A New Hope - January 11, 2020

Emperor's Throne Room

One thing we didn't really discuss in the preview for A New Hope is that, with this now being the year 2020, our league of Dueling scum has traversed two decades!  I know, I know, this is just season six...but it's crossed two decades!  We're getting up there in age.

Thanks for being part of this insanely silly game and league.  It really is a special thing to get to play with everyone, award trophies, record stats, etc.  Just think...in ten years we'll be in decade #3!

You can almost tell who is going out in 12th...

The new year got off on the wrong foot when Rylie, who got the first chair, picked the Emperor's Throne Room.  I don't know why we can't stop picking this board, but it's one heck of a statistical anomaly at this point.  With the way the league plays, it's almost certain doom for light side characters.

Best friends.

Grant figured his fate as Luke Skywalker was doomed, so he was the first to flip.  However, he couldn't get far enough away from JD's Obi-Wan and got blasted with a six point attack.  His streak of 57 Duels without a last place finish looked like it was in serious jeopardy of ending, but the attacks on the board suddenly shifted to Ben's Yoda.  That was because JD decided, after promising "light side strong," to flip too!

Ben was none too pleased.  He might of mentioned something like dancing on JD's grave.

His Yoda was surprisingly low on defense cards, and thus he was completely helpless when Ian moved his Greedo into position for a Desperate Shot.  Ben died at the suction-cupped hands of Boba's minor for last place.  You could call him Mr. Pretzel because he was...salty.

That left Kaleb's Mace and Jordan's Anakin all by themselves, especially after Delaney's Chewbacca started shooting Ani.  You have to hand it to Jordan, when the chips are down, he's not afraid to go out light saber blazing.  And he didn't want Grant to go unpunished for being the first flipper, so he Wrathed Lucas' Royal Guard to stand next to Grant and drop an Anger.  It was enough to do the trick and Grant finished an unfortunate eleventh for the second game in a row.

Kaleb, all by himself.

Jordan made Lucas cranky and got attacked by the remaining Royal Guard.  Everyone else on the dark side took shots and it was Ian's Boba whose three point shot ended Jordan's night.  Also...this is Jordan's third time in five games playing with Anakin.  That's nuts!

You would think Kaleb's Mace was doomed at this point, but with Curtis' Darth Maul and Rylie's Darth Vader fully loaded...they went after Lucas' Emperor!  Lucas was shocked and displeased, especially as Rylie started things off with two 5-point attacks.  Curtis eliminated Lucas with a Super Sith Speed (does NOT count as an action).  That unfortunate finish for Lucas sent him down a few spots in the rankings.  Rob's Count Dooku was similarly fully loaded, and coordinated with Rylie to launch another sneak attack...this time on poor Natalie's Jango Fett!  They made quick work of her and Dooku's Taunt sent her packing in eighth.

Plotting and scheming.

With the infighting subsiding, the attention finally returned to Kaleb's Mace.  He valiantly tried to align with others, but it was Boba's Deadly Aim that finally eliminated him. 

It got nervous on the board after that, as the remaining six had been loyal to each other and didn't know who to turn on first.  Rob's Dooku, fearing the Bowcaster, meekly suggested Delaney's Han Solo.  Others agreed and Delaney found herself surrounded with nowhere to go.  Rob used another Taunt to remove her in sixth (her best finish - yay!), and then used a Give orders to move away from the rest of the board, not knowing if he would be the next target. 

And then there were five!  Nobody was eager to name the next victim, and Curtis, fully loaded with Maul cards, started making eyes at Rob's Dooku.  Not kind, suggestive eyes, more like fire and destruction eyes.  Ian heartily endorsed the concept, and Curtis made the call to move in on Dooku.  He thought JD's Obi, who was standing nearby, would join in, but instead he turned on Maul!  He used a Force Balance, and everybody had to drop their cards.  Then he used Force Control, and pinned Ian's Boba behind Rylie's Vader and Storm Troopers, while also putting Maul in a kill box on the other end.

It looked dire for Curtis' Maul, but Rob pitched a plan.  He, Curtis/Maul, and JD/Obi were the three strongest characters but pretty banged up.  Rylie/Vader and Ian/Boba were both full health and clearly aligned.  Rob proposed the three of them take on Vader and Boba.  Curtis tentatively agreed, so Rob moved away from Maul and Obi, towards the other end of the board.  Curtis was next...and attacked JD!  Betrayal!!!  JD got gutted with an Athletic Surge, and his night was done.  Fifth was pretty good for somebody just "testing the waters."

Rob thought this was a true blunder on Curtis' part, and begged him to work together.  Curtis declined again, and Storm Troopers and Greedo started peppering Dooku, all the while Boba moved in for the final attack.  But Rob convinced Rylie to move a Storm Trooper and allow him to go after Boba.  He laid two big attacks, and once again tried to get Curtis to help him finish off the Bounty Hunter, but Maul carded up instead.  Rob had one last trick up his sleeve, a Force Push to carry Vader away from him, but it was two 1-point attacks from Maul's Battle Droid that gutted Rob in fourth.

New Year's resolution achieved!

Curtis and Rylie had a semi-alliance at that point, but really it turned into everyone against everyone.  As Boba's health continued to take hits, it was Rylie dropping a bad-@$$ All Too Easy that blew Ian off the board. 

Rylie had the health advantage but Curtis was pretty loaded.  Rylie's Vader tried to take Curtis' health down in order to use a Throw Debris/Wrath combo, but unfortunately, that left her open to attacks from Maul and she didn't have the defense to hang.  Curtis slayed Vader and won his first Duel in over two years.  Congrats Curtis!!!  And Rylie finished with a career-best second place finish and is just one Duel away from going pro - well done Rylie!  And...this is Maul's third victory in four Duels - whoa!!!!

Final order of finish:

12.  Ben/Yoda
11.  Grant/Luke
10.  Jordan/Anakin
9.  Lucas/Emperor
8.  Natalie/Jango
7.  Kaleb/Mace
6.  Han/Delaney
5.  JD/Obi-Wan
4.  Rob/Dooku
3.  Ian/Boba
2.  Rylie/Vader
1.  Curtis/Maul

This was an awesome way to start the new year!  And even better, we won't play on Throne Room next time!  Stay tuned for details on February's upcoming Valentine's Duel. 

Preview Post: A New Hope - January 11, 2020

Holy Hannah - after the holidays and recent Star Wars goodies (Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, Rob's Boba Fett sweater...), it's kind of nice to be back in a more normal routine.  Did you take time over the break to take stock of your (Dueling) life?  Did you make any new year's (Dueling) resolutions?  I hope so.  It's good to start fresh (Dueling).

With a new year comes...A New Hope!  This is our sixth annual New Hope Duel, and the Luke Skywalker trophy is up for grabs.  Before we see who's playing, let's take a trip down memory lane...

A NEW HOPE HISTORY:

2019 - Joel won with Darth Maul in the Geonosis Arena
2018 - Ethan won with Anakin Skywalker on the Kamino Platform
2017 - Nathan won with Mace Windu in the Carbon Freezing Chamber
2016 - JD won with Anakin Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena
2015 - Rob won with Mace Windu in the Emperor's Throne Room

MEET THE DUELERS:

The annual traditions for the A New Hope preview is to assign each Dueler a New Year's resolution.  This should be fun!

Ben - it was this Duel last year that Ben, unexpectedly and ruthlessly, back-stabbed his wife in an attempt to further his own game.  It didn't end well for him at the Duel or back at their house.  His resolution this year is to kill Rob for mentioning this publicly.

Curtis - he is one of the league's oldest and most dedicated Duelers...and he hasn't won in over two years.  That's a brutal stretch by any measure, and our resident enneagram six is due.  His resolution this year is to get his hands on a trophy again.

Delaney - A New Hope is Delaney's second Duel - yay!!!  We love amateur Duelers who come back after the first time they play.  Delaney's resolution this year is to become a professional Dueler!

Grant - good gracious, how can it be that Grant, our third ranked Dueler, hasn't won in a year and a half???  He's too good to keep that streak going.  His resolution is to win a trophy too.

Ian - he moved into a tie for third place in the all-time career victory list when he won the 2019 Championship this past December.  It was quite the performance and his name is forever in the history books now.  His resolution this year is to dust and polish that beautiful Darth Vader trophy the rest of us covet.

JD - this might sound shocking, but JD only played in half of our Duels this past semester.  That's uncharacteristic for the person second all-time on the games played list.  JD's resolution is to keep picking Yoda and showing up for more Duels.

Jordan - this amateur Dueler is only one Duel away from going professional after the New Hope Duel.  He's finished as high as fourth and as low as eleventh.  His resolution this year, after going pro, is to secure a top three finish.

Kaleb - after a rough Thanksdueling! and Championship, Kaleb shot right back up the charts and finished second at the Rise of Skywalker Duel.  He sits at second place in the rankings, falling behind Alex C.'s meteoric rise into first.  Kaleb's resolution is...to be cast on the tv show Survivor.

Lucas - our most recent amateur turned professional was dispatched early at the Rise of Skywalker match.  Now he's one of only three professionals without a victory, so his resolution is his first win!

Natalie - she is already half way to turning professional, and already has two top-four finishes in her young career.  The only place to go from here is up!  Natalie's resolution is to bring home her first trophy!

Rob - let's face it, this old fart has seen enough glory to last the rest of us a lifetime.  But he's never won the big one.  And it haunts him.  He needs to reach the promised land.  His resolution for 2020 is to either win the Championship, the Singles Tournament or Ben's Rise of Skywalker prediction contest.  All three are equal in his eyes.

Rylie - A New Hope marks Rylie's fifth Duel.  She's one away from turning pro!  She's seen success in several Duels already, but her resolution is to have a check mark in the victory column by the time she's professional!

BB-8 PREDICTS THE WINNER:

Ok, let's be honest, the BB-8 gimmick this year was supposed to be a live video of BB-8 rolling in front of the camera with a character card to make his pick, but he got thrown away unexpectedly and it's been boring jpegs ever since.  That changes today!  BB-8 is back...with Poe's X-Wing!!!

BB-8!  You look awesome in that thing!!  But are you sure you can fly it without Poe in the cockpit?  What's that - you think you can!?!?  Ok - go for it - land it the X-Wing on the character envelope you think will win the duel!



Yoda???  Ok, I hope you're finally right this time.  You're 1-6 on the year, we're starting to lose faith!

Ok, there it all is friends.  It's a new year, but it's still our favorite Epic Duels.  Come to the North Village Community Center at 7PM this Saturday if you want to see the carnage first hand!