Strike of Flowing Water

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Crimson and Jade

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Water

Card Text

As a Focus Effect: Double the Focus Value of the next card focused after this one in this duel by the same player.
Reaction: Before you focus in a duel involving your Personality: Discard all cards from both players' focusing areas instead of focusing.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Strike of Flowing Water 0G 3FV When you focus this card, double the Focus value of the next card you focus in this duel. Reaction: When one of your Personalities would focus, instead discard all cards focused by both Personality's controllers for the duel and negate the discarded cards' effects." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 35
• Is cumulative with the Double Chi trait. [DW, email, 5/7/97] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 35
• Since you "Play this card as a focus" to use its first effect, it goes face-down and also adds its own focus value to the duel. Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 56
• Erratum: Strike of Flowing Water's first effect is now a trait, not a Reaction. You may still focus it face down. [errata] The Imperial Herald, Issue 17, p. 41

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can either of the following two actions be played with Iaijutsu Art?
  Strike of Flowing Water Text:When you focus this card, double the Focus value of the next card you focus in this duel. Reaction: When one of your Personalities would focus, instead discard all cards focused by both Personalities'controllers for the duel and negate the discarded cards' effects.
  Another Time Text:When you reveal this card as a Focus card for a duel, cancel the duel and discard all Focus cards without effect.
  Iaijutsu Art Text:Limited: One of your Personalities issues an unrefusable challenge to a Personality with equal or higher Chi. Each Personality focuses exactly once, if possible, and Reactions taken "instead of focusing" cannot be taken. The winner's controller gains 4 Honor. Dishonor the loser.
  A: The key point is whether you're actually focusing or taking a Reaction instead of focusing. The first is legal, even if extra effects are produced. The second is not.
  Strike of Flowing Water may not be played for its Reaction. Both Strike of Flowing Water and Another Time may be focused, and both produce their appropriate extra effects -- though there will almost certainly be no second focus value for SoFW to double. Jeff Alexander, "post for 12 November 2002", 13 Nov 2002
• Q: Strike of Flowing Water when played to discard a Focus
  A: Untargeted by rule #3. Jeff Alexander, "post for 22 August 2002", 23 Aug 2002
• Q: Here's the crucial distinction you're missing:
  Strike of Flowing Water doubles the focus value of the next card focused as soon as it's focused, whereas Draw From Within doesn't change its own focus until a strike is called. There are no retroactive adjustments going on here.
  IIRC, a question on Uso Exp and SoFW came up last year and Zen (I think) ruled that the second card during the first focus wasn't affected by SoFW as they are focused at the same time, and isn't the 'next card' focused.
  A: Irrelevant. The MRP of Mirumoto Uso Exp. renders that ruling outdated by clearly stating that the focuses happen in order, not simultaneously. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 June 2002", 4 Jun 2002
• Q: Strike of Flowing Water doubles the focus value of the next card focused as soon as it's focused, whereas Draw From Within doesn't change its own focus until a strike is called. There are no retroactive adjustments going on here.
  Jeff, I don't want to disagree with the ruling on a factual basis, but doesn't this make duels extremely confusing?
  A: It's based on card text. I don't believe there's a better way to rule. With any card, there will always be a number of people who read it and get an instant but erroneous feel for what it does. It's the nature of the beast. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 June 2002", 4 Jun 2002
• Q: If one of my peeps challenges another players peep to a duel and he accepts and focuses, I play strike of flowing water to discard his focus then i strike. Is this the correct use of the card?
  A: Already covered multiple times, but...
  No. You can't play a card instead of or as a focus and also call a strike. Jeff Alexander, "post for 6 May 2002", 7 May 2002
• Q: 2.) If a personality with double chi focuses Strike of Flowing Water then a card with the focus value of X, in total he's focused 2x3 (from SoFW) plus 4X (the focus card having it's value quadrupled from the doubling effect of SoFW being doubled again by double chi) for a total of 6 + 4X, right?
  A: Right. Jeff Alexander, "post for 30 April 2002", 1 May 2002
• Q: A couple of quick questions for the rule guys....
  First, Strike of Flowing Water. The part of the card this question involves reads: "When you focus this card, double to Focus value of the next card you focus in this duel." My question is this: SoFW has a printed Focus value of 3. When focused, do you end up adding this Focus value as well as doubling the next card's value?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 February 2002", 20 Feb 2002
• Q: Simple question for you good folks. If I am using Miyako to duel someone and I focus a Strike of Flowing Water(FV3) then focus a 4 focus card, then strike how much will her chi bonus be? In other words, will the strike of flowing make the 4 an 8 then will Miyakos trait make the 8 into a 16?
  A: It would make it an 8 that adds twice, to provide a total bonus of 16. Jeff Alexander, "post for 22 January 2002", 23 Jan 2002
• Q: If I play Judgement of Toshiken while dueling does the card negate the effects of Bend Like a Reed, Poisoned Weapon, and Strike of Flowing Water?
  A: Yes on Bend like a Reed and Poisoned Weapon, and the trait for Strike of Flowing Water. If you use the Reaction on Strike of Flowing Water, nobody gets discarded focus cards back. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 21 December 2001; Commons challenge", 22 Dec 2001
• Q: Strike of Flowing Water
  A: Nothing. It has a global effect. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 November 2001", 9 Nov 2001
• Q: When you have 2 cards with differing text, the newer card is always the right one. This is called the "Most Recent Printing" rule (MRP), and can sometimes change the effects of certain cards. I believe that you focus Strike of Flowing Water face down, and thus get both the three focus and the doubling effect, but I could be wrong. Jeff, Zen, or Vaughn will give you an official response.
  A: No, you're right. When used as a focus, Strike of Flowing Water adds its own focus value as well as doubling that of the next one you play that duel. Jeff Alexander, "post for 23 October 2001", 23 Oct 2001
• Q: Strike of Flowing Water When you focus this card, double the Focus value of the next card you focus in this duel. Reaction: When one of your Personalities would focus, instead discard all cards focused by both Personalities'controllers for the duel and negate the discarded cards' effects.
  Daidoji Megumi Upon entering a duel, Megumi gains +3C until the duel ends or either player focuses.
  Now, say Megumi is dueling, oh, Hida Kuon. I challenge Kuon with Megumi, we're both at 2 Chi, except as we enter the duel Megumi jumps to five. Kuon focuses and Megumi's Chi drops back to two. I play Strike of Flowing Water to discard Kuon's focused card and negate its effects. Since the focuses have been negated, does that mean Megumi's Chi goes back up to 5?
  A: No. Her bonus ended when Kuon focussed. Furthermore, Strike of Flowing Water only discards the cards that have been focussed. It does not undo the fact that a focus was done. Jeff Alexander, "post for 17 October 2001", 17 Oct 2001
• Q: During a battle duel, if a player used Strike of Flowing Water's reaction to discard all focused cards instead of focusing, and the other player plays Fall Upon Your Knees to cancel the reaction, can the player who played Strike of Flowing Water then focus since the reaction was canceled?
  A: Following the general precedent that a canceled action doesn't allow you another opportunity to use the actions timing slot, I'd have to say no. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 22nd, Part Two", 22 Aug 2001
• Q: Strike of Flowing Water focus-copy? (last focus value +2? or do I add SoFW's 3F too?)
  A: Strike of Flowing Water doesn't copy, it doubles, but, yes, you can use the Snow Crane Tattoo on the doubled card and raise it by an additional 2 (not 4). Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 1-2 April 2001", 7 Apr 2001