Conveyex Train
The last Duel of the school year!!! It's always a bit sad when we wrap up the Dueling season. Karson and Rylie were playing in their likely last matches, as both graduate soon. So when Rylie requested a batch of Yoda Soda to celebrate, Rob was happy to oblige.
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| May the |
Grant H. also stepped up his wardrobe game, changing from last month's Jedi wardrobe to a Baylor-themed Mandalorian outfit, complete with Grogu in a BU sweatshirt! And wouldn't you know it...Grant got to pick his character first, and he landed The Mandalorian!!! THIS IS THE WAY.
Everyone else got their character, and they placed their minors on the Conveyex Train board. Right out of the gate, Curtis' Lando put a target on Rylie's Rey, who was on one of the speeders running alongside the train. That was a brutal callout, given it was Rylie's last Duel. But others followed suit, and soon she was getting peppered with shots. Meanwhile, Kat's Jyn Erso took big damage early from Miguel's Boba from across the board. Folks weren't messing around!
Just as it looked like the train mob had Rylie on the ropes, she played Rise of Skywalker to get all the way back to full health! So many attack cards, all for not! Sadly, the attacks persisted, and Rylie was soon out in a brutally insensitive 12th place. Grant D. gave her permission to drink the rest of the Yoda Soda.
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| What's your favorite board studying pose? |
Kat managed to deliver a couple of attacks of her own, but soon the rest of the board turned against her too. Corona was playing with Fennec Shand, and he delivered an I Don't Miss. That was enough to end Kat's night in 11th. This train board had people playing dirty.
JD's Jango Fett was happy to leave his speeder for the train, hoping to avoid a slightly chaotic Miguel, but no sooner had he stepped onto it, he had Ian's Vader and Riley's Moff Gideon attacking him. Around the same time Karson's Krennic was starting to take damage too. JD made his way to Grant D.'s corner of the board, only to be surprised by Luke Skywalker dropping 5-point attacks. JD's rough stretch at the table continues, he was gone in 10th.
Karson, playing Krennec for the second game in a row, soon found himself with no alliance partners, save Miguel's Boba Fett who was obsessed with the possible veteran alliance on the train. Just as folks were loaded with cards, Karson played Peace and Security after escaping a Dark Trooper kidnapping. The Duelers groaned as they had to reload their hands. The last laugh was had by Corona, though. What was one of his four new cards? CANNON BLAST! Black Krrsantan blew Karson off the train in 9th place!!!
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| Boba running out of time. |
Miguel's Boba, meanwhile, chucked a thermal detonator onto the train to try and shake up that grouping, but it had a reverse effect of galvanizing the remaining Duelers against him. Rob's Knight of Ren moved into position to prevent Boba's escape, and Curtis' Lando eventually eliminated him in 8th with his Battle of Tanaab Maneuver.
Grant H.'s Mandalorian had been chipping in throughout the night, but with his helmet on, he missed Ian and Riley naming him as the next target. Grant D.'s Leia initiated the first volley of attacks. The rest of the board contributed, and then Riley's Dark Trooper landed the final shot. Grant H. had to put Grogu to bed in 7th.
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| Grant has asked us to stop mentioning he's never finished in last place. No problem, Grant! |
Riley called out Rob's Kylo still stuck in the back corner of the board, so he Choked Curtis' Lando for three points of damage. Everyone's feathers got ruffled, but things settled down when Ian named Grant's Luke Skywalker as the next target. But Grant, playing in his first Duel since the Doubleheader, is a wily veteran. He decided to play I Will Not Fight You on Curtis! That left Curtis with barely any defense, and Rob's Kylo put him down for good in 6th place with a 5-point attack.
And then there were five! Rob/Kylo, Grant/Luke, Ian/Vader, Riley/Gideon, and Corona/Fennec. Grant had a strong night, but he ran out of time. Ian used a Wrath to send the veteran to the rails in 5th place. It was great having you back at the table though, Grant!
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| Waiting to Exhale |
With four Duelers to go, Rob got nervous about Fennec and Black Krrsantan, especially because both were in great shape. So he launched an attack, and Riley's Gideon joined in. However, the three of them realized they were about to beat each other up as Ian's Vader was waiting patiently at the other end of the board. Those three pushed pause, and decided to go in together against Ian instead!
Ian, however, challenged Rob on his logic. He thought two blades against two shooters made more sense. Rob was quite torn, but ultimately decided to return and attack Corona's Fennec. He caught Corona without defense, and for the second game in a row, Fennec Shand finished 4th!
It was at this point Ian wanted to make sure Rob was with him against Riley's Moff Gideon, but Rob wasn't sure that was his best path. There was a lot of haggling, but eventually, Rob and Riley decided to work together to eliminate Vader. Ian was vexed, but he played a heck of a game, and his 3rd place finish was well earned.
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| Father-daughter dance. |
And just like that, Riley and Rob, daughter and father, were in the final two! Kylo would seem to have the natural advantage, but Ian managed to force Riley to reveal she was still holding the Dark Saber, so nothing was guaranteed, especially because Rob had more Knights of Ren cards in his hand than Kylo. But Rob was on the redraw, and as he chased his daughter around the train, he finally picked up the ultimate card - I Know What I Have To Do - the biggest attack in the game! And it was just as gut-wrenching as when Kylo put down Han in the movie. So too did Rob use it against Riley to win. Conflicting feelings!!! Rob's win total is now of the legal drinking age, and Kylo earned his first career victory too. Great job by Riley! She nearly made Monopoly's last pick a winner, having a great game with Moff Gideon. Rob and Riley have combined to win four of the eight May the 4th Duels in league history, which is crazy.
That wraps up our school year! We'll try and get the Twin Suns Slam doubleheader going in June, date and time will be communicated in the coming weeks. Let's get one final look at that order of finish:
12. Rylie/Rey
11. Kat/Jyn Erso
10. JD M./Jango Fett
9. Karson/Orson Krennic
8. Miguel/Boba Fett
7. Grant H./The Mandalorian
6. Curtis/Lando Calrissian
5. Grant D./Luke Skywalker
4. Corona/Fennec Shand
3. Ian/Darth Vader
2. Riley/Moff Gideon
1. Rob/Kylo Ren
