The Shadow's Claw

Legend of the Five Rings card from The Fall of Otosan Uchi

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: Before you focus in a duel involving one of your Personalities: Instead of focusing, look at the top five cards of your Fate deck, focus with one, put one in your hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Targets you and not your Personality. [JA, 6 February 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 32
• Erratum: Is a Reaction taken instead of focusing. [Erratum, JA, 19 March 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 32
• Does not allow you to add to your focus or to focus two cards. [JA, email, 10 February 2003, 20 March 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 32
• The focus from the top of the deck it creates can be responded to with a Reaction triggered by focusing (provided the Reaction does not have other limitations, e.g., responding only to focusing from your hand; e.g., Tsuma Dojo). [ML, web, 18 March 2005; web, 24 March 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 32

Rules Q&A

• Q: 7) With Tsuma Dojo can I play a Smoke and MIrrors or The Shadow's Claw from my discard pile?
  A: Not for an Action, no. Tsuma Dojo says, "Focus with it instead of with a card from your hand." That means it gives you the ability to - FOCUS - with the card, not to take Actions on the card. You can play them face-down for their Focus Values only.
  It is good with Kharmic Strike, but bad with Smoke and Mirrors or The Shadow's Claw. Martin Lund, "Rules for 24 January 2005", 31 Jan 2005
• Q: 8) I'm in a duel with kakita, can I focus two cards and then play Smoke and Mirrors or The Shadow's Claw instead of the third?
  A: No. Kakita says you make 1 Focus with up to 3 Cards. If you take a Reaction "instead of Focusing" then you do not Focus - at all - during that opportunity to Focus or Strike. Martin Lund, "Rules for 24 January 2005", 31 Jan 2005
• Q: 10) I have Smoke and Mirrors in my hand and the I play The Shadow's Cloaw, can I use the Smoke and Mirrors instead of focus the card of The Shadow's Claw?
  A: Yes. Shadow's Claw causes you to Focus, and Smoke and Mirrors can be played from your hand "instead of focusing." You could not, however, use Smoke and Mirrors for its Reaction if it were one of the top 5 cards of your deck, rather than already in your hand. This is for the same reason as answer #7 - the Action permits you to play the card as a Focus, not to play it for an Action. Martin Lund, "Rules for 24 January 2005", 31 Jan 2005
• Q: A duel is underway between one of my personalities and one of my opponent's personalities. It's my turn to focus or strike, I play The Shadow's Claw. My opponent reacts with Keen Eye (and I don't have a counter to it). What happens next - do I still get a chance to focus normally (or strike), because Shadow's Claw was 'before' my personality focused, or is it my opponent's turn to focus or strike? (I think the former, my opponent today thought the latter.) Thanks!
  A: Shadow's Claw is played "instead of focusing," by the Errata (Accumulated Rulings, "The Shadow's Claw) Further, it still counts as being played, even if its effects are Negated. You no longer have an opportunity to Focus or Strike. Martin Lund, "Rules for 14 January 2005", 19 Jan 2005
• Q: The Shadow's Claw + Smoke and Mirrors: if you play The Shadow's Claw and draw Smoke and Mirrors, can you still use the later's ability instead of focusing, or are you "compelled" to focus because TSC says "...focus with one..."?
  A: The Shadow's Claw says: "Look at your top five fate cards. Focus with one, take one into your hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck."
  OK, so do this:
  Look at 5 cards. Put one down as a Focus. Draw one. Shuffle the rest.
  You put one of those cards on the top of your deck down as a Focus before you draw a card. Therefore, if you draw Smoke and Mirrors, it is too late to play it because you've already focused. If you focus Smoke an Mirrors, you can't play it for the Reaction. You certainly can't play it as a Reaction out of your Fate Deck before drawing it. Martin Lund, "Rules for 7 April 2004", 8 Apr 2004
• Q: 1) The Shadow's Claw
  A: Not legal because it is a Reaction that is played instead of focusing. Do not be distracted by the fact that you still focus a card as a result of playing it! It is still a Reaction, and it is still played instead of focusing normally. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 2-3 March 2004", 4 Mar 2004
• Q: The Shadow's Claw Reaction: Play before your Personality focuses in a duel. Look at your top five fate cards. Focus with one, take one into your hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck.
  Rulings Archive: Replaces your normal focus rather than adding to it or allowing two focus cards. [JA, email, 10 February 2003]
  Iaijutsu Art 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.
  Question:
  Does the ruling above effectively errata the text of The Shadow's Claw to read "Reaction: Instead of focusing in a duel, look at your top five fate cards. Focus with one, take one into your hand, and shuffle the rest into the deck." ?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 March 2003", 20 Mar 2003
• Q: For The Shadow's Claw, suppose that I play it and draw the top 5 cards of my deck, only to discover that I cannot focus with any of the top 5 cards of my deck (perhaps because of an Armor Of The Golden Samurai or a Blade Of Truths or somesuch). What happens?
  A: You do everything except focus. You'd take one card into your hand and shuffle the rest (four cards in this case) back into your deck. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 December 2002", 4 Dec 2002
• Q: I play Smoke and Mirrors, my opponent plays Keen Eye. Can I now focus instead? Can I play a 2nd Smoke and Mirrors if I have it or some other such 'instead of focusing' card? Or do I just lose the chance to do anything? What about the same scenario with The Shadow's Claw?
  A: Archive, Duels, Focusing. Zen Faulkes, "Questions about Keen Eye", 3 Apr 2005
• Q: Quote:
  Quote:
  Mithras wrote:
  Doesn't that imply that the focussed card has to be one of the 5 that you looked at?
  Normally, yes, but The Shadow's Clan is played instead of focusing (Archive, The Shadow's Claw). Also, remember that in this scenario, the second copy of The Shadow's Claw is in your hand, not one of the cards looked at.
  Does this mean I can draw 5 and then focus using my Tsuma Dojo?
  A: That would follow logically from what Marty wrote (here).
  I didn't see this one until it came up to go in the Digest.
  The important part here is the exact text of Tsuma Dojo and Shadow's Claw.
  Tsuma Dojo says, "Focus with it instead of with a card from your hand."
  Shadow's Claw does not have you focus with a card from your hand, but rather a card from the top of your deck. You can't use Tsuma Dojo's effect to replace it.
  - Marty Lund
  Deputy Rules Monkey Zen Faulkes, "Last Shadows Claw Question", 30 Mar 2005