Fight Night - October 21, 2023

 

Geonosis Arena via Hoth

History was made in a few different ways during this Duel, and we'll get to more of that later, but one cool "first" was that eight of the main characters were female!  Adding Ahsoka and Morgan to the league, along with the randomly selected Princess Leia, Bo-Katan, Jyn Erso, Fennec Shand, Captain Phasma, and Reva, the Third Sister, helped us tip the scales.  The original 12 main characters that came with the game were all male.  It's nice the new characters have helped us balanced things out a bit!

Trick or treat...

The game was tight right out of the gate, especially with the weird placement of the light side starting characters on the board.  Parker's Fennec was invited to flip sides out of the traditional Mace Windu starting spot in the elbow of the snow columns, but he retreated deeper into his light side alliance instead.  That left his minor BK the Wookie all alone, and the dark side immediately started shooting him until he was off the board.

That wasn't the only advantage the dark side alliance gained.  Atticus' Count Dooku was feeling spry, so he charged down the narrow side of the columns and engaged Jackson's Mace Windu!  They were both taking damage but Atticus showed a flare for the dramatic when he Force Pushed poor Jackson into a dark side kill box!  Rob, playing the new character Morgan, used an enhanced 4-point attack to finish off Mace in last.  It was a brutal turn of events for Jackson - there was nothing he could do.

There really IS a wampa in there!

Parker's Fennec was alone and shivering in the cold, and the dark side didn't hesitate.  Parker managed a couple of Body Mods, but it wasn't enough to withstand the onslaught, especially after Rico's Reva pulled a nifty Grand Ambition kill and then used a Honing Beacon to jump back to his dark side alliance.  Parker cratered in eleventh.

Riley E. tried to keep the spirits up of the light side, but Riley B. saw the writing on the wall and defected to the dark side alliance!  That left Curtis/Leia, Riley E./Jyn, and Bella/Ahsoka all by themselves.  Curtis had seen enough and engaged in one vs. one battle with Atticus' Dooku.  Atticus was stunned by all of the auto damage and he was gone soon after, thanks to a Camouflage attack from Curtis.  Atticus was out in tenth, but give him credit, he always gets his money's worth!

Bella, Curtis, and Riley scrambling...

Curtis was lucky to unload so many of his good cards on Dooku, because Kevin ruined his night when the Emperor played You Will Die on Curtis' Leia.  A host of dark side characters took shots down the alley on a defenseless Curtis.  Penny's Beckett used an Improvise for the K.O.  Curtis was gone in ninth.

Bella's Ahsoka Tano was the next target of an air-tight dark side alliance.  She got off some cool shots with her minor character Sabine, but caught on her heels and with dwindling options, Bella couldn't perform any of the cool new attacks Ahsoka brings to the league.  Bella was kaput in eighth.

The Emperor betrayed!

Riley E.'s Jyn Erso was the last remaining non-flipper from the light side, and she was dug in tight behind the snow columns.  Rob's Morgan wandered down, only to see the major character status flipped to Cassian!  The dark side was loaded, and that's when Elliot's Captain Phasma put the target on Kevin's Emperor.  Kevin didn't realize everyone else at the table was ok with it.  He was loyal to the end, but Penny's Beckett put the final nail in the coffin in seventh for a saddened Kevin.

Riley E. was tickled by the stay of execution, but her time was up after Kevin's exit.  Rico moved a Purge Trooper into position and layed a vicious 5 point attack to oust Cassian and Riley in sixth place.

Bo-Katan abandoned!

Rico deserved a comedy award for his less-than-subtle table talking in this match.  He made it known Riley B.'s Bo-Katan was next on the chopping block.  Riley had been whole-hearted in his new dark side alliance, but they didn't return the favor!  Elliot had New Recruited one of Rob's zombie (Rob Zombie?!)  Night Troopers (the new Morgan deck is spooky!), and the zombie trooper ate Riley's brains - figuratively - in fifth place, much to Riley B.'s chagrin.  

There were four left:  Rob/Morgan, Penny/Beckett, Elliot/Phasma, and Rico/Reva.  It was Rob's turn, but the other three were deadly silent.  Rob assumed they were waiting for him to pick the target, but unbeknownst to Rob, the three of them were already aligned to take down his Morgan in fourth place!  They almost got away with it, but at the last second, he caught Elliot winking to Rico after Rob had said he thought they should aim their efforts at Reva!  

Our league does not endorse the dark arts of the Night Sisters

Rob was kicking himself for forgetting one of the golden rules of the league:  if you don't know who's next, it's you!  He pivoted and told Rico they ought to stick together to avoid a final three with two shooters.  Elliot attacked Rob regardless, but Rico chickened out on attacking Rob too after Rob had dumped one of his better cards.  That was all the crack Rob needed to drive a mile-wide wedge between Rico and Elliot.  Penny was also grumpy that Rico had put a homing beacon on her Beckett, implying she was next after Rob was gone.  The combined efforts of the board, but really a double dose of Double Blasters from Penny, sent Rico packing in fourth.  He played great with Reva!

Rob's Morgan and Elliot's Captain Phasma were both battered, especially after Val played a It's Been a Ride, Babe, on Phasma.  They finally held off on attacking each other, but it was too little too late as Penny had reshuffled and pocketed another Double Blasters to off Elliot in third.  Elliot was once again so close to his first win!!!

All in the family.

The final two was a daddy-daughter dance between Penny and Rob...just like Penny's first career victory at last year's Thanksdueling!  Rob Reincarnated another zombie Night Trooper for some extra protection, but down to his last health point, he knew he needed to go on the offensive and try and knock Penny off before her second Double Blasters emerged from the new draw pile.  He definitely put damage on her, but he couldn't risk more attacks in fear of not being able to defend himself.  Luck was on Penny's side as she Double Blasted Rob into second place!  Penny won her second Duel in just four career matches!!!  That ties the record Kaleb and Isaiah have both achieved.  Wow!!!  Rob hates finishing second, but it hurts a lot less when it's your offspring claiming the trophy!

Final order of finish:

12.  Jackson/Mace

11.  Parker/Fennec

10.  Atticus/Dooku

9.  Curtis/Leia

8.  Bella/Ahsoka

7.  Kevin/Emperor

6.  Riley E./Jyn

5.  Riley B./Bo-Katan

4.  Rico/Reva

3.  Elliot/Phasma

2.  Rob/Morgan

1.  Penny/Beckett

Congrats again, Penny!!!  She currently has two trophies in her possession.  Crazy!!!  

Our November Duel, Thanksdueling!, will likely be held Saturday, November 11th, at 7PM.  Save the date now!  And for those who qualify for the 2023 Championship in December, we're looking at Saturday, December 2!!!  I can't believe how close we are to that...

Preview: Fight Night - October 21, 2023

 

For years our younger Duelers have asked when...when will we get an Ahsoka deck!?!?  And for years the reply was "once there's a live action appearance."

We're finally here!  

At Fight Night we'll debut Ahsoka Tano, with Sabine, and Morgan Elsbeth with the Night Troopers.  And if you've made it to the last episode of the Ahsoka series...those Night Troopers will be a lot of fun!

HISTORY OF FIGHT NIGHT DUELS:

2022 - Rob won with Jyn Erso on the Conveyex Train

2021 - Kat won with Rey in the Emperor's Throne Room

2020 - Duncan won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Naboo Reactor Pit

2019 - Rob won with Boba Fett in the Emperor's Throne Room
2018 - JD won with Mace Windu in the Carbon Freezing Chamber
2017 - Joel won with the Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room
2016 - Stephen won with Emperor Palpatine in the Geonosis Arena
2015 - Curtis won with Han Solo in the Emperor's Throne Room
2014 - Grant won with Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room

MEET THE DUELERS:

Our tradition for the Fight Night preview is to introduce each Dueler with their ideal Star Wars Halloween costume!  This year will stick to the Ahsoka series specifically.  Here we go...

Atticus - with his long flowing hair, Atticus would be the perfect Force Ghost Anakin!

Bella - Bella knows how to keep her cool in a fight, she should be Hera Syndulla!

Curtis - he's not afraid to fight hard when the going gets tough.  Curtis should dress as Marrok!

Elliot - he's wise and not afraid to tell it like it is.  Elliot's costume should be Huyang!

Jackson - Jackson has only started Dueling this year, but he's quickly growing in experience and talent.  He ought to be Jacen Syndulla!

Kevin - now that he's enrolled at Truett, his spiritual maturity makes Kevin the perfect Baylan Skoll!

Parker - sometimes Parker finds himself scrambling at the Duel table.  His attempts at diplomacy make his best costume Senator Xiono!

Penny - she was reluctant to join the game as our 12th Dueler, but she's also won before so don't take her for granted.  Penny should be Sabine Wren!

Rico - he loves a good board game and has a great sense of humor while we play.  That makes him the perfect Ezra Bridger!

Riley B. - he's scrappy, funny, and not afraid to mix things up.  Riley's perfect costume is Chopper!

Riley E. - the former tiny titan of terror has grown and matured through years of battles.  That makes her an ideal young Ahsoka!

Rob - I think you know where we're going with this one...the master strategist?  The experienced Dueler always a step ahead?  Rob's costume is Grand Admiral Thrawn!

It should be a wild one tonight!  We're playing in the North Village Classroom at 7PM!

The Fall Brawl - September 30, 2023

Rancor Dungeon

A crazy kind of history was made at this year's Fall Brawl.  For the first time in 135 12-way Duels, Rob was not one of the official 12 Duelers playing the game!!!  And that's because his lucky number was picked to be...the Rancor!

I guess when you wear the shirt of the monster on the board, you're destined to pull his deck!  Most folks looked relieved to not play the Rancor and quickly began worrying about how they would avoid it once the game started...

First 12-Way w/out Rob among the 12!

The Rancor doesn't appear until the first character dies.  Riley E.'s Darth Vader wasted no time on that, as she quickly used a Choke to eliminate one of Kevin's Death Trooper!  With that, the gate was raised, and Rob's Rancor was ready to wreak havoc!  He played two straight Sheer Terrors, which forced each Dueler at the table to reveal the top card of their deck and discard it.  The Rancor was VERY lucky as a whole host of iconic cards were wasted before they were played.

Folks got cranky about that and began whittling down the Rancor's health.  The rest of the table didn't know Rob no longer had defense cards, so he risked 12 points of damage by standing underneath the gate and using two Tastes Like Gamoreans...which means he could eat two minor characters!  He made those count, as the Rancor ate both Evan's Black Krrsantan and Rico's Cassian Andor!  Atticus finally had enough, and he sent Val via a Grappling Line to the gate control panel, doing 12 points of damage and a kill shot on the Rancor.  It was a short but chaotic life for Rob's Rancor.  RIP.

Why scoot away from the Rancor???

With the Rancor gone, the infighting really took off.  Kevin couldn't shake the blood-in-the-water stink from losing his Death Trooper early.  He started taking shots from everyone, and Parker's Obi-Wan eventually ended Krennic in last.  Brutal.

Atticus' Tobias Beckett wasn't fairing much better.  After he took a crack at Jordann's Luke Skywalker, others responded by putting the target back on Beckett.  Atticus couldn't withstand the multi-pronged attack, and Jordann's Princess Leia got revenge for her brother by outing Atticus in eleventh.  That was not how Atticus wanted to break his ninth place streak...

Riley B.'s The Armorer, meanwhile, decided to play The Forge, adding +2 to all attacks and defenses until his next turn.  He lined up Paz Vizsla against Evan's Fennec Shand and used multiple Blaster Cannons to eviscerate poor Evan in tenth.  Evan didn't have a shred of luck in this one.

Bella talking trash to Parker.

Rico wasn't doing much better than Evan.  Both of them lost their awesome minor characters to the Rancor (*burp*) and Rico found himself in a kill box courtesy of Bella/Kylo and Parker/Obi-Wan.  Grant H.'s Moff Gideon wasn't sure what to take of that unsteady alliance, so he Kidnapped Rico's Jyn Erso to the other end of the dungeon, placing Jyn in a new kill box.  That group complied with the fresh meat, and Riley E.'s Vader stabbed Rico for the last time.  Jyn was out in ninth.

Most people assumed Parker's Obi-Wan would be next, especially with the public knowledge he held Force Balance.  But in one of the early surprises of the night, Curtis' Mandalorian put the target on Grant's Gideon instead.  It was just like a real episode on Disney+!  Grant had little room to negotiate, and he was frustrated when Parker - granted amnesty for a round by the other Duelers - put him down in eighth.

Kylo's last stand.

Moff Gideon was gone, and Bella found herself the next target, especially after tangling with Jordann's Luke.  But Kylo is a tough customer, and Bella swung I Know What I Have To Do - a 12 point attack! - on a stunned Skywalker.  Kylo and Luke really need counselling.  Bella could exit knowing she left an impact, and that's just what Isaiah's Cad Bane arranged, using Faster Than You to fell the sequel Sith in seventh.

Somehow Parker's Obi-Wan was still alive, despite being the preferred target for most of the game.  Riley E. played a Your Skills Are Not Complete to neutralize the Force Balance, and Parker was in scramble mode after that.  He started taking multiple attacks and Isaiah once again eliminated a Dueler, this time with There's No Shame In It.

Best Side-Eye in Duels History

The final five was tense because Riley B. (mistakenly?) accused Jordann of putting the target on Isaiah, and Riley B. ratted it out to Isaiah.  Jordann was emphatic in saying that wasn't what happened.  When the dust settled, Curtis once again named the target, and put it on Riley B.'s Armorer.  No sooner had he done that when Riley B. pulled A Mandalorian No More, dumping Curtis' entire Mandalorian hand!!!  Jordann was also weak because she had just played double I Will Not Fight You's.  In the end it would be Riley B.'s turn to bow out.  Isaiah's Cad Bane once again got the kill shot.

Final Four Machinations

The final four took a looooooooong time to play out, and alliances switched several times.  It started with Curtis' Mandalorian surprisingly naming his alliance-mate Riley E./Vader as the target.  Jordann initially agreed but flipped to join Riley.  Isaiah tried to play Switzerland throughout.  Eventually everyone was taking shots on Riley and, despite a late re-alliance with Curtis, Riley's Vader was blown away by Leia's Latent Force Abilities in fourth.  Daddy issues for sure!

Curtis popped Jordann's Luke with a Disintegration, mortally wounding the Skywalker twins.  He used a Rising Phoenix to get two 4-point shots on Luke, which Jordann couldn't successfully defend.  Jordann was done in third.  This new Dueler has played twice and finished third twice!!!  Well done, Jordann!

It was more or less a miracle Curtis made it to the final two considering all the great cards he had to drop along the way, be it Rancor or The Armorer.  Meanwhile, Isaiah's Cad Bane had been stockpiling his best attacks, and another No Shame In It killed Curtis in second!  Isaiah won his second Duel in just his fourth game played!!!  Only Kaleb has done the same thing in the history of this league!!!  It also marked Cad Bane's second career win.

The final order of finish:

(13.  Rob/Rancor)

12.  Kevin/Krennic

11.  Atticus/Beckett

10.  Evan/Fennec

9.  Rico/Jyn

8.  Grant H./Gideon

7.  Bella/Kylo

6.  Parker/Obi-Wan

5.  Riley B./Armorer

4.  Riley E./Vader

3.  Jordann/Luke

2.  Curtis/Mandalorian

1.  Isaiah/Cad freakin' Bane!

Well played, everyone!  And congrats to Isaiah's truly historic night.  The October's Duel, FIGHT NIGHT, will be played on Saturday, Oct. 21st, at 7PM.  Mark your calendars now.  The official invite will go out in a couple of weeks.