Torrential Rain

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Battle of Beiden Pass, Obsidian Edition

Card Type

Spell

Gold Cost

4

Keywords

Elemental

Card Text

Battle: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell to move home all units at this battlefield, bowing them as they move, and end the battle immediately without resolution.

Focus Value

4

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Torrential Rain 4G 4FV Elemental Battle: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell to end this battle without resolution. All units go home bowed." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 67
• Clarified: there is no battle resolution. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 9
• Erratum: Changed: the shugenja must be at the battle. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 9
• Erratum: Clarified: there is no battle resolution. Changed: the shugenja must be at the battle. Legend of the Five Rings FAQ, Version 3.4 & errata, June 1997, p. 24

Rules Q&A

• Q: If I am attacking and the defender plays Torrential Rain and I cancel it with Kyuden Ikoma, does my opponent get to put the card back into his/her hand?
  A: No, because Torrential Rain is not an Action card. Jeff Alexander, "post for 23 May 2003", 29 May 2003
• Q: With the wording on Relentless Assualt, where it states that it cannot target a personality that has been in a battle during the resolution phase of a battle that turn, what about a personality sent home via Torrential Rain, or from an Entrapping Terrain. Are they eligible to be Relentlessed, into a different battle, since they one they were in was ended, but did not resolve?
  A: They are eligible. (And you mean Tireless Assault, not Relentless.) Jeff Alexander, "post for 28 April 2003", 29 Apr 2003
• Q: If someone plays Torrential Rain at Province four, the battle may have ended but it has not resolved. So can I play Accessible Terrain at Province 4 and move units back into it then resolve it?
  No. The battle has ended.
  So, does this mean a battle that has ended has resolved?
  A: There was no Resolution Segment, but it is a resolved battle, yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 24 April 2003", 25 Apr 2003
• Q: If someone plays Torrential Rain at Province four, the battle may have ended but it has not resolved. So can I play Accessible Terrain at Province 4 and move units back into it then resolve it?
  A: No. The battle has ended. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 22 April 2003", 23 Apr 2003
• Q: Can a Test of Courage cancel a Torrential Rain? How about a Bridged Pass?
  A: Reactions that respond to units leaving a battle cannot react if the units are moving because their battle ended prematurely. Jeff Alexander, "post for 2 April 2003", 4 Apr 2003
• Q: This is a question on a couple of cards my friends and I have had some trouble agreeing on the actual effect of the cards.
  Entrapping Terrain is rather specific, its a delayed terrain that ends the battle without resolution. The battle action segment still happens normally, so it is easily understood.
  Flattery and Torrential Rain however, are not as specific. They both "end the battle without resolution" but they are not as specific on when the effect takes place.
  A: That means it happens when the action is taken. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 February 2003", 6 Feb 2003
• Q: I.e. can I use Torrential Rain in the current battle if the shugenja who has it is in another province? Assuming I have Presence, of course
  A: No, but not because you don't meet the Rule of Relevance. You can't do it because Torrential Rain ends "this battle", which means it has to be in the current battle for its action to be legal. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 20 August 2002", 21 Aug 2002
• Q: Next question. Gift of the Water Dragon and Torrential Rain. Relevant text on Gift of the Water Dragon: Other players' card effects cannot bow cards in that unit or remove that unit from its new Province for the rest of the attack. Torrential Rain reads: Elemental Battle: Bow this Shugenja and destroy this Spell to end this battle without resolution. All units go home bowed. My question is: If my personality is under the effects of Gift of the Water Dragon and my opponent uses Torrential Rain, does my personality go home UNbowed?
  A: All cards in that unit return to their controller's fief unbowed, since this is still the same attack. Jeff Alexander, "post for 1 July 2002", 2 Jul 2002
• Q: Torrential Rain
  A: No. Jeff Alexander, "post for 10 June 2002", 11 Jun 2002
• Q: Torrential Rain - Does the battle have a Resolution Segment?
  No. It ends instantly. Without resolution.
  I assume this means that this prevents actions (such as Counteracttack) that would be played after the Resolution Segment of this battle.
  A: Absolutely. This goes equally well for all cards that end a battle without resolution. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 17th", 17 Aug 2001
• Q: Torrential Rain - Does the battle have a Resolution Segment?
  A: No. It ends instantly. Without resolution. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 14th", 14 Aug 2001
• Q: [OBH] - Moto Geheris - Does he allow Torrential Rain to happen?
  A: Yes. "Action cards" are "Strategies"; read the Oracle text.
  (Replying to a player: "I just didn't know if that counted as sending him home") Doesn't matter. Torrential Rain is not an Action card/Strategy; no interaction either way. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 20 May 2025