Take the Initiative
Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Hidden Emperor 5
Open in Oracle of the Void
- Card Type
- Strategy
- Gold Cost
- 0
- Card Text
- Reaction: After Fate cards are drawn during the beginning of the game: You are the starting player, regardless of previous determinations.
- Focus Value
- 1
- Legality
- Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)
- Deck
- Fate
Printings
Gold Edition
- Rarity
- Common
- Flavor Text
- "There are dreams that no one in the Empire can recall upon waking. I dream that those dreams are prophecies." - Kokujin.
- Artist
- Rob Hinds
- Card Number
- 425
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
Hidden Emperor 5
- Rarity
- Common
- Flavor Text
- "Now is the time!" Kanbe screamed, wielding his tetsubo in one hand. "Now the old houses will fall, and a new Empire will be born!"
- Artist
- Theodor Black
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
Rules Q&A
- Q: #2... What happens when more than one person plays Take The Initiative?
A: Whoever plays the last one goes first. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19-22 April 2002", 23 Apr 2002 - Q: Take the Initiative - Who goes first if 2 or more players try to play it?
A: The last person who plays it. You would determine normal first turn, with honor plus cut, and then the person who isn't going first has the chance to play Take. If he passes his opportunity to React, it goes back to the guy who's supposed to be going first. If the first player passes, then the game starts. If either player plays a Take, then the other player has a chance to Take back, otherwise the game starts. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 14th", 14 Aug 2001 - Q: Has "Take the Initiative" ever had text that allows the attacker to take the first Battle action?
A: No. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 2-7 August 2001", 9 Aug 2001 - Q: So what happens if two people BOTH play Take the Initiative? Which one gets precedence?
A: The person who Takes last goes first. Usually, the person who *isn't* going first will play the first one, giving the guy who was going first before the Take was played the opportunity to play his to re-Take the Initiative. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 23rd", 23 Nov 2000 - Q: A related question-is it legal to play multiple copies of take the initiative to get them out of your hand? Say, for example, that my starting hand contains two "Take the Initiative"- can I react to the beginning of play before anyone's turn with one, wait to see if anyone else reacts to the beginning of play, and then react again?
A: Sure. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for November 23rd", 23 Nov 2000