Undetectable Enemy

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: After another player's action targets your Oni: Negate its effects.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Age of Conquest (Emperor)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Subject: Mysterious Deaths VS Undetectable Enemy or Fields of Pyrrhic Victory
  Good Day,
  I would like to ask a follow-up question regarding the ruling for Mysterious Deaths and Undetectable Enemy.
  I showed the ruling to my playgroup and they contest that Mysterious Deaths can't be negated by Undetectable Enemy due to the wording on the target of Mysterious Deaths. The way they interpret it is that Mysterious Deaths targets the player and then in turn the player targets his own personality and thus the destruction can't be negated by Undetectable Enemy since you are the one that targeted your personality and not the other player.
  The question is, are they right on this scenario? or Will Undetectable Enemy still negate the Destruction?
  A: Regardless of which player chooses any particular target, the action is still targeting the card.
  When Mysterious Deaths is played, the action targets each player's Personality, but each player only targets his or her own Personality. Alex Jones, "Follow-Up Question: Mysterious Deaths VS Undetectable Enemy or Fields of Pyrrhic Victory", 6 Mar 2015
• Q: So my question is with this, Am I able to play Undetectable enemy if my opponent wins a battle via Aramasu's legacy and what would happen as Undetectable enemy negates all effects of the action thats targetting which from my understanding is mantis clan magistrates and attachments not bowing to resolution, the bowing and straighten negation + unresolved battles yet to occur.
  Aramasu's Legacy PS/GP/SH 7 4 2 Text Limited: Create an additional Attack Phase, during which battle resolution does not destroy defending armies or provinces and does not bow your Mantis Clan Magistrates or your attachments. After it ends, if you won any of its battles (even against no units at resolution), you may target a Personality or Holding, bow it, and negate its straightening until after your next Straighten Phase ends.
  Undetectable Enemy Cost 0 Text Reaction: After another player's action targets your Oni: Negate its effects.
  Thanks.
  A: The targeting of the Personality occurs after the Attack Phase created by the action, but all the battles occur during the Attack Phase. When the Personality is targeted, the only outstanding effects of the action are the bowing and the negation of the straightening: these are the only effects negated by Undetectable Enemy. Alex Jones, "Aramasu's legacy + undetectable enemy.", 28 Oct 2012
• Q: I know from other questions that any text after targeting an oni would be negated by Undetectable Enemy (i.e. Running Battle). My question is if targeting happens after other effects in an action, whether those prior effects would similarly be negated?
  A: Yes... ish.
  Previously enacted ongoing effects would be indeed be negated (surpressed until the end of the turn), such as the +3F and "He may not perform actions".
  However if, say, those effects had a longer duration than 'til the end of the turn themselves, then they would reassert after the negation wore off. And also, negation will not undo previously inacted instantaneous effects. So the straightening effect, having already occurred, would still stand. Brook Cunningham, "Undetectable Enemy and Kuon's Legacy", 11 Sep 2012
• Q: Hi,
  If I use Preserving Honor and my opponent negate it useing the Undetectable Enemy will this negate the ation it self or it is treated as negating bowing or movement and in resolution the personality is removed from the game?
  Preserving Honor: Battle: Target an enemy Personality at the current battlefield: His controller chooses either to bow him, or to choose another location and move him there. If the bowing or movement is negated, remove the Personality from the game.
  Undetectable Enemy: Reaction: After another player's action targets your Oni: Negate its effects.
  Thx for reply
  A: Undetectable enemy negates ALL the effects of Preserving Honor, INCLUDING the conditional effect that would remove the Personality from the game. Brook Cunningham, "Preserving Honor and undetectable enemy", 3 Sep 2012
• Q: [OBH] Seeing Victory Through Deference made me think of a question: If it targets an Oni in the discard pile, can it be cancelled by Undetectable Enemy.
  A: No. The Focus Effect is not an action.
  I can't easily look it up right now, but I believe you can't target cards out of play unless it specifically says you can, so the VtD action can't target a discarded Oni.
  (Replying to a player: "It specifically says target cards in discard piles to remove from play(/Banish). So that part definitely works. My main question because of the no targeting in discard piles: if the cancel action works as it technically targets a card that targets a card in the discard pile, but refers to a keyword …") You lost me.
  Does it help to point out that the banished cards in the action are not targeted? Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 21 May 2026