Unexpected Intimidation

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, Stronger Than Steel, Celestial Edition 15th Anniversary, Samurai Edition Banzai

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Battle: Bow your performing Personality and target an enemy Personality: Move him home. If this movement fails, bow him. If this bowing fails, destroy him. If this destruction fails, remove him from the game.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Unexpected Intimidation 0G 3FV Battle: Bow your target Personality: Move a target enemy Personality home. If this did not move him, bow him. If this did not bow him, destroy him. If this did not destroy him, remove him from the game." [MRP, Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 161
• The ability on Unexpected Intimidation now reads, "Battle: Bow your target Personality: Move a target enemy Personality home. If this movement fails, bow him. If this bowing fails, destroy him. If this destruction fails, remove him from the game." [CE 15 MRP, 22 March 2010] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 161

Rules Q&A

• Q: With the new wording on unexpected intimidation:
  Battle: Bow your target Personality: Move a target enemy Personality home. If this movement fails, bow him. If this bowing fails, destroy him. If this destruction fails, remove him from the game.
  If I target a personality that is already bowed with this and for some reason he uses height of courage lets say, would the bowing be deemed to have failed because the cards action didnt change the state of the targeted personality?
  A: EDIT: I misread the two listings of UI in the Wiki and said that you didn't have the most current wording. But you do! My mistake, sorry.
  But your answer is, "Yes." If the movement of an already bowed Personality is negated, the bowing from UI would not bow him because he's already bowed (thereby failing), and he would then be destroyed. Brook Cunningham, "Unexpected Intimidation", 26 Apr 2010
• Q: Also i was told that failed actions was not an issue anymore because the rings had been errated to make them easier to understand is this card the exception to the rule?
  A: Not quite true. "Successful" actions no longer matter; that term was removed from the Rings and is no longer in the game. However, actions' effects can still Fail. I know, kind of weird to be rid of one and not the other, but there you have it. Brook Cunningham, "Unexpected Intimidation", 26 Apr 2010
• Q: Thanks Nathan
  A: You're quite welcome! I hope I've helped. Brook Cunningham, "Unexpected Intimidation", 26 Apr 2010
• Q: would Kuon's trait be able to overcome Unexpected Intimidation?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Hida Kuon (Experienced 6): The compilation", 13 Jul 2009
• Q: Wouldn't the last effect trigger if the destruction was delayed, as he wasn't destroyed immediately? I.e. Wouldn't the Crab Clan Samurai be removed from game before any of the Duty stuff matters?
  A: Why would it do that? The card doesn't say, "If he isn't destroyed ..."
  The card does say, "If the destruction is Negated," which is specifically something Razor at Dawn Castle does not do. Martin Lund, "Razor of the Dawn Castle, Unexpected Intimidation, etc.", 9 Nov 2007
• Q: Hi, another question here:
  I play razor of the dawn Castle. During a battle, i play Impressive resilience on one of my samurai. My opponement targets that samurai with Unexpected Intimidation. As the move and the bowing are negated, the card kills my samurai; but i delay the death with Razor of the dawn Castle.
  At the end of the turn, my samurai dies. Can i save him with a Duty, or will he be removed from the game?
  Unexpected Intimidation: Battle: Bow one of your target Personalities: Move a target enemy Personality home. If this movement is negated, bow him. If this bowing is negated, destroy him. If this destruction is negated, remove him from the game.
  Razor of the dawn castle: Before another player's card's effect destroys one of your Samurai: Once per turn, you may delay the destruction until the current turn ends.
  Duty: Bushido Virtue Reaction: Before another player’s card’s effect destroys one of your Personalities, destroy one of your honorable Samurai Personalities at the same location: Negate the first Personality’s destruction.
  Impressive Resilience: Battle: Target an opposed Personality. The target gains +2F and cannot bow or move during the current Combat Segment.
  A: I'm going to talk this one over with the Rules Team. Martin Lund, "another question for the razor of the dawn", 9 Nov 2007