Thanksdueling! - November 9, 2024

Geonosis Arena (via the Hoth 3D board)

Ok folks, before we jump into the Thanksdueling! recap, we have a couple of important public service announcements for our Epic Duels league.

First - you're taking too long on your turn.  We all our.  Let's speed it up, people!  Think of your move ahead of time, etc.  There will of course be crucial moments in the game where prolonged discussion is appropriate and even encouraged.  But if you're moving one space and drawing two cards...that should go quickly.  Thank you for your help.

Second - you don't have to hit "reply all" when RSVPing for a Duel.  Just reply to Rob - you'll be ok!  Unless you like driving Curtis crazy.  Then, by all means, hit "reply all" or at least "cc" him.  Thank you for your help.

We now return to our normal blog recap schedule... 

11 turkeys about to get basted...

Our 12 Duelers donned their parkas for the Geonosis via Hoth board.  If you're new to the league, the Hoth board is the exact same layout as the Geonosis map that came with the original game.  In other words, it's a classic!

This game was a real slobber-knocker in that the light and dark sides, at least initially, would not flip on each other.  The board got even more gummed up when Justin's Torbin took the Barash Vow, blocking the side lane from the dark side advance.  This turned the action to the middle, where the light side was quickly eliminating dark side minor characters, including Rob's Han Solo using a Bowcaster on his first turn to destroy one of James' Super Battle Droids.  A couple of hours later Rob was rewarded by being Tied To A String by Curtis' Supreme Leader Snoke.  Han had no chance in the dark side kill box, and the Godfather won the Golden Jar Jar for the second month in a row!

It looked like the light side might be in trouble, but Kiera's Yoda decided to be the true leader of the alliance by charging into the dark side to try and help Ian's Anakin.  She Force Pushed James' Count Dooku into the light side corner and tormented others, allowing Ian to retreat and Riley E.'s Mandalorian to fire Disintegration at Jonah's Maul!  Jonah couldn't block it and he was shockingly gone in eleventh.

Kiera quietly plotting while the dark side debated.

Despite Kiera's heroics, she quickly became the target and poor Yoda was down to his last two points of health.  Sam proved how sneaky Cad Bane could be, and used Flame Gauntlet to destroy Kiera's night in tenth.  It was one of the most selfless moves in recent league history though, Kiera!

Sam/Cad and Jordyn/Jango joined forces with James' Dooku, who despite saying he was joining the light side, flipped once again and had Justin's Indara pinned against the still sleeping Torbin.  But Justin was able to use Jedi Prowess to extend his life.  Meanwhile, Caden was using the double-minor character combo of Chirut and Baze.  Before Baze died he unleashed two Staccato Lightnings to eliminate three dark side minors.  A couple of rounds later Chirut used double Blind Lightbows to finish off Cad Bane.  Sam checked out in ninth!

You can't see, but James was wearing flip-flops under the table.

With eight Duelers left in the game, the light and dark sides were still locked against each other and dead even.  James flipped YET AGAIN and sweet talked himself back into the good graces of the light side, but before the ink had even dried on the new contract his Dooku Force Pushed Justin/Indara to an eighth place death!  And Torbin had just woken up and changed his galactic diaper, too!

This became a key turning point in the game, because instead of the dark side now having the distinct advantage, James/Dooku and Alex G./Grievous started acting as independent contractors.  The long term effect was they left Curtis/Snoke out to dry and open to shots when they wouldn't make room for him behind the snow drifts.  Curtis was justifiably cranky.  He inflicted some damage on his way out the door, but Ian's Padme laid down the final hit.

The Thanksdueling! trophy looming in the background...

Things were still chaotic and unsettled.  Alex/Grievous and James/Dooku looked to be in a solid alliance, but Jordyn/Jango was starting to waffle on them and was having sidebars with Riley/Mando.  Riley and Ian/Anakin looked tight with Caden/Chirut along for the ride.  Give Caden credit, navigating double minor characters on that treacherous of a board was daunting, but James/Dooku moved in and punched Chirut's card in sixth.  

Alex had a Magnaguard protecting Dooku, but moved him on his term (on purpuse?), leaving James exposed to The Mandalorian.  Riley had already reshuffled and, for the second time that night, laid wasted to a dark side character with Disintegration!  James flipped more times in a single night than I can ever recall in a game - hat tip to him for making it work all the way to fifth place!

The Mandalorian Armor Twins

That left four Duelers, and Riley made a shocking declaration by suggesting the three of them focus on Ian's Anakin and Padme, who were both in good shape.  That's how it played out for several rounds, but Ian/Anakin proved to be elusive as they darted around the snow drifts and Riley and Jordyn didn't want to commit their shooting characters to up-close attacks on Anakin.  That forced Alex/Grievous to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and he eventually grew tired of that and instead offed Jordyn/Jango in fourth.  Well done, Jordyn!  That was just her second career Duel.

Riley and Ian patched up their differences at that point and agreed to go in on Grievous.  Alex was fully healthy and had just reinstalled his Magnaguards.  Riley was drawing nothing but deceased Cara cards at that point, though, so Ian was having to do most of the work.  Alex bluffed it well, but he couldn't draw a Grievous card to save his life.  His luck finally ran out when Padme (still alive!) used a Precise Shot.  The 2024 unofficial rookie of the year was finally out in third.

GULP!

It was past 2AM for the final two, and it looked like it was going to be an epic showdown.  Anakin was banged up but still had Padme.  The Mandalorian was healing up while Ian was tracking down Grievous.  Riley came out firing with This Is The Way, which she had held back to use against Ian, and then miraculously top-decked it on the DRAW A CARD when she had to reshuffle her deck!  But Ian used a Counterattack...and then another a couple of rounds later when Riley played her third Disintegration!  Riley hit a terrible run of luck as her hand was soon almost entirely made up of Cara cards.  Ian stayed persistent and finally used an Anger to end Riley/Mando in second place...denying Riley a chair in the Championship match!  Congrats to Ian - who added to his career win total (16!), still good for second place all-time in league history.  Kudos to Riley too, who had a heck of a night with the Mandalorian.

Ani and Padme winning on Geonosis - how appropriate!

FINAL ORDER OF FINISH:

12.  Rob/Han

11.  Jonah/Maul

10.  Kiera/Yoda

9.  Sam/Cad

8.  Justin/Indara

7.  Curtis/Snoke

6.  Caden/Chirut & Baze

5.  James/Dooku

4.  Jordyn/Jango

3.  Alex G./Grievous

2.  Riley E./Mando

1.  Ian/Anakin

This win gives Ian three for 2024 - which means he'll occupy the #1 chair for the Championship next month!  More details are coming on that one.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday everyone!

 

Preview: Thanksdueling! - November 9, 2024

Gobble gobble, you Dueling Turkeys!  It's November and that means it's time for THANKSDUELING!!!  There's nothing like taking time with friends over the holidays, telling them how much you appreciate them...and stabbing them in the back!  Or shooting - we're equal opportunity ruthless in this league.  PEW PEW!

This Saturday at 7PM in the North Village Fine Arts Studio we're throwing down on our Hoth board, which is really the Geonosis map from the original print of the game.  It will be nice and snowy!

HISTORY OF THANKSDUELING!:

2023 - Julia won with The Mandalorian in the Naboo Reactor Pit

2022 - Penny won with Anakin Skywalker in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2021 - Kaleb won with Princess Leia in the Rancor Dungeon

2020 - Duncan won with Darth Vader in the Rancor Dungeon

2019 - Alex C. won with Darth Maul in the Geonosis Arena

2018 - Ben H. won with Luke Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena

2017 - Rob won with Boba Fett on the Kamino Platform

2016 - JD won with Yoda in the Emperor's Throne Room

2015 - Nathan won with Darth Vader in the Geonosis Arena

2014 - Alex R. won with Boba Fett in the Geonosis Arena

MEET THE DUELERS:

Our tradition for the Thanksdueling! preview is to list what each Dueler is thankful for this year!

Alex G. is thankful for...two trophies!  Are you kidding me!?  The rookie of the year is turning pro at Thanksdueling.  Could he land a third win??

Caden is thankful for...a second chance!  We haven't seen Caden at the table since his unfortunate last place at CL Training.  Welcome back, Caden!

Cate is thankful for...attacking twice on a turn!  Seriously, I can't think of another Dueler in league history who loves inflict damage on others.

Curtis is thankful for...Championship tune-ups.  He's only played a couple of times this fall and looks to shake the rust off at Thanksdueling!.

Ian is thankful for...top five finishes!  He's placed in the top five in six of his last seven Duels!!

James is thankful for...consistency!  This will mark his fifth consecutive Duel, and if he wins Thanksdueling!, he'll get to turn pro at the December Championship!

Jonah is thankful for...Sol!  Jonah, still a Dueling rookie, took down his first win last month with the relatively new character from The Acoloyte!

Jordyn is thankful for...Star Wars puns!  Rob had the pleasure of working the same group process room with Jordyn this week and she had him rolling!

Justin is thankful for...a free Saturday!  Since winning at the Doubleheader in August we haven't seen Justin back in action until now.

Kiera is thankful for...the Brooks Bounty Hunter Guild!  The BRC has become a wretched hive of Duelers this year, and that is most definitely a compliment.

Rob is thankful for...this bumper crop of CL Duelers!  We have nine CLs playing Saturday night, how cool is that!?!

Sam is thankful for...top half finishes!  Sam has finished sixth or higher in his last three Duels.  Can he score his first trophy at Thanksdueling!??

The Geonosis/Hoth board is a classic!  We're throwing down promptly at 7PM - if you need a rules refresher come a few minutes early!  Until then...grab a turkey leg and get ready!

30 Wins in 150 Duels

Enjoy this graphic chronicling Rob's 30 wins across the first 150 Duels in League History!

Fight Night - October 4, 2024

Naboo Reactor Pit

It's hard to even comprehend it's already October, and even harder to realize we're just one more Duel away from the 2024 Championship!  Fight Night is one of the last chances to secure a spot in the biggest Duel of the year.  Would somebody new punch their card for a chair at the December match??  #foreshadowing

Trick or treat!  (Probably tricks...)

Folks settled in at the table inside of the North Village Community Center (fun fact - this was the room we used for 2014-15 Dueling season!) and Rob explained the rules for the opening and closing laser walls of the Naboo Reactor Pit.  Rob/Jyn Erso and James/Boba Fett got stuck in the worst two starting spots, the small chamber between the reactor area and the rest of the hallway.  It took no time at all for Jordann/Ahsoka and Grant/Droidekas to start suggesting Jyn and Boba would be great targets for everyone else playing.  James lost Greedo but managed to Rocket Retreat to the back end of the hallway.  Rob wasn't as fortunate.  His Jyn Erso was the first character down thanks to Grant's Droidekas.  Rob went from first last month to last this month.  It always stings!

The next phase of the game took a LONG time - the Duelers huddled in the hallway trading shots with the other end of the board, navigating walls spontaneously opening and closing.  Alex G., playing Han and Chewy, secured his Bowcaster and popped Eric's Cad Bane.  But when the pit side of the board finally advanced, Han got caught too far forward.  Cate's Reva, who was out for blood in any form she could find it, landed the kill shot.  Alex is a real all-or-nothing Dueler, if he ain't first, he's (nearly) last!

Cate considering which alliance member she'll attack...

God bless Duelers like Cate, who keep the game moving with action.  Her alliance had to redirect her a lot, but she wasn't shy about playing cards.  Unfortunately, getting the hit on Han left her exposed to Han's alliance.  They attacked immediately, and Riley B.'s Orson Krennic played Hero of the Empire to knock her out in tenth.  That was a nice recovery by Riley, who had earlier suffered from an I Will Not Fight You from Mark's Luke Skywalker.

It looked like the hallway crew might actually tip the scales, but they ran into a bad string of untimely laser door closures.  That left Riley B. susceptible to the pit alliance.  Jonah's Sol crept in for the kill, using Noble Intentions.  Riley played great but was stuck with some bad luck.  He hopes to have better luck at the Championship!

The last stand.

Losing Krennic was a big blow for the hallway crew, but they had a glimmer of hope when Jordann/Ahsoka made her way down the hall to confront the remaining trio.  But yet again, the doors closed each time it looked like Jordann might be in danger.  Her alliance wisely concentrated their fire on Riley E.'s Bo-Katan.  She held out as long as she could, but Grant's Droidekas did her in in eighth.

James' Boba Fett had retreated to the back line hours ago, and was finally in position to unload with his stockpiled attack cards.  But Mark played ANOTHER I Will Not Fight You, which was brutal for James.  He held out a bit longer, but Jordann, totally vibing with her previous least favorite character Ahsoka, landed a five point attack to send James into the great big sarlacc in the sky.  

"You're third-partying, bro!"

With six to go it was clearly Sam S.'s Captain Phasma against everyone else.  Earlier in the game Sam scored a major coup when he used New Recruit against one of Grant's Droidekas!  Sam went on a thirty minute monologue, trying to talk and joke his way out of being the next target, and played an uncanny amount of well-timed defense cards, but it ultimately wasn't enough.  Jordann once again collected a trophy, and Sam was done in sixth.  It was no riz-factor ten.

Just before Sam went down, the alliance of five splintered when Eric, playing his first Duel (and playing very well!) and piloting Cad Bane, started shooting Grant's last Droideka.  That put the target on Eric, even though Jordann proposed a Brooks College final three at one point.  Eric proved the usefulness of Rocket Boots more than once, but he finally succumbed to his wounds, fittingly, from a Droideka attack.  That was a heck of a first Duel, Eric!  Come play again.  

The Three Amigos

With Cad Bane gone, there were four to go.  Jordann waffled a bit and wouldn't commit to a target, even though Mark had made an offer to work together.  That essentially left Mark/Luke Skywalker without an ally.  Everyone feared his fully healthy Luke and Leia, but those health points quickly evaporated.  Grant's Droideka blasted him off the board in fourth.  Not bad for a Dueler who had his appendix out just seven days earlier!

Jordann could feel her chance at victory slip through her fingers when Jonah/Sol decided to stay loyal to the damaged Droideka belonging to Grant.  Grant pulled a surprising volley of attacks on her, and it proved fatal.  The Droideka eventually got her out in third.  Jordann is playing so well right now!!  When will she finally ring the winner's bell??

It looked like Jonah was going to cruise to victory, especially with Grant's Droideka on his last row of health.  But the unrealized advantage of the double minor character Droidekas is that every card they draw can be used, and out of nowhere, Grant was blocking shots and whittling down Sol to his last few points of health!  Jonah got down to his last attack card while Grant was on his last point of health.  In a fateful decision, Grant used a three defense instead of his four, but Sol's attack was four points!  Jonah won his first Duel in just his fourth career game!!!  Congrats to Jonah!  This was only the second game for Sol - that's a great start for the character.  But also...way to go Grant!  My goodness, he was deft at rolling those Droidekas around the board and causing damage.

Put respect on Jonah's name!

The final order of finish:

12.  Rob/Jyn

11.  Alex G./Han

10.  Cate/Reva

9.  Riley B./Krennic

8.  Riley E./Bo-Katan

7.  James/Boba

6.  Sam S./Phasma

5.  Eric/Cad

4.  Mark/Luke

3.  Jordann/Ahsoka

2.  Grant D./Droidekas

1.  Jonah/Sol

Congrats again Jonah and Sol!!  Our November Duel - Thanksdueling! - is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 9, at 7PM.  Pencil it in now, Rob will send out the official invite in a few weeks.

October is crazy - enjoy the month of activities and mentally prepare for the November Duel.  Until then...PEW PEW!

Preview: Fight Night - October 4, 2024

There are only two Duels left to qualify for the 2024 Championship, held each December.  Anyone with a win during the calendar year qualifies, and the remaining seats go to the top ranked professional Duelers.  This year's Fight Night is one way to save a seat for the biggest Duel of the year!

It feels appropriate we'll be playing Fight Night in the Naboo Reactor Pit.  The board is set up to promote numerous skirmishes.  There's nowhere to hide on this battleground!  

HISTORY OF FIGHT NIGHT:

2023 - Penny won with Tobias Beckett in the Geonosis Arena

2022 - Rob won with Jyn Erso on the Conveyex Train

2021 - Kat won with Rey in the Emperor's Throne Room

2020 - Duncan won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Naboo Reactor Pit

2019 - Rob won with Boba Fett in the Emperor's Throne Room
2018 - JD won with Mace Windu in the Carbon Freezing Chamber
2017 - Joel won with the Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room
2016 - Stephen won with Emperor Palpatine in the Geonosis Arena
2015 - Curtis won with Han Solo in the Emperor's Throne Room
2014 - Grant won with Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room

MEET THE DUELERS:

A tradition for the Fight Night preview post, our annual October Duel, is to share what the perfect Star Wars costume is for each of the Duelers this Halloween!  On that note...

Alex G. - despite winning twice this year, poor Alex G. recorded his first ever last place finish at last month's Fall Brawl.  That makes his perfect costume...Jar Jar Binks!

Cate - she played her first career game at Doubleheader #1 and showed a real blood lust for attacking early and often.  That makes her perfect costume...a Wampa!

Connor - this marks Connor's fourth Duel and he's played well up to this point.  He also suffered a massive nose bleed at last month's match.  That makes his perfect costume...Garindan!

Eric - rookie Dueler alert!!!  We're excited to welcome Eric to the league, as Fight Night will be his first Duel.  That makes his perfect costume...Sors Bandeam!

Grant D. - Grant's stellar 2024 continued last month with a third place at the Fall Brawl.  His wisdom in a league of newer Duelers makes his perfect costume...Chief Chirpa!

James - he experienced a rough Doubleheader in August, but James proved his mettle at the Fall Brawl, where he finished second with The Stranger from The Acolyte.  That makes his perfect costume...Bazil!

Jonah - this is also Jonah's fourth Duel.  He's yet to crack the top 6 in a Duel though.  He's certainly brave and willing to put himself out there though.  That makes his perfect costume...Porkins!

Jordann - she's the highest ranked professional Dueler without a win, and she got close once again at the Fall Brawl, where she finished fourth.  Her politicking makes her perfect costume...Mon Mothma!

Mark W. - Mark's lone Duel was a seventh place at Doubleheader #1 back in August.  It's hard to say how he'll do in his second match.  That makes his perfect costume...Rio Durant!

Riley E. - the two-time winner hasn't been on the winner's podium in a couple of years.  And now she's been cast in her high school play.  That makes her perfect costume...Sy Snootles!

Rob - can you believe the Dueling godfather won his 30th career Duel at the Fall Brawl, which was also the league's 150th Duel?  That's just gross.  That makes his perfect costume...Tion Medon!

Sam - he's coming off two top-five finishes at the Doublheaders in August.  He certainly has a scoundrel's approach.  That makes his perfect costume...DJ!

Please know some of these costume choices make absolutely no sense.  I'll let you figure out which ones those are, though...

We play Friday at 7PM over in the North Village Community Center.  See you all then!  PEW PEW!!!