Slaughter the Scout

Legend of the Five Rings card from Diamond Edition, An Oni's Fury, Web of Lies, Enemy of My Enemy

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: After another player's target unit moves to a battlefield, bow your performing Personality there: Destroy the target.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Notes

Some of the An Oni's Fury versions of this card were printed with a different text alignment

Printings

Rulings

• Read, "Slaughter the Scout 0G 2FV Reaction: After a target unit moves into a Province opposing one of your target Personalities, bow your Personality to destroy that unit." MRP, Web of Lies, 7 December 2004] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 33
• If two units move into a battle together (e.g., with Luring Tactics), neither one counts as moving into the other's battle. [JA, 12 December 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 33
• Erratum: Slaughter the Scout: There are two versions of this card. Both are played according to this wording: "Reaction: Bow one of your Personalities after a target unit moves into the Personality's battle to destroy the moving unit." [errata] Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, May 21, 2003, p. 15
• Q: If two units move into a battle together, can one of them use Slaughter the Scout to kill the other? A: No. Slaughter the Scout can only be used by a Personality who was already at the destination Province when the other unit moved in. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, April 26, 2004, p. 12

Rules Q&A

• Q: [5].Swittching + The Khol Wall + Slaughter the Scout
  "Battle: Bow a Region you control: Target two unbowed Personalities with the same controller. Switch their locations." Is considered a movement?
  A: "Switching units counts as moving the units, and is one effect. Preventing one unit from moving prevents switching. [VRD, 10 December 2000]" (Accumulated Rulings, "Battle: Action Segment") Martin Lund, "Rules for 11 December 2004", 13 Dec 2004
• Q: If so, can I react with a Slaughter the Scout?
  A: Yes. Martin Lund, "Rules for 11 December 2004", 13 Dec 2004
• Q: If the answer still being "yes" please resolve me this example about Slaughter the Scout:
  Kevin attack to province 1 with Asako Kinuye exp, and Richard defends with Shinjo REizo at province 2. Kevin decides to start in province 1, Richard pass in his first option to take an action (he has no units) and Kevin use Kaneka's Wind ability to move kinuye from province 1 to province 2 and Richard react with Slaughter the Scout. Is it possible? Can Richard react in a not started battle?
  A: There is no rule against taking Reactions in battles that have yet to resolve during the Battle Action Segment.
  However, keep in mind that page 81 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook restricts certain Actions (even Reactions) to the current battle only, including those Actions that refer to an "opposing" card or "this battle." Martin Lund, "Rules for 11 December 2004", 13 Dec 2004
• Q: Is Slaughter a legal play in responce to Suboto's Action? (or, is his action movement?)
  A: Entering play at a Battle is not the same thing as Moving into a Battle.
  Entering play at a Battle does not trigger Slaughter the Scout. Martin Lund, "Rules for 27 November 2004", 30 Nov 2004
• Q: 2. With my newly acquired mantra (Declare, Target, Pay, Resolve), what does this do to, say, Kolat Assassin and Slaughter the Scout? Examples:
  I move a unit into a battle; my opponent declares s/he will Slaughter the Scout (Declare). My opponent targets the unit moving in (Target). I declare a Turn of Fortune (Declare). I target my unit being Slaughtered and a personality sitting at home (Target).
  A: You can't do it. You're bound by page 74 as noted above. Slaughter the Scout can only legally target or be redirected to a unit that just moved in. There are no other legal targets, so it can't be redirected at all. Martin Lund, "Rules for 2 July 2004", 2 Jul 2004
• Q: I was wondering if you could use luring tactics and move my guy and the opponents guy into another province and then use slaughter the scout to kill the opposing personality that I moved in, bowing my personality which I just moved in to the province or do I have to have a guy in that province before hand?
  A: You must bow a Personality who was in that battle beforehand. You cannot use the one who just moved in. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 23 Feb. 2004", 24 Feb 2004
• Q: If Latomu gets hit with Slaughter the Scout, will he still have time to perform his ranged attack?
  A: No. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 16 November 2003", 16 Nov 2003
• Q: If I play "Luring Tactics" with Akodo Tadenori and Hida Koun to another province, then "Slaughter the Scout" by bowing Tadenori and destroying Hida Koun.
  A: [Musical tones] Can't doOOOOOooo that... See Rules Archive, Slaughter the Scout. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 2 November 2003", 2 Nov 2003
• Q: My opponent plays Tireless assualt on Moto Latumo and moves him into the province I'm defending[.] Can I play Slaughter The Scout to kill Latumo, or does Latumo shoot down Rekussu before Rekussu can bow to slaughter?
  A: Your opponent took an action. You have the first chance to play a Reaction (Gold Edition rulebook, pg. 48) which resolves completely before your opponent can play a Reaction.
  The Unicorn is dead, for a ducat, dead! Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 12 September 2003, Part 2", 13 Sep 2003
• Q: Can some one give me a good explanation on how Rekai Exp2 works vs Slaughter the Scout? My understanding is if there is only one defending personality and rekai moves in she targets first for the action but the opposing player can still get off slaughter the scout and they both die.
  A: She moves. Slaughter the Scout is played, destroying her. Her action continues to resolve (Winds of Change rulesheet), so the Ranged Attack might kill the opposing Personality. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 25 August 2003", 25 Aug 2003
• Q: I am confused about the past tense of the wording, "a battle your personality WAS in".
  A: That's the wrong wording. Please see the erratum in the Rules Archive (http://l5r.alderac.com/rulings/). Aw, what the heck, I'll be nice and post it here (though you should get to know the Rules Archive!):
  Reaction: Bow one of your Personalities after a target unit moves into the Personality's battle to destroy the moving unit. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 1 January 2003", 1 Jan 2003
• Q: Scenario: Lone defender with 3 Force or less defends province X. Rekai moves in & shoots at him, which would kill him. Can the defender play Slaughter the Scout,
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 4 September 2002", 5 Sep 2002
• Q: Destroying a card will not stop any effects coming from it that have already been paid for. [AOF rulebook p. 45] No.
  Um, this brings up a question in my mind: Do the timing rules allow you to play Slaughter the Scout in the middle of her move-and-shoot action? I.E. I defend w/ one personality, Rekai moves in to shoot me, I react w/ StS, we both die?
  A: Yes. Your reaction happens immediately after she moves, which is before the ranged attack happens. She moves, you react, you both die, then her ranged attack does nothing to its now-illegal target. Jeff Alexander, "post for 28 March 2002", 29 Mar 2002
• Q: Matsuo will cancel every non-Kiho Action card played from hand that I can think of, since he'll always break Relevance by moving. Actions on cards in the battle, and Kihos cast by them, are more likely to still work.
  As far as I can tell, Slaughter the Scout will still kill him, even if he moves again, because he satisfied the reaction condition of moving in to a battle opposing the person bowing. Moving him out again doesn't negate the fact that he move in in the first place.
  Correct?
  A: Ah, yes. Let me amend that to "every Battle and Open non-Kiho action card played from hand". Jeff Alexander, "post for 28 March 2002", 29 Mar 2002
• Q: Does this then mean that if my opponent moves Rekai exp. into a battle using her ability, and I play Slaughter the Scout, that she is killed before she gets to fire her little bow?
  A: Destroying a card will not stop any effects coming from it that have already been paid for. [AOF rulebook p. 45] No. Jeff Alexander, "post for 26 March 2002", 27 Mar 2002
• Q: Once a tactician moves an opposing Personality into a province with Luring Tactics, can he then bow and destroy the Personality with Slaughter the Scout as a reaction to the opposing Personality being dragged along into that battle?
  A: No. To play Slaughter you have to bow a Personality who was already in the battle being moved into. Jeff Alexander, "post for 23 January 2002", 24 Jan 2002
• Q: Specifically, if I play Slaughter the Scout to bow a personality to destroy a personality, and my opponent plays Fall on Your Knees, is my personality still bowed?
  A: Yes. It was a cost. Jeff Alexander, "post for 17 December 2001", 17 Dec 2001
• Q: 4) Luring Tactics + Slaughter the Scout. Can I Luring Tactics to move my Tactician and an opposing person to another battle, then bow that same Tactician to play Slaughter the Scout and kill the guy I moved?
  A: No. The Personality you bow must be one who was already there, whether it be because he assigned there, moved there with an earlier action, or moved there as a result of an action which moves two units but explicitly moves one of them before the other. Jeff Alexander, "post for 13 December 2001", 14 Dec 2001
• Q: I attack. My opponent uses Doomed Intentions to move-in a defender. I react to the movement with Slaughter the Scout.
  Question is, at what point is the StS Reaction played?
  After movement, before straightening? Or after movement and straightening, before the additional action?
  A: After the movement is the trigger on Slaughter the Scout. It would be before the Personality straightens. Jon Palmer, "Doomed Intentions vs. Slaughter the Scout", 13 Jun 2014
• Q: Latomu:
  Unicorn Clan Personalities you control have the ability: "Reaction: After moving to a battlefield: Produce a ranged attack with a strength equal to the number of Regions in play."
  Slaughter the Scout:
  Reaction: After a target unit moves into a Province opposing one of your target Personalities, bow your Personality to destroy that unit.
  Let's say my opponent has Latomu exp in play among other personalities. He declares an attack. I defend with Chimori and Amika at province 1.
  My Opponent brings in Loruko and use her Reaction given by Latomu.
  As active player, my opponent has first opportunity to react to Loruko's moving into the battlefield.
  I play Fall on Your Knees, canceling the Ranged Attack. So, if I get this right, we go back to the trigger of Loruko moving to the Battlefield but now it's my turn to react to that trigger.
  I bow my Chimori to pay for Slaughter the Scout.
  Is this play sequence correct?
  If yes, I'm assuming Loruko dies without being able to React again to her moving into the Battlefield.
  Am I right?
  A: No. This is a case of a plyer causing a trigger, so first opportunity goes to opponent (Diamond rules, pg. 75). Zen Faulkes, "Latomu exp, FoYK and Slaughter the Scout", 10 Mar 2005
• Q: If I [move] my opponents personality to another province where I have another personality, can that personality react with Slaughter the Scout even though that is not the battle currently resolving?
  A: Yes. Reactions are legal whenever the trigger occurs. Zen Faulkes, "a couple questions...", 8 Mar 2005