Preview: A New Hope - January 18, 2025

Of all our monthly Duel monikers, "A New Hope" sure feels most appropriate for the time of year!  (Well, except maybe The Imperial March.  Or May the 4th Be With You...or Thanksdueling?  Gosh, we capture the changing of the seasons well in our 12-way league...)  We've got new calendars, a new semester, it's the first month of the year, and in our heart of hearts, "hope" that this will be the year we become league champion!  Just ask Elliot - our 2024 champ - he just proved it's possible!  Somebody has to win it...why not YOU!?

We're kicking off 2025 on the Arvala-7 board, one of the coolest boards in the league.  Whoever wins this one will already have a seat at the table for the December championship.  Why dilly-dally, get it knocked off your to-do list early!

HISTORY OF THE A NEW HOPE DUEL:

2024 - Ian won with Darth Maul in the Trash Compactor

2023 - Michael won with General Grievous in Ewok Village

2022 - Duncan won with Emperor Palpatine in the Geonosis Arena

2021 - Rob won with Lando Calrissian on Arvala-7

2020 - Curtis won with Darth Maul in the Emperor's Throne Room

2019 - Joel won with Darth Maul in the Geonosis Arena

2018 - Ethan won with Anakin Skywalker on the Kamino Platform

2017 - Nathan won with Mace Windu in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2016 - JD won with Anakin Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena

2015 - Rob won with Mace Windu in the Emperor's Throne Room

MEET THE DUELERS:

What better way to meet the A New Hope Duelers than to hear their New Year's resolutions!

Austin - This is Austin's first Duel since... *checks notes* ...LAST January?!  His New Year's resolution is to play more than once a calendar year!

Caden - In North Village's recent past, they were known as the hub of Epic Duels in the department.  They even have a board in their game closet!  Caden's resolution is...revive Epic Duels in Heritage!

Curtis - This one is pretty obvious.  One of the leagues all-time and most decorated players hasn't won in three and a half years!  His resolution is to finally get back in the win column!

Elliot - Nobody ended 2024 better than Elliot!  He took down the Championship in December (with Cad Bane!), and he has a semester left before he departs to a new galaxy.  His 2025 resolution is to pad his stats with good finishes!

Eric - He debuted at Fight Night last October, and had an impressive fifth place finish in his first Duel.  Eric's resolution is to reach professional status (six Duels played) in 2025!

James - He turns professional at the January Duel, and he'd love to celebrate that fact with a win.  James' resolution is to add hardware to the Teal trophy case!

Jordann - She has five straight top-five finishes and quietly moved into second place in the Dueler rankings after the Championship.  But she graduates soon!  Her resolution is to finally win a Duel!

Jordyn - Jordyn notched two Duels in the Fall, and her humor and strategic approach are both appreciated at the table.  Her resolution is to qualify for the 2025 Championship!

Josiah - After a jaw-dropping second place debut at CL Training in August, we didn't see Josiah again.  But he's back at the table this month!  His resolution is to play more Duels with us in 2025!

Mark - He played a couple of Duels with us in the Fall semester, and that included a nifty fourth place finish at Fight Night.  His resolution is to buy a Stanley, or an Owala, or anything to replace that crusty emergency room plastic bottle he keeps using!

Rob - He's still somewhat bewildered by his fourth place finish at the Championship after an early "I Will Not Fight You" on his Darth Maul.  But there's only one missing accomplishment on Rob's Dueling resume...  His resolution is to win the 2025 Singles Tournament!

Sam - There's a lot of pride among the Teal sect of Duelers.  But Sam has yet to win a match.  His 2025 resolution is to be the best Dueler in Teal Residential College!

Here we go again!  Happy New Year all!!  Feel free to come by the Fine Arts Studio at 7PM this Saturday to catch the carnage!  PEW PEW!

2024 Championship - December 6, 2024

Carbon Freezing Chamber (via Dagobah)

The best and the brightest of the 2024 Dueling year gathered on Friday night to award the Darth Vader trophy to a victor among victors.  Only those who won a Duel in the past calendar year and/or who were ranked high enough got a seat at the table.  The mood was light but determined - every Dueler there wanted to be the Champion!  Alas, only one would pull it off...

Who shall be crowned champion?

A tradition of the Championship recap blog is to post the Duelers with the card that killed them.  It's just a little extra salt in the wound!

12th place - Riley B.

Character - Rey

Card that killed him - 5-point attack from Grievous

Though Riley has moved into a reserve player status after graduating last spring, his win this summer promised him a spot at the Championship.  Julia's Armorer defecting to the dark side out of the gate left the light side deficient.  Riley tried to mind the gap by boldly moving Rey to the front of the battleline, but he couldn't survive Alex's General Grievous.

11th place - Julia

Character - The Armorer

Card that killed her - Justice

The big news of the night was Julia announcing to the table that she and Michael are expecting their first child in May!  Congrats Julia!!!  She got stuck with an unfortunate starting spot but defected early to the dark side.  A second flip much later in the game by Michael unintentionally left Julia exposed to the last stand of the light side.  Grant's Luke hammered her with Justice.

10th place - Ian

Character - Sol

Card that killed him - Hero of the Empire

Ian was the defacto leader of light side alliance and did his best to hold his troops together.  But with a non-shooting minor character and a starting position in the back corner, he was limited in what he could do.  He did help coordinate Julia's ouster, but the presence of Justin's Orson Krennic proved too much and the #1 chair was excused in tenth.

9th place - Grant

Character - Luke Skywalker

Card that killed hi - 2-point attack from Anakin

One of the big moves of the first half of the Championship was Grant playing I Will Not Fight You on Rob's Darth Maul.  That sent the whole dark side into a scramble as they tried to save the horned sith.  Everyone wanted Leia off the board but she was nearly impossible to kill until Michael's Wrath.  Still, it must have felt good to use Justice before being eliminated.

8th place - Jonah

Character - Bo-Katan Kryze

Card that killed him - Faster Than You

Jonah was low-key the MVP for the light side, deftly using Bo and the Night Owls to deliver damage or provide cover when their team was in a pinch.  His Teal buddy Alex kept giving him the "flip" hand signal, but Jonah was noble and stuck to his side of the board.  Even better?  This was Jonah's sixth Duel, meaning he's now a professional Dueler.  Congrats Jonah!

7th place - Alex G.

Character - General Grievous

Card that killed him - 5-point attack from Kylo Ren

When Michael's Anakin became the second flipper to the dark side, that meant an original alliance member was getting squeezed out.  Alex drew the short straw, as folks were nervous about him, especially after seeing how well he played Grievous at last month's Thanksdueling!.  He was justifiably disappointed by the betrayal.  

6th place - Justin

Character - Orson Krennic

Card that killed him - Athletic Surge

Justin proved quite pesky for the light side in the early stages of the game, as Orson and his Death Troopers gave the Jedi and friends all they could handle.  At the final six, negotiations became quite tense as folks were trying to figure out who to take to the final three and beyond.  Justin was loyal to Elliot/Cad and Rob/Maul throughout, but in a surprise move Rob unloaded on him!

5th place - Curtis

Character - Reva - Third Sister

Card that killed him - Athletic Surge

Curtis was heroic in the first half of the game, using his Purge Troopers to protect Rob's depleted Darth Maul.  But in the second half of the game he was clearly aligned with Jordann/Kylo.  He and Rob tried to turn the table against each other, and he was shocked when Michael turned against him too.  But Rob got the death blow when he used his final action after killing Justin to get Curtis too.

4th place - Rob

Character - Darth Maul

Card that killed him - I Know What I Have To Do

Rob went from nearly being the first one dead to the final four after a double elimination of two characters in one turn.  That proved problematic as he attempted to maneuver into the top three.  Neither Michael nor Jordann would work with him and Elliot couldn't stick his neck out for him.  The 2023 Champion couldn't survive and got destroyed by Kylo's best card.

3rd place - Jordann

Character - Kylo Ren

Card that killed her - Flame Gauntlet with a side of Bounty

The best dressed Dueler played a deft and strategic game all night but fell short when her rotating allegiances between Elliot and Michael ultimately led to them teaming up against her.  It took a looooooong time to eliminate her, which is a credit to both Kylo Ren and the great way Jordann was piloting him.  Her first win remains elusive but within reach!

2nd place - Michael

Character - Anakin Skywalker

Card that killed him - No Shame In It

In the history of our league the "second flipper," the frowned upon moniker of the second person who jumps a sinking ship late in the process, is usually the first to go in the remaining alliance.  However, Michael moved to the front of the line and nearly took the whole thing down.  A determined bounty hunter and an unlucky run of Padme cards at the end doomed him in second, though.

1st place - Elliot!!!

Character - Cad Bane

How he won - ...he's Batman!

Elliot had a terrible starting spot on the board, a weaker character, and constantly shifting alliance dynamics throughout the game.  But he also had Cad Freakin' Bane - a slick and slippery villain made for the tensions of a Championship.  He kept his head down, was never the perceived threat, and was always on the right side of the numbers.  Well done on career victory number two, Elliot!!!

What a night!  That was some high caliber Dueling that went late into Saturday morning.  Shoutout to Cad Bane, too, who becomes the first new character to reach 4 wins.  That's impressive - he's only one win away from tying original character Luke Skywalker for 12th place in wins!

Thank you everyone for a fantastic 2024!  What a year - one of the most exciting in league history.  Let's carry that mojo into 2025.  We're tentatively planning the January Duel - A New Hope - for Satruday, January 17th.  Announcements will go out for that in the new year...

Until then, may the force be with you.  Always.

 

Preview: 2024 Championship - December 6, 2024

 

How are we already in the last month of 2024???  Where did the thermal detonators time go??  December heralds the most important Duel of the year, though!  That's right - it's time for the 2024 CHAMPIONSHIP!  This Duel isn't a first-come, first-serve basis.  You have to earn your spot at the table by winning during the calendar year or being ranked high enough if you didn't.  And we have an exciting and dynamic range of Duelers this year, from grizzled veterans to up and coming padawans.  

The Championship is our World Series, Super Bowl, and Oscars all rolled into one!  And it goes down this Friday night!

CHAMPIONSHIP DUEL HISTORY:

2023 - Rob won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2022 - Evan won with Count Dooku in the Emperor's Throne Room

2021 - Rob won with Jango Fett in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2020 - Ben H. won with Boba Fett in the Naboo Reactor Pit

2019 - Ian won with Darth Maul in the Emperor's Throne Room

2018 - Ben H. won with Jango Fett on the Kamino Platform

2017 - Austin won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2016 - Curtis won with Mace Windu on the Kamino Platform

2015 - Nathan won with Count Dooku in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2014 - Ryan won with Boba Fett on the Kamino Platform

MEET THE DUELERS:

Instead of random seating like normal Duels, the Championship features an intentional order of Duelers, with the top chair going to the best Dueler of the year headed into the Championship.  Let's see who has a chance for glory!

Chair #12 - Julia.  Nobody breathed a heavier sigh of relief than Julia's at last month's Thanksdueling!  Riley E. almost secured a spot in the Championship with a win, but her second place finish guaranteed Julia got the last chair.  Her best finish in 2024 was second place at the Valentine's Duel.

Chair #11 - Michael.  Michael would love to get back into the win column at the Championship.  He has four top-five finishes in 2024, including two second places.  His most recent was at the Doubleheaders back in August.  

Chair #10 - Curtis.  He's still going through a rough patch, as his winless streak is at three years now.  He did secure two top-four finishes in 2024 though, with his best performance at the Power Coupling bachelor's party Duel last Spring, where he finished third.

Chair #9 - Jordann.  Jordann is the only Dueler at the table who has yet to claim a career victory, but she has certainly come close and has been a mainstay this year.  She had five top-five finishes in 2024.  That includes her near miss in second place at the Imperial March.

Chair #8 - Jonah.  The 2024 Championship will mark Jonah's transition from rookie to veteran Dueler!  Though he's had several rough finishes in his early career, there's no taking away his win at the October Fight Night!

Chair #7 - Justin.  This rookie Dueler and first year CL has only played three times in 2024, but one of those Duels was his first place finish with Rey at Doubleheader #1!  That's just the kind of way to become a legend in this league.

Chair #6 -  Riley B.  The recently retired professional is still in the Waco area, so in addition to pinch-hitting for us a couple of times this year, he went ahead and won himself a chair at the Championship with his victory at game 2 of the Twin Sun Slam.

Chair #5 - Elliot.  He once held the record for most Duels played without a win, but Elliot shattered that stigma when he finally brought home the bacon at the Valentine's Duel!  He'll need to shake the rust loose for the Championship.

Chair #4 - Alex G.  Not since the career of our most recent Hall of Famer, Duncan, have we seen a Dueler reach two career wins so quickly!  Alex won his debut Duel at CL Training back in August, and just two games later scored his second victory at Doubleheader #2!  Could he also bring home the Championship in his first year of play?

Chair #3 - Grant.  After suffering a years-long winless streak of his own, Grant burst his losing streak in a big way with the ultra-rare back to back wins in 2024.  The first was at the Power Coupling, with his second at Duel of the Fates.  He's got a mess of top three finishes this year to boot.  He's scorching hot!

Chair #2 - Rob.  He is the defending winner of last year's Championship, his second time in his Dueling career he got to hold the Vader trophy.  He was no slouch in 2024 either, with wins at both the Twin Sun Slam and the Fall Brawl.

Chair #1 - Ian.  Nobody rang the victory bell more in 2024 than Ian!  He racked up three - YES THREE - wins in 2024.  He was atop the winner's podium at January's A New Hope, May the 4th Be With You, and again last month at Thanksdueling!  What a run!

MEET THE CHARACTERS:

Something else fun that we do for the Championship is uses characters who won Duels that year and not just randomly generated names.  Here are the 12 characters throwing down at the Championship!

 

None of these characters are slouches, and they'll all be in the Carbon Freezing Chamber this Friday night at 8PM!  Swing on by the North Village Fine Arts Studio to watch it all live!

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!