Friends, Duelers, Countrypersons-becausewe'resensitivetogenderdynamics, lend me your Jar-Jar sized ears.
What a night!
For the first time in league history we had the top 12 ranked Duelers able to play in the Championship, as it was meant to be. Indeed, as it should be! That also meant it would be the toughest.
The night started off with an epic roll-off for who would go first, as both Grant and Rob rolled a 5 three times in a row before Rob choked with a 2-all. Grant, sitting in the only padded chair around the table, picked Kamino, still one of only two boards to be played for a Championship. He also chose for us to open our character envelopes all at the same time, for an extra dose of tension. Well played, Grant!
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| There will be blood. |
Character: Darth Maul
How He Died: 2 point attack from Mace Windu's Clone Trooper
This was one of the quickest 12th place finishes in Championship history. Woof! His Darth Maul allowed a lane at the start of the game for JD's Han Solo and Chewbacca to defect to the dark side of the board. Instead, Chewbacca Wookie Tossed him to the light side, Ryan's Luke played I Will Not Fight You, and Chris' night was done.
Character: Han Solo
How He Died: 4 point attack from Greedo
JD broke the game wide open when he Wookie Tossed Maul, but that also meant his Chewbacca was deep in enemy territory with a potential Bowcaster. Grant's Vader and Rob's Emperor began raining down distance attacks to neutralize the threat (and maybe exact a little revenge). Ian's Greedo landed the kill shot.
Character: Boba Fett
How He Died: 5 point attack from Anakin
Hand it to Ian, he stayed loyal as the dark side collapsed. Curtis' Dooku and Ben's Jango both peaced out, leaving Ian, Rob, and Grant with a daunting future. Ian did manage a sweet thermal detonator that took out Padme and a pack of clones, but as the Jedi marched forward there was nowhere left for Boba to go.
Character: Darth Vader
How He Died: Anakin's Anger
Grant and Rob got stuck behind Jango's ship, praying for a miracle that never came. As the Jedi descended they chose Vader before the Emperor and it resulted in an unfortunate exit for the top ranked Dueler.
Character: Emperor Palpatine
How He Died: Jango's Missile Launch
Rob grew a special, disgusting handle-bar mustache for the Duel and his creativity was awarded with an early death. He rocked the boat before he left, though. He dropped a You Will Die on Kaleb's Obi-Wan, hoping his alliance would stab him in the back. His Force Lightning on Mace proved helpful too.
Character: Mace Windu
How He Died: Yoda's Force Strike
Joel faced a stunning fall from grace as his nearly fully healthy Mace, side by side with Anakin and Obi, moved to take out Yoda. But Luke (the person, not the character), had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. He double Force Lifted Mace and Obi and Ryan's Luke (the character) played a double I Will Not Fight You. Alex's Anakin stood up Obi-Wan, which made Joel the unfortunate target.
Character: Yoda
How He Died: 3 point attack from Jango
Luke was ducking and diving as his seeming partnership with Curtis' Count Dooku deteriorated. His double Force Lift of Mace and Obi was brilliant, but he misplayed a Force Rebound which left him weak and exposed. Despite a logical plea to spare his life as the strong characters planned to attack each other, Ben felt more comfortable eliminating the defensive wizard.
Character: Obi-Wan Kenobi
How He Died: 5 point attack from Luke
Kaleb's fifth place finish was somewhat miraculous given the enormous misfortune he face throughout the game. When Rob played You Will Die on him he lost ALL THREE 12 point defense cards! He then lost his 6 and 7 point attacks when Ryan played I Will Not Fight You. He talked his way a couple of spots up the order of finish but he was too weak to withstand Ryan's Luke attack.
Character: Count Dooku
How He Died: 5 point attack from Luke
Curtis made an early defection to the light side work for a deep run in the Championship as he pursued his second title. Once it got to the final four, though, he ran out of partners. He had a shot at attacking Jango but instead tried to rally the board against Alex's Anakin. It didn't work for him and Ryan rolled in for his second 5 point elimination in a row.
Character: Luke Skywalker, because of course
How He Died: 3 point attack from Anakin
There was a moment in time that it looked like Ryan might pull his second Championship title, but ultimately, Jango and Anakin teamed against him. The crucial play might have been his Justice play on Anakin, who used his Counterattack to neutralize the 10 points of damage. Still, Ryan played an outstanding Duel. He pulled off four I Will Not Fight Yous and escaped a Force Lift/Push combo.
Character: Anakin Skywalker
How He Died: 4 point attack from Jango
Alex played a masterful game! The Trey Rey pick might have been cursed, but you couldn't tell from the dominance he displayed throughout. Ultimately, his attacks from Dooku and Luke left him a little too weak to survive a shooter.
First Place Dueler: Ben H.
Character: Jango Fett
How He Won: pew pew!
Ben played an outstanding game!!! His early flip made a huge difference as he sneaked behind the light side and made his distance attacks count, always staying in the majority partnership. Plus, how cool is it to win with the number one character on his home court board??? Congrats to Ben!!!
Well friends, that's all for now - we'll be back to kick off 2019 with A New Hope in January, stay tuned for more details!
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