shiba Aikune : Open, once per turn target any number of your shugenja to raise Aikune's force and lower his chi
  Sword of Gales : This personality has a minimum chi equal to his printed chi.
  Can I then raise Aikune's force by as many shugenja as i like without it ever dropping below 5? Or is it an illegal action as you know the second part of the action will fail due to the sword?
  A: Yes. There is no rule that all effects must resolve. Zen Faulkes, "Shiba Aikune + Sword Of Gales", 15 Mar 2005