Tangen Sensei
Legend of the Five Rings card from Web of Lies
Open in Oracle of the Void
- Card Type
- Sensei
- Province Strength
- +0
- Gold Production
- +0
- Starting Family Honor
- +0
- Keywords
- Scorpion Clan
- Card Text
- You may take only one Political action per turn.
Reaction: Once per battle, after an action targets one of your cards during a battle, it targets another legal target of your choice. - Legality
- Rain of Blood (Diamond)
- Deck
- Pre-Game
Printings
Web of Lies
- Rarity
- Rare
- Artist
- Carl Frank
- Card Number
- 149
- Publisher
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Rulings
- Ability can be used without limit during the Declaration and both Maneuvers Segments, because the trigger may be met at times when there is no current battle. [JA, email, 21 January 2004] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
- A single action may not be redirected multiple times. [JA, web, 4 February 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 143
Rules Q&A
- Q: The scorpion player uses tangen to redirect to saemon, and saemon uses his ability to pass out a follower token. However because tangen sensei's restriction is "once per battle" and the declaration degment isn't a battle, he then uses tangen's ability to redirect the already-redirected action back to saemon, and it triggers saemons ability. Repeat this process an infinite number of times.
Does this infinite combo work?
A: No. See Jeff's explanation below. Martin Lund, "Rules for 2 February 2005", 7 Feb 2005 - Q: I have a Motomu and a Osamito, YT Tangen Sensei. My opponent plays Underhand Wind, and have Nizomi on play.
I declare attack. My opponent targets Motomu with Underhand's Reaction. Can I redirect it to Osamito with Tangen Sensei?
Tangen Sensei: Reaction: After an action targets a card you control during an Attack Phase: Once per battle, redirect the action.
A: It wouldn't work. You can only use Tangen Sensei's ability when you have a distinct battle to apply the "once per battle" clause against. This would typically be the Battle Action and Battle Resolution segments of that given battle. It would not work during Declaration, with is when the Underhand of the Emperor is used. Martin Lund, "Rules for 18 January 2005", 21 Jan 2005 - Q: My question is can (Tangen Sensei) be used again on the same action.
A: If the Reaction from Tangen Sensei was canceled, yes (Diamond rules, pg. 72). If not, no. Zen Faulkes, "March 2005 Ruling Archive", 11 Apr 2005 - Q: Quote:
yrsee wrote:
Since Tamori Shiki (exp)'s ability has been errate to usable once per phase, could the surging back of personality from Suitengu's Surge trigger Tamori Shiki (exp)'s reaction?
And then Zen wrote:
No. There's no phase listed on the card text to associate Shiki's ability
Ok, I agree that this conclusion makes sense. However, it doesn't seem to me to mesh with this ruling on the usage of Tangen Sensei: "Ability can be used without limit during the Declaration and both Maneuvers Segments, because the trigger may be met at times when there is no current battle. [JA, email, 21 January 2004]"
I mean going by that ruling, it looks like if a limit on the number of uses is inapplicable, then it's ignored as long as the reaction's trigger is met, yes? In the Tangen Sensei case, being unable to associate the reaction with any existing battle doesn't stop it from being used at all. Shouldn't it be the same with Shiki if you find a way to use his ability outside of any phase?
A: I forgot that precedent. You're right. I'll see if I can fix the earlier one. Zen Faulkes, "Re: Tamori Shiki (exp) - Suitengu's Surge", 11 Apr 2005 - Q: (Tangen Sensei) can't redirect ranged attacks to the player that is creating the ranged, I belive this is correct.
A: Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? They cannot. Zen Faulkes, "Redirection - Tangen Sensei", 31 Mar 2005 - Q: Can Tangen Sensei redirect False Trail to one personalitie controled by the player that played False Trail? The same goes to Block Suply Lines.
A: Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? Block Supply Lines: No. False Trail: No. Zen Faulkes, "Redirection - Tangen Sensei", 31 Mar 2005 - Q: (Tangen Sensei) can't redirect an action that becomes ilegal, like redirect a Refugees to a personalitie with followers, I belive that this is correct.
A: Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? You could not have targeted someone with followers with Refugees in the first place. Zen Faulkes, "Redirection - Tangen Sensei", 31 Mar 2005 - Q: A unique personality performs into the darkness to send home 2 opposing units. Then Tangen sensei redirects it. Can the new target be one of the 2 units?
A: The only redirection quetsion you ever need ask yourself: Could you have originally picked the unit in the first place? In this case, picking the same unit twice? No. Two units are going home. Zen Faulkes, "Into the Darkness + Tangen Sensei", 25 Mar 2005 - Q: If I'm on a Raid battle with Etsui against no units and I target a personality in the defenders home with the Etsui Raid Battle action, can my opponent use the Reaction on Tangen Sensei to redirect the action ? Even without presence in the current battle?
A: Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 80). Zen Faulkes, "2 Questions", 21 Mar 2005 - Q: when a personality is targeted by an action that targets unopposed personalities can i redirct it...
A: To anyone who would have been a legal target in the first place (Diamond rules, pg. 74). Zen Faulkes, "Tangen Sensei", 14 Mar 2005 - Q: Can Tangen Sensei redirect the Ichiro's Yumi action to the personality it's attached to?
A: Could you aim it there in the first place? No? No legal (Diamond rules, pg. 74). Zen Faulkes, "Tangen Sensei", 12 Mar 2005 - Q: Can Ambush be redirected by Tangen Sensei?
A: No. Targets are picked before Ambush creates its Attack Phase. Zen Faulkes, "Ambush?", 10 Mar 2005 - Q: What happens if I am playing Tangen Sensei and I use Tangen Sensei ability to redirect an action to him, does that trigger the reaction to shoot someone or does that could as me targeting him as I am the one who used Tangen Sensei's ability.
A: Depends on whether you redirect your action (not a valid trigger) or an opponent's action (valid trigger). Zen Faulkes, "Shosuro Tsuyoshi", 9 Mar 2005 - Q: I still don't understand why cards in the Lion's army are not legal targets for redirection of the ranged attack.
A: Because you can only aim Ranged Attacks at the enemy army. We had Arrows from the Woods for about nine years and nobody ever questioned that before. Expect a new ruling in the Archive soon, something like "Action cards generating Ranged Attacks can only target cards in the enemy army."
This loophole is now plugged. Zen Faulkes, "Rain of Death and Tangen Sensei", 7 Mar 2005 - Q: I still don't understand why cards in the Lion's army are not legal targets for redirection of the ranged attack.
A: Because you can only aim Ranged Attacks at the enemy army. We had Arrows from the Woods for about nine years and nobody ever questioned that before. Expect a new ruling in the Archive soon, something like "Action cards generating Ranged Attacks can only target cards in the enemy army."
This loophole is now plugged. Zen Faulkes, "Rain of Death and Tangen Sensei", 4 Mar 2005 - Q: Shouldn't Tomb of Jade have repeatable? Same with Tangen sensei.
A: Maybe and no, respectively. I'll elaborate... Back when I first made the Oracle, I made the unilateral and admittedly somewhat arbitrary decision to not put "Repeatable" on pre-LE Spells that destroyed themselves because using them more than once per turn contemporarily was nigh impossible without multiple-card combos and against intent. I may revisit that thought at some point, as it is technically incorrect.
Tangen Sensei's ability is not Repeatable. It is Once Per Battle, which is present in its text. Brook Cunningham, "Oracle of the Void #rules", 8 Aug 2025