Carbon Freezing Chamber (via Dagobah)
What a fantastic night of Dueling! In one of the best played Duels in quite some time, the best of the best from 2021 gathered in the North Village Classroom and did battle to bring home the Darth Vader trophy, the most coveted piece of hardware our league has to offer.
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| Hint: the winner is smiling in this photo. |
And just to rub salt in the wounds of very grumpy and tense Duelers, for the Championship, you are forced to pose with the card that crushed your hopes and dreams. Brutal. WE LOVE IT. Let's see how they did!
Character - Mace Windu
Card that killed him - a one point Wicket attack
The good news is...Grant turned professional this Duel! That bad news was...he did so while taking home the Golden Jar Jar.
Kat's Princess Leia flipped to the dark side early, and that left poor Grant exposed and battered.
Character - Orson Krennic
Card that killed her - a 4 point Yoda attack
The tiny titan of terror launched the first damage of the night, throwing a Grenade into a cluster of light side characters. But when she was loaded with cards later in the game, she got over-eager and drove Krennic deep behind enemy lines. They put her in a kill box and she didn't survive.
Character - Emperor Palpatine
Card that killed him - a 5 point attack from Anakin
The best Dueler of 2021 was appropriately hooded and leading his dark side alliance in domination of the light. But in perhaps the biggest move of the game, Rob's Jango suggested their alliance eliminate the Emperor early, and they agreed. A Wrist Cable and Flamethrower moved Palpatine into the lion's den, and he was promptly eaten.
Character - Lando Calrissian
Card that killed him - Zam's (the changeling) Sniper Shot
Despite early and frequent offers to join the dark side alliance, Ian stayed true to the light. He did a good job of rallying his alliance partners, but after Curtis was gone, the dark side were once again on the hunt and Ian didn't last long after that.
Character - Anakin Skywalker
Card that killed her - a 4 point attack from Rey
Rylie originally stayed loyal to the light side, but later in the game she flipped by Wrathing Lobot to death. A few turns later she found herself unwittingly put in a kill box of the last remaining light side members.
Character - Yoda
Card that killed him - a 3 point Magna Guard attack
Elliot had the good sense to dress to match the character he played with. He deftly navigated Yoda as the light side crumbled around him, and managed to kill to Duelers. However, the piper came piping in the end, as Kevin moved his minor characters in for the kill.
Character - Rey
Card that killed him - Maul's Super Sith Speed
Duncan could do no wrong at the Championship, even though he finished sixth. It was amazing how he had and played the right card at the right time so many times, helping keep his alliance afloat. He saved Ian's Lando from a last place finish with one of Rey's heal cards. Good job, Duncan!
Character - Darth Vader
Card that killed him - a 4 point attack from General Grievous
The final five operated as a very tight alliance throughout the game, so everyone knew the ending would be painful. Still, it was shocking when Kat put the target on her tablemate JD. The rest of the Duelers basically followed suit. JD tried his best, but he couldn't outlast the attacks.
Character - Princess Leia
Card that killed her - General Grievous' Make Them Suffer
The final four was the second biggest moment of the game. Both Maul and Grievous were banged up, while Leia and Jango remained undamaged. It was Rob's turn, and he warned Leia had yet to use any of her 16 points of auto damage cards. The shooters had originally planned to work to the end, but Maul and Grievous came around to Rob's thinking. Kat played fantastically.
Character - General Grievous
Card that killed him - Darth Maul's Blinding Surge
Kevin, easily the most junior Dueler at the table, played an amazing game. His Grievous was mortally wounded for much of the last phase of the Duel, but he hung in there. Though he had been tight with Rob throughout, Jango and Maul decided at the end to cease Grievous' relentless coughing. It was an emotional moment for Kevin, who is a definite rising star in our league.
Character - Darth Maul
Card that killed her - a 3 point attack from Jango
The top ranked Dueler in the league proved her ranking is no fluke. Despite Maul being a target of early attacks, she weathered the storm and, throughout the night, used Sith Speed combos to tenderize the next alliance target. She got caught low carded and wounded after scrapping with Grievous, and Rob took advantage with a couple of distance attacks.
1st Place - Rob
Character - Jango Fett
How he won - by never being attacked. At all. The entire game!
You could argue nobody had a tougher road at the start of the game, playing with the weakest character and terrible board position. But Kat's flip and a strong dark side alliance enabled Rob, Jango, and Zam (the changeling) to bob and weave all night. Whether he was producing laughs with his Yoda ears or pointing out the next target for his alliance, he finally filled the biggest gap in his Dueling resume - the Championship! It was his third win with Jango Fett in his career, and Jango's 12th career victory. That moves Jango into sole possession of second place on the all-time character win list.
Let's take a look at those final finishes again:
12th - Grant H./Mace
11th - Riley/Krennic
10th - Curtis/Emperor
9th - Ian/Lando
8th - Rylie/Anakin
7th - Elliot/Yoda
6th - Duncan/Rey
5th - JD/Vader
4th - Kat/Leia
3rd - Kevin/Grievous
2nd - Natalie/Maul
1st - Rob/Jango
Duelers agreed that was one of the highest caliber Duels they had ever taken part of. Good job, everyone! We'll take a break until January's Duel, A New Hope! Our target date right now is Saturday, January 15th. We plan to do a matinee Duel so we can go to the men's basketball game afterwards!
Thanks for a great 2021, everyone! What an incredible year!!!
