"Does anybody really know what time it is?
Does anybody really care?
If so I can't imagine why
We've all got time enough to cry..."
Does anybody really care?
If so I can't imagine why
We've all got time enough to cry..."
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
- Chicago
Well, let's address the rumors now.
Yes. We played an 8 hour Duel.
I don't know why it was 8 hours. I don't know where the sands of the hourglass went. I don't know if, when laying on my deathbed (hopefully decades from now), I'll think back to this Duel and say, "no regrets!" I don't even know if the game actually ended. Maybe this blog post is a fever dream, a subconscious me seeking a way out of the Dueling matrix. Who's to say?
What I do know is our new board, Arvala-7, which debuted at this here Fall Brawl, is fantastic. Kaleb theorized, though, it might have contributed to the long match. Folks trying to figure it out, splintered from others. We'll have to analyze that the next time we play. I could be a member of AARP by the time that one ends. Hopefully it will be a MUCH faster Duel, though...
And not only did we try a new board, Ryan actually created it in 3D in time for us to play! Check out a couple of pics I snapped before we started:
But as Ian moved towards Mace, the infighting on each end of the board commenced. Rookie Karson, playing with Anakin, took a hit on Riley's Obi-Wan. The tiny titan of terror was none to pleased, and made it known she would return the favor. Meanwhile, Ryan's Jango Fired Up the Jet Pack to Lucas' Boba Fett and layed down two big hits before retreating back to his starting spot, where he would remain for approximately five hours. Lucas retreated to the light end of the board, where everyone decided Riley's Obi-Wan would be winner of the Golden Jar Jar for 12th place. Riley did pull off a nifty Jedi Block on Duncan's Bowcaster. It was a Princess Leia attack that offed her, but not before she dropped her last three cards to stand up Joel's Mace, who had been recently Force Lifted by Kendall's Yoda.
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| The first 12 to play on Arvala-7! |
Duncan, in just his second game but sounding like a grizzled veteran throughout the night, declared his support of the duo of Kendall/Yoda and Ian/Yoda, as well as promising safety for Lucas' Boba, but he did not offer the same olive branch to Joel, whose Mace was taking a beating caught behind one of the many rock columns. Rob's Vader got nervous thinking about a shootout at the end of the game with Boba and Han united, so he Threw Debris to put Lucas out of his misery in eleventh.
Joel fought valiantly, but Ian was obsessed with taking him down. His Maul finally negotiated the log jam on that part of the board. Joel had a number of defense cards to play, but Ian used a surprising Athletic Surge with the first attack instead of a Sith Speed, and that was enough to put the Hall of Famer in the dirt, good for tenth place.
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| Danger around every corner. |
Folks were fully loaded with cards again, and targets were needed. Despite being deep in the light side of the board, Maul had maintained a general alliance with the dark side. He was, though, interested in targeting Rylie's Emperor Palpatine. To get there he needed to pass by Karson's Anakin, and Anakin was bleeding. Ian offered his genuine condolences before cracking him with his second Athletic Surge of the game, and the rookie grounded out in ninth. Play with us again, Karson, and keep trash talking your brother while you do!
Ian retreated to the dark side of the board after the Surge, and his partner Kendall kept making it known Rylie's Emperor should be next. That's when Rob's Vader realized Maul was in a kill box, and he lobbied Ryan's Jango and Rylie's Emperor to go after Ian with him, while Curtis' Dooku started to duke it out with Kendall's Yoda. Duncan's Han and Kaleb's Luke were too far from the action to do much of anything. Ian was incredulous that Rob turned on him, but what are you gonna do when the horned Sith is low carded and vulnerable? A combo of Rylie's healing card and a double wrist cable by Jango doomed Ian in eighth.
While that was going down, Kendall and Curtis negotiated a truce to make Duncan the next target. Despite that, Rylie's Emperor had taken a ton of damage, so her Yoda moved in and strong-armed Rob's Vader into helping her finish Palpatine. Rob's Vader was wounded, so he used a couple of Force Drain's on Rylie while he threw up a little in his mouth for back-stabbing his alliance partner. Kendall Force Pushed Rylie, who could mercifully go to sleep since we were well past 1AM at that point.
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| Duncan shot first. |
That made it six to go, and Duncan could not believe Kaleb's Luke and Kendall's Yoda were no longer siding with him. He made some good arguments, but after threatening everyone with finding his second Bowcaster, the board united to bring him down. It would be a three point attack from Yoda that sealed the deal. In just his second game you can tell Duncan has a bright future in the league!
The most crucial moment in any Duel is the final five, and the Fall Brawl was no different. Kaleb went first, and after much deliberation, he decided to I Will Not Fight You on Curtis' Count Dooku for the second time in the game. But he kept another one of those cards in his hands, which forced Rob to make a half-hearted attack on on his partner Curtis. Kendall didn't follow suit, which sent things into chaos again. Curtis charged forward to attack Kaleb's Luke, and that is where the last stand for several characters took place.
Kendall's Yoda was near Kaleb's Luke when Rob's Vader charged forward. He knew he had to take out Skywalker before another I Will Not Fight You was played. But Kaleb talked Yoda into knocking off Leia, which activated the ten-point power of Justice. Kaleb got two attacks off on Rob, including the Justice, before finally bowing out in fourth. It was a heck of an effort for the birthday boy, who was never on strong ground but made it work to his advantage. For his sake, though, let's hope he finally picks a new character next time!
With three to go, Ryan's Jango and Rob's Vader knew they had to work together to take down rookie Kendall, who was playing Yoda like she had been doing it for years. Both Duelers were reshuffling, and that was providing them the distance attacks they needed, though both got Insighted at various points by Yoda, who discarded cards each was clearly trying to hold onto for the final two. Just as they whittled down Yoda to one point of health, Ryan used a Missile Launch on Rob's Vader! He then Fired Up the Jet Pack and finished off Yoda, ending Kendall's early morning in third. That was one of the best rookie Duels in league history, way to go Kendall!
And then there were two! Rob's Vader was in bad health after the Missile Launch, but he was loaded with Trooper cards to heal while Ryan worked his way back into attack range. That proved hard, and after he went in for two attacks, Rob countered with a blocked All Too Easy but a successful Force Drain, which powered him back up and sent Ryan scrambling away. Rob didn't know it, but Ryan was drowning in Zam cards. They chased each other across the board a couple of more times before Ryan used his Flamethrower to cash out Rob in second place. Congrats Ryan! He was last year's Fall Brawl winner too, so he gets to keep the Mace trophy for another year! Here's the final order of finish:
12. Riley/Obi-Wan Kenobi
11. Lucas/Boba Fett
10. Joel/Mace Windu
9. Karson/Anakin Skywalker
8. Ian/Darth Maul
7. Rylie/Emperor Palpatine
6. Duncan/Han Solo
5. Curtis/Count Dooku
4. Kaleb/Luke Skywalker
3. Kendall/Yoda
2. Rob/Darth Vader
1. Ryan/Jango Fett
If you're still reading, I promise you this. We will NEVER play an eight hour Duel again. Scout Trooper's honor. I think that was an anomaly because of the new board. Speaking of which...
...next month is October, and that means it's time for our FIGHT NIGHT Duel! And we're using another new board! Don't worry, this one is much more congested than Arvala-7. Here's a hint about what to expect: it's the first Board that doesn't stay static during the game! Intrigued? We'll email out the invite once the date is picked. Until next month...stay safe! PEW PEW!
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