For the third time in the last five duels, we were back in the Geonosis Arena. We haven't played in the Throne Room since October, and haven't visited the Kamino Platform since August! No matter, any board will due when twelve Duelers are ready to descend!
We had some neat milestones in this one, too! Both Stevie and Tommy became professional Duelers, giving us fifteen folks at professional status. That's a record number and irrefutable proof that Epic Duels continues to take over campus, one Star Wars geek at a time. This also marked the debuts of Matt and Jonathan. Matt played with us at the singles tournament this past summer, while Jonathan is yet another North Village player ready to make his mark.
How did all of these folks do? There's only one way to find out - read on below!
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| "Bearathon? Pft! More like Duelathon! Am I right!?!" |
With the fear of the "You Will Die" card now erased from consideration, the light side stayed aggressive. Grant dropped two "I Will Not Fight You" cards on Elijah/Vader and Jonathan/Dooku in the same turn. That's when the board discovered Vader had nearly zero defensive cards, an eerie repeat from the Valentine Duel. The board showed no mercy and Obi-Wan's clone killed poor Elijah in eleventh place. When Grant's Luke played "I Will Not Fight You," it also revealed he himself was low on defense. Rob's Chewbacca pounced on an opportunity, blasting his Bowcaster on Luke, who was eventually killed by JD's Boba Fett.
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| Chris, sheepishly satisfied after ousting Rob... |
During all of this drama, Jonathan's Count Dooku managed to survive despite a gaggle of minor characters shooting at him while he recovered from the "I Will Not Fight You" card. When Stevie moved his Yoda into play, though, Jonathan's night ended in eighth place. This was actually a very strong performance by the rookie Dueler - he survived a string of bad luck as long any seasoned professional could have.
Not long after this the remaining players suddenly turned on Nathan's Darth Maul, who was a little too physically close for comfort on the light side. JD's Boba Fett double-wrist cabled him for zero actions on his next turn. This led to an interesting question from Alex: can somebody who has been wrist cabled twice and lost both of their actions on their next turn still play a "does not count as an action" card after their dice roll? Vote in the site's latest poll and tell us what you think! Boba eventually took down Maul, but not before Nathan stung JD with some healthy damage.
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| Stevie: "He's being too capricious!" Alex: "I don't even know what that means!" |
Now there were four Duelers, and two sides were finally established. Stevie/Yoda and Curtis/Mace were going to have to face off with Chris/Obi-Wan and Alex/Anakin. Through some deft maneuvering and attacks, Obi and Ani, just like in the movies, worked together to defeat a common foe. Curtis expired in fourth. Curtis had a nice rebound after the Valentine Duel, proving Mace is a fine warrior to play with.
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| You can cut the tension with a knife! |
With Stevie gone, the former allies now had to square off. Two strong characters, two strong Duelers, each seeking glory. Chris, a long time veteran who has finished in second place numerous times without a victory; and Alex, the first ever two-time winner, but who hadn't tasted victory since 2014.
Anakin made several strong attacks, but Chris was ready with "Jedi Blocks." As Ani pulled back to card up, Chris chased in pursuit. An x-factor in the match-up was Padme, who was still breathing with zero points of health left. Alex had wisely "Wrath-ed" Yoda's last Clone Trooper earlier in the game to prevent long ranged attacks on Padme. It would prove to be the difference. Chris had Anakin on the ropes, but Alex busted out his third "Anger/Calm" combo of the game, allowing for Anakin to dash to the other side of the board while injuring Obi-Wan. Just as Chris drew two massive attack cards to win the game, Padme took aim from the opposite end of the arena and pierced poor Obi-Wan with a "Precise Shot" to claim victory!!!
Major congratulations are in order for both Alex and Chris, who played marvelously. Alex becomes the fourth Dueler to win three games, ending his long drought. And Chris finishes in second place for a record fifth time! That would sound cruel if it wasn't so stinking impressive!
The final order of finish is:
12. Tommy/Emperor Palpatine
11. Elijah/Darth Vader
10. Grant/Luke Skywalker
9. Rob/Han Solo
8. Jonathan/Count Dooku
7. Nathan/Darth Maul
6. JD/Boba Fett
5. Matt/Jango Fett
4. Curtis/Mace Windu
3. Stevie/Yoda
2. Chris/Obi-Wan Kenobi
1. Alex/Anakin Skywalker (and Padme!)
There were some major shakeups in the rankings. Darth Vader tumbles to fourth place, with Mace and Anakin moving ahead of him, respectively. Also, the biggest news...Obi-Wan is no longer a handicapped character, while the Emperor moves into the bottom three to take his place. This had a significant impact on the Dueler rankings, with Ryan moving back into first place without having played. Stevie debuts in 10th place while Tommy clocks in for the first time in 12th.
Thanks to everyone who played - what an exciting match! We only have two Duels left in the school year: April's "Duel of the Fates" and May's "May the 4th Be With You." More details coming soon!
