Card Appreciation Vol. 3

CARD:  "Sudden Arrival"

CHARACTER:  Greedo

WHAT IT DOES:  Creates dramatic entrances and exits.

WHY IT'S AWESOME:  Well, "awesome" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Greedo's Sudden Arrival cards do come in handy.  The card is based on the scene from Star Wars when Greedo surprises Han in the cantina.  When you play it you can drop Greedo anywhere on the board as long he's adjacent to another character.  That means no matter how guarded another player might be, Greedo can always slip in behind them.

BEST USED:  There are three ways this card is used best.  First, it's a good way to keep Greedo close to Boba Fett after the bounty hunter uses his "Rocket Retreat" card.  This enables Greedo to maintain his human shield function as Boba's minor character.  Next, it's a great way to give Greedo a clear shot at a character he doesn't have line-of-sight for.  It works even better if that enemy is far across the board.  Greedo has a seven point attack, along with a couple of four point shots, so even though he doesn't get a ton of respect from your rivals he can still make life complicated for them.  Finally, Sudden Arrival is a great way to box a character in or separate them from their alliance or minor characters.  And in all of these instances of use, it never counts as an action, which is a huge advantage when you're navigating a shooter during a 12-way Duel.

WORST USED:  You see Sudden Arrival used sometimes when a player has ten cards in their hand and they don't want to attack somebody.  I think that's a shortsighted approach to the flexibility it provides. Another thing to be mindful of is the character you "Suddenly Arrive" next to.  If you land next to Yoda you can get force lifted, and you'll never discard three to stand him up again.  Place him next to a major character who gets nervous about his close proximity and he can be killed pretty quickly.

FINAL THOUGHT:   Greedo is a bit of a walking punch line in Epic Duels, so have fun building the suspense when playing this card.  But remember, he can be useful...anywhere on the board!

What do you all think about Sudden Arrival?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Fight Night - October 10, 2015

Emperor's Throne Room

This past Saturday night twelve noble warriors once again descended upon the North Village Community Center to do battle in this game we call Epic Duels.  Nate and JD had to cancel, so in their place Chris and Alex stepped in.

Before this recap goes any further, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the history of 12-Way Duels.  The very first 12-Way occurred back in 2002.  It was my birthday, and I got Yoda.  And I won.  I won the first 12-Way Duel ever.  It was quite exciting and insanely fun.  Hence the reason I've kept holding 12-Way Duels.  I don't think there's a more exciting feeling when winning a board game than taking home a victory in Epic Duels.  This Fight Night was the 45th 12-Way I have stats for (I've played a couple of others but didn't save the results).  I've had leagues in Muncie, IN, Knoxville, TN, Grand Rapids, MI, and here in Waco.  And in the 44 duels before Fight Night, I had never finished last.  I had a couple of scares in eleventh place, but never last.

These eleven did what no others had before.

Until Fight Night.

That's right folks - my streak of non-last place finishes is over.  The dark side betrayed my Darth Maul, even though Chris' Obi-Wan was nearly dead and it was a clear light vs. dark dynamic on the board.  I have to hand it to them, they did me dirty.  Jerks.

Chris was indeed next to go, falling at the hands of Ian's Count Dooku.  The mathematician who can figure out how Ian keeps drawing Dooku and Tommy keeps picking Boba will surely win the Nobel Prize.

Let's just say the next segment of the game took a long time.  I mean, a loooooong time.  Like, at least an hour and a half.  The chatter and strategery was incessant.   The action was random and constant.  Minor characters were whittled down.  Alliance strengths were tested.  Eventually, Curtis' Chewbacca wandered towards the dark side while he played the search for the Bowcaster card.  Strangely, he used that as his second action, meaning nine Duelers had a chance to kill Chewie before he cranked those eleven attack points.  Some folks took advantage of that opportunity, and soon Chewie was down to three health points left.  But Ian, who had the proximity and capability to finish him, didn't!  That permitted Curtis too shoot Alex's Emperor Palpatine.

This is Alex's cranky face.

There were other strange plays besides that.  Tommy had a communication breakdown with Ian and used his Boba Fett to throw a thermal detonator on their dark side alliance, further crippling them.  Ian, Tommy, and Alex ended up being the next three to go.  That wasn't a coincidence!

That left seven duelers still in the hunt.  It was around this time Daniel's Mace decided to pay a visit to Stevie's Yoda, who was still sitting in the back corner of the Throne Room.  Stevie was able to block most of Mace's attacks, but he left himself exposed to a long distance attack position by Curtis' Han Solo,  Sure enough, the smuggler hit him with multiple blaster shots, sending Stevie packing in seventh place.  Stevie has played twice and finished seventh twice.  #consistency

...and JUSTICE for all!

Stephen's Darth Vader had managed to lay low while the dark side crumbled, but his back line mate, Ryan/Jango, put the finishing attack on him with assistance from others, including Grant's Anakin and the Wookie.  That left five folks in the game:  David/Luke, Grant/Anakin, Ryna/Jango, Grant/Anakin, and Daniel/Mace.  It had been eleven months since David had played last, but he was making very strong moves.  One of the most exciting moments of the night occurred when Daniel moved in against him just after Leia had been killed.  Experienced duelers know what that means - Luke's "Justice" cards increase in attack value from four to ten.  After Mace attacked, David dropped BOTH Justice cards, dealing Daniel a successful twelve points of combined damage.  And David made another strong play.  Facing an attack by Curtis, David wisely mentioned that he should use one of his "I will not fight you" cards on Grant, since Anakin was in full health and best position to win.  But Curtis disagreed with that strategy and attacked Luke anyway, placing him within one point of his life!  David did use the special card on Grant, dumping most of his hand with the notable exception of two "Counter Attack" defense cards.

The four players not named Grant decided it was time to end Anakin's reign of leadership within the alliance, but Curtis' Wookie toss inadvertently sent Grant away from the remaining shooters, including Ryan's Jango and both of Daniel's clone troopers.  As the attacks came at Grant, some infighting broke out among the gang of four, resulting in Mace finishing off Luke in fifth place and then Daniel being flame throwered by Ryan/Jango for fourth.

Never tell Curtis the odds.

Grant withstood a ton of punishment, but his number was finally up when Curtis moved Han into position to play the "Never tell me the odds" card on both Jango and Anakin.  Grant bowed out in third for the second game in a row...with Anakin both times.  That left a shooting match between Curtis and Ryan.  Little did Curtis know, but Ryan was frustratingly holding mostly Zam cards.  Zam was the first character dead in the game, courtesy of Chris' Obi-Wan.  To add to Jango's misery, Han had pulled many of his four point attack cards.  It wasn't long before Jango ran out of defense and Curtis navigated Han to victory in one of the screwiest 12-Way Duels I've ever seen.  Congrats to Curtis, who becomes the third Dueler to reach three career victories, tying him with Grant for second place on the career victory list.  And lets make sure Han freakin' Solo gets some credit too.  That's win #2 for him, which is two more than Anakin, Emperor, Dooku, and Luke combined.  #makesnosense

November will be the annual Thanksdueling match - stay tuned!  Thanksdueling will also be the last qualifying match before December's 2015 Championship.  The Championship game is reserved for the top twelve ranked Duelers.  More details to come as we look towards the end of our calendar Dueling year...

Final order of finish:

12.  Rob - Darth Maul
11.  Chris - Obi-Wan Kenobi
10.  Ian - Count Dooku
9.  Tommy - Boba Fett
8.  Alex - Emperor Palpatine
7.  Stevie - Yoda
6.  Stephen - Darth Vader
5.  David - Luke Skywalker
4.  Daniel - Mace Windu
3.  Grant - Anakin Skywalker
2.  Ryan - Jango Fett
1.  Curtis - Han Solo

Preview: Fight Night - October 10, 2015

October...a time of seasons changing, pumpkins, and brutal take-downs in 12-WAY DUELS!!!

That's right friends, October means it's time for the annual Fight Night Duel!  Whether you're playing or just want to come and watch, we'll be in the North Village Community Center at 8PM this Saturday night.  Put up your dukes or you won't last long.

HISTORY:  At last year's Fight Night, the mighty Grant won his first ever Duel, using Darth Vader to will his way to victory.  It marked the second career win for Vader.

LINEUP:

Duelers.....LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMMMBBBBBLLLLLEEEEE!!!!

Curtis - If you're looking for Rob's light saber, you can find it buried in Curtis' back.  Will Curtis seek revenge for his unexpected ouster at the Fall Brawl?

Daniel - In six career Duels, the now-professional Daniel has picked Jango three times and Luke twice.  Can he draw a new character?

David  - What's this???  David returns to the Duels arena for the first time in eleven months.  He won the 10 player game at the Retreat.  Can he shake off the rust and win it all?

Grant - He's on a roll with first and third place finishes in his last two Duels.  Can Grant defend his Fight Night title?

Ian - He made a splash by debuting in the professional rankings in third place, but he's finished progressively worse in his last three Duels.  Can Ian reverse the trend?

JD - The hottest Dueler in the land just might be JD.  He has four top five finishes in his last four Duels, including winning the Birthday Bash.  Can he keep his streak alive?

Nate - We have a 12-Way Duels rookie in our midst!  Nate got a taste for Dueling at the Retreat, playing in the side game.  Is this HRC whiz kid smart enough to conquer eleven competitors?

Rob - Rob has played with Obi-Wan Kenobi twice this season, and won both times.  That brings his career total victories to six.  Can he run the gauntlet a seventh time?

Ryan - He missed the last Duel due to a ghastly bout with food poisoning.  Despite not playing, his average finish stats still improved due to new handicaps.  Can he take back first in the rankings?

Stephen - Stephen is the first ever Dueler to leave a comment on the blog.  This will be his last Duel as an amateur.  Can he finally enter the victory circle?

Stevie - Stevie has wanted to play again since his first Duel at the Retreat, where he finished in seventh place with Han.  Can this raw talent go deeper into the game?

Tommy - He has played three times, and improved his place of finish in each duel, including fifth place with Yoda at the Fall Brawl.  Can Tommy tower over the rest of the board?

Who will win?  Only time will tell.

Or these two:

JAR JAR AND OBI-WAN PREDICT THE WINNERS:

Ok guys, who you like to win at Fight Night?

Jar Jar:  "Meesa scared of da' Dooku!"

 Jar Jar thinks Dooku will win.  I guess.  Obi-Wan?

"I told you I would win last time and I did."

That's true.  I'm sure you're picking yourself again, right?

"No, I believe Master Windu will win.
He has the high ground this time."

Really!?!?  That's a surprising pick!

"No, not really.  I'm joshing you.
I will win once again.  I still have the
high ground."

Punk.

Well folks, we'll see who's right on Saturday night - FIGHT NIGHT!  Make your predictions in the comments below...

Card Appreciation Vol. 2

CARD:  "Precise Shot"

CHARACTER:  Padme Amidala

WHAT IT DOES:  Pierces your soul.

WHY IT'S AWESOME:  Do me a favor, and read the number in the red semi-circle at the top of the card.  No, it's not an upside down six.  That's a big, fat, fear-inducing nine attack points.  And when Padme aims her blaster at your dome, you better be ready to move your damage indicator down a row or two.  Besides being one of the largest attack cards in the game, it has the added bonus of allowing you to discard a card to draw a new one.  Precise Shot is the gift that keeps on giving...pain!

BEST USED:  Anakin and Padme are the most nuanced, complicated characters to control in Epic Duels.  Some characters are balanced, others are more offensive, and still others are defensively oriented.  But these two fit their own category - chaotic.  And nothing introduces potential chaos quite like Padme shooting at you.  There's only one Precise Shot in the deck, but you have to defend for it every time she fires at you.  That means it's to your advantage to fake its presence in your hand a couple of times before laying waste to an opponent.  I prefer to use it long range, so in a 12-way Duel, your best bet is often to fire it towards the dark side.  The Fetts, with their perpetually low defensive cards, are a good bet to extract maximum damage.  If you combine it with Padme's "Shot on the Run," an attack card with a value of six, that's 15 total hit points in one turn (and you can retreat after firing).  Nobody wants to face that.

The true Dueling expert, though, will also utilize the discard feature.  This is crucial for keeping Anakin as nimble as possible.  His "Anger" and "Calm" cards are used best in tandem, so Precise Shot helps you dig for them.  Anakin can be a bit light on defense, too, so you get an extra crack at guarding yourself.  She sure takes care of her major character!

WORST USED:  You know what's not fun?  Using a nine attack and having it completely defended.  So beware of characters with high defense cards that can neutralize its value.  Also, there are a few characters who can do exclusive damage to minor characters.  Shooting them with Precise Shot is an open invitation to ending Padme's game early.

FINAL THOUGHT:  Padme is a character who can go unnoticed in a 12-way Duel.  Don't make that mistake, or you'll find out just how Precise her Shot is.

What do you think of Padme's Precise Shot?  Let us know in the comments below!