Sorrow's Path

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Ambition's Debt, Diamond Edition, Gold Edition, Lotus Edition, A Perfect Cut, Web of Lies, Glory of the Empire, Promotional–Samurai

Card Type

Region

Keywords

Singular

Card Text

Before a battle at this Province resolves, the Attacker targets his choice of either one unit or three cards in his current army. Destroy the targets.

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Sorrow's Path Singular. Before the Resolution Segment of each battle at this Province, the Attacker targets one unit or three cards in the attacking army. Destroy the targets." [MRP, Khan's Defiance, 22 January 2007] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 139
• Does not destroy anything if there is no resolution segment. [VRD, 26 November 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 139
• A player cannot choose to destroy a unit if it is known in advance that one of the cards in the unit cannot be destroyed (e.g., Hida Sozen). [JA, ZF, 17 October 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 139
• A player may mix bowed and unbowed cards. [ZF, netnews, 10/99] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 55
• Erratum: Reads, “Sorrow’s Path Singular Before a battle at this province resolves: The Attacker targets one unit, or three cards, in the attacking army. Destroy the targets.” [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 158

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can you not choose Sozen because you have the choice on Sorrow's Path,or has this been decided by the rules team.
  A: When a card presents you with two options, you cannot choose an option that you *know* will fail. (*)
  You can't pick the first option for Sorrow's Path (destroy a unit) if that entire unit (Personality + attached cards) cannot be destroyed. That was the case in the original example: Sozen cannot be destroyed, so the *unit* cannot be destroyed, so you cannot choose that option. That means you must destroy 3 cards (or as many as possible).
  (*) There are specific card rulings that contradict this. The Rules Junta is aware of this, and is discussing the issue. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 17 October 2003, Part 3", 17 Oct 2003
• Q: If a player chooses option one for Sorrow's Path, Sozen will live.
  A: Or at least, Sozen *would* live if a player is allowed to pick option one. A Unit is a Personality plus attached cards. It's known in advance that Sozen's unit cannot be destroyed, so a player cannot choose to destroy Sozen' unit.
  The only choice is to destroy 3 cards, and that, for reasons I've explained before, will end up killing Sozen (provided there is a unit with more force than him).
  Our boy Sozen is... subtle for a Crab. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 17 October 2003, Part 2", 17 Oct 2003
• Q: (Hida sozen + Celestial Sword + Follower) in a province with Sorrow path attached and defended with a 5 force total unit. Sorrow path resolves, Sozen Dies (by sorrows path)? Why?
  A: Because that's what the cards say. Sorrow's Path either:
  A) Destroys a unit. Because Sozen's trait protects him, not the unit (card text), so he dies.
  B) 3 cards in the army. Because there are only three cards in the army, destroying the attached cards makes Sozen's force less than the enemy unit, so his trait no longer protects him, so he dies. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 16 October 2003, Part 2", 16 Oct 2003
• Q: Sorrow's Path doesn't occur in the Resolution Segment it occurs before it starts or at the same time as the Battle Action Segment ends. While Delayed Terrains resolve immediately before the Battle Action Segment ends placing them in the Battle Action segment. So the order of Encircled then Sorrows Path is correct but....exact card text suggests different timing to your response Zen[.]
  A: Not really. See Rules Archive, Timing. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 13 October 2003", 13 Oct 2003
• Q: Player A attacks one of Player B's provinces, which has Sorrow's Path attached. Player B plays Encircled Terrain. Assuming that Player A has multiple units in her attacking army and that the Encircled Terrain resolves, which of the two effects resolves first? Why?
  A: Encircled Terrain, because that happens at the end of the Action Segment, while Sorrow's Path happens in the Resolution Segment. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 12 October 2003", 12 Oct 2003
• Q: This came up in our gaming session last night:
  Will Yu trigger when the personality is being destroyed by a Sorrow's Path? I don't think so but I could use an official wording.
  A: No. The Yu trait works only when you die in the Resolution Step due to losing a battle. [DA rulebook p. 65, or BB rulesheet] Jeff Alexander, "post for 27 September 2002", 28 Sep 2002
• Q: I was playing a game last week and we had a question. My opponent was playing a Phoenix deck, with a Sorrows Path out, and I attacked. I obviously didn't attack that province and he dedfended at a thrid. I resolved the battle I was at, and my opponents first action was to use the ability on one of his personalities at a different battle, I forget his name
  A: "Her" name. Isawa Riake. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 September 2002", 4 Sep 2002
• Q: but he was the soul of Isawa Tomo, and proceded to move my biggest unit from the current battle into Sorrows Path.
  Anyway my question is, is that action legal? I tried telling him that because he dosen't have a unit in the battle, and isn't moving anyone in, it's not legal. All the non-Phoenix players here agree with me but that dosn't stop the Phoenix players from playing the combo.
  A: Riake needs to satisfy Presence and Relevance, just like every other Battle action that doesn't say otherwise. If your opponent has no units in the battle currently being resolved, his only legal use of Riake would be to move one of his own units into it. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 September 2002", 4 Sep 2002
• Q: If a person attacks with three personality's and none have followers, right before resolution does all 3 die or just one?
  A: The Attacker can decide to do either. A Personality all by himself, with no cards attached, is still a unit. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 August 2002", 20 Aug 2002
• Q: 3) Which resolves first? Encircled Terrain or Sorrow's Path? (we assumed terrain before the path took effect)
  A: "Before the Battle Action Segment ends" happens before "before the Resolution Segment begins". The Terrain goes first. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 August 2002", 20 Aug 2002
• Q: Can I use Be Prepared to Dig Two Graves in response to one of my personalities dying to a Sorrow's Path? (assuming they have defenders)
  A: Yes. It is still "during a battle" when Sorrow's Path happens. Jeff Alexander, "post for 10 May 2002", 15 May 2002
• Q: Sorry to repost this question. I might have missed it but I didn't see a ruling on this......could have been lost with all the list duplications.
  In my eternal quest to get the most out of my favourite card, I have a question. This doesn't crop up very often but it does every now and again, especially when I'm defending with a lone Tactician and there's a tempting Sorrow's Path nearby.
  Can I use Lion Scout's Reaction to react to the playing of SS before fetching Luring Tacs. so that the LT can target the same Tactician?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 March 2002", 9 Mar 2002
• Q: OK, I'm pretty sure this has been asked a couple of times, so I'm not flagging it for the rules guys, but a friend is having trouble wrapping his mind around the sheer pimpdom of Isawa Tomo, so I promised I'd double-check. Can somebody confirm for me?
  Player A attacks Player B at Province 1. Player B defends with Tomo/Riake at Province 2. Player A resolves the battle at Province 2 first. Player B bows Tomo/Riake to move Player A's unit from Province 1 to Province 2 to die screaming on Sorrow's Path.
  Legal, or not?
  A: Legal. It follows Riake's text ("move a unit"), it satisfies Presence (Player B has a unit in Province 2), and it satisfies Relevance (twice: the action came from a card in Province 2, plus it moved something into Province 2). Jeff Alexander, "post for 11-12 February 2002", 12 Feb 2002
• Q: Hi all,
  Here are a few questions for which I'm not sure of the answer, or for which a friend would like an official word - I'm not good enough for him, which is OK with me.
  * Sorrow's Path: destroys cards "immediately before the resolution segment". Does this mean that, if the resolution segment doesn't happen [say, because of an Entrapping Terrain], it doesn't destroy anything? [my belief: yes]
  A: Yes. Unfortunately for me, this came up in a tournament last week, and I wound up losing the game because my Sorrow's Path/Entrapping combo didn't do anything. :( Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 26th", 26 Nov 2000
• Q: * If the answer to the previous question is yes, it must mean that terrain resolution happens before; so a terrain can send units home before Sorrow's Path takes effect, right? [making Encircled Terrain a good bet on this Region]
  A: Absolutely. Battle of Quiet Winds is pretty nifty, too. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 26th", 26 Nov 2000
• Q: scene:Hida Sozen xp2 attacks a province with sorrow's path attached. can sorrow's path destroy Hida Sozen xp2? (does sorrow's path's text make it count as an action?)
  Hida Sozen xp2 Crab Clan • Samurai • Hero • Enlightened • Experienced 2 • Unique Other players' actions cannot destroy Sozen. Heroic Battle: If there are any units in the enemy army: Move Sozen to the current battlefield.
  Sorrow's path Singular Before a battle at this province resolves: The Attacker targets one unit, or three cards, in the attacking army. Destroy the targets.
  A: Sorrow's Path is an effect of a trait, not an action. Hida Sozen xp/xp2 still dies. Dan Jacobson, "Sozen, Sorrow's Path", 11 Mar 2009
• Q: If I´m defending a province with a sorrow´s path and I target one of my opponent´s attacker with Unexpected Betrayal. Could he use him as a target to be destroyed by sorrows path???
  Unexpected Betrayal Battle: Target a dishonorable Personality in an army. Cards in that unit cannot perform actions. During battle resolution, the unit's Force is added to your army's total instead of its controller's.
  Sorrow's Path Singular
  Before a battle at this Province resolves: The Attacker targets one unit or three cards in the attacking army. Destroy the targets.
  Thanks
  A: Yes. Being destroyed by Sorrow's Path is not performing an action. Chris Fuchs, "Unexpected Betrayal + Sorrows Path", 7 Oct 2007