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!
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