Black Hearts, Red Blades

Legend of the Five Rings card from Celestial Edition, Celestial Edition 15th Anniversary

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Ninja

Card Text

Ninja Battle: Move home two of your target performing Personalities in Ninja units to discard any cards in the current battlefield's Province and draw two cards.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Destroyer War (Celestial)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Black Hearts, Red Blades 0G 2FV Ninja Battle: Target two of your unbowed Ninja Personalities without non-Ninja Followers: Move them home. If both of them moved, discard any cards in the current battlefield’s province and draw two cards." [Celestial Edition, 29 June 2009] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 123
• The ability on Black Hearts, Red Blade now reads, "Battle: Target two of your Ninja Personalities without non-Ninja Followers: Move them home. If both of them moved, discard any cards in the current battlefield’s province and draw two cards." [CE 15 MRP, 22 March 2010] Comprehensive Rules, Celestial Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, February 2012, p. 123

Rules Q&A

• Q: If i play Crippling Weather and my oponent plays an action to move away from the battle, after that action's resolutios does the personality still bow?
  For example, let's say i've played Crippling Weather against a ninja player:
  a) He reacts with Bayushi Muhito xp2 and goes to another battlefield. Does Muhito bow after the action's resolution?
  b) He plays Black Hearts, Red Blades and goes home. What happens with the targeted personalities?
  Relevant text:
  Crippling weather Winter Battle: Destroy all terrains in play. Until this battle ends, no new terrains may be played. After each time this battle an action ends, bow any Personalities who performed it.
  Bayushi Muhito xp2 Reaction: After the resolution of another player's Battle action: Move Muhito to a different location.
  Black Hearts, Red Blades Ninja Battle: Target two of your unbowed Ninja Personalities without non-Ninja Followers: Move them home. If both of them moved, discard any cards in the current battlefield's province and draw two cards.
  A: Crippling Weather bows any Personality who performs an action. It doesn't care whether it's a Battle action or a Reaction action, it doesn't care where the Personality is now, it doesn't care whether any other Personality or Follower also performed the action, it doesn't care whether the action came from an ability on the Personality, on a Strategy, on an attachment, on a Holding, Region, Event or Stronghold or in the rulebook.
  "This battle" is a time frame, not a location. "This battlefield" or "The battlefield at this province" is a location. Alex Jones, "Crippling Weather and movement from the battle", 20 May 2011
• Q: If there is a battle with 2 ninjas, can Strike From the Shadows be played to sneak attack and use Black Hearts, Red Blades as the first action and retreat with both ninjas? Or does the text on Strike from the Shadows limit you from playing the card (which must be performed by a Ninja)?
  A: If you mean, "Does having two Ninja exclude something callling for 'a Ninja' -- no. See: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Special_wording ... _of_things Zen Faulkes, "Strike from the Shadows and Black Hearts, Red Blades", 28 Jul 2010
• Q: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=83805 xuanra2002 wrote:If one of them reacts to move with the Flawless Assassin's reaction, and enters to the same province, does it count as if the personality moved or not? Zen wrote: Tentatively, no. "Moved" in this context is referring back to "home" referred to in Black Hearts, Red Blades.
  So, just to be clear, if an effect successfully moves a personality to a different location, and a reactionary effect successfully moves the same personality back to the original location, the original successful movement does not count as having happened as far as other effects are concerned?
  A: Due to some discussion in the Rules Junta, the tentative ruling I made above is being reversed. "If they both moved" will only look for the movement, not the source. Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades", 7 Jun 2010
• Q: Black Hearts, Red Blades: Can you choose not to discard any card in the province?
  A: No. Effects that are option are indicated as such word words like "may." Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades", 27 May 2010
• Q: If one of them reacts to move with the Flawless Assassin's reaction, and enters to the same province, does it count as if the personality moved or not?
  A: Tentatively, no. "Moved" in this context is referring back to "home" referred to in Black Hearts, Red Blades. Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades", 27 May 2010
• Q: Black Hearts, Red Blades: An opponent targeting my province can only discard the face down/up card in the province and nothing attached to it right?
  A: Correct.
  http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Areas_of_the_ga ... of_play.29: "Cards attached to a Province are not 'in,' nor can be discarded 'from,' that Province." Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades vs. Regions", 11 Jan 2010
• Q: Black Hearts, Red Blades: what cards does this card discard?
  A: Cards in Provinces (card text). Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades question", 20 Sep 2009
• Q: Terrains
  A: No. Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades question", 20 Sep 2009
• Q: Regions,
  A: No. Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades question", 20 Sep 2009
• Q: even up to units and armies?
  A: Emphatically no. Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades question", 20 Sep 2009
• Q: Or something else?
  A: Yes!
  Those Dynasty cards sitting in Provinces that are normally bought or ditched at the Dynasty Phase are what are discarded. Terrains, armies, units are in battlefields, not Provinces. Regions are attached to Provinces, but not in them. Zen Faulkes, "Black Hearts, Red Blades question", 20 Sep 2009