Blackened Sky

Legend of the Five Rings card from Gold Edition, Hidden Emperor 1

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Battle: Take any number of additional actions, which must all produce Ranged Attacks, before the next player's opportunity to take an action this Combat Segment. Until that player's opportunity, you may not announce any Reaction unless it produces (not just modifies) a Ranged Attack.

Focus Value

1

Legality

Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Blackened Sky 0G 1FV Battle: Take as many consecutive actions that make ranged attacks as you like, before the next player takes an Open or Battle action. You cannot take Reactions during this time unless they make ranged attacks." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 8
• An action that produces a Ranged Attack and some other effect(s) is legal. [ZF, 2 August 2000] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 8
• Q: Can I use reactions like Coordinated Fire or the strength-boosting effect of Arrows From the Woods in combination with Blackened Sky? A: No. Reactions are actions, and Blackened Sky says that all the actions you take during its effect must produce ranged attacks in and of themselves. The Imperial Herald, Issue 10, p. 10

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can you play Tsuruchi Technique and Arrows from the Woods and such to increase the strength of ranged attacks being taken under Blackened Sky since they are Ranged Attack reactions?
  A: No (card text). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 9 September 2003", 9 Sep 2003
• Q: Blackened Sky Battle:Take as many consecutive actions that make ranged attacks as you like, before the next player takes an Open or Battle action. You cannot take Reactions during this time unless they make ranged attacks
  It is evident from this that one cannot use Arrows From the Woods or Tsuruchi Technique to increase a ranged attack strength and then continue shooting. Can one react to the final ranged attack with a card like Arrows From the Woods? Or is that still considered to be "during this time"
  A: You can only use a Reaction that happens "after" the last ranged attack. Arrows From the Woods doesn't work. Jeff Alexander, "post for 2 June 2003", 3 Jun 2003
• Q: Is the following sequence legal?
  1) Declare a Naval Invasion. (as the attacker) 2) Use Kyuden Gotei's ability to tap one of my naval personalities and gain two consecutive battle actions. 3) Play Jagged Earth (terrain). 4) Play Blackened Sky.
  I'm sure you can guess what happens now. ^_^ The part of the sequence I'm most curious about is number 3. Now while I didn't play a terrain as the first action of a naval invasion, I played a terrain before the defender was allowed to play. Is this legal?
  A: Nope. Bullet item #2 from the naval invasion rules:
  "Players with units in the Naval army may not play Terrains until after one of the other players passes or takes a Battle or Open action."
  Terrains are not prohibited only as your first single action -- they are prohibited to all players with one or more units in the naval army until a player not in that group has had an opportunity to take an ordinary action. Jeff Alexander, "post for 26 May 2003", 29 May 2003
• Q: but can you react to those fears with things like face of fear?
  Kyofu's action does not have the restrictions against Reactions that Blackened Sky does, so they're legal.
  Are you really sure about this?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 9 December 2002", 10 Dec 2002
• Q: The Blackened Sky ruling predates the GE MRP.
  A: The Blackened Sky ruling is based on the old wording, which included this line: "All of these action must be Ranged Attacks -- you may not perform actions other than those that produce Ranged Attacks."
  Kyofu doesn't have anything like that either. Jeff Alexander, "post for 9 December 2002", 10 Dec 2002
• Q: * Do you get to take any number of Range attacks if you play Blackened Sky with honor lesson dojo?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 11 November 2002", 12 Nov 2002
• Q: If I play Mushin, then in the first action play Blackened Sky: Is the first Ranged Attack considered as the second action of Mushin or can I play then (after the ranged attacks) another action, let´s say Stand Against the Waves?
  A: Blackened Sky gives you a brand new set of extra actions that happen after Mushin's first extra action but before its second. You still get one action after Blackened Sky ends. Jeff Alexander, "post for 5 August 2002", 6 Aug 2002
• Q: A) Since Mushin says 2 consecutive actions, I can play Blackened Sky before he can react to the Jagged Earth. I kill his whole army, jump on the table, and yell, "Tsurchi just laid the smackdown on your candy ***!!" or some other wrestling trash talk.
  B) The Jagged Earth is negated first, so I have to shoot the followers first.
  A: If it weren't for the naval terrain goof, the answer would be B). Mushin doesn't give you two uninterruptable actions. It makes it your "turn" to take a Battle/Open action twice in a row. Jeff Alexander, "post for 18 April 2002", 18 Apr 2002
• Q: Could you use Arrows From the Woods to increase a ranged attack during Blackened Sky?
  A: No, by the MRP of Blackened Sky. No actions are allowed by you, including Reactions, except ones which create Ranged Attacks. Jeff Alexander, "post for 1 April 2002", 2 Apr 2002