A Test of Courage

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Diamond Edition, Gold Edition, Lotus Edition, Time of the Void, Twenty Festivals, Enemy of My Enemy, Glory of the Empire, Promotional–Samurai, Promotional–Twenty Festivals

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Interrupt: The action will not move your target Personality (at this battlefield). You may not use his abilities or target him with actions (this turn).

Focus Value

2

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond), War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "A Test of Courage 0G 2FV Reaction: Before an action moves a Personality you control from a battlefield: Target the Personality. Negate all the action’s remaining effects. You cannot target the Personality with actions or bow him to pay action costs until the turn ends." [MRP, Lotus Edition, 31 October 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 36
• May not be used when a Personality is removed from a Maneuvers Segment (e.g., Daidoji Ekiken) [JA, 20 January 2003] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 36
• Is not targetted at all. More than one may be played to keep the same unit in the battle. Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 57
• The saved unit may still perform actions which do not require targetting or bowing the Personality, such as discarding for a Tactician Force bonus or having a Follower bow to make a Ranged Attack. [card text] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 58
• Must be played as soon as the hostile action's target is picked. [card text] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 58
• Thus, it cannot be played against actions where it is initially unknown whether a unit will be sent home, such as Show Me Your Stance. If played against an action which targets and sends home more than one unit, it cancels the whole action and all the units that would have been sent home become untargettable by you. [DW, personal correspondence, 9/30/98] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 58
• Erratum: Reads, "A Test of Courage 0G 2FV Reaction: Before an action moves one of your target Personalities home from a battlefield: Negate the movement. You can not target the Personality with actions or bow him to pay costs (until the turn ends)." [Erratum to MRP, Glory of the Empire, 12 January 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 121

Rules Q&A

• Q: I really should know the answer to this, but I don't, and the rulings didn't clear up my confusion, so I'll ask here anyway.
  My opponent (defending with a single personality) plays Overwhelmed. I have an army of three units and I choose to send two home. Then I play A Test of Courage targeting one of my units.
  Does my unit stay in the battle?
  A: Yes. Overwhelmed is Canceled. It can't do squat to anything now. (Diamond Edition Rulebook, page 72) Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 January 2005", 20 Jan 2005
• Q: Knife in the Darkness can't be negated, according to its text. However, after reading plenty of these Rules posts and the rules themselves, Negate and Cancel are two different things. Can Knife in the Darkness be cancelled by A Test of Courage or an equivalent?
  A: Indeed it can be Canceled. Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 September 2004", 23 Sep 2004
• Q: If A Test of Courage is used against Knife in the Darkness and it's successful, does the Ninja still go home, or does he stay like the target?
  A: The Canceled Action produces no further effects. It will not send anyone home. Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 September 2004", 23 Sep 2004
• Q: Your ring of air could be played after the whole spell resolves... Works this way with the flee... You say you're gonna kill this follower that follower and that pep. The opponents flee's so you stopp the current effects the followers are still destroyed
  I thought that announcing all targets of an action was required before starting to generate its effects, thus Flee the Darkness would cancel the whole action before generating any effects, whereas e.g. Emergence of the Masters cancelled by A Test of Courage would still grant its Force bonuses. Might I have a clarification?
  A: Sure. Consecutive ranged attacks are a special case. They are NOT all targeted at the very beginning of the action. [DE p. 98] Jeff Alexander, "rules for 5 Feb. 2004", 6 Feb 2004
• Q: Someone mentioned to me recently that A Test of Courage will cancel Encircled Terrain, thus "retroactively" negating the whole thing. Is this true?
  A: Yes (card text). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 1 December 2003", 1 Dec 2003
• Q: How does AToC work with cards such as Stand or Run, or basically any send-home that is not direct, but results from a choice?
  A: It depends. If the effect is physically written in ink behind something that says, "Battle," "Open,", "Reaction," or "Limited" (though that last one is unlikely), A Test of Courage can cancel it. There is no "indirect" send home. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 27 November 2003, Part 2", 28 Nov 2003
• Q: What happens when I play A Test of Courage, after i've played Encircled Terrain in a battle?
  A: No one moves. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 24 October 2003", 25 Oct 2003
• Q: Also, if I play Dead Eyes on one of my personalities, then in a subsequent battle I use A Test Of Courage to stop them being sent home, can I still use the +3F battle ability?
  A: Yes. The ability neither targets the Personality nor requires bowing. Jeff Alexander, "post for 2 June 2003", 3 Jun 2003
• Q: I attack my opponent and he blocks with two people. I return for training blocker B and he cancels with a test of courage. I then use overwhelmed against him.
  A: See Rules Archive (http://www.legendofthefiverings.com/rulings/#Action_cards). This one: Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 20 April 2003, Part 2", 20 Apr 2003
• Q: If my opponent uses Overwhelmed to send 2 of my peeps home, can I stop it with A Test of Courage?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 20 April 2003", 20 Apr 2003
• Q: Does 'A Test of Courage' effectively negate 'Entrapping Terrain' - that is, does ET try to send you home before resolution, but ToC stops this and lets you proceed (with all your units) to resolution?
  A: Reactions to units leaving a battle cannot be played in response to a battle that ends early, without resolution. Jeff Alexander, "post for 7 April 2003", 9 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: Greetings,
  Being the stubborn lot that my players are, they have insisted that I ask the following questions. First off is Daidoji Ekiken vs A Test of Courage:
  Daidoji Ekiken
  Crane Clan Harrier * Samurai Reaction: Bow Ekiken after a personality with lower Chi assigns to attack one of your Provinces to send that Personality home. The Personality may not assign for the rest of the Attack Phase.
  A Test of Courage
  Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.
  Can the Test be used against Ekiken? I do not think so, due to the fact that when units are assigning, they are not in a battle just yet.
  A: It's a close call, but I'm going to agree with you. Jeff Alexander, "post for 20 January 2003", 21 Jan 2003
• Q: Someone told me that you can't play Test of Courage against it if you choose to send to units home. We had a long debate, and I still don't see why you can't play it.
  A Test of Courage Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.
  Overwhelmed Battle: Destroy your Personality in this battle with the highest Force. (In the case of a tie, choose one). The opposing player chooses either to destroy one Personality with the highest Force in his or her army or send two units in his or her army home without bowing.
  The way I read it is: -Player A plays Overwhelmed -Overwhelmed targets and destroys his personality with the highest force -Player B makes a choice, much like choosing whether to accept or refuse an Iaijitsu challenge. -If Player B chooses to destroy his personality with the highest force, Overwhelmed targets this personality. -If Player B chooses to send 2 units home he is targeting two of his personalities with his opponent's action.
  A: This point is true, but irrelevant. The word "target" on A Test of Courage is supposed to mean that A Test of Courage targets one Personality -- not that it cancels another action that targets a Personality (which, to be fair, was how the old wording worked). Jeff Alexander, "post for 7 January 2003", 8 Jan 2003
• Q: -One of his personalities is being moved out of the battle by an action creating the trigger to A Test of Courage. -Player B plays A Test of Courage, which, because it cancels the action will cancel all remaining effects, leaving Player A's personality dead because you don't undue effects that happened before an action was canceled. A Test of Courage even say "Personalities", indicating that the fact that multiple Personalities going home from one action won't be a problem.
  Where do I have that sequence wrong?
  A: You don't. It's exactly right. Jeff Alexander, "post for 7 January 2003", 8 Jan 2003
• Q: I have three units attacking an opposing Province with two defending units. The Defender plays an Encircled Terrain. Both players pass. The Encircled Terrain resolves.
  Q1: Could I play A Test of Courage?
  A: A Test of Courage: "Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle."
  Encircled Terrain: "Battle: The Attacker and Defender each target one of their own units in this battle. Send all other units in this battle home without bowing."
  Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 November 2002", 20 Nov 2002
• Q: From FAQ: A Test of Courage Reads, "A Test of Courage 0G 2FV Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Should read, "...one of your target Personalities out of a battle." [JA, 10 October 2001] Prevents you from targeting the Personality with actions played by any player. [VRD, 23 July 2001]
  A: That is not from the FAQ. It's from the ruling archive. Please don't confuse the two or you will mislead other readers. Jeff Alexander, "post for 19 November 2002", 20 Nov 2002
• Q: This is in the FAQ. Reactions to units leaving a battle cannot be played in response to units going to their controllers' homes because a battle ended prematurely.
  === Actually, the question came up because Flattery says "... AND send all units home without bowing." (emphasis mine) rather than having another sentence say "All units go home without bowing."
  The ruling still applies.
  === That's what we figured. :-)
  New Q reversing the situation somewhat: If the attacker plays Flattery (battle went bad), can the defender play A Test of Courage since Flattery is sending his personalities home?
  A: It's still the same answer, no matter how many ways you ask the question: no. Jeff Alexander, "post for 8 November 2002", 9 Nov 2002
• Q: Now a new question. The interaction of Flattery and Test of Courage came up this past weekend.
  Flattery 0G 3FV You must have cards in your hand with total Focus values greater than the opposing army's force to play this card. Battle: Discard cards from your hand one at a time until the total discarded Focus values exceed the opposing army's force, to end the battle without resolution and send all units home without bowing. You may take this action during a battle in which you have no units.
  A Test of Courage 0G 2FV Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.
  Actually two questions came out of our discussion. Since the effect of sending all units home is specified on the action, does AToC cancel the action?
  A: This is in the FAQ. Reactions to units leaving a battle cannot be played in response to units going to their controllers' homes because a battle ended prematurely. Jeff Alexander, "post for 6 November 2002", 7 Nov 2002
• Q: Jeff, could you explain your answer please? I don't understand it:
  My opponent attacks with 2 units, led by a personalities with 4 and 6 force. I defend, and play Block Supply Lines on the 6 force personality. He plays A Test of Courage. He Passes. I play Overwhelmed, destroying my highest force personality. What happens now?
  He can't destroy his higher force personality, because that would require targetting that unit, which he can't do because he played A Test of Courage.
  He can't send two units home because that would require targetting his higher force personality, which he can't do.
  He can't send home the 4 force personality, because he has to send home two units.
  So does Overwhelmed have no effect on him in this situation?
  JA: He must send home the one unit he can.
  A: You pick an alternative you can satisfy and do as much of it as you can. Jeff Alexander, "post for 30 October 2002", 31 Oct 2002
• Q: My opponent attacks with 2 units, led by a personalities with 4 and 6 force. I defend, and play Block Supply Lines on the 6 force personality. He plays A Test of Courage. He Passes. I play Overwhelmed, destroying my highest force personality. What happens now?
  He can't destroy his higher force personality, because that would require targetting that unit, which he can't do because he played A Test of Courage.
  He can't send two units home because that would require targetting his higher force personality, which he can't do.
  He can't send home the 4 force personality, because he has to send home two units.
  So does Overwhelmed have no effect on him in this situation?
  A: He must send home the one unit he can. Jeff Alexander, "post for 29 October 2002", 30 Oct 2002
• Q: A Test of Courage can only be played in response to an action that is immediately sending a card out of the battle, not, for instance, a duel action that sends the unit out of the battle if personality looses a duel. Correct? Or can the player react after the duel is lost?
  A: The Gold Edition changed the wording of A Test of Courage so that it can be played at any time an action is sending one of your units out of the current. It can be used even if your unit is removed late in the action's effects. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 Oct 2002", 7 Oct 2002
• Q: What all does A Test of Courage cancel, 1.one personality from being sent home(one who plays it), 2.both from being sent home, 3.cancel the entire action.
  A: "Cancel the action." [card text] 3. Jeff Alexander, "post for 15 August 2002", 11 Sep 2002
• Q: OK, this came up on a tournament I was in Saturday. My opponent used Kaneka's Strength. I said Strike and used A Test of Courage. Now, what happens?
  A. A Test of Courage cancels the sending home part of Kaneka's Strength (my answer) B. A Test of Courage attempts to cancel the entire duel, which has already resolved, so nothing happens (my opponent's answer) C. The sending home is the result of a duel and not an action and therefore there is nothing for A Test of Courage to target (my opponent's second answer) D. Something else entirely
  A: A Test of Courage cancels the entire action. Since the only part of the action that has not resolved yet is sending your Personality home, that's the only thing that doesn't happen. According to the rulebook, the duel is not canceled or undone since it has already occurred, even thought the entire Kaneka's Strength action has been canceled. Jeff Alexander, "post for 21 August 2002", 22 Aug 2002
• Q: If I can A Test of Courage Tetsuya Sensei, does that mean I can also A Test the following cards: Flattery
  A: No. Flattery ends the battle. Cards that end a battle and then "send units home" aren't sending home units from a battle. Jeff Alexander, "post for 10 June 2002", 11 Jun 2002
• Q: Bowing is an effect, not a cost, of refusing Kosho's challenge. If his challenge is refused, A Test of Courage may be played to cancel his challenge action and keep the challenged Personality in the battle. This is a REVERSAL.
  Ok, but just to clarify, if it is cancelled by ATOC, can't it just be performed again at the Kosho player's next chance for an action? (cancelled actions are considered to have never happened, thus his once per battle restriction wouldn't be in effect yet...)
  A: Yes, for the reason you state. Jeff Alexander, "post for 4 June 2002", 5 Jun 2002
• Q: Right. You also don't permanently lose Province strength. But you still lose your Sensei and your Stronghold is still bowed, because those were costs.
  Please could the above rulling be added to the archive, and the old references to A Test of Courage (IE, it does not work with dark path of shadow, it does only work if something targets your peep AND sends it home,...) be removed? I had a few rulling discusions about this already...
  A: I've asked Zen to get rid of any old and now-incorrect rulings that resulted from the older wording. I'd personally prefer that this particular ruling not be added, since it's nothing more than a straightforward matter of reading the cards. Jeff Alexander, "post for 3 June 2002", 4 Jun 2002
• Q: Hida Kosho: Crab Clan Samurai Yu 5 Battle: Once per battle, challenge an attacking Personality to a duel of Force. The challenged Personality may refuse by going home bowed. Bow the loser.
  A Test of Courage: Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.
  So can I refuse the challenge, which sends me home then play ëA Test of Courageí to cancel me being sent home?
  A: My initial take on this issue is that, as worded, going home is a cost, not an effect. Only the effects of an action are what it "does", so Kosho's action isn't moving your Personality from the battle. But I'll see what the Rules Team has to say. Jeff Alexander, "post for 31 May 2002", 1 Jun 2002
• Q: A Test of Courage Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.
  The question is, is the phrase "out of battle" equivalent to "out of THIS battle" or "out of ALL battles"...?
  A: Read it as "out of 'a' battle." Jeff Alexander, "post for 22 March 2002", 23 Mar 2002
• Q: This came up in a tourney today...
  A Test of Courage CAN be used to cancel the effects of Encircled Terrain, right?
  A: As of the Gold Edition wording, right. Jeff Alexander, "post for 4 February 2002", 5 Feb 2002
• Q: I have two questions. I hope someone can help me.
  1° I read that after you play "Inner Fire" to a tactician personality you can´t use his tactician ability. Does it happens the same thing with "A Test of Courage"?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 18 December 2001", 19 Dec 2001
• Q: I thought that Jeff ruled that bowing your personalities was a targeted action and that if you could not bow your personalities due to an extraneous circumstance (i.e. Kitsu Kaagi's Journal, A Test of Courage), they were safe from the second aspect of Stand.
  A: I ruled that the first, targeted effect always occurred (or attempted to) rather than Stand Against the Waves sometimes skipping directly to the second, untargeted effect, and therefore Reactions to an action targeting the victim's Personalities are always playable (and, hence, that SAtW is always an action that targets Personalities). I did not rule that the global bowing effect was targeted. Jeff Alexander, "post for 18 December 2001", 19 Dec 2001
• Q: For example: If my Paneki was received a previous BSL and I've played a Test of Courage on him, may I redirect the second Block Supply to Jujun then play a Test of Courage on him? Please help me ...
  A: You cannot redirect the second Block Supply Lines because that would require targeting Paneki with your Stronghold ability, which you cannot do because of the first Test of Courage. Jeff Alexander, "post for 17 October 2001", 17 Oct 2001
• Q: I saw a play the other day, and have a question. If I use luring tactics to draw an opponent's personality into a Sorrow's path, can he use a Test of Courage to cancel it?
  The new wording on a Test of Courage is: Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn."
  The phrase "When an action is moving one of your target Personalities OUT OF BATTLE" is the confusing one. Does moving one of his units from one battle to another activate the trigger? He actually isn't being removed from battle, just to another one.
  A: Since it's ambiguous, I'm going to rule that it should be read as "out of A battle" based on the original wording of the card. Jeff Alexander, "post for 9 October 2001", 9 Oct 2001
• Q: If I'm right, with the new MRP, cards like Luring Tactics may be cancelled by "A Test of Courage". i.e. I play Luring Tactics over my tactitian to move him and an opponent unit to an adjacent battle. My opponent may play A Test of Courage to cancel my action, can't he?
  A: Sure. When *wasn't* this legal? Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for August 22nd, Part Two", 22 Aug 2001
• Q: A Tested personality cannot be targeted by its controller with any actions, even actions controlled by your opponents.
  To be sure, then: KK Journal, the results of A Test of Courage, and Isawa's Helm will now all definately protect (in their own ways) against Stand Against the Waves?
  A: Yes, but the only one of those that's new in Gold is Test of Courage. Also note that all this stuff about protection from Stand due to targeting goes out the window if he has more personalities with followers than you do personalities in your army. In that case, Stand is *not* targeted, and all of your guys (even those with targeting protection) without followers are bowed. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for July 25th", 25 Jul 2001
• Q: Am I correct in thinking that most reactions now target? Does A Test of Courage target the personality it is played upon? Does Enough Talk target the samurai making the challenge and the personality performing the political action?
  A: See above. If it affects or involves a card in play in any way, it targets. Both of the above situations target (Test of Courage by explicit rules text, though). Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for July 18th", 18 Jul 2001
• Q: I seem to remember this coming up a while back, but I can't remember what the official ruling is. If one of my personalities loses a duel with either Hitomi or Kokujin (the versions that steal people and take them back to the opponent's fief), can I A Test of Courage the action? Or do I have to do it immediately upon the action being played (which wouldn't be legal, since I don't know ahead of time if I'm going home or not)?
  A: You can't ToC either Hitomi's duel or Kokujin's duel, for several reasons. For one, you're right, you'd have to play the ToC immediately upon being targeted with the action, at which point you don't actually know if it's going to remove you from the battle. For another, when the personality is actually leaving the battle, they really aren't *your* personality anymore! I mean, if they're walking off the battlefield to go report to their new daimyo, you can't exactly expect them to listen to any of your orders. ;) Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for July 3rd", 3 Jul 2001
• Q: Reaction: Play this card when an action is moving one of your target Personalities out of battle. Cancel the action. You cannot bow the Personality to take actions or target the Personality with actions until after the turn.
  There has been a debate on Deathseeker about what exactly it means. As I read it "one of your target Personalities" means that the reaction now targets your Personality when played.
  Another interpretation is that the adjective "target" refers to the other player targeting your card, and so Test is pretty much the same.
  So, official folks, which is it?
  A: As far as the wording goes, the latter interpretation is correct.
  HOWEVER, the first paragraph is still true...not because of this card's wording, but because of the way targeting gets redefined in Gold Edition. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 14 June", 20 Jun 2001
• Q: Attacking Player has two units
  Defending Player has one unit
  Defending Player plays Come One At A Time,
  Can the attacking player use A Test Of Courage to cancel the terrain, because he is stopping the "Go home" effect of COOAT?
  A: You can play ToC in response to sending one of your units out of the battle, but that won't cancel the whole terrain, just the action that's sending your guy home. You also can't play ToC when the terrain is played, because there's nothing valid to play it in response to...yet. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for", 12 Jan 2001
• Q: A Test of Courage is it a Courage card? (as in the trait?)
  A: The card A Test of Courage does not have the Courage keyword, so it is not a Courage card. Alex Jones, "A Test of Courage", 21 Feb 2015
• Q: Once Encircled Terrain resolves for a battle, can I play A Test of Courage on one of my other units being sent home by this terrain to negate the movement or is it too late for me to do any more actions/reactions?
  A: The only time it's "too late" to play a Reaction is after all players have passed on taking Reactions to a trigger.
  A Test of Courage negates the movement fine. Zen Faulkes, "Encircled Terrain & A Test of Courage", 4 Feb 2008
• Q: Wouldn't Yaichiro being targeted by Test of Courage make any more actions targeting him kind of moot?
  A: Daidoji Yaichiro's action doesn't target. Zen Faulkes, "Daidoji Yaichiro, Lacquered Armor & A Test of Courage", 22 Jan 2008
• Q: I have Lacquered Armor attached to Daidoji Yaichiro. Can I use the ability on Lacquered Armor, then negate moving using A Test of Courage to stay on a battlefield and attach 2F follower to Daidoji Yaichiro using his Reaction?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Daidoji Yaichiro, Lacquered Armor & A Test of Courage", 21 Jan 2008
• Q: I target Moto Chagatai XP4 with a Test of Courage, can I still use his Battle ability to move to another battle?
  A: A Test of Courage says, "Reaction: Before an action moves one of your target Personalities home from a battlefield: Negate the movement. You can not target the Personality with actions or bow him to pay costs (until the turn ends)."
  Moto Chagatai XP4 says, "Battle: Even if Chagatai is bowed or has been in a battle resolution this turn: Move him to the current battlefield. If he is now opposed, straighten him."
  Chagatai's ability does not target him or require him to bow to pay costs. I don't see any reason why A Test of Courage would get in its way. Martin Lund, "Moto Chagatai XP4 and Test of Courage", 3 Aug 2007