Cactus Game Design Message Boards

In rereading this card, I'm wondering why your opponent wouldn't discard 3 cards from hand and you would draw 3 if played on an emperor.  The first discard and draw happens no matter who is in battle.  And based on the second sentence, if used by an emperor, you do each of these 2 more times. 

I'm not trying to argue this for the sake of argument - I just realized that the card is not played as it is strictly read. 

Heavy Taxes - Opponent must discard a card from hand and you may draw a card. If used by an emperor, do this twice and end the battle.

When it says do this twice, it means do it for a total of two times, not twice more, that's the way I understand it.

That's what everyone thinks, including me; no one, as far as I know, has ever questioned this.  But it's not how the card reads.

I know, based on some of the new cards (Peter's Sermon and Deception Exposed, for example), that HT will always discard 2/draw 2 with emperors.  I'd just like to see the rule that says why you play HT this way.

I think that it's a bit ambiguous, yes. If they intended it to be twice they could have said "If used by an emperor, do this again and end the battle." and if they'd wanted it 3 times they could have said "If used by an emperor, do this twice more and end the battle."

As it stands, since it's been ruled consistently for years, the grammar is being interpreted to mean "do it again" as opposed to "do it two more times."