The Empress' Address

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Khan's Defiance, Samurai Edition Banzai

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Political

Card Text

Reaction: After the resolution of an action or battle that destroyed any of your Personalities in a defending army, bow your performing Courtier or Empress and target your non-Unique Personality with your Clan alignment in your discard pile: Bring him into play (in your home), ignoring costs. Gain 2 Honor.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Age of Conquest (Emperor), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Erratum

Errata'd via the internet.

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: FD and TEA - under IvE rules a Personality destroyed during battle returns to game in home or at the battlefield? As i suppose ("in your home") is reminder text for EE era when default entering play location was home. In IvE default entering play for Personalities during battle is current battlefield.
  1) CR Recruit: " Personalities Recruited during a battle enter play in their controller’s army at the current battlefield. '
  2) CR Recruit: " Furthermore, any time an effect brings a Personality or Holding into play from an out-of-play area, it is considered Recruiting and follows the Recruit procedure with any stated modifications. This does not apply to created cards because they are brought into existence from nothingness. "
  3) viewtopic.php?f=59&t=110660&p=1444677&hilit=reminder+text#p1444677 -> "Reminder text is not Rules text"
  A: Thanks for pointing this out. Indeed, under Ivory rules, to work as it always has and return the Personality to play in your home, the Emperor Edition Feign Death needs "in your home" to be rules text and no longer just reminder text. Please proceed assuming that there will be this update to the Oracle wording. Roger Giner-Sorolla, "Feign Death and The Empress' Address", 15 Feb 2015
• Q: If a card says that i can bring a personality in play ignoring costs but doesn't mention anything abour honor requirements (the only example I could find was The Empress' Address), can i choose to "pay" 2 more gold to ignore the honor requirement of a personality aligned to my clan?
  Relevant text: The Empress' Address Reaction: After the resolution of an action or battle that destroyed any of your Personalities in a defending army, bow your performing Courtier or Empress and target your non-Unique Personality with your Clan alignment in your discard pile: Bring him into play (in your home), ignoring costs. Gain 2 Honor.
  Thanks!
  A: Yes, you may. You determine the cost you're paying in this case (including a plus 2), then ignore it. Jon Palmer, "Ignoring Costs and Honor Requirement", 2 Dec 2012
• Q: Quick clarification, if personality A is destroyed at a battlefield, can I bow Personality B in my home in reaction to The Empress' Address? Thank you.
  A: Reactions, such as The Empress' Address, are not bound by the Rules of Presence and Location; only Battle actions are.
  Therefore you could indeed choose a performer in your home to perform The Empress' Address. Brook Cunningham, "Empress' Address Clarification", 10 May 2012
• Q: My opponent objected, claiming that Shunya could not be the target, as he was under the impression that targeting within the constraints block equalled performing. Shunya, I responded, was not the performing personality, as all performing in Emperor Edition is explicit. So this should work, correct?
  A: You are correct, and your play was legal.
  Targeting implicitly = performing is a bygone convention of CE, and in EE, all performing of actions (that are not on a Personalty's or Follower's OWN card) is explicit. Brook Cunningham, "The Empress' Address and "performing"", 30 Apr 2012
• Q: Hi,
  Was wandering how does it works:
  Political Open: Target a Personality: Kitiaru copies one of his Political abilities that does not itself copy abilities.
  Does it mean that I first make this action and copy ability, than I have to take another action and perform the copied ability? or it is working like that: Kitiaru copies and performing the copied ability in one action?
  Second problem is about The Empress' Address :
  Reaction: After the resolution of an action or battle that destroyed any of your Personalities in a defending army, bow your performing Courtier or Empress and target your non-Unique Personality with your Clan alignment in your discard pile: Bring him into play (in your home), ignoring costs. Gain 2 Honor.
  Can I take a dead personality by it? It is sad that I can take a personality from discard pile, and dead peronalitys are also in my discard pile:)
  Thanks for reply Best Regards Tom
  A: 1. Copying the ability is the extent of Kitiaru's ability. You'll have to take another action at your next opportunity in order to use it.
  2. Yes, dead Personalities are in your discard pile, so you may choose a dead Personality. Jon Palmer, "Kitiaru copies ability and Empress", 28 Apr 2012
• Q: I give you an example:
  a) I have Coutier A at home b) I play Sacrifice of Pawns to bring a Courtier B, from dynasty deck. c) I play The Empress' Address, reacting to the death of my A Courtier from action, bringing that very same A Courtier from discard, gaining 2 honor.
  Is that legal ?
  A: No. You can now only react with The Empress' Address to the death of your personality in a defending army. Ben Higgins, "The Empress' Address", 8 Mar 2012
• Q: The card triggers when personality is destroyed when: a) personality is destroyed by a battle resolution while in a defending army - no doubt about it b) personality is destroyed by an action while in a defending army - sure c) personality is destroyed by an action taken pretty much anywhere - ... I know one guy, who thinks that this might trigger no matter when and where the personality is and I quite frankly don't have a clue. He might be right.
  I need clarification if the "defending army" clause is present for both action and battle resolution.
  Relevant text:
  There are previous ruling to that card, but with different wording.
  I must say, that the question was inspired by this ruling viewtopic.php?f=59&t=96174. It seems that Poland understands the word "or" in a different way. If I was about to write how PoTM works in regard to that ruling I would put this effect in two separate sentences. The way it's worded right now makes the whole confusion and causes question. No one in my playgroup interpreted it the way it was ruled.
  A: Both "the resolution of" and "that destroyed any of your Personalities in a defending army" apply to each of "an action" and "a battle", due to the rules for Conjunctions.
  Using mathematical language, conditions are distributive over conjunctions, so the ability could be worded as: Reaction: After the resolution of an action that destroyed any of your Personalities in a defending army or the resolution of a battle that destroyed any of your Personalities in a defending army, bow your performing Courtier or Empress and target your non-Unique Personality with your Clan alignment in your discard pile: Bring him into play (in your home), ignoring costs. Gain 2 Honor. Alex Jones, "The Empress' Address", 15 Feb 2012
• Q: Card set 1
  Death after Life Reaction: After one of your Personalities is destroyed during battle: Lose 5 Honor. Target a dead Personality in your discard pile, or in any discard pile if you are a Spider Clan player. Permanently give him Shadowlands and Undead. Bring him into play in your current army, ignoring restrictions (paying all costs).
  Fatina Reaction: Even if Fatina is bowed, after a Personality is destroyed: Create a 2F/2C/0PH Shadowlands, Undead, Ghul Personality in your current army or your home. Lose 2 Honor.
  --- Card set 2
  The Empress' Address Political Reaction: After one of your Personalities is destroyed while in a defending army, bow one of your target Courtiers or Empresses: Target a non-unique Personality with your clan alignment in your discard pile. Bring him into play in your home, waiving all costs. Gain 2 Honor.
  Kakita Noriko Reaction: After one of your Crane Clan Personalities is destroyed during a battle or for losing a duel, bow Noriko: Gain Honor equal to the destroyed Personality's Personal Honor.
  ---
  I think the same ruling would apply for both, but I thought I'd check.
  My opponent destroies my peronality. Assuming all costs/triggers are met for Death after Life, if I have a dead Fatina, may I still react with Fatina to create a ghul after bringing her into play with death after life or has the opportunity passed?
  My opponent destroies my defending crane personality. I react with Empress' Address, pay all costs, and bring back a Kakita Noriko from my discard pile. May I yet react with Noriko to the destruction of my personality?
  A: The timing is the same.
  You may use Kakita Noriko's Reaction after The Empress' Address and you may use Fatina's Reaction after bringing her back via Death After Life. Dan Jacobson, "Timing(?) questions", 23 Mar 2009
• Q: I have two provinces being attacked. I block with Takuro at province A solo with Yasuko/Khan/other movement card on the board. I defend with Takuro at A and he is killed to which I react first with his reaction, then with The Empress' Address to bring the same Takuro back into play in my home. We move to province B and I move in Takuro with movement, he is killed again. Can I react a second time with his reaction?
  A: No.
  http://rules.l5r.com/Effects#Tracking_rule: "“Memory” of the status of individual cards ends when the card enters a deck or a hand, or otherwise becomes both face-down and out of play (such as after a card in the deck or hand is shown)." (Emphasis added.)
  Unless the Personality was face-down in the discard pile, it remembers all. Zen Faulkes, "The Empress' Address allow 2 uses of same printed action?", 26 Jun 2008
• Q: why is it The Empress' Address can target a Personality who just died and bring them back into play, yet Unshakable can't target an Action that was just played for a second use?
  A: Because they're worded differently. Zen Faulkes, "The Empress' Address allow 2 uses of same printed action?", 26 Jun 2008
• Q: 1) Can you play terrains without having presence at a battlefield? Or do I need someone there?
  2) The Empress' Address is a reaction to your personality being destroyed. Can you return the one that was destroyed (as long as they are not unique)?
  Thank you in advance for any replies
  A: Ready answers for both of these questions found via our pal the "Search" function:
  1) Here. (The question wasn't what you asked, but the first sentence of the answer covers your issue.)
  2) Here. (And it's the topic immediately below your own last question about the same card, too.)
  Please use Search before asking. Brook Cunningham, "2 cards, 2 questions", 2 Apr 2008
• Q: Do I gain personal honour for the personality that comes back into play?
  A: If you're talking about the following part of bringing a Personality into play during your Dynasty Phase...
  http://rules.l5r.com/Sequence_of_play#Dynasty_Phase: "He may reduce the Gold cost to play the Personality by 2. If he does not choose to do so, he may choose to gain Honor equal to the Personality's Personal Honor just before he enters play (also know as "buying for Honor")."
  ...then, no, you do not gain the Personality's Personal Honor when Empress' Address brings him into play. That's because (emphasis mine):
  http://rules.l5r.com/Sequence_of_play#Dynasty_Phase: "These rules about waiving the Honor Requirement for Gold, Clan discount, and buying for Honor do not apply to Personalities brought into play outside the Dynasty Phase." Brook Cunningham, "The Empress' Address", 30 Mar 2008
• Q: i think i know the answer for this one but just to make sure. if personality X (non-unique) dies while in a defending army, can i react with the empress' address to bring personality X back?
  THE EMPRESS' ADDRESS: Political reaction: After one of your personalities is destroyed while in a defending army, bow one of your target courtier or empresses: Target a non-unique personality with your clan alignment in your discard pile. Bring him into play in your home, waiving all costs. Gain 2 honor.
  thank you
  A: I can't improve on Zen's answer here:
  "Nothing stops that that I can see." Alex Jones, "the empress' address", 30 Mar 2008
• Q: I am quite sure i have the right to play such a sequence but i would like an official confirmation.
  I have a crane clan personality in a defending army, let's call it A. I have a courtier in my home.
  A is destroyed.
  we begin resolution of reaction to the death a A.
  My opponent pass. I play the empress' adress with B and target a kakita Noriko in my discard pile. Bringing her into play. My opponent pass. I play the reaction of Noriko, thus i gain A's personal honor.
  Is This sequence valid?
  I will now suppose that sequence is valid: What happens if A is the kakita Noriko i bring back from the dead (spider style) with the empress' adress, could she react to her own death?
  the corresponding text: The Empress' Address: Political Reaction: After one of your Personalities is destroyed while in a defending army, bow one of your target Courtiers or Empresses: Target a non-unique Personality with your clan alignment in your discard pile. Bring him into play in your home, waiving all costs. Gain 2 Honor.
  Kakita Noriko: Crane Clan • Artisan • Musician Reaction: After one of your Crane Clan Personalities is destroyed during a battle or for losing a duel, bow Noriko: Gain Honor equal to the destroyed Personality's Personal Honor.
  A: Yes to All
  Back in the Day (TM), Feign Death used to bring people into play again immediately after they died - though it did force them to enter play bowed, thus limiting the usefulness of their printed abilities. Martin Lund, "Noriko under empress adress", 9 Oct 2007
• Q: if a personality were to die in battle resolution can i use empress' address
  Political Reaction: After one of your Personalities is destroyed while in a defending army, bow one of your target Courtiers or Empresses: Target a non-unique Personality with your clan alignment in your discard pile. Bring him into play in your home, waiving all costs. Gain 2 Honor.
  A: Yes. There are armies during Battle Resolution, and cards destroyed in Battle Resolution are destroyed as part of an Army. Martin Lund, "The Empress' Address + Battle resolution", 3 Jul 2007