Preview: 2017 Championship - December 2, 2017

It's hard to even fathom, but this is the league's fourth annual Championship match.  If you're newer to our Dueling insanity, the Championship match is the biggest, hardest game of the year.  The top 12 ranked Duelers get the first invitations to the game, and those who can't commit are replaced with the next ranked Dueler.  It's the best of the best, and you sit around the table in the order of your ranking.  It's a nice way to ratchet up the tension!

This will also mark the first time our travelling Duels trophies (potentially) change hands.  Curtis currently holds the giant golden Darth Vader and he isn't eager to let it go.  In fact, he's been walking around the office with it today.  It was a nice run, Curtis, but this Saturday at 8PM it's back up for grabs!  For those of you not playing, feel free to come on out and watch the chaos.  It will be worth the price of admission!  (Admission is free.)

HISTORY:

2016 - Curtis won with Mace Windu
2015 - Nathan won with Count Dooku
2014 - Ryan won with Boba Fett

MEET THE DUELERS:

We're going back to our Championship Preview tradition of assigning the "most appropriate" main character to each of our Duelers!

Chair #12 - Austin.  He is currently the 14th ranked Dueler in the league and had a bit of a rough go in 2017.  He played in six Duels this year, including three straight appearances with Han Solo.  His best finish was at CL Training, where he was 5th.  Never tell Austin the odds, though...his perfect character is HAN SOLO.

Chair #11 - Jonathan.  Jonathan currently ranks in 13th place, just .05 points behind Daniel for the top 12.  He started the first four Duels of the year with shooters and also notched two second place finishes.  His cold, calculating style makes his perfect character...BOBA FETT.

Chair #10 - Stephen.  It's been a very strong 2017 for Stephen, the 11th ranked Dueler.  Despite earning no wins he had six top 4 finishes with three of those being second place!  Two of those second place finishes came with Darth Maul in the same day - the Doubleheader.  Stephen's ability to follow his heart makes him the perfect LUKE SKYWALKER.

Chair #9 - Curtis.  After an incredible 2016 Championship win in the same year as his singles title, 2017 was a rough sled for the 9th ranked Dueler.  He did manage five top 5 showings, though.  That included three fourth places too.  There's no denying his skill or his ability to get angry when needed, making him the perfect ANAKIN SKYWALKER.

Chair #8 - Chris.  The number 8 ranked Dueler only played in five matches in 2017, but three of those were top five finishes.  His greatest achievement in those games might be two fourth place spots with Luke Skywalker.  Because he has a soft spot for Luke, his perfect character is DARTH VADER.

Chair #7 - Joel.  Joel turned professional in 2017 and now sits as the 7th ranked Dueler.  He won two trophies this year with victories at CL Training and Fight Night.  He also logged a second place finish at Duel of the Fates back in April.  He's not afraid to be the leader in his alliances, directing how the action should flow.  This makes him the perfect COUNT DOOKU.

Chair #6 - JD.  Our master trophy maker is also our 6th ranked Dueler.  With two wins in 2017 (May the 4th and the Fall Brawl) he's now tied for second place in career victories.  He also nabbed three 3rd place finishes this year.  He's the second most experienced Dueler and has a strong moral compass at the table.  This makes him the perfect OBI-WAN KENOBI.

Chair #5 - Ian.  Ian is the 5th ranked Dueler in the league and brought home two wins this year.  The first came back in February at the Valentine's Duel and the second was his magical Birthday Surprise match.  He also came in second at CL Training.  We all know when Ian makes a decision he is ruthless in its execution.  That is why DARTH MAUL is his perfect character.

Chair #4 - Grant.  Don't be fooled by the lack of wins in 2017 - Grant is the fourth ranked Dueler for good reason.  In ten Duels this year he finished no worse than 8th!  Seven of those games he ended up in the top five!  Grant never dies first and is one of the most balanced professionals to ever play the game.  His Wisdom and skill make him the perfect MACE WINDU.

Chair #3 - Ryan.  The 3rd ranked Dueler in our league is Ryan, who is winless since 2015 but still near the top of the rankings.  He only played in six Duels in 2017 but finished in the top four three times!  That includes a second place finish at the Fall Brawl.  He's Rob's personal kryptonite and infamous for his mastermind tendencies.  That makes him the ultimate EMPEROR PALPATINE.

Chair #2 - Rob.  Rob enters the Championship 2nd in the rankings but with the most wins, three, in 2017.  Those took place at Curtis' Birthday Duel #1, Doubleheader #1, and just last month at Thanksdueling!.  He also came in 2nd at May the 4th.  Nobody is older or wiser in the ways of 12 Way Duels, and he's most likely to die first of natural causes, so that makes him the perfect...YODA.  (Wait, what...?)

Chair #1 - Kaleb.  That's right, the number one chair and top ranked Dueler in the league belongs to 2017's brightest star - Kaleb.  In just seven career Duels he already has two wins (Duel of the Fates and Birthday Duel #2) and a second place finish at Thanksdueling!.  When he debuted in the professional rankings he started right at the top.  He's a chameleon on the board, always adapting to his character and the changing conditions of the match.  Those skills make him the best JANGO FETT.

PEZ VADER PREDICTS THE WINNER:

"Search your Pez dispenser...you know it to be true!"

Whoa!  Pez Vader is picking himself for the win!  That's a bold call but fitting, considering the Championship trophy is also in his likeness.  #synergy

Pez Vader Prediction Record:  1-4

Folks, that's all for this preview.  On Saturday we'll literally see the best game of the Dueling season.  Don't miss it!  Saturday, 8PM, North Village...come watch history be made.

 

Thanksdueling! - November 11, 2017

Kamino Platform

The first victims of our Duel were out before the game even started!  Kat came down sick on Saturday and then Ryan had to bow out with a kid who was under the weather too.  (I'll spare you the details, but kids who get sick in the back seats of cars...it's just so gross...the poor thing!)  Even Rob was loaded up on cold medicine to keep his Duels streak alive at 47 games.  Fortunately, Jonathan and Jacob could jump in at the last minute to keep the game intact. 

Stephen brought the Vader helmet but
Jonathan refused to wear it.

Jonathan got seat one so he drew the Kamino Platform.  This was the first game on Kamino since Doubleheader #1 back in August.  Everyone else gathered around the table and all three shooters were grabbed within the first five picks, much to the relief of the back half of the table.  However, it would be a shooter alliance that helped determine the outcome of this game!  #foreshadowing

Introductions were made and we were off.  Chris' Obi-Wan Kenobi, stuck in the middle of the board, very covertly moved next to JD's Dooku and somehow the light side didn't perceive this as a flip.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Andrew's Darth Maul attacked Rob's Boba Fett!  Despite having the numbers advantage and a spot nicely protected on the board, he decided to defect to the light side.  Rob was lucky to escape with only six points of damage as Maul didn't use his Sith Speeds. 

If you look closely you can see the smoke
coming out of Austin's ears...

But the flipping wasn't done!  Ben, stuck playing with Han Solo for the second game in a row, decided the grass was greener on the other side.  Jacob's Yoda had already received a Thermal Detonator and Force Lightning among other attacks, so, sensing weakness, Ben pulled out the Bowcaster and dropped Jacob in last place!  Ouch!

At that point chaos erupted on the light side.  When Maul had defected he essentially created a bottleneck, trapping Luke, Anakin, and Mace.  Grant's Luke read the tea leaves before the others and chose to attack Andrew's Maul as he peaced out to join JD and Chris.  This led to several turns of infighting, especially as Maul started attacking his own alliance!  Austin/Anakin finally had enough and eliminated Andrew in eleventh place.  Joel's Mace was caught up in a lot of the infighting and was nursing wounds, especially as the dark side alliance shooters had moved in and were potshotting him.  Austin decided to put him down too with Anger.  That was tenth place for Joel.

Chris pleads his case.

The rest of the board was in agreement that Austin's Anakin needed to be next, as he was the last remaining player on the board who wasn't part of the original alliance.  Ninth place wasn't what he wanted, but it was actually not a bad finish considering what went down on his end of the platform.

At this point the remaining eight players were just staring at each other.  Nobody knew what to do next.  JD suggested to Stephen's Emperor that Jonathan's Darth Vader should be next.  Jonathan was none too pleased about that.  But in a bold move, Stephen rallied the shooters to join he and Jonathan against Chirs/Obi, Grant/Luke, and JD/Dooku.  The shooters agreed and the fight was on. 

Dooku, Luke, and Obi had the advantage of being hidden behind Jango's ship, but the minor characters of the opposition moved into position to start whittling down their defenses.  That's when Chris made an aggressive move.  He used Force Control to rearrange the board.  It allowed shots on Jonathan's Darth Vader as well as JD Force Pushing Ben's Han into a kill box.  Han got some shots on Grant's Luke but it was Chris' Obi-Wan who finally killed Ben in eighth.

Yes.  We have fans who like to dress up
for the big games.

Before Ben got pushed into the kill box Grant played "I Will Not Fight You" on him.  But that left Luke exposed too.  Rob's Boba was afraid of that card being played again on him so he moved in for the kill with a Kyber Dart.  Luke was done in seventh place and he still remains the only character to never have won a 12-Way Duel.

JD's Dooku was still tussling with Jonathan's Darth Vader but he was getting banged up.  Low-carded, it looked like Jonathan might use the dreaded All Too Easy card to finish him.  It turned out that he didn't need it, as two normal attacks destroyed Pez Vader's pick to click.

With JD off the board there were five remaining:  Chris/Obi, Rob/Boba, Kaleb/Jango, Stephen/Emperor, and Jonathan/Vader.  Obi-Wan looked like the most powerful character left so the other four turned their attention on him.  Chris still had some tricks up his sleeve, though.  He dropped his Force Balance, meaning everyone had to discard their entire hands and draw three new cards.  That was a big blow for a couple of the remaining players, especially Stephen and Rob.  It took some effort, but Obi-Wan was finally eliminated in fifth place when Vader Threw Debris at him.   

A quick selfie before they attacked each other.

That left four Duelers.  Stephen proposed that he/Emperor, Rob/Boba, and Jonathan/Vader go after Kaleb's Jango.  Stephen reasoned that the number one ranked Dueler and Character were a dangerous combination.  But Rob was hesitant to lose his shooting partner against a dangerous character like the Emperor.  Furthermore, he was afraid of Vader's distance attacks.  Since Jonathan only had four health points left, Boba decided to Rocket Retreat and Wristcable him, finishing Vader in fourth place.

Stephen/Emperor and Kaleb/Jango didn't realize it, but after the Obi-Wan Force Balance Rob's Boba Fett was loaded with Greedo cards.  They were useless because Greedo died many rounds ago.  Faced with such a weak hand, Rob had no idea who to align with.  Naturally, he started flipping from one side to the other!  At different points he attacked Emperor and then Jango, but Emperor and Jango weren't willing to align with each other as they were both worried about that being a bad match-up in the final two.  Boba was slowly able to heal up during the chaos and, when he finally found a Thermal Detonator, promptly used it on Stephen's Emperor, ending his night in third place.  You have to give it to Stephen, though.  The turning point of the game was his rallying the shooters to stick with Jonathan.

*pew pew!*

That left an all-Fett final two!  Boba/Rob had the advantage as he had healed up and was starting to pull his big attack cards again.  Kaleb/Jango started running around his ship but Boba finally rolled a five and dropped his third Thermal Detonator of the game and then ended it on a Deadly Aim.  Jango was out in second, but Kaleb played a heck of a game, always staying one step ahead of the danger.  He also improved his league-leading Dueling average to 4.0, which is crazy good.  Rob's win extends his league record to ten career victories and his first with Boba Fett.  It was Boba's fourth career win.

The final order of finish:

12.  Jacob/Yoda
11.  Andrew/Darth Maul
10.  Joel/Mace Windu
9.  Austin/Anakin Skywalker
8.  Ben/Han Solo
7.  Grant/Luke Skywalker
6.  JD/Count Dooku
5.  Chris/Obi-Wan Kenobi
4.  Jonathan/Darth Vader
3.  Stephen/Emperor Palpatine
2.  Kaleb/Jango Fett
1.  Rob/Boba Fett

Thanks to everyone who came out and played!  Our next Duel is the 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP!  It's the World Series/Superbowl/All-Star game all rolled into one.  The top 12 ranked Duelers have a spot at the table and one will be crowned the champion.  That will take place on December 2nd.  I can't wait!

Also, we plan to do a Duel for the new movie, which we're going to call "The Last Jedi Standing."  Tentative plans are for that to take place on the afternoon of December 14th.  Afterwards, we'll all go see the movie premiere. 

Thanks again for reading the blog!

Preview: Thanksdueling! - November 11, 2017

It's been over a month since our last Duel, Fight Night, and things have changed.  It's much colder and harsher now.  What was once living is now lifeless and detached.  And I'm not even talking about the weather...I'm talking about the hearts of our Duelers!  Hey-ooooo!

Just kidding!!!  Kind of...

But the calendar doesn't lie.  It is November and that means it's time for THANKSDUELING!  It's the only Duel that ends in an exclamation point, so you know it's exciting.  It's also the last Duel before the 2017 Championship, so folks are jockeying to be in position to make a run at the biggest Duel of the year.  But that's next month, let's focus on Thankdueling! and see who won in years past:

HISTORY:

2016 - JD won with Yoda
2015 - Nathan won with Darth Vader
2014 - Alex won with Boba Fett

MEET THE DUELERS:

Our tradition for the Thanksdueling! preview is to list what our Duelers are thankful for this year.  So here we go...

Andrew - after his 5th place finish at Fight Night, Andrew has four Duels under his belt and has improved from 12th place to two 9th places finishes and now 5th.  Andrew is thankful for upward trajectories.

Austin - though Austin finished a disappointing 10th place with Yoda at Fight Night, he was glad he wasn't playing with Han Solo, whom he had controlled in his previous three Duels.  Austin is thankful for any character besides Han.

Ben - he played in his second career Duel at Fight Night, but got stuck with Han Solo in the Emperor's Throne Room and finished dead last.  Ben is thankful for a fresh start.

Chris - do you know a fun game to play?  Whisper under your breath to Chris about how slow some Duelers are, or point out alliances who can't operate without making group decisions on every turn.  He loves it!  Chris is thankful for fast Duelers and/or righteous retribution.

Grant - he took the two Duels in October off but is back in action for Thanksdueling!  Here's something weird:  Grant has been a Fett in six of his last eight Duels.  Grant is thankful for bounty hunters.

JD - we're nearing the end of an era.  Thanksdueling! marks the last official travelling trophy JD needs to make for our annual Duels.  He'll probably add one more for movie premiere Duels, but that should be about it.  JD is thankful for gold paint fumes.

Joel - in Joel's last three appearances he's finished first, third, and first again at Fight Night.  That's crazy good!  Joel is thankful for mantles, where he displays all of his trophies.

Kaleb - he missed both October Duels but that doesn't change the fact Kaleb is still the number one ranked Dueler!  He dethroned Rob who sat in first for months.  Kaleb is thankful for becoming a professional Dueler.

Kat - this amateur Dueler has logged three Duels this semester and is already tied for first in those rankings.  Her third place finish at Fight Night was a master class in jumping from a sinking ship.  Kat is thankful for scaring the heck out of those who Duel against her.

Rob - since winning the first Doubleheader Duel in August, Rob has been in a funk, not finishing higher than 7th place since then.  Rob is thankful for top six finishes, even if he can't remember what they look like.

Ryan - he hasn't played since he finished second place with Luke Skywalker at the Fall Brawl.  But who are we kidding?  He LOVES LUKE SKYWALKER.  Ryan is thankful for Children of the Corn jokes.

Stephen - in Stephen's last four Duels he's only played with characters that have "Darth" in their name.  That includes two second place finishes and a 4th.  Stephen is thankful for Darth Vader and/or Maul.

PEZ VADER PREDICTS THE WINNER:

"Tear this ship apart until you've found
those candy corns!"

The Dark Lord of Candy *nearly* got his Mace Windu pick right last month, but he won Ian's birthday surprise instead of Fight Night.  That brings his record to 1-3 on the year.  He likes Dooku for Thanksdueling.

Well folks, in just a couple of days we'll know who our Thanksdueling! winner is - check back on Sunday for the recap!