Witch Hunt

Legend of the Five Rings card from The War of Spirits

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Reaction: Before a Kiho or Spell action resolves, choose your performing unbowed Shugenja: He duels the action's performer. If your Shugenja wins, negate the action's effects. Destroy the duel's loser.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: For example, Witch Hunt (Reaction: Play this card when a Kiho or Spell is cast. One of your Shugenja issues an unrefusable challenge to the caster.) has no choice involved at all, so by extending your Shosuro Tech rule, it does not target. However, if I read the rulebook, it is not a global effect, so it targets because of targeting rule #4.
  A: Right. So now WHAT does it target? Your Shugenja, since you have to pick one, and the other shugenja, because it does something to him (the challenge). Shosuro Technique's Reaction does not do anything to the Personality it copies Chi from. Jeff Alexander, "post for 27-28 May 2003", 29 May 2003
• Q: This question relates to another one I've been thinking about lately, with regards some of the new cards.
  To use and old card with similar wording to what I'm thinking of for the question -
  Agasha Tamori (relevant text) - 2Chi - Has a 3C bonus when casting spells
  If he is casting a spell that is interrupted by Enough Talk or Witch Hunt (or any other means I cannot think of atm) that forces him into a duel while attempting to cast the spell does he keep his Chi bonus?
  A: If the interrupting reaction is worded to happen "before" his spellcasting action, he won't have the bonus. If it triggers "when" or "after" he casts a spell, he has the bonus. Jeff Alexander, "post for 25 July 2002", 26 Jul 2002
• Q: Here's a scenario for ya...
  First, the involved cards:
  Secrets on the Wind:
  Bow this shugenja and destroy a token to dishonor target personality...etc etc etc.
  Witch Hunt:
  Reaction: Play this card when a Kiho or Spell is cast. One of your Shugenja issues an unrefusable challenge to the caster. If your Shugenja wins, cancel the Kiho or Spell. (either way, destroy the loser.)
  Okay, I have an honorable Kuni Utagu in play, and my stinky scorpion opponent has a shugenja with Secrets on the Wind attached, which he promptly uses to dishonor Utagu, thinking to shame him a moment later... I throw down a Witch Hunt and we commence to scrap. We both focus a couple times, and it ends up with Utagu being just a bit short, in essence, he loses, and is destroyed. Now here is where it gets a bit sticky.
  which of the following is true?
  1. Utagu dies honorably, and Secrets on the Wind fizzles this turn. 2. Utagu dies dishonorably, and I get stuck for his 2 Personal honor. 3. Utagu dies honorably, but is still targeted by the spell, and is turned into dishonorable dead, post mortem.
  3 is highly unlikely in my book, but I can see it being interpreted that way. My leaning is towards 1, and here is why. I think that the timing of everything prevents the spell from being successfully cast this turn. The sequence of events is this (as I see it) 1. Scorp targets Kuni Utagu, bows his shugenja to dishonor him with secrets on the wind. 2. Spell's resolution is interrupted by Witch Hunt, which is a reaction. ( This is not directly spelled out, but is very strongly implied by the card) 3. Duel commences as per duel rules. 4. Duel resolves, Utagu dies, and is sent to the discard pile. 5. Secrets resolves, but the original target is no longer in play, thus not affected by the spell, and it fizzles.
  So, what happens?
  A: I think you've made the right call. Utagu became an illegal target for the Secrets action before it resolved, so, by the rulebook, it does not affect him. Jeff Alexander, "post for 26 June 2002", 27 Jun 2002
• Q: Jeffsama,
  This is a question about Witch Hunt. Say an opponent targets one of your bowed personalities with Touch of Death. With your new ruling (new ruling written below) can Witch Hunt be played. Relavent Text of Witch Hunt: Reaction: Play this card when a Kiho or Spell is cast. One of your Shugenja issues an unrefusable challenge to the caster. If your Shugenja wins, cancel the Kiho or Spell. (Either way, destroy the loser.)
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 April 2002 pt. 1", 5 Apr 2002