Water Dragon

Legend of the Five Rings card from Lotus Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, Diamond Edition

Card Type

Personality

Force

7

Chi

4

Honor Requirement

10

Gold Cost

10

Personal Honor

4

Clan

Unaligned

Keywords

Cavalry, Unique, Dragon, Nonhuman, Shugenja, Water

Card Text

Will not attach Followers or Items.
Water Reaction: After a turn begins, target a Shugenja and an ability on it that does not itself copy abilites. Water Dragon copies the ability.

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Clan Wars (Imperial), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Water Dragon 7F/4C 10HR 10G 4PH Unaligned Creature. Shugenja. Cavalry. Unique. Cannot attach Followers or Items. Elemental Reaction: Target a Shugenja and an ability on him. Water Dragon copies the ability until the turn ends." [MRP, Lotus Edition, 31 October 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 132
• Can repeatedly copy an ability which is usable only once per game, because at the end of the turn it forgets that it's used it. [extension of ruling on Ninja Shapeshifter] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 62
• Erratum: Changed: ability to duplicate an innate ability is now a Reaction (and hence an "ability"). Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 21
• Erratum: Missing text. The Water Dragon should read "Can copy the Innate Ability of any Shugenja in play for one turn." The Imperial Herald, Vol. 1, Issue 1, p. 11

Rules Q&A

• Q: 3) During my straighten phase the Water Dragon copies Bairei's "fetch - a - spell" ability, and get's a spell. Can he copy it (and use it) again next turn? Is it a new instance or the once per game constraint is "global"?
  A: He can make a new copy of the ability next turn and use it. This restriction is specific to the individual ability, not anything "global." Martin Lund, "Rules for 23 January 2005", 25 Jan 2005
• Q: Suppose I copy an action from personality Bob with my Water Dragon and then lose it at the end of the turn. The next turn, I again copy the Bob's ability with the Water Dragon. Am I considered to have a new action or have I regained an old action? <insert foreboding of doom combo>
  A: It is a brand new ability. Go nuts, Leon. Martin Lund, "Rules for 14 September 2004", 17 Sep 2004
• Q: You have already used Barei's Limited Action this game. You copy his ability with Water Dragon. Are you now able to use the ability again or is "once per game" prohibiting the Water Dragon from using the copied Ability?
  A: [MARTY] No. Each occurrence of the ability is unique unto itself, and may be used once. If the Dragon copies that ability, the newly minted ability-clone on the Water Dragon has not used yet.
  Heck, the Water Dragon makes a new ability for itself every time you use its Reaction. You can use a new copy of Barei's ability via the Water Dragon ever turn.
  "Can repeatedly copy an ability that is usable only once per game, because at the end of the turn it forgets that it's used it. [Extension from Ninja Shapeshifter]" (Accumulated Rulings, "Water Dragon") Martin Lund, "Rules for 28 August 2004", 2 Sep 2004
• Q: My opponent is playing shadowlands and controls the experienced 2 version of Naka Tokei. Tokei therefore has the shadowlands trait. I control Water Dragon, if I use Water Dragon to copy Naka Tokeis innate ability, would Water Dragon gain the ability to straighten a unit since WD does not technically have the Shadowlands trait. Or would he gain the ability Bow a unit since Tokei has the Shadowlands trait?
  A: Naka Tokei says, "Elemental Limited: Once per turn, straighten a card if Tokei does not have the Shadowlands trait, or bow a card if he does."
  Remember that self-reference by name is considered to simply be "this card." If any other card copies Naka Tokei's ability to itself, that card would say, "Elemental Limited: Once per turn, straighten a card if [this card] does not have the Shadowlands trait, or bow a card if he does."
  That means the ability copied to the Water Dragon bows or straightens based on whether or not the Water Dragon has the Shadowlands trait, not Naka Tokei. Martin Lund, "Rules for 19 July 2004", 20 Jul 2004
• Q: 1. Is Water Dragon a Water Shugenja for the purposes of Summon Water Kami? Or does he have to have "Water Shugenja" printed in his traits box?
  A: [MARTY] It has the Shugenja trait and is a Water card by the Keyword Rule. That makes it a Water Shugenja. Martin Lund, "Rules for 10 May 2004", 13 May 2004