May the 4th Be With You - May 4, 2019

Hall of Fame Careers

 Emperor's Throne Room
(via the Mustafar 3D board)

The last Duel of the season is always bittersweet.  Not just because it means we're taking a break over the summer, no, there's a degree of sadness because we know we're saying goodbye to some of our regular Duelers who are graduating or moving onto bigger and better board games.  Just kidding.  There are no board games bigger or better than Epic Duels.

Those departing Duelers who have distinguished themselves above and beyond the common combatant earn a special place in the hallowed halls (or tabs) of the blog.  I am speaking, of course, of the 12-Way Duel Hall of Fame.  This year, before we played the May the 4th Be With You Duel, we inducted two (technically three) new members into the Hall of Fame.

Courtney and Ben H.

Nobody can deny the impact this married couple had on the league.  Courtney made history when she became the first female winner in the history of our nerdy rebellion by claiming the 2018 Fall Brawl.  It was an achievement long overdue and her strategic style of play was worthy of the honor.  Even better, she won before Ben did!  But don't sleep on Ben!  Nobody had a better 18-19 season than Ben, who took home three wins, none bigger than the 2018 Championship.

Joel

Few Duelers are as cold and calculating as Joel, whose ruthless style of play laid waste to most of those standing in his way.  In fact, he won more Duels as an undergraduate (five) than anyone else in league history.  At the time of his retirement, he was also the only Dueler to ever win twice with Darth Maul.  That's a fitting character for his style of play.  The league will breathe more easily with Joel missing from the table, and that's really the best compliment you can give a Dueler.

Happy birthday, Viktor!

JD grabbed the first chair and also happened to win the roll-off to go first.  It was a nice change of luck after his staggering last place finish the afternoon before.  Unfortunately, he picked his favorite character (Yoda) on that character's worst board (Emperor's Throne Room).  Prompted by Rob, though, he made an impassioned speech for the light side to stick together through the start of the game, which is typically their only chance against the dark side on that board.  Through the start of the game, that appeared to stick, and they even kinda got Ben, aka "The Thinker", to join their ranks with Count Dooku.

"KALEB!!!!"

Rob's Obi-Wan Kenobi, stuck on the front line, took some early hits, especially after Viktor's Zam Wessell got some nasty licks in.  The light side also took a major hit when Joel's Chewbacca got slaughtered, largely due to a double Choke from Ryan's Darth Vader.

And that's when things went down the toilet for the light side, because rather than use big Padme cards on Greedo or Boba, Kaleb and his Anakin flipped to the dark side with a friendly Wrath off a Storm Trooper.  Joel made it clear he was peacing out too.  The Thinker, after much deliberation, did the same and the light side was CRANKY, none more so than Rob.  Before Ben defected he Force Pushed Rob's Obi to the back row of the dark side.  At that point Rob put his tail completely between his legs and pledged fidelity to his new dark side overlords.  Miraculously, he didn't die, even though his own daughter was suggesting it.  When it got to his turn he knew the time was right to shake things up and give the light side a chance.  But mostly he just wanted to dish out 13 attack points on Kaleb.  Obi used the Force Control and completely rearranged the board to try and buy himself some time and sweet revenge on Kaleb and Joel.

JD is with you

Part of the reconfigured board was a chance for Ian's Luke to kill Joel's Han.  But before it got to Ian, Kaleb's Padme dealt a shocking 15 points of damage to the junior Skywalker and Ian was in last place.  That was quite unexpected.  What wasn't surprising was that Rob died next.  Despite pleading for his life Ryan used a three point attack from a Storm Trooper just to add insult to injury.  I don't know, it's like this game brings out the worst in us.  And by the worst I mean intoxicating ruthlessness. 

Before Rob died he tried to convince the rest of the board to go after Kaleb's Anakin.  Folks were resistant to that and seemed more interested in whittling down JD's  Yoda.  He sensed it too and kept reminding the dark side he was on their side now.  The statement didn't carry much weight but nobody was too excited to catch a Force Rebound either.  JD took advantage of the hesitation and put the spotlight on Grant's Boba Fett.  Out of nowhere Kaleb of all people agreed and smoked him with an Anger so that he might use his Calm after the fact.  It was a tough tenth place finish for Grant, who tumbled out of first place in the standings as a result.

The Thinker...thinking...

Chris, playing in his last Duel with Mace Windu, had kept his head down for a minute but Viktor's Jango didn't want the Jedi on the board any longer.  Chris fought valiantly but took a Zam Sniper Shot right between the eyes to bow out in a disappointing ninth place.

Viktor was feeling confident at that point, and kept shoring up his alliance with Riley's Emperor Palpatine.  Unfortunately for him, none of the remaining original dark side had any interest in keeping him around and slowly positioned around him.  He didn't last long and it was Riley of all people who eliminated him with a Force Lightning.  That wasn't the birthday present Viktor was hoping for.

JD's Yoda and Kaleb's Anakin got into a debate over which of the two of them should die next.  As it would so often in this game, it came down to a prolonged decision process by the Thinker to help guide the decision.  What really hurt JD was when Alex's Darth Maul rolled in and walloped Yoda with consecutive attacks.  JD couldn't sustain the multi-front attack and was soon disposed of in seventh place.

Kaleb tried to turn the focus next on Ryan's Darth Vader and that caused a whole new round of deliberations and contemplation and OH MY GOD JUST MAKE A MOVE ALREADY thoughts from the dead Duelers watching the inaction.  Anakin couldn't escape this time, though, and finally crashed in sixth after Ryan flattened him with a Throw Debris.

Riley and her fan club.

And then there were five!  Joel looked like a turtle hiding in his shell for most of the game (which was a smart move on his part) but his Han finally emerged and warned the board of the dangers of Riley's Emperor.  He saw that she was short-carded and suggested they gun for her.  But Alex/Maul, Ryan/Vader, and Ben/Dooku all seemed to think they were in cahoots with her and decided to bring their collective thunder on top of Joel's Han.  It was a one point attack from Ben's Super Battle Droid that left Joel fuming.

From there we had four remaining and all four were in decent health.  At first it looked like Ryan/Vader and Alex/Emperor would go after Ben's Dooku, but Riley stayed somewhat loyal to Ben and started helping him against Alex.  This forced Alex to spend some attacks on Riley too.  But she was holding Meditation for just that sort of an occasion and managed to escape relatively healthy.  Alex got stuck low-carded and Ben eliminated him in fourth.  Don't feel bad for Alex, though.  He's our new #1 ranked Dueler!

The sunburned champion

It looked like Ben/Dooku and Ryan/Vader were marching down to take out Riley.  She had yet to play her You Will Die but that was because she had yet to draw it.  Just as they arrived at her doorstep she found it!  Ryan assumed she would use it on Ben since Ben was healthier but his jaw dropped as she emptied his hand.  He retreated away from both of them and Ben had the pangs of guilt as he tried to pot shot Riley, who had stuck with him throughout the night.  He finally decided the right thing to do would be to chase down Vader.  He did just that and Ryan finished in third after a four point attack.

With two to go things were very interesting.  Riley and Ben each had a minor character still on the board, so neither were able to heal from minor character cards.  This gave Riley an advantage as she had Meditation cards and she had just reshuffled her draw pile.  But Ben scored a Gain Power at the right time and bore down on her as she had positioned herself a little too close for battle.  In her first action the turn before Ben was surely about to use a Taunt, Riley found the You Will Die again!  She used it for her second action and, just like that, Ben was cardless!  To pour salt in the wounds, as he drew two cards on his next turn, Riley played Let Go Of Your Hatred and he was again unprotected.  She managed a couple of Force Lightnings as well as she methodically hunted him across the board.  Though Ben's Super Battle Droid managed a couple of substantive hits, Riley finally started using her Royal Guard attacks.  After she caught Ben choosing not to defend on her first shot, she fired again and won the game!!!  At ten years and 364 days old, she becomes the youngest winner in league history and the second female champion.  She immediately broke out in a fit of adrenaline-fueled giggles and body shakes.

The final order of finish:

12,  Ian/Luke
11.  Rob/Obi
10.  Grant/Boba
9.  Chris/Mace
8.  Viktor/Jango
7.  JD/Yoda
6.  Kaleb/Anakin
5.  Joel/Han
4.  Alex C./Maul
3.  Ryan/Vader
2.  Ben H./Dooku
1.  Riley/Emperor

Ben H. was super gracious in second place.  In fact, the whole room was pulling for her first career win in just her seventh Duel.  And she did it, by God, she won.  And there was somebody even more excited than she was:

Thanks everybody for an outstanding season of Dueling.  Rob will look into hosting the Twin Sun Slam cookout and doubleheader again in June, stay tuned for that.  Also, don't forget...July brings the fifth annual SINGLES TOURNAMENT!  32 Duelers, 128 entries, and one winner.

Finally, to all of our Duelers leaving the league...thank you.  Without your love and play, this league wouldn't exist.  May the Force Be with You.  Always.

Galactic Credits - May 3, 2019

Kamino Platform

It was a historic day in our Duel League.  We played our newly purchased, league-owned Dueling board.  And as we counted the freshly opened cards, we discovered a bonus!  The Obi-Wan deck came with an extra 5-1 attack card.  I have no idea what we should do with it.  Frame it?  Each Dueler who sat down at the table would be the first to shuffle that character's cards.  What an honor!

It was also a day of goodbyes and welcome-backs.  Courtney was playing her last match while Nathan, the Hall of Famer, came back to the fold.  So many mixed emotions on a Friday afternoon!

"Cash rules everything around me CREAM!
Get the money, dollar-dollar bills yo..."

Grant drew the #1 chair and picked Kamino for the battleground.  With this Duel being our fundraiser for the game, we decided the winning Dueler would get to sign their name on the square they were standing on when they won the game.  You can tell by the lump of cash on the table folks were feeling pretty serious about it.  That signature is forever...who would earn that glory?

The first couple of rounds of play were relatively uneventful until Courtney's Han Solo decided to flip to the dark side.  The light side tried to convince Nathan's Dooku to flip back to them, but he wasn't having it.  However, after Rob's Luke played an "I Will Not Fight You" and Ian's Anakin double-Wrathed Dooku's Super Battle Droids, Nathan saw the light and joined up. 

JD's Maul moved his Battle Droids forward to help protect Han while Courtney managed a Bowcaster on Viktor's Mace.  It wasn't a hot start for the light side and the dark side tried to convince Chris' Obi-Wan to abandon the Jedi ranks.  But Chris is a gentleman of the highest moral fortitude and would not leave his post, which buttressed the courage of Kaleb's Yoda.  He had a choice to Force Push JD's Maul (who also just got an "I Will Not Fight You" played on him) or Courtney's Han into a light side kill box.  Knowing it was her last Duel, Kaleb boldly moved into the dark side territory and sent JD flying to his death in 12th.  JD was required to carry the golden Jar Jar everywhere with him until the next day's Duel.

Viktor before he dropped a Whirlwind on his own alliance.

While everybody was wild for the bold play, the dark side saw a great opportunity to eliminate Yoda.  Troy played You Will Die and dumped Kaleb's entire hand.  Suddenly he was surrounded by all three shooters and a couple of Royal Guards.  He took some hits but somehow used his mouth to convince them all to stop attacking.  It's like he used a real-life Jedi Mind Trick!

When JD got tossed Ben used his Jango to attack the Emperor while he Rocket Retreated to the light side.  But with Maul down and the rest of the dark side in trouble Rob/Luke, Viktor/Mace, and Ian/Anakin used the opportunity to lessen their full hands and kill Jango in a surprising eleventh place.  Ben might have been a little salty.  The next tragic kill was Chris' Obi-Wan.  While it was his early decision to hold true to the light side, he was rewarded with attacks from Nathan's Dooku and Courtney's Han.  It was the Never Tell Me The Odds special card that ended him in tenth.

Shout-out to Troy for being our twelfth!  

The four-way alliance of Rob/Luke, Viktor/Mace, Ian/Anakin, and Nathan/Dooku were planning their advancement on the Vader/Emperor/Boba side of the board when, completely out of the blue, Viktor dropped a Whirlwind on his own team!!!  He promised he wouldn't do it again, and for some reason his alliance believed him.  But as Mace marched across the board towards Coleman's Boba Fett, Courtney had one more trick up her sleeve.  She played her SECOND Bowcaster against Mace!  This time he had no defense and bowed out in ninth.

Coleman's Boba Fett never had a true alliance as he had targeted multiple folks on the board, but he finally had too many enemies when Troy's Emperor eliminated the junior Fett in eighth.  Coleman played well, though, especially for somebody who basically got forced into sitting at the table.

The Three Amigos

With seven to go it clearly became Yoda/Emperor/Vader vs. Luke/Ani/Dooku with Han as the swing vote.  But Courtney was convinced Rob was her true enemy and kept sniping at him.  That forced him to use a Justice card on Han, followed up by a Precise Shot from Padme.  That was all Courtney could take as she retired in seventh. 

That made a very interesting mix for a three on three battle.  Ian's Anakin boldly charged the skinny side of the board behind Jango's ship to engage the Emperor.  Though Troy managed to heal a couple of times he couldn't withstand the barrage and was forced out in sixth.  He played a patient game, though, it was a great rookie 12-way debut!  He also saved our butts by being the last person to help us make numbers.

One of these two were about to add their John Hancock
to the Kamino Platform

Kaleb, who was somehow still in this game, had managed to heal back half of his health.  But Nathan pulled a sneaky move by Force Pushing him into his alliance's kill box and they slowly eliminated his defense cards and hit points.  It was a powerful combo Drain and Taunt from Nathan's Dooku that finally did in Yoda.  That was a well-earned fifth place by Kaleb, who just as easily could have been last.

With four to go Grant's Darth Vader was the obvious target.  He was pretty cranky with the last I Will Not Fight You Rob played on him so he used a double Throw Debris on Luke Skywalker to crush Rob in fourth.  To Rob's credit, he laughed when it happened.  Grant couldn't fight two blades at once, though, and followed soon after in third place.  Another stellar finish for the top Dueler in the league.

That left the former supervisor/supervisee final two of Ian and Nathan.  Nathan used a Force Drain that jacked up Ian - he lost his 8 attack and his rebound.  Two taunts later and the Hall of Famer Nathan, playing in his return match to the league, won the game!!!

The final order of finish:

12.  JD/Maul
11.  Ben/Jango
10.  Chris/Obi
9.  Viktor/Mace
8.  Coleman/Boba
7.  Courtney/Han
6.  Troy/Emperor
5.  Kaleb/Yoda
4.  Rob/Luke
3.  Grant/Vader
2.  Ian/Anakin
1.  Nathan/Dooku

Thanks to everyone for raising the money to provide a set for future use in the league!

Preview: Galactic Credits (May 3rd) and May the 4th Be With You (May 4)

For the first time in blog history I'm previewing two Duels in the same post!  Unless, come to think of it, you consider the Doubleheader previews two Duels in one post.

Dang it.  Just when you think you broke new ground...

The Friday afternoon Duel will be our Galactic Credits Duel.  This is a fundraiser where each Dueler will chip in $5 so we can buy a league-owned copy of Epic Duels.  This will help prevent the wear and tear on somebody's personal copy of the game.  JD found a never-been-used edition very cheap and we thank him for that.  Ryan is painting up the figures, it should be cool!  Furthermore, whoever wins the inaugural game will get to sign their name on the winning space of the winning board.  It's like our own Hollywood Walk of Fame!

The Saturday evening Duel will be our last of the 18-19 season, our fifth annual May the 4th Be With You Duel!  One last chance at writing your name in the history books.  And, as is our tradition, there just might be an induction or two into the Epic Duels Hall of Fame.  That's always a tearjerker for Rob, come and see him chop onions.  May the 4th - it's the greatest day of the year for Star Wars fans!

HISTORY - MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU:

2018 - Rob won with Mace Windu in the Emperor's Throne Room
2017 - JD won with Yoda in the Emperor's Throne Room
2016 - Chris K . won with Jango Fett in the Emperor's Throne Room
2015 - Rob won with Jango Fett in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

MEET THE DUELERS - GALACTIC CREDITS:

Ben H. - like sand through the hour glass, these are the last days of Ben's Dueling life...

Chris W. - long time Dueler looking for his first career victory.

Coleman - he may or may not have been forced to play in this match.

Courtney - it would be cool for her to win her last Duel.

Grant - his perch at the top of the leader board is slipping.

Ian - he might still be steaming from his previous early exit.

JD - the trophy king and new board scout.

Kaleb - the golden Darth Maul finally returned home.

Nathan - your eyes don't deceive you, the Hall of Famer has returned!

Rob - he has the golden Jar Jar right now, and it sickens him.

Troy - our long time league fan is doing us a solid and playing with us

Viktor - the young padawan continues to grow in his strength

MEET THE DUELERS - MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU:

Alex C. - this kid, out of nowhere, is threatening to take over the leader board!

Ben H. - last one?  Make it count, Ben.

Chris W. - he needs to go big, because he has to go home.

Grant - it would be funny for us (not Grant) if he got Han one more time.

Ian - the Spurs are done in the playoffs so you know he's playing angry.

JD - he'd love to enter the summer break with yet another trophy on his shelf.

Joel - one last run, Joel, no guts no glory!

Kaleb - within the next 48 hours he could become the top ranked Dueler.  Again.

Riley - she turns 11 the next day, so this is a definite birthday treat for her.

Rob - finally, a break from the blog and the stats is at hand!

Ryan - dude, his first pass at our new league board painted figures is sick!

Viktor - this is no joke.  Viktor was born on MAY THE 4th!!!  THIS DUEL IS HIS DESTINY!

TREY REY PREDICTS THE WINNER:

When we last left Trey Rey...

Kylo Ren:  Nothing will stand in my way.  I will finish
what Trey Rey started.
Lil' Rey:  that's where you're wrong, Kylo.  it was never Trey Rey...

Big Rey:  THAT'S RIGHT - YOU CAN CALL US...QUAD REY!!!

Ultimate Rey: The Duel league may need a legend. I need someone
 to show me how to make a correct pick in all this.
And you failed, Kylo. But I won't. 

Quad Rey:  Behold.  We are Quad Rey.  We will finally
make a correct pick.  In honor of Peter Mayhew, we
pick Han Solo to win Friday, and master Yoda to win
on May the 4th.  It shall be so.  We are Quad Rey.

Wow.  What a dramatic, well thought-out, painfully orchestrated ending to our year of Duel picks.  Never saw that one coming.

And to echo Quad Rey, we hold these next two Duels in honor of the late Peter Mayhew, the original Chewbacca.  The ultimate co-pilot and best friend.  Prayers to you and yours, Mr. Mayhew.  We Bowcast in the name of your memory.

Feel free to come and watch the madness, Friday at 2PM and Saturday at 7:30.