May The 4th Be With You - May 4, 2021

 

The Trash Compactor

Our new board, the Trash Compactor, was designed to create some chaos and a quick Duel.

IT DELIVERED!!!

Not only did we finish in under three hours, this May the 4th Be With You Duel had THE MOST INSANE FINISH IN LEAGUE HISTORY!!!!

I'M NOT EXAGERATING!!!  Read on to get the details...

May the 4th Be With Us!

Right out of the gate the light side and dark side started trading shots across the Compactor.  One of Rob's Death Troopers threw a Grenade, which rattled the light side,  But on the last turn of the first round, it would be the neutral monster on the board, The Dianoga, who would strike for the first time, pulling Riley's Darth Vader under the water for two points of damage!

Both sides stayed aggressive, with Ian/Kylo and Chris K./Maul running in and knocking people around.  Rylie's Dooku also Force Pushed Chewbacca into a dark side kill box.  Miguel's Yoda, meanwhile, was determined to save Chewey and rolled his Yoda forward to try and save the day.

The blows continued on both sides, but Ian's Kylo got caught up front low-carded.  Grant's Mandalorian greeted him with a Disintegration...which Ian didn't block!!!  That was ten points of damage.  Brutal!  Fiona's Mace Windu eventually finished him off with a Clone Trooper attack.  With eleven Duelers left Miguel's Yoda was on life support in the back row, in danger of the closing walls.  But Riley's Vader decided to Throw Debris and that left the board with two main characters dead.  The next main character to die would trigger the two walls to move in by one row each!

If they only knew what was about to happen...

At this point Curtis' Rey and Karson's Lando were calling the shots for the light side from their corner of the board.  Rob stoked the flames of internal strife by pointing out those two characters were the best two defensive characters on the board, a major advantage in the Trash Compactor.  Rachel/Han and Fiona/Mace were starting to have second thoughts about their alliance.  Meanwhile, the Dianoga dragged Karson's Lobot under the water for a kill!

The light side, led by Mace, jacked up Rylie's Count Dooku, and he was just a couple of points from dying.  Rachel sensed doom and wanted to wreak havoc, so she surprisingly stepped out onto the back line - in danger of dying by the wall - and popped Karson's Lando for major damage.  Heavily wounded, he ended up using Altered the Deal, meaning he could switch spots with any character on the board.  He was open to a new alliance.  The debate of where he should go lasted for awhile...a fact most everyone would regret after what happened next!

Out of nowhere Kaleb, whose Jango had been chilling largely out of the picture for most of the game, suddenly offered to switch spots with his little brother.  Karson agreed.  Kaleb was next...and he suddenly declared, with a terrifying amount of glee in his voice, "I'm going to win the game!!!"

He rolled towards Rylie's Dooku, Chris' Maul, and Rob's Krennic and played Flame Thrower.  That killed Rylie's Dooku in tenth, which triggered the walls to close in by one space.  But before he did that, he used the Flame Thrower's movement action to push Chris and Rob against the wall!  With Rachel's Han on the back row of the other side of the board...ALL THREE DIED, TIED IN SEVENTH PLACE!

Step two!

And because three characters had just died instantly...THAT MEANT THE WALLS WOULD MOVE AGAIN!!!  KILLING THE REMAINING FIVE DUELERS NOT NAMED JANGO FETT!!!

STEP THREE!!!

That was a five-way tie for second...KALEB/JANGO WON!!!  With a simple Flame Thrower and the dynamics of the Trash Compactor, he KILLED NINE DUELERS IN ONE ACTION!!!  HE BROKE THE GAME!!!  MOST INSANE DUEL EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sneakiest son-of-a-gun EVER!!!

Let's get that completely nuts order of finish:

12.  Ian/Kylo Ren

11.  Miguel/Yoda

10.  Rylie/Count Dooku

T7.  Chris K./Darth Maul

T7.  Rob/Orson Krennic

T7.  Rachel/Han Solo

T2.  Karson/Lando Calrissian

T2.  Riley/Darth Vader

T2.  Grant/The Mandalorian

T2.  Fiona/Mace Windu

T2.  Curtis/Rey

1.  Kaleb/Jango Fett

I can't imagine we will EVER play a Duel that crazy again.  Kaleb deserves ALL THE PRAISE for pulling off the wildest, most dominant win OF ALL-TIME!!!

Thanks to everyone who played this year...our seventh season of Dueling is in the books!!!  In June we often play a doubleheader - THE TWIN SUN SLAM.  Once Rob wraps his brain around the May the 4th Duel he'll start to think about what that one looks like.  Fingers crossed...those could be the last two Duels we every play online again!  In late July we hope to re-start the Singles Tournament again too. More details to come on that later in the summer.

God bless all of you!  If you haven't been vaccinated yet, DO IT!  It will be a requirement for Dueling next year.  Until next time...may the Force be with you.  Always.