Rise of Skywalker - December 19, 2019

Chances are if you're reading this post, you've already seen Rise of Skywalker.  Don't worry - I'll keep this spoiler free!  I'm still processing my feelings about it, but I think I liked it, particularly the parts with this motley crew pictured above.  That was good stuff.  I'm sure I'll see it again, if not three or four more times.  And I can't help but think this isn't the last we'll see of these friends...

...or these friends!

That's right, as is our custom, we Dueled before a new Star Wars movie!  It's always slightly strange to Duel while the sun is in the sky, and even stranger when we actually get done in three hours.  Imagine that! 

Our Rise of Skywalker Duel was momentous for a couple of reasons, including the debut Duels for Diego and Jeremy as well as Lucas turning professional.  Congrats to all three!

Curtis chose chair one and repeated his 2019 Championship character pick with Luke Skywalker.  That's not a good thing on Carbon, though.  Rob (Emperor Palpatine) and Kaleb (Anakin Skywalker) also doubled their character picks from the Championship.

The face of a madman.

The fireworks started early when Jeremy made the decision to wreak as much havoc as possible.  His Darth Vader zeroed in on Rob's Emperor among others.  Rob couldn't convince Lucas to work with him to eliminate the threat, and thus the wrinkly old man (wait, is that Rob, or the Emperor?) started taking damage.  It was Jordan's Bowcaster, though, that extended Rob's lead in most times finishing last.  He was really glad to take vacation time for that experience.

The Fetts (Alex and Christopher) flipped early too in order to stay in the majority.  While that majority started picking off the remaining dark side, things took a brutal turn when Diego's Yoda went after David's Obi-Wan.  That included a Force Lift, which was a real back-breaker for David.  Ben's Mace eventually killed Obi in eleventh.  They did you dirty, David!

Lucas' Darth Maul, who had refused to help Rob against Vader, was now being targeted by Jeremy.  And to add to his worries, Curtis' Luke Skywalker played I Will Not Fight You on him too.  There was little he could do after that as the majority block rained down lasers.  It was Curtis' Princess Leia who got the final hit on Maul.  Lucas finished tenth in the Duel, but debuted as the eighth ranked professional on the charts - congrats Lucas!

Plotting and scheming.

Jeremy's Darth Vader kept up his chaos mission when he Threw Debris at Alex's Boba Fett.  But Natalie's Count Dooku was allowed into the alliance late, making Vader the only remaining target.  There wasn't much Jeremy could do after that.  Alex got the last laugh when, in a slightly risky move, he used Greedo's Desperate Shot for the exact seven points of damage he needed to oust Jeremy.  It worked, and Jeremy was a goner.

That left eight Duelers on the board, and Christopher had the unfortunate honor of being the next victim.  He tried to retreat to the other end of the board, but Kaleb's Anakin Wrathed to that side and dropped a five point attack to lay Jango to rest.

Once it got to seven Duelers, the light sabers were still nervous about the shooters, particularly when Jordan publicly announced he was going to use Never Tell Me The Odds to shuffle his Bowcaster back into his draw pile.  Nobody wanted to see that 11-point attack come back into play, so the Corellian smuggler got popped.  The final blow as a three point attack from Natalie's remaining Super Battledroid.

Curtis and Natalie in happier times...

And then there were six.  Alex's Boba was still limping from the Throw Debris, and Ben's Mace was fully loaded.  He wanted Curtis to follow him on an attack of Boba.  Curtis was a bit reluctant and, in an unexpected turn of events, Ben instead turned his attention to Curtis and attacked Luke!  That caused a lot of confusion as Diego/Yoda and Natalie/Dooku had to decide who they would follow into battle.  Curtis ended up winning the argument and the collective directed their ire on Mace.  Ben tried a desperate Wisdom to escape the situation, but Kaleb was waiting with an attack from Anakin to seal Ben's fate in sixth place.

After that stunning turn of events, the rest of the board was no longer comfortable with Yoda in the game.  You have to give Diego credit, as a rookie Dueler, he wasn't afraid to call his shots and be aggressive in order to advance.  It was out of respect for both the character and newbie Dueler came to a halt in fifth place.  That's a great Dueling start, Diego!

With four to go, Kaleb/Anakin and Curtis/Luke got into it with each other, but when Natalie was reluctant to join Curtis, Curtis tried to weaken Dooku with a Justice as a means to solidify their partnership against Ani.  It didn't work.  Natalie committed to go after Luke and before Curtis knew it, it was three against one.  Alex's Boba got the kill shot.  If you told Curtis he would have Luke on Carbon and finish fourth before the game, he'd gladly take it.  Well done, Curtis!

How romantic!

Then there were three!  Folks watching the Duel assumed Kaleb/Anakin and Natalie/Dooku would team together to play against Alex's Boba Fett, but that's not quite how it went down.  All three traded attacks with each other, but it was Natalie who bore the worst of it and quickly started running out of defense cards.  Kaleb finally dispatched her in third place.  Hand it to the amateur, though, Natalie has two top-four finishes in three career Duels!  We've got ourselves a natural!

Despite fawning to the rest of the table they didn't trust each other, Kaleb and Alex were clearly working together most of the game.  But Alex was fully loaded with all of his best cards, and topped some monsters after he reshuffled.  It would be a Wrist Cable that would prevent Kaleb from doing a double Anger, as he lost an action.  Alex stayed adjacent to Dooku as he Thermaled himself and the Count, and then unleashed a final Wrist Cable for the win.  Boba Fett!!!  Congrats to Alex, who is performing at an unprecedented level in league history and now has five career wins.  Here's the final order of finish:


12.  Rob/Emperor
11.  David/Obi-Wan
10.  Lucas/Maul
9.  Jeremy/Vader
8.  Christopher/Jango
7.  Jordan/Han
6.  Ben/Mace
5.  Diego/Yoda
4.  Curtis/Luke
3.  Natalie/Dooku
2.  Kaleb/Anakin
1.  Alex/Boba freakin' Fett

Folks...that ends things for 2019!  We'll be back in January, probably on the 11th, for the annual A NEW HOPE Duel, stay tuned for more details on that.  And go see RISE OF SKYWALKER, give them all the money so they'll make more!!!

Preview: Rise of Skywalker Duel - December 19, 2019

Here we are - at the end of the Skywalker saga.  I can't believe it.  I grew up on the original trilogy, before George Lucas started tinkering with the films (HAN SHOT FIRST).  The prequels, though ultimately disappointing, were such an unexpected gift for fans of my age or older, because we never thought there would be a new Star Wars movie...let alone eight more (and counting)!  And TV shows!  And Boba Fett Christmas sweaters!

I don't really know how this will all end, but I expect to be crying like a baby when the credits roll.  Just over 24 hours away...it's almost here!!!  But, before we cross that bridge...twelve of us have an additional date with destiny.  THE RISE OF SKYWALKER DUEL!!!

HISTORY OF MOVIE DUELS:

2018 - Let the Wookie Win (Han Solo movie) - Grant won with Count Dooku in the Geonosis Arena
2017 - The Last Jedi Standing - Curtis won with Luke Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena
2016 - Rogue Won - Rob won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Geonisis Arena

...so you're saying there's a strong chance we play on Geonosis?

MEET THE DUELERS:

For our introductions, I'm going to assign a character to each Dueler from the new movie.

Alex C. - that shady Richard E. Grant character.

Ben H. - Chewbacca.  It's the beard.

Christopher - definite Finn vibes.

Curtis - Old man Lando for sure.

David M. - General Hux...if General Hux were good-natured.

Diego - that space horse on the Star Destroyer.

Jeremy - that weird little alien who makes C-3PO's eyes turn red.  Tech nerds each.

Jordan - Poe.  Overexcited pilot types.

Kaleb - The Knights of Ren.  All of them.

Lucas - The new green droid.  I don't know it's name yet.

Natalie - Rey.  Duh.

Rob - force ghost Yoda...I'm calling it!!!

BB-8 PREDICTS THE WINNER:

Gosh, our favorite cash-grab droid is only 1-5 on the year.  BB-8, you have to feel good, though, this is your movie!!!  Who you got???

Bold choice!  The 11th ranked character.  Interesting.

Well, tomorrow two things will happen, and I'm not ready for either.  We're playing a Duel and Skywalker will rise.  God bless.

2019 Championship - December 7, 2019

Emperor's Throne Room

There was a clear, palpable tension in the air as the top 12 Duelers in the league gathered for the 2019 Championship.  As the Duelers took their assigned seats there wasn't the usual friendly chatter.  No, each of the twelve Duelers were sizing each other up, wondering how they would conquer the best of the best to bring home the Darth Vader trophy.  Their apprehension wasn't relieved when Alex C. picked the Emperor's Throne Room for the official playing surface.  Everyone's least favorite board only added to the sense of doom lingering in the air.  Would you believe me if I told you the Duel would last seven hours?  Ignore that I said that, and enjoy the pictorial recap, as is our tradition for the Championship summary...

Seven.  Freakin'.  Hours.

The results:

12th Place Dueler:  Ryan

Character:  Mace Windu

How He Died:  4 point attack from Boba Fett

It's nearly impossible for Mace Windu to finish last in this league, but Ryan was doomed when Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda all defected to the dark side.  Ryan had nowhere to run, and it was a long-debated Force Push from JD's Yoda over to Riley's Boba Fett that sealed his deal.  It looked like Grant would get his first last place finish, but instead, it was Ryan.

11th Place Dueler:  Grant

Character:  Han Solo

How He Died:  Greedo's Desperate Shot

Rob offered Grant a space on the dark side right from the get go, but the noble Grant stayed true to the light.  That forced Rob's Emperor and Christopher's Darth Vader to begin raining down the distance attacks before the Bowcaster could come into play.  Grant did manage to play it before dying, but it was Riley's second kill of the night that ended him.  Still, his no-last place streak is in tact!

10th Place Dueler:  Riley

Character:  Boba Fett

How She Died:  Luke's Justice

Riley was raking up the kills when, out of nowhere, the dark side sprung a surprise attack on the Fetts.  Nathan's Obi had attacked Curtis' Luke, and Riley followed suit.  It would be her undoing.  Ben's Dooku dropped a Taunt and then Curtis, down Leia, unloaded a 10-point Justice on poor Riley.  She was happy to get two kills, though.  She also set the record for longest nap at a Duel at a solid three hours.

9th Place Dueler:  Curtis

Character:  Luke Skywalker

How He Died:  3 point attack from Jango Fett

It was Curtis' early defection that turned the tide in the game, so it was a major shock when his 2015 Championship running mate, Nathan, attacked him in their shared alliance.  Curtis survived the initial onslaught and dispatched Riley's Boba, but with Kaleb's Anakin hard to reach, the shots turned on Curtis.  It was Alex's Jango Fett who launched the final assault.  It was a surprising turn of events for Curtis.

8th Place Dueler:  Alex C.

Character:  Jango Fett

How He Died:  4 point attack from Yoda

The number one ranked Dueler landed the number one ranked character, so it certainly seemed like a strong finish was ahead for Alex...until the Fett massacre occurred.  He was stunned when Ian's Darth Maul unloaded on him.  He was able to Rocket Retreat to safety, thinking he had friends near Kaleb's Anakin and JD's Yoda.  But it would be JD, proving his allegiance to the dark side, that would dispatch Alex in eighth.

7th Place Dueler:  Kaleb

Character:  Anakin Skywalker

How He Died:  Force Strike from Yoda

The 2019 Championship was nothing but a belly-crawling slog for Kaleb.  He survived the initial light side collapse by hiding in his corner and not making eye contact with folks.  He scratched and clawed his way past other doomed Duelers to somehow make it to seventh.  It was a commendable finish for sure, but one that could not have been fun for the league's second ranked Dueler.

6th Place Dueler:  Nathan

Character:  Obi-Wan Kenobi

How He Died:  4 point attack from Count Dooku

Nathan started fights all night, wisely refusing to be the person turned upon first.  He went in on Curtis' Luke and Ben's Count Dooku at various points in the game.  But it was a seemingly innocuous You're Skills Are Not Complete from Christopher's Darth Vader that exposed his strong defensive hand.  Rob's Emperor Palpatine finally got his You Will Die card and quickly played it on Nathan, ending what could have been a victorious night for Nathan.  Ben's Dooku got in the final shot.

5th Place Dueler:  JD

Character:  Yoda

How He Died:  Super Sith Speed from Darth Maul

The final five of the Championship turned in a cluster-bomb of epic proportions.  It literally took three hours to complete.  The craziest and most impacting move of the game came courtesy of JD, when his hobbled Yoda Force Lifted Ian's Maul instead of Ben's Dooku.  Nobody saw it coming.  JD hung on much longer than anyone could have guessed, and he was foiled from killing Christopher's Vader when Ian Sith Speeded him to death.

4th Place Dueler:  Rob

Character:  Emperor Palpatine

How He Died:  5 point attack from Darth Maul

The best dressed Dueler of the night looked like he was going to pull off a victory prior to JD's Force Lift of Maul.  But that change in plans, and his game-long partnership with Christopher's Vader deteriorating, left Rob without a whole lot of options.  He hounded Ben's Dooku throughout the final five and offered a last ditch fealty to Ian's Darth Maul, but the Christmas Mandalorian expired in fourth.

3rd Place Dueler:  Christopher

Character:  Darth Vader

How He Died:  5 point attack from Darth Maul

Christopher had one of the strangest Duel performances in league history.  He took substantial damage throughout the game and couldn't heal because his Storm Troopers were still alive and kicking.  The last three hours of the game turned into the other four Duelers begging for his partnership, but he managed to keep them all at bay with half-committals and deferments, hoping to pounce at the end with his Throw Debris.  Both Ian and Ben finally had to attack him because they couldn't get him to pick a side.  That's a career-best finish for Christopher, though!

2nd Place Dueler:  Ben H.

Character:  Count Dooku

How He Died:  Athletic Surge from Darth Maul

Look at that face - that's what happens when a Duel ends at 2AM.  The 2018 Champ nearly defended his trophy, but he had to spend vital cards on Christopher's Darth Vader to secure a chance to win, and it proved costly.  He's missing his Christmas sweater in this pic because he gave it to Riley for a blanket.  Who let's an 11 year old stay out on campus 'til two in the morning!?  Please don't call CPS...

1st Place Dueler:  Ian

Character:  Darth Maul

How He Won:  He killed them.  He killed them all.

Ian was winless since last December, and he picked a heck of a time to get back into the win column.  He deftly navigated his Darth Maul all over the board, joining and exiting alliances with his goal firmly set on the trophy and Dueling immortality.  Congrats to Ian - he moves into a tie for third place in the career victory list.  And congrats to Darth Maul too, no other character won more in 2019 than the horned Sith.


That's all for now...unless the Duel is actually still going on, and this recap is just a fever dream...

Next weekend we'll send out invites for the Rise of Skywalker Duel - that's an early afternoon game on Thursday, December 19th, 12:30PM.  We HAVE to finish in four hours or we'll miss dinner and THE LAST MOVIE IN THE SKYWALKER TRILOGY OH MY GOD!!!!  Keep an eye on your email.

Preview: The 2019 Championship - December 7th, 2019

This Saturday marks the biggest game of the season.  It's what every player who steps onto the gridiron  dreams about.  The endless practices, reviewing game film, studying playbooks...it all leads to this moment.

Wait...did you think I was talking about the Big XII Championship game???  That doesn't hold a candle to the raging flames of the 12-WAY DUEL CHAMPIONSHIP, BABY!!!

The Championship match is the ultimate game in our league - the top twelve ranked Duelers get first dibs and, for the second time ever (and second year in a row), all twelve of the top ranked Duelers are confirmed to play!  That means it's the best of the best, and only one of them will walk away with the trophy.  Let's see who has won the ultimate Duel before...

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:

2018 - Ben H. won with Jango Fett on the Kamino Platform
2017 - Austin won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Carbon Freezing Chamber
2016 - Curtis won with Mace Windu on the Kamino Platform
2015 - Nathan won with Count Dooku in the Carbon Freezing Chamber
2014 - Ryan won with Boba Fett on the Kamino Platform

MEET THE DUELERS:

One of the unique features of the Championship Match is that the seating order is determined by the rankings.  So, the top ranked Dueler is chair #1, the second ranked Dueler #2, and so on.  The other tradition with the Championship preview is to assign the ideal character for each of the participants...

Chair #12 - Christopher.  You have to hand it to Christopher, he only started playing this fall, but he played in all six available Duels ahead of the Championship to be the most recent new professional.  He also scored his best career finish at Thanksdueling!, so he's trending in the right direction.  Because he's taking his first steps into this Dueling world, his perfect character is...Luke Skywalker.

Chair #11 - Riley.  Normally a backup player, the recent surge of new Duelers has left Riley on the sidelines since game one of the Twin Sun Slam.  But in five Duels in 2019, she has four top five finishes, including her stunning victory at May the 4th Be With You.  She's the youngest 12-Way winner ever, and her meteoric rise means she has all the potential to be successful...or turn to the dark side!  Her perfect character is...Anakin Skywalker.

Chair #10 - JD.  It's been a rough 2019 for JD.  He's had a couple of last place finishes and hasn't played much this fall.  BUT!  He did win game number one of the Twin Sun Slam in June, and you can never sleep on his ability to use force control to shape a game.  That makes his perfect character...Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Chair #9 - Nathan.  The retired Hall of Famer reentered the league in 2019, and he's made a huge impact in just two games.  He won Galactic Credits in May and finished fourth at Fight Night.  This will also be his first Championship match since...he won in it in 2015!  He's one of only four Duelers at the table that knows what it takes to win.  The degree of determination it takes to win makes him the best...Darth Maul.

Chair #8 - Curtis.  The cantankerous Curtis is already stressing about this one, as a famous smuggler once said, "he has a bad feeling about this."  He shouldn't worry, though.  He logged three top five finishes in 2019 and has won the Championship before, so never tell him the odds - he already knows them.  That makes him a good fit for...Han Solo.

Chair #7 - Ian.  The back half of 2019 has been rougher for Ian than the front, but everyone knows he is a force to be reckoned with.  He has three top three finishes this year, and he is known for his wisdom and whirlwind attacks should anybody do something dirty.  His perfect character is...Mace Windu.

Chair #6 - Ben H.  The bearded one has six top five finishes in 2019, including a win at the Valentine's Duel, and a near-victory at May the 4th before a fateful You Will Die.  Ben also comes into the Championship defending his trophy, and you shouldn't bet against him to go back to back.  His calm but brutal play makes him the ideal...Count Dooku.

Chair #5 - Rob.  Rob has had to change up his style of play over the years to adapt to the new Duelers and changes in strategy.  He clawed his way to seven top five finishes, including three victories in 2019 (Imperial March, Doubleheader #2, and Fight Night).  He also keeps murmuring "pew pew!" to his colleagues at work.  That, and a special sweater he's wearing Saturday night, make him the perfect...Boba Fett.

Chair #4 - Grant.  Though he's on a bit of a trophy drought, Grant is still one of the best Duelers in the history of the league.  Despite a more sporadic playing schedule in 2019, he still had three top four finishes on the year.  He's wise, calm, and can see things happening before anybody else.  He is truly a Dueling master, which makes him a great...Yoda.

Chair #3 - Ryan.  His reputation for landing on the winning side of alliances is well earned, and Ryan's four top five finishes in 2019 prove he knows what he's doing.  He even brought the trophy home for the Fall Brawl.  I normally assign him the Emperor, but his indifferent loyalties fit better as a bounty hunter.  That and his deep finishes in games makes him an awesome...Jango Fett.

Chair #2 - Kaleb.  For the first time ever, Kaleb finished last in a Duel at last month's Thanksdueling!  There is no way he'll stand for a repeat performance like that, and he will make sure others feel his wrath.  He has eight top five finishes in 2019, which is amazing, including wins at Duel of the Fates and CL Training.  He chokes out the competition, making him a perfect...Darth Vader.

Chair #1 - Alex C. My goodness, Alex really came out of nowhere to take control of the top of the Dueler rankings.  He has seven top three finishes in 2019!  With wins at Doubleheader #1 and Thanksdueling!, the tables are set for this Dueler to stay atop his throne.  That makes him the idea...Emperor Palpatine.

BB-8 PREDICTS THE WINNER:

The little roller droid is only 1-4 on the year, but maybe he'll find the right pick for the Championship!  BB, who you got???

What???!!!  You can't pick Baby Yoda, AKA, the Child from The Mandalorian!!!  We'll let it slide by making it old man Yoda.

Well...that's it for now.  Feel free to join us at 7PM on Saturday, December 7th, in the North Village Community Center to watch the best Duel of the year!!! 

Artistic Duelers

Last week a group of Duelers had the chance to participate in painting a Waco city-scape at Painting with a Twist.  Four of them went rogue (one) and made "adjustments" to the given directions.  Let's take a closer look...

This is Rob's fourth time at Painting with a Twist, and each time he's added Star Wars flare.  First, he painted "Deathstar Over the Brazos ("That's no moon..."), followed by "Degobear" and "Boba Bear."  This time he altered the Alico building with an "Epic" and added a "Duels" to the Waco marquee.  Squint hard enough and you might see the Millennium Falcon...

But Rob's artwork didn't hold a candle to the other three entries!

Rachel replaced the beloved Silos with an AT-AT raining terror across Waco.  Heaven help us if that's ever real life.

Ryan completely ignored the Waco scene altogether and painted, wholly independent of professional support, Luke Skywalker making his trench run in A New Hope!!!  Look at how fantastic that is!!!

The prize of the day, though, goes to Ben H., who dutifully painted the Waco skyline...in the background of Emperor Palpatine's Throne Room!!!  Are you kidding me?!?! 

We clearly have some artistic talent in our Duels league.  But not Curtis.  He still won't stray from the Painting with a Twist directives. 

Thanksdueling! - November 9, 2019

Geonosis Arena

Eighty Duels.  Eighty!!!

Who would have ever thought, five and a half years ago, we'd be sitting at eighty Duels!  With fifteen travelling trophies!  And who would have thought we'd get new Star Wars movies, and tv shows, and Thanksgiving porg recipes?!?

To all of you who have contributed to the madness over the years, thank you.  To all of you psychologically scarred by the experience...sorry?

It's almost as if Kaleb knew...

We had another calendar crisis when two Duelers showed up late because they forgot they were playing.  That's two Duels in a row this has happened.  Prepare yourself for Outlook calendar invites from now on, Duelers.  (Do students even use their Outlook calendars?)  What's the point of a 7PM start time if we don't start at 7???

Thanksdueling featured a few firsts, which is great.  Delaney and Rachel made their 12-way debuts while Christopher marked his arrival as a professional as this was his sixth Duel.  Why is six the mark of a professional?  I honestly can't remember the logic of it.  Delaney also got the first chair, and she picked Geonosis Arena for the board.  This is the fourth time in six Thanksduelings! we've been in Geonisis.  Ryan brought the Hoth board, which was ironic because it was hot as a freakin' sauna.

All-Pro Christopher

We might as well address the bantha in the room.  There was another first at Thanksdueling!, but not as exciting for one particular Dueler.  Kaleb, the second ranked Dueler and the person who hasn't finished below sixth in 2019, finally, for the first time in his Dueling career...finished last.

Whoa.

It was a rough start out of the gate as he was Luke and Leia, which is a tricky character pick for Geonosis.  He ignored the flip overtures from the dark side, and it ultimately cost him.  Right out of the gate Lucas, playing Emperor Palpatine, used the You Will Die card!  Nobody could remember that card being played so early in a  Duel.  He added a Force Lightning and Ryan's Dooku kicked him while he was trying to recard by forcing him to drop two more.  The final blow was a Missile Launch from Christopher's Jango Fett.  Pour one out for Kaleb, who fought against the inevitable for all these years.

Look closely and you can see Bagby

You would think the dark side had the advantage, but Viktor's Darth Vader unexpectedly turned on his own alliance and punched Ben's Greedo in the mouth.  His strong health forced the dark side to turn their attention on him instead of the light side.  They wasted a lot of cards before finally offing him with Boba's Kyber Dart.

Rob, playing Han and Chewey, encouraged the light side to move forward.  Rylie, operating Obi-Wan Kenobi, agreed and used a Force Control to put Ryan's Count Dooku in a kill box.  Ryan managed to escape without much damage, but Rylie did cluster the remaining dark side in a way they couldn't easily untangle.

The light side couldn't take advantage of the chaos as they were too tentative to keep moving forward.  The Super Battle Droid, who Chewbacca threw into their alliance, surviving for as long as he did was a good example of the ineptitude.  It was Natalie's Mace Windu who ultimately paid the price.  She joined Chewbacca and Obi-Wan in trying to take down the dark side, but she got diced up and went out in a disappointing tenth place when Christopher used a Rocket Retreat to both eliminate Mace and move to a better spot on the board.

So...much...talking...so...little...Dueling...

Earlier in the game Rylie played the Force Balance to try and save Kaleb, but it wrecked Rob's Han Solo hand.  But he kept aggressive by using Chewbacca, and he finally got a Wookie Toss and Bowcaster combo ready.  Ben knew it was coming, and after the Wookie tossed a Royal Guard, he unloaded on Boba for seven points of damage and tried to convince the dark side to finish off the Fett.  Chewbacca got off another attack to further injure the bounty hunter before they turned him into a throw rug.  Rob thought his Han might actually survive, but Count Dooku surprised him by Giving Orders deep into the light side area and Force Pushing Han into a dark side kill box.  Rob got two more attacks in on Boba, bringing him within to two points of death, before Boba got revenge with a Wrist Cable and Carbonite nap.  Rob encouraged the board to join together against Alex/Maul, Ryan/Dooku, and Ben/Boba before he died, but if fell on deaf ears as the other Duelers started infighting.  Rylie officially flipped to the dark side, leaving Rachel/Yoda and Delaney/Anakin all alone.  Delaney couldn't withstand the multi-front attacks, and Ryan's Dooku chopped her down in eighth.

Lucas lectures on the experienced and the inexperienced

Rachel's Yoda started wreaking havoc, including dumping two of Rylie's 12 defense cards, but the little green Jedi succumbed to her wounds (and I'm not talking about her bloody nose) in seventh, from another Boba Fett Wrist Cable.

And then there were six...who had no idea what to do next.  I'll save you from describing the 45 minutes of hemming and hawing that followed, but by the end, Alex's Maul made a surprising move by going after Christopher's Jango Fett, who was fully healthy and looking to go much deeper into the game.  It was a stunning move that Alex justified by his perceived cozy partnership between Rylie and Christopher.  It was a career-best finish for Christopher, who turned pro, but also back-breaking in that it was so unexpected.

An artistic rendition of Ben's final two performance

With five to go there were more cranky exchanges of who should be next.  It looked like Alex/Maul and Lucas/Emperor were together, but Lucas was also fighting for Rylie's Obi-Wan to go deeper.  Ryan's Dooku eventually became the target, and he finally died when Boba Fett threw a Thermal Detonator at him.  How was Boba still alive, you ask?  Because nobody attacked him and he healed over half of his damage!

Alex's Maul was sitting very pretty at this point.  The other three had no interest in joining together to fight the horned Sith.  Instead, Ben and Alex concentrated their attacks on Rylie's Obi-Wan, who was already battered and bruised after navigating the middle of the board for most of the game.  A four point attack from Boba had her in fourth place, but congrats to Rylie who had another strong showing.  From there Lucas ran out of partners, as Alex gleefully watched Emperor and Boba go at it.  Ben used a Deadly Aim to eliminate Lucas in third.  Lucas is now the top ranked amateur and goes professional at his next Duel!

That left Darth Maul vs. Boba Fett, and it went about as well as you'd expect for Boba.  He got off a couple of shots and then ran for his life as Maul stalked him around the columns snow drift.  Alex finally rolled a five on the dice and absolutely unloaded on Boba, who died by Athletic Surge.  Congrats to Alex, who earned his fourth career win and now has the highest career win percentage among active Duelers!  And it wasn't even a doubleheader!!!  Kudos to Ben, too, who I still can't figure out how he survived after his near death experience with Han and Chewey!

If you see Kaleb this week, give him a hug.  And the Golden Jar Jar, he conveniently forgot that when he left...

The final order of finish:

12.  Luke Skywalker/Kaleb
11.  Darth Vader/Viktor
10.  Mace Windu/Natalie
9.  Han Solo/Rob
8.  Anakin Skywalker/Delaney
7.  Yoda/Rachel
6.  Jango Fett/Christopher
5.  Count Dooku/Ryan
4.  Obi-Wan Kenobi/Rylie
3.  Emperor Palpatine/Lucas
2.  Boba Fett/Ben H.
1.  Darth Maul/Alex C.

Our next Duel is the 2019 Championship - the Super Bowl of our league, and the toughest Duel of the year.  The top 12 ranked Duelers have first dibs, and this year's battle will be INTENSE!  Stay tuned for that, and remember, we're playing the Rise of Skywalker Duel on the afternoon of December 19th!

Here's to another eighty Duels!!!

Preview: Thanksdueling! - November 9th, 2019

Ok, there's been a little controversy over the 2019 edition of Thanksdueling!.  Specifically, the use of a roasted porg pic in the emails and, now, preview post.

Frankly, I don't understand it.

That cooked porg looks GOOD.  I'm with Chewbacca, I'm down for eating it.  It must taste delicious!  Now, I'll concede the eyes staring up at you are a little unnerving, and the tongue caught in mid-scream is a bit disconcerting.  But it looks juicy as heck.  It would pair well with thala-siren milk!  If we don't see porgs roosting inside the Millenium Falcon during Rise of Skywalker, we'll know it's because the rebellion got wise to this excellent protein source.  Bon appetit!

In other news, Thanksdueling! marks our 80th Duel in league history.  My goodness, our league is an octogenarian!  Also, that's the first time I've ever used "octogenarian" in a sentence before!  That's why I love Epic Duels, it really expands your vocabulary, particularly in finding new ways to vent frustration without cursing...

THANKSDUELING! HISTORY:

2018 - Ben H. won with Luke Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena
2017 - Rob won with Boba Fett on the Kamino Platform
2016 - JD won with Yoda in the Emperor's Throne Room
2015 - Nathan won with Darth Vader in the Geonosis Arena
2014 - Alex R. won with Boba Fett in the Geonosis Arena

MEET THE DUELERS:

Our tradition for the Thanksdueling! preview post is to list what each Dueler is thankful for this year.  So, without further ado...

Alex C. - Alex either finishes at the bottom or near the top, there's almost no in-between.  He is thankful for...his six top-three finishes in 2019!

Ben H. - The .5 Hall of Famer won his first of three career victories at last year's Thanksdueling!  He is thankful for...a chance to defend his trophy!

Christopher - New professional alert!!!  Thanksdueling! marks Christopher's sixth Duel, meaning he's turning pro!  If he can finish above 9th place he'll have a guaranteed spot in the Championship match.  He is thankful for...persistence!

Delaney - New Dueler alert!!!  Delaney caught the Dueling fever over in Brooks College, where there is a major outbreak right now.  She is thankful for...debuts!

Kaleb - Did you know the bearded one hasn't finished below sixth place in 2019?  That's incredible!  Kaleb is thankful for...people forgetting Rob mentioned this on the blog!

Lucas - Thanksdueling! marks Lucas' fifth Duel, leaving him one shy of professional status.  He has three top five finishes in four career starts.  He is thankful for...rookie sensation status!

Natalie - She's back for her second career start after a nifty fourth place finish at the Fall Brawl.  Natalie is thankful for...breaking sophomore slumps!

Rachel - New Dueler alert!!!  After making a splash for her play and Yoda costume at the 2019 Single's Tournament, Rachel has her eyes set on the Han Solo trophy.  She's thankful for...little green Jedis.

Rob - Just when it looked like they had beaten Rob into submission, he pulled off two firsts and a second place in his last three Duels.  He's thankful for...his 2019 trophy shelf!

Ryan - Ryan skipped Fight Night, but in his last Duel (Fall Brawl), he took home first place with Mace Windu!  Ryan is thankful for...evil giggles!

Rylie - She is playing in her fourth career Duel and is looking to recapture that high she experienced with a third place finish at Doubleheader #2.  Rylie is thankful for...fellow Dueling CLs!

Viktor - We haven't seen Viktor since May the 4th, and it's nice to have him back for his fifth career game.  He's looking for his first ever top-six finish.  He is thankful for...Rise of Skywalker reaction videos!

BB-8 PREDICTS THE WINNER:

Well, our little orange and round friend was way off with his Anakin pick last time.  Who does he like for Thanksdueling!?

Wow!  That's a big prediction, as Obi-Wan is second to last in the character rankings.  We'll see!  BB-8 is 1-3 on the season...

That's all for now!  If you'd like to come on by, we're playing at 7PM, November 9th, in the North Village Community Center!

Fight Night - October 19, 2019

Emperor's Throne Room

Ok, it's hard to have a 12-Way Duel when you don't have 12 Duelers.  It's especially hard when THREE of the Duelers aren't there for the start time!  We quickly tracked down Nathan and Noah at a hall event, which left one lone Dueler, NAY, one SOLO Dueler to go.

Where was Curtis?

We called, we texted, we sent messenger pigeons.  Heck, we even tried to Force Time him like Kylo and Rey.  We finally reached him.  He thought we started at 8 instead of 7.  It would prove to be a bad omen for him... 

There's a lot going on in this picture...

I swear it was just a coincidence, but Curtis did have horrendous luck in the board and character draw.  He wasn't there for either, but we promise we were on the up and up.  That being said, Emperor's Throne Room was the board, and Han Solo was his character.  That's tough sledding.  And he lost Chewbacca pretty quickly too.  Rob's Boba Fett, fearing a Bowcaster, launched a Kyber Dart and Rocket Retreat and Nathan's Vader then choked out the Wookie for the kill.  Turns out that was smart thinking, because Curtis did indeed have the Bowcaster!!!  But then everyone else started attacking his Han!  After Kaleb let loose a Force Lightning, Curtis was driving back home, probably in a more lawful way than his trip to campus...

General Grievous

That was a tough loss right out of the gate for the light side.  Ian, playing with Anakin, tried to hold his alliance together, but Christopher's Luke Skywalker got nervous and tried to make a flip.  Luke got in on the Han kill, but didn't use a Children of the Force to run all the way over to the dark side.  That left him exposed to his former allies.  If you've ever played with Ian, you know how he reacts to a flipper.  He made it his mission to punish Christopher.  Aided by Noah's Obi-Wan, they whittled down Luke until Ian, playing his last card, dropped an Anger for the kill.  It feels like Christopher has bad starting luck each time he plays!  That being said, this was Duel #5 for him, so in his next match he goes professional!

As satisfying as that retribution was for Ian, he was seriously exposed.  It was six dark side characters against four light side, and now Anakin was left without any cards to defend himself.  The dark side took notice and started peppering him with gunfire and distance attacks.  It was ultimately two Sniper Shots from Alex's Zam Wessell that finished off Ian.  He took the death in stride and was happy to go watch the Astros beat the Yankees.

Lucas enjoys tossing Jedi's

Noah's Obi-Wan appeared to be the next target.  While Rob's Boba suggested a distance attack, Lucas maneuvered his Count Dooku to Force Push Kenobi into a dark side kill box!

Noah wasn't going down without a fight, though.  He suggested Troy, playing with Yoda and a tshirt wrapped around his head, Force Push Jordan's Mace into the dark side too so they could cause as much disruption as possible before their presumed demise.  That was a major decision point, but Troy eventually decided not to sacrifice Mace.  That wasn't what Noah wanted to hear, though.  Rob's Boba was the first to attack Obi-Wan, and he checked in with Sam to make sure his Darth Maul would follow suit.  When it got to Sam, though...he only attacked once!  With a normal 4 attack!  That caused immediate confusion and distrust within the dark side alliance.

Coach Rhule not happy with Rob

Troy of all people reminded the dark side that Noah might be holding the Force Balance, so that meant the dark side needed to kill Obi-Wan before it got back to him.  Noah had run out of defense, and it was Kaleb's Royal Guard who sent him packing in ninth place. 

From there the dark side was forced to deal with Sam's Darth Maul.  Rob's Boba fired a double Wrist Cable to neutralize his attacks, and it was ultimately a 4 point attack from Lucas' Count Dooku that ended Sam's night in eighth.

That left seven Duelers to go, including the two remaining light side players.  Troy's Yoda and Jordan's Mace, though, weren't playing nicely with each other.  Jordan dropped a Whirlwind on Troy to begin the tense exchange, and the dark side troopers started in on the little green Jedi too.  For as many cards as Troy had, it turned out his deck was very unlucky as he was missing several of his juicy defense cards.  It would be Jordan, though, who delivered the kill shot by jacking him with a Battlemind.  It was a tough night for Troy, but it was good to have the Summer 2019 Singles Tournament champion back in the fold with us!

A Tale of Two Faces

That left six Duelers, and the remaining dark side wanted to stay united more so out of fear of suggesting who to betray first instead of malice towards Mace.  The safe bet, though, was to finish off Jordan, and that they did, when Greedo Bandito played his Desperate Shot.  Give credit to Jordan, though, who really had to grind for that nice sixth place finish.

That left five dark side characters and the moment of truth.  Who would they target first?  Alex's Jango and Rob's Boba tried not to make eye contact while Kaleb deferred to Nathan.  Nathan finally offered Lucas' name.  Lucas was none too pleased by that suggestion, and tried to throw it back at Nathan.  Nathan got to go first, though, so that set the tone.  Dooku was the target.  He couldn't defend all the different attack angles and it was Greedo who used a one point attack to end Lucas in fifth.  That's three top-five finishes in four career Duels for Lucas, though.  Impressive!

And then there were four!  Kaleb's Emperor, Nathan's Vader, Rob's Boba, and Alex's Jango.

Rob and Alex couldn't believe the rest of the board had permitted two shooters to make it to the final four, as that presents obvious problems for the light saber characters.  Nathan's Vader wanted Alex's Jango gone next, and Rob happened to reveal he was holding his first Thermal Detonator of the evening.  Rob faced a dilemma, though.  He could throw it at Alex's Jango or throw it into a cluster of Royal Guards and Storm Trooopers and even Darth Vader.  Rob would have preferred to throw it at Kaleb's Emperor, who was full health and had yet to use his Meditations, but he wasn't in range.  The logical move would have been to follow Nathan's order...but as Rob always says...Fetts don't attack Fetts!  He threw caution to the wind, along with his Thermal Detonator, and the board was in chaos.  Nathan and Alex were essentially locked in battle with each other as were Rob and Kaleb. 

It didn't initially look good for either Fett, but Alex's Jango persistently attacked Nathan's Vader from long distance and was really taking him down.  Kaleb, sensing Nathan would team with Rob against his Emperor, wouldn't use his remaining Guard to shield Vader.  A late Choke on Rob's Greedo forced Rob to shoot Nathan too, and with two points of health left Alex Shot a Wrist Cable to send Vader and Coach Rhule to the showers.  But Baylor Football is undefeated!

Father and Son

That left a final three of Rob/Boba, Kaleb/Emperor, and Alex/Jango.  Kaleb and Rob had been relentless in attacking each other, and both were showing signs of damage, but Jango soon joined the fight and the Emperor was down to his bottom row of damage.  As Kaleb chased Rob towards the actual throne in the Throne Room, Alex made a bold choice to Flame Thrower both Kaleb and Rob.  Though Rob wasn't as damaged as the Emperor, Jango was certainly in much better health. 

This did not make Boba happy.

Kaleb and Rob finally stopped attacking each other and focused on Jango's near perfect health.  Boba started the party by tossing a Thermal Detonator while the Emperor played a Force Lightning.  The tables were suddenly a lot more even.

All three Duelers had reshuffled their discard piles at this point, and Rob's Boba once again had the Kyber Dart.  The benefit of the Kyber Dart, besides being a 9(!) point attack, is you get to draw three cards with a kill.  Rob really needed those extra cards, and knew he could kill the Emperor, so he took a page out of his Last Jedi Duel playbook and offed Kaleb in third.

That left the two Fetts!  Jango was hurting, especially after Rob launched his second double Wrist Cable of the game.  Rob was holding mostly Greedo cards, but he used one of his last two cards, a 4 point attack, to kill knock Alex's Jango to one point of health.  One turn later, he used his last Boba card, a three point attack, to win the game!  Congrats to Alex, who by outlasting Kaleb takes over the top spot in the Dueler rankings!  This win was victory #15 for Rob, which is just plain stupid.  It also propelled Boba Fett up two spots in the character rankings.

Your final order of finish:

12.  Han Solo/Curtis
11.  Luke Skywalker/Christopher
10.  Anakin Skywalker/Ian
9.  Obi-Wan Kenobi/Noah
8.  Darth Maul/Sam
7.  Yoda/Troy
6.  Mace Windu/Jordan
5.  Count Dooku/Lucas
4.  Darth Vader/Nathan
3.  Emperor Palpatine/Kaleb
2.  Jango Fett/Alex C.
1.  Boba Fett/Rob

Thanks to everyone who (eventually) came out to play!

We do have some major news on the horizon.  First, Thanksdueling! will likely be played on November 9th, but we might add a second Duel in honor of the Mandalorian, stay tuned for that.

AND!!!  The final trailer for Rise of Skywalker debuts Monday night, and tickets go on sale Monday too.  Our tradition is to play a Duel before the movie debuts.  That will likely be the late afternoon of Thursday, December 19.  I'll email tomorrow with more details!!!