Carbon Freezing Chamber
For the first time this season, we played in the Carbon Freezing Chamber! Tommy drew chair number one, so it was up to him to pick the field of battle. He couldn't have selected a more intense environment. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no matter where you stand on the board you feel too crowded. In other words, it was the perfect setting for the Fall Brawl!
This match featured several milestones before the first card was even drawn. Ian made his debut as a professionally ranked dueler, meaning he was playing in his sixth duel. Nathan, playing for his fifth time, will be a professional in his next match. And we had a rookie at the table! That's right, Julio was playing a 12-way for the first time. We also had two last minute subs - Ryan and Mackenzie were struck down by a stomach bug, so Elysa and Tommy came to our rescue so the duel could go on.
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| The last moment everyone was still friendly... |
The first couple of rounds of play were uneventful as folks carded up, but JD caused a stir early, as he's prone to do, by sneaking a diagonal shot with his Jango against Sakina's Darth Maul. He then used his "rocket retreat" card and moved all the way to the back row of the light side half of the Chamber. His minor character, Zam Wessel, got off another shot in a similar way and Sakina was getting damaged early. Ian decided to move away from the middle of the board, the tricky starting spot of his Darth Vader, and join the light side as well. This left Julio's Emperor quite exposed to a wall of light side shooters. It wasn't long before Julio faced the harsh realities of a 12-Way Duel - somebody has to finish 12th, and in this case, it was the rookie. We hope Julio will join us again soon, though!
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| Keep your head down and don't make eye contact, Stephen! |
Sakina and Elysa were the next two to go, and it appeared they were resigned to an undetermined fate, as they did little to defend themselves and made curious moves which seemed to expedite their deaths. This left Stephen/Dooku alone on the dark side of the board, and the assumed next victim, but multiple folks conspired to take down Ian's Vader next. Curtis/Luke played his "I will not fight you" card to dump him of his attacks and, as it turned out, all of his defense too. But when he revealed his hand he was loaded with "Special" cards he got to keep. Nathan/Mace moved in to take advantage of the situation, but Chris/Han positioned his Chewbacca behind Mace and unloaded the "bowcaster," rocking Nathan's world before Ian died in ninth place.
With eight to go Rob/Obi-Wan was feeling nervous that he was at the bottom of the current alliance, so he made a fateful decision. He back-stabbed Curtis. Though they had been working well together, Rob knew Curtis had no defense left due to the "I will not fight you," and he wanted to get away from Tommy/Yoda and his force lifts. So Rob used a hit and run attack on Luke, then ran over to Mace and finished Nathan off in eighth. That last card let him move everyone on the board, so he surrounded Luke with shooters and no way out. Grant brought his Anakin into that mix and Curtis was soon gone in seventh, a better finish, as Curtis said, than all of last month, but a disappointment Rob will have to pay for someday in the future.
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| JD and Grant, respecting Tommy's final moments. |
Stephen was finally put to rest in sixth place, which was no small feat considering how quickly his side of the board had disintegrated. With five to go folks knew what had to be done: kill Yoda. Tommy was stunned to find out he was next on the hit list, but as Grant proved at the last double header, Yoda is hard to eliminate late in the game. Chris double Wookie tossed the small green Jedi to start the bloodletting, and Tommy would bow out in fifth.
That left four to go: Rob/Obi-Wan, Grant/Anakin, Chris/Han, and JD/Jango. Rob proposed a deal to Grant - he would kill Jango and Grant could eliminate Han, and then they would meet in the middle of the board for the final showdown. Grant agreed...but he didn't! He attacked Obi-Wan instead!!! Rob still killed JD in fourth, but with three to go, he switched tactics and appealed to Chris'reason. The only way Han could win is if he helped Obi-Wan take down Anakin. Grant refused to accept that fate, and continued his press against Rob. Rob was in good position, though, because he was loaded with defense cards and largely hidden from the ranged attacks of Han and Chewey. As things started to look grim, Rob played the "Force Balance" card that forced everyone to discard their hand and draw three! That agitated Grant, who in a rare demonstration of emotion, slammed his cards to the table, including Padme's "Precise Shot," which would have been a nine point attack.
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| He really DID have the high ground! |
Rob's board manipulation had forced Grant towards Chewbacca, and after the redraw Chris soon had the "bowcaster" again. Unable to target Rob, who still had his clone troopers as a human shield, he lowered the laser boom on Grant. Grant wasn't able to recover, and finally finished in third. That left Chris/Han/Chewey against Obi-Wan and Clone Trooper #1. Chris and Rob were both low carded, and spent every attack they had on each other. Since their minor characters were still alive, there would be no healing at the end of this game - the first to red would be dead! Obi started closing in on Han, while the smuggler and his furry sidekick brought him within one point of dying. But with a miraculous luck of the draw, Rob got both of his six point attacks, and swung them both at Chris. Han was dead, and the Fall Brawl was over! If your memory is strong, you'll realize Rob/Grant/Chris was the same final three from the last duel, Double Header #2! That's two straight second place finishes for Chris! Rob won his league-leading sixth title, while Obi-Wan grabbed his third victory, good for second place on the character list of victories. This match was also the first time Emperor has finished last in this league. Only Mace and Vader have avoided the bottom spot in 17 Waco duels. Chris' excellent finish with Han brought him out of the bottom three characters, with Boba taking his place now in tenth place. As for Ian, now a professional, he debuted in third place - nice going, Ian!
Thanks to everyone who came out! Our next duel will be in October, the annual "Fight Night" battle! Stay tuned for more details soon. Stats and rankings will be updated on this page over the next couple of days as well...
Final order of finish:
12. Julio - Emperor Palpatine
11. Sakina - Darth Maul
10. Elysa - Boba Fett
9. Ian - Darth Vader
8. Nathan - Mace Windu
7. Curtis - Luke Skywalker
6. Stephen - Count Dooku
5. Tommy - Yoda
4. JD - Jango Fett
3. Grant - Anakin Skywalker
2. Chris - Han Solo
1. Rob - Obi-Wan Kenobi
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