Suspended Terrain

Legend of the Five Rings card from Diamond Edition, Shadowlands, Gold Edition, Promotional–CWF, A Perfect Cut, An Oni's Fury, Hidden City, Wrath of the Emperor, Enemy of My Enemy, Code of Bushido

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Terrain

Card Text

After this battle's Resolution Segment ends: Bow all units at the current battlefield, which will not be negated. Negate their straightening during their controllers' next Straighten Phases.
Battle: If there are no Terrains at the current battlefield: Put this card into play there.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Units that leave during the Resolution Segment (e.g., Pick Your Battles) are not affected. [JA, 12 May 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 36

Rules Q&A

• Q: Suspended Terrain: Delayed Terrain Battle: When the Resolution Segment for this battle ends, bow all units still in it. This bowing is not a result of battle and cannot be negated. These units cannot straighten during their controllers' next Straighten Phases. --------- My Father's Weapon: Weapon Straighten this Personality at the end of the turn you bring in My Father's Weapon into play. ----------
  I had played My Father's Weapon on a personality. That personality participated in a battle in which Suspended Terrain resolved. At the end of my turn, my opponent and I had a discussion with the result that I convinced him that Suspended Terrain wouldn't prevent the straightening effect from My Father's Weapon because it was happening at the end of my turn and not during my next straighten phase as specified by Suspended Terrain.
  Was I correct?
  A: Yes. [card text] Jeff Alexander, "rules for 10 Feb. 2004", 11 Feb 2004
• Q: Does Spearhead get around the bowing effect of Suspended Terrain?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 6 October 2003", 7 Oct 2003
• Q: A friend and I had a dispute this weekend about the timing of "Pick Your Battles". The wording on the card states that you are reacting to the part of the Resolution Phase where your army would normally be destroyed. (You pick one unit to be destroyed instead of the entire army...)
  I would like to play "Suspended Terrain" to lock down my opponent's army and then bail out using "Pick Your Battles", but my friend said that since "Pick..." lets my army live, they would be locked down, too.
  My argument was that "Suspended Terrain" clearly states that it resolves *after* the Resolution Phase, and "Pick..." happens *during* the Resolution Phase, so my units would already have been sent home bowed (and therefore would not be affected by the Terrain). But, since they were bowed by "Pick..." and not "Suspended...", they could unbow during my next straighten phase as normal (leaving my opponent ripe for destruction).
  How does this work? Am I right, or is my friend?
  A: Suspended Terrain only applies to "all units in this battle when the Resolution Segment ends". Those are the only units forced to bow and the only ones prevented from straightening.
  (For what it's worth, Suspended Terrain resolves at the usual time for a Delayed Terrain. It creates an effect that happens a short time later.) Jeff Alexander, "post for 12 May 2003", 13 May 2003
• Q: Do House of the First Stone or Akodo Rokuro allow people to go home from an opponent's Suspended Terrain without bowing? It states to negate the bowing, not to prevent it. I guess what I'm asking is, are the words 'prevent' and 'negate' synonymous?
  A: They are synonymous. Neither of these cards will stop the bowing from Suspended Terrain. Jeff Alexander, "post for 29 April 2003", 30 Apr 2003
• Q: An the last one: Assuming all of my opponets personalities were targeted by With Curse of Weakness can I use this two cards during a battle:
  I Play Suspended Terrain Text Delayed Terrain Battle: Bow all units in this battle when the Resolution Segment ends, an effect that cannot be prevented. The units cannot straighten during their controller's next Straighten Phase.
  Then
  Fight to the setting sun: Reaction: Play this card when a Resolution Segment in which you had units ends. All units in the battle will bow as if they were attacking units.
  To destroy all his personalities at the battle?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 April 2003", 4 Apr 2003
• Q: Situation: I have a personality in battle when Suspended Terrain resolves, but this personality is not in the battle (is in home or in another battle) when the Resolution Segment ends.
  Q: This personality is bowed and cannot straighten during their controller's next Straighten Phase?
  A: No. Only units in that battle when the Resolution Segment ends are affected. [card text] Jeff Alexander, "post for 6 November 2002", 7 Nov 2002
• Q: Just a quick question about the interaction of Scouts and Sneak Attack.
  In a recent game, the following question came up: Can you use a Scout to play a terrain such as Suspended Terrain and then use action from Sneak to play Superior Tactics (or any other action card)?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 10 April 2002", 11 Apr 2002
• Q: 2). Also, Suspended Terrain: If I superior tactics my peep out of the battle before the terrain resolves, my person doesn't bow, do they?
  A: They don't bow at the end of that battle (assuming they're attacking or allied units, since the Defender's don't bow at all). However, at the end of the last battle, all attacking and allied units that are still at any Provinces go home bowed. This is done precisely to prevent what you seem to be trying to do: sidestepping between battles so you're never in one when it ends. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 19 September 2001", 20 Sep 2001