Writ of Command

Legend of the Five Rings card from Enemy of My Enemy

Card Type

Item

Force

+0

Chi

+0

Gold Cost

4

Keywords

Writ

Card Text

Will only attach to a Courtier.
Battle/Open: Bow this Personality and target another player's dishonorable Personality: During Attack Phases this turn, you assign the target instead of his controller, you may assign him even if he is bowed, you may straighten him after each time he assigns, and he may assign and move into your armies.

Focus Value

4

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• The unit does not switch control. [Card text] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 56
• A unit in an enemy army does not switch sides if its controller moves it out of battle, [ZF, web, 1 May 2005] or if it leaves and returns to a battlefield. [ZF, web, 16 November 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 56
• If you put another player's Personality in your army by Writ of Command, he cannot be rehonored by you winning or tying a battle. He can only be rehonored by his or her controller winning or tying. [ZF, web, 27 February 2006] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 56
• You must assign the unit if an attack is declared, regardless of its bowed status. [ZF, web, 6 March 2006; ML, web, 6 March 2006] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 56

Rules Q&A

• Q: So, I use Writ of Command open action, and assign the target to one of my armies.
  A few questions about this, mostly coming from the fact that even if they guy is in your army, Writ of command doesn't give you control of him. 1) if he is the only guy in my defending army, I don't have presence, but my oponent does have presence, even if he doesn't control an attacking personality there, right? 2) Can my opponent chose him as the performer of battle actions? 2b) Can this guy perform actions that target "an enemy card/personality" to kill my other defenders there? 3) If my oponent uses, say, ring of Water to get him home, and then moves back again, can he move to the Attacking army? what if he moves to another province instead of the one he assigned to?
  I think that's it for now, more may come later
  Thanks guys!
  A: Under discussion/consideration.
  There are only about 3 cards in the game that cause cards controlled by an enemy leader to be in HIS enemy's army, and both card wordings and Rules have changed since these effects were contemporary, such that they would effect how they are played under the current rules set. Brook Cunningham, "Writ of Command", 22 Sep 2012
• Q: I have a dishonored guy with brand of cowardice (lets say, bokatsu). My opponent has a personality with writ of comand, and he uses it on my bokatsu. Then, he declares an attack. He asigns my Bokatsu and some random guy to attack one of my provinces, and I dont defend.(W)hich army is considered to be the "enemy army" for Brand of Cowardice?
  A: Read from perspective of card's controller, which is you, so the enemy army is your opponent. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command & brand of Cowardice", 15 Aug 2007
• Q: (C)an I use Bokatsu to send both he and the other atacker home?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command & brand of Cowardice", 15 Aug 2007
• Q: (I)f bokatsu were the only one attacking, can I target him for both the cost and the effect of the Brand, sending him home?
  A: No. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command & brand of Cowardice", 15 Aug 2007
• Q: Writ of Command allows you to assign a dishonored personality into your army, but does not say you explicitly gain control of them.
  If this is the case, can you:
  A) target them with battle actions like Hida's Avalanche?
  B) Use abilities on the personality's card or unit?
  C) Take Loyal personailities since they are not joining you?
  Grammatically, one would assume that any personality in your army is under your control, but we all know grammar means nothing in this game. All of these questons would be moot if you did temporarily gain control of the personailty.
  A: Rules Archive, Writ of Command (not to mention numerous posts in the forum that can be found with the forum search function): "The unit does not switch control." Please do a little legwork before posting questions. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command control issue", 7 May 2006
• Q: Player B has Writ of Command. Player A has a dishonored personality. Player B uses Writ of Command on Player A's Personality. Player B does not assign the personality into either army.
  Can Player A use Charge of the Baraunghar on his personality and move it into his army?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command VS Charge of the Baraunghar", 16 Nov 2005
• Q: Player B assigns the personality into his own army
  Can Player A use Charge of the Baraunghar on his personality and move it into his army?
  A: No. Once in an army, it will not switch sides, even if moved out of battle (Archive, Writ of Command). Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command VS Charge of the Baraunghar", 16 Nov 2005
• Q: Player B assigns the personality into his own army. Player A sends the personality home. Can Player A use Charge of the Baraunghar on his personality and move it into his army?
  A: No, for reason above. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command VS Charge of the Baraunghar", 16 Nov 2005
• Q: The other player uses Writ of Command on Shono. He assigns him to defend. I still have control of shono (B/c WoC doesnt change control). I choose to use shono's movement action and move him to another province. In the new province (battlefield) shono joined the attaking army (shono's controler one) or instead the WoC player army?
  A: Stays on the side it's on. Zen Faulkes, "Writ of Command + movement", 1 May 2005
• Q: Nowhere does it say the controller changes, so I assume the original controller still controls the targeted Personality.
  Am I correct in assuming that, in such a situation, the Personality is basically protected against all forms of battle dueling? (since one can never control both personalities in a duel)
  Also, if, say, the Personality has Yu, and the army they are in loses the battle, who decides which cards will be destroyed?[/quote]
  A: The vulnerability to Duels depends on card text. From what I see, the rulebook prohibits two Personalities with the same controller from dueling eachother, but not two Personalities in the same army with Different controllers. Many battle duels say "opposing" though.
  As to Yu, the Leader of the Army decides how to resolve all Yu effects from cards in his army, regardless of their controller. (DE Rulebook, page 93) Martin Lund, "Writ of Command", 3 Apr 2005
• Q: [OBH] Scenario: My opponent has a dishonored Sezaru with a fear ability granted by a spell. I target Sezaru with Writ of Command and assign him to my attacking army. Can Sezaru's owner trigger his fear ability to target one of my attacking personalities in the same army? Fear ability as templated states" Bow a target enemy Follower or Personality with X or lower Force." We assumed Sezaru could. Seeking confirmation.
  A: Correct. Since "enemy" has supplanted "opposing" terminology, cards in the same army as Sezaru in your described scenario are still "enemy" targets, per the definition of "enemy" and the fact Sezaru's controller still controls him, even though you did the Assigning. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 29 Oct 2025