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. |
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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...
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment