Shoju Sensei

Legend of the Five Rings card from Honor Bound

Card Type

Sensei

Province Strength

+0

Gold Production

+0

Starting Family Honor

-2

Clan

Ninja

Keywords

Brotherhood of Shinsei, Crab Clan, Mantis Clan, Ninja, Scorpion Clan, Shadowlands Horde

Card Text

Limited: Once per game, target a Personality. While that Personality remains in play, no player will win an Honor Victory. Until the game ends, current and new card effects that prevent other players from targeting the Personality are negated.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Pre-Game

Printings

Rulings

• Effect ends if the target Personality leaves play, even if he comes back immediately (e.g., Feign Death). [15 July 1999] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
• Does not prevent canceling actions that target the selected Personality. [Card text] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
• Does not remove an Honor Victory from any player. [Netnews, September 1999] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
• Its effect does not end if it is destroying or discarded. Effects preventing a Sensei from affecting play will suppress it. [Netnews, September 1999] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
• Does not waive a card's own restrictions preventing targeting (e.g., Chi requirement for a Kolat Assassin). [ZF, 2 August 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
• If played by a Shadowlands Horde player, will not change his honor at all or drop a Sepulcher of Bone's honor below -19. [DW, l5rinfo, 7/27/99] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 65
• Does not actually remove the path of Honor Victory from any individual player. For example, it will not force everyone to lose a Province to The Return of Fu Leng. [netnews, 9/99] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 65
• Effects which destroy or discard a Sensei card will not end its effect. Effects which prevent a Sensei card from affecting play will temporarily suppress it. [netnews, 9/99] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 65
• Q: Shoju Sensei has the Shadowlands trait. Does an Iris Festival destroy the Sensei? A: No. The words at the top of Sensei cards are a list of which Clans can play them. They're not traits in the usual sense. The "Foo" rule does not apply. By the way, "Sensei" itself is also a new type of card, not just a trait. Cards and rules that deal with Sensei cards do not apply to existing cards with the "Sensei" keyword on them, like Akodo Kage. The Imperial Herald, Issue 12, p. 32
• Focus on... Shoju Sensei: "No player can achieve an Honor Victory while the Personality remains in play." The important word here is "remains." The effect only lasts as long as the targeted Personality stays continuously on the table. It ends as soon as the Personality leaves and does not resume if the Personality comes back. Feign Death, The Sight of Death, and the Crane Tattoo all return a Personality to play immediately after death; none of these cards preserve Shoju Sensei's effect. Shoju Sensei does not actually remove any individual player's Honor Victory option. It will not force everyone to lose a Province to The Return of Fu Leng, for example. Dave Williams explains. "The Return of Fu Leng is about whether you are allowed to achieve an Honor Victory ever. If you give up the ability to achieve an Honor Victory to avoid losing a Province, you turn off the power to the "I win by Honor" switch. You will never be allowed to achieve an Honor Victory. Shoju Sensei, on the other hand, says that while the target Personality is in play, you can't achieve an Honor Victory. That means that whether or not you are allowed to achieve an Honor Victory, you have to get rid of the Personality if you really want to do it. To follow the "switch" analogy, there's now a cover on the switch that you have to lift in order to flip the switch and win the game (assuming that there is power to the switch)." Shoju Sensei does not prohibit canceling an action that targets the crucial Personality. As with Kaede Sensei, Shoju Sensei's effect continues if the card gets destroyed or discarded but becomes suppressed if it's temporarily prevented from affecting play. The Imperial Herald, Issue 12, p. 33

Rules Q&A

• Q: 1. Shoju Sensei and the Egg of Pan Ku: When you copy somebody with the egg who has been targeted by the shoju sensei, does that same state/condition copy as well?
  A: No. That isn't a change or property of the Personality, but rather the Sensei. Both effects are on-going effects of the Sensei's ability, not changes to the target. Martin Lund, "Rules for 12 November 2004", 14 Nov 2004
• Q: Just a (not so) "quick snap" question, how can one use Forgotten Lesson to achieve an honor victory prevented by Kaede Sensei or Shoju Sensei? Say that I am at 54 honor at the start of my opponent's turn, and he has used Shoju Sensei to prevent an honor victory. I would achieve an honor victory if the Sensei's ability was prevented at the start of my events phase correct? And an Open action that lasts until the end of the turn can never have effect during the events phase right? So how does this work?
  A: Forgotten Lesson says, "Open: Target a sensei card. The card does not affect play until the end of the turn."
  It will expire at the end of the turn it is played. It won't be in effect at the beginning of the next turn, so you can't use it to sneak in an honor-victory.
  Just get yourself a copy of Dashmar nonexp. if you want to win due to having high honor and still play Kaede Sensei. :) Martin Lund, "Rules for 14 May 2004", 17 May 2004
• Q: Concretely, if my opponet targets one of my personalities with 'Ninja Kidnapper' and then names this personality with Shoju Sensei. How can I obtain an Honor Victory?. Can I target this bowed personality? (see Shoju sensei text: Until the end of the game, card effects that would prevent your opponents from targeting the personality are negated.)
  A: You can't target him with actions while he's bowed, no. This is a rulebook effect and not a card effect, so Shoju Sensei doesn't allow you to ignore it. Again, this works no differently under Gold Edition than it did before. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 6-9 July 2001", 19 Jul 2001
• Q: if my opponet targets one of my personalities with 'Ninja Kidnapper' and then names this personality with Shoju Sensei. How can I obtain an Honor Victory?
  A: Pay 10G. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 10 July 2001", 11 Jul 2001
• Q: I think I already know the answer to this but I want to double check. If I start with Hantei Sensei and then, later in the game after gaining some honor, bow my Stronghold to switch to Shoju Sensei, is my honor reduced by 2?
  A: No. Once a game has begun, changes to starting Family Honor do not affect current Family Honor. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 21 January 2001", 25 Jan 2001
• Q: Shoju Sensei Limited: Once per game, target a Personality: While that Personality remains in play, no player can win an Honor victory. Until the game ends, current and new card effects that prevent your opponents from targeting the Personality are negated.
  does this include redirection away from Shoju Sensei's target?
  just needed to get an official ruling on this. thanks
  A: Yes, you may use something such as Chugo Seido to change someone's targeting of Shoju Sensei's target to another Personality.
  Substitution: "...substitution is not itself prevention..." Brook Cunningham, "Shoju Sensei vs. Redirection", 5 Mar 2012
• Q: This ruling: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=71050
  seems a bit contradictory to me with this older one:
  http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=64935&p=834583&hilit=shoju#p834583
  If Strange Assembly creates a new victory condition, it should bypass Shoju Sensei, or the other way around. Am I missing something?
  Thanks.
  A: Both rulings are correct.
  Strange Assembly does create a new victory condition. Its second sentence then says, "This does not apply to players unable to achieve an Honor Victory." So, at any time that you are prevented from achieving an Honor Victory, you are also prevented from achieving Strange Assembly's victory condition by its own text. Brook Cunningham, "Strange Assembly + Norikazu Sensei", 27 Sep 2008
• Q: In regards to this thread http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=64935&p=834750&hilit=Strange+Assembly#p834750. Which of the two answers in correct? Zen said Strange Assembly would work, but MacBeth 2001 said it would not.
  -Matt
  A: MacBeth2001 is correct. Strange Assembly does not let you win while Shoju Sensei is "active". Alex Jones, "Strange Assembly and Shoju Sensei", 17 Jun 2008
• Q: If my opponent has a Shoju Sensei in play. He also has a personality in play which he targeted using the sensei preventing me from winning an honor victory. I am not a shadowlands hordes or naga player. I start my turn at 48+ honor and revealed the event Strange Assembly. Will I win the game instantly or am i one of the "players unable to achieve an Honor Victory" as per Strange Assembly?
  A: http://www.legendofthefiverings.com/rulings, Shoju Sensei: "Does not remove an Honor Victory from any player." You win. Zen Faulkes, "Strange Assembly and Shoju Sensei", 18 Jan 2008
• Q: Question:
  A player with 40 honor was able to remove a personality targeted by Shoju sensei from the game during his turn. The personality will enter play again at the start of the 40 honor player's turn.
  Will the 40 honor player determine which effect triggers first at the start of their turn? Will the 40 honor player win via honor victory?
  A: "While that Personality remains in play" is not a duration that turns off and on again. As soon as the Personality is removed, he is no longer in play, and Shoju Sensei's effect ends. The end. Brook Cunningham, "Oracle of the Void #rules", 1 Sep 2024
• Q: Question:
  A player with 40 honor was able to remove a personality targeted by Shoju sensei from the game during his turn. The personality will enter play again at the start of the 40 honor player's turn.
  Will the 40 honor player determine which effect triggers first at the start of their turn? Will the 40 honor player win via honor victory?
  A: "While that Personality remains in play" is not a duration that turns off and on. As soon as the Personality is removed, he is no longer in play, and Shoju Sensei's effect ends. The end. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 1 Sep 2024