2024 Championship - December 6, 2024

Carbon Freezing Chamber (via Dagobah)

The best and the brightest of the 2024 Dueling year gathered on Friday night to award the Darth Vader trophy to a victor among victors.  Only those who won a Duel in the past calendar year and/or who were ranked high enough got a seat at the table.  The mood was light but determined - every Dueler there wanted to be the Champion!  Alas, only one would pull it off...

Who shall be crowned champion?

A tradition of the Championship recap blog is to post the Duelers with the card that killed them.  It's just a little extra salt in the wound!

12th place - Riley B.

Character - Rey

Card that killed him - 5-point attack from Grievous

Though Riley has moved into a reserve player status after graduating last spring, his win this summer promised him a spot at the Championship.  Julia's Armorer defecting to the dark side out of the gate left the light side deficient.  Riley tried to mind the gap by boldly moving Rey to the front of the battleline, but he couldn't survive Alex's General Grievous.

11th place - Julia

Character - The Armorer

Card that killed her - Justice

The big news of the night was Julia announcing to the table that she and Michael are expecting their first child in May!  Congrats Julia!!!  She got stuck with an unfortunate starting spot but defected early to the dark side.  A second flip much later in the game by Michael unintentionally left Julia exposed to the last stand of the light side.  Grant's Luke hammered her with Justice.

10th place - Ian

Character - Sol

Card that killed him - Hero of the Empire

Ian was the defacto leader of light side alliance and did his best to hold his troops together.  But with a non-shooting minor character and a starting position in the back corner, he was limited in what he could do.  He did help coordinate Julia's ouster, but the presence of Justin's Orson Krennic proved too much and the #1 chair was excused in tenth.

9th place - Grant

Character - Luke Skywalker

Card that killed hi - 2-point attack from Anakin

One of the big moves of the first half of the Championship was Grant playing I Will Not Fight You on Rob's Darth Maul.  That sent the whole dark side into a scramble as they tried to save the horned sith.  Everyone wanted Leia off the board but she was nearly impossible to kill until Michael's Wrath.  Still, it must have felt good to use Justice before being eliminated.

8th place - Jonah

Character - Bo-Katan Kryze

Card that killed him - Faster Than You

Jonah was low-key the MVP for the light side, deftly using Bo and the Night Owls to deliver damage or provide cover when their team was in a pinch.  His Teal buddy Alex kept giving him the "flip" hand signal, but Jonah was noble and stuck to his side of the board.  Even better?  This was Jonah's sixth Duel, meaning he's now a professional Dueler.  Congrats Jonah!

7th place - Alex G.

Character - General Grievous

Card that killed him - 5-point attack from Kylo Ren

When Michael's Anakin became the second flipper to the dark side, that meant an original alliance member was getting squeezed out.  Alex drew the short straw, as folks were nervous about him, especially after seeing how well he played Grievous at last month's Thanksdueling!.  He was justifiably disappointed by the betrayal.  

6th place - Justin

Character - Orson Krennic

Card that killed him - Athletic Surge

Justin proved quite pesky for the light side in the early stages of the game, as Orson and his Death Troopers gave the Jedi and friends all they could handle.  At the final six, negotiations became quite tense as folks were trying to figure out who to take to the final three and beyond.  Justin was loyal to Elliot/Cad and Rob/Maul throughout, but in a surprise move Rob unloaded on him!

5th place - Curtis

Character - Reva - Third Sister

Card that killed him - Athletic Surge

Curtis was heroic in the first half of the game, using his Purge Troopers to protect Rob's depleted Darth Maul.  But in the second half of the game he was clearly aligned with Jordann/Kylo.  He and Rob tried to turn the table against each other, and he was shocked when Michael turned against him too.  But Rob got the death blow when he used his final action after killing Justin to get Curtis too.

4th place - Rob

Character - Darth Maul

Card that killed him - I Know What I Have To Do

Rob went from nearly being the first one dead to the final four after a double elimination of two characters in one turn.  That proved problematic as he attempted to maneuver into the top three.  Neither Michael nor Jordann would work with him and Elliot couldn't stick his neck out for him.  The 2023 Champion couldn't survive and got destroyed by Kylo's best card.

3rd place - Jordann

Character - Kylo Ren

Card that killed her - Flame Gauntlet with a side of Bounty

The best dressed Dueler played a deft and strategic game all night but fell short when her rotating allegiances between Elliot and Michael ultimately led to them teaming up against her.  It took a looooooong time to eliminate her, which is a credit to both Kylo Ren and the great way Jordann was piloting him.  Her first win remains elusive but within reach!

2nd place - Michael

Character - Anakin Skywalker

Card that killed him - No Shame In It

In the history of our league the "second flipper," the frowned upon moniker of the second person who jumps a sinking ship late in the process, is usually the first to go in the remaining alliance.  However, Michael moved to the front of the line and nearly took the whole thing down.  A determined bounty hunter and an unlucky run of Padme cards at the end doomed him in second, though.

1st place - Elliot!!!

Character - Cad Bane

How he won - ...he's Batman!

Elliot had a terrible starting spot on the board, a weaker character, and constantly shifting alliance dynamics throughout the game.  But he also had Cad Freakin' Bane - a slick and slippery villain made for the tensions of a Championship.  He kept his head down, was never the perceived threat, and was always on the right side of the numbers.  Well done on career victory number two, Elliot!!!

What a night!  That was some high caliber Dueling that went late into Saturday morning.  Shoutout to Cad Bane, too, who becomes the first new character to reach 4 wins.  That's impressive - he's only one win away from tying original character Luke Skywalker for 12th place in wins!

Thank you everyone for a fantastic 2024!  What a year - one of the most exciting in league history.  Let's carry that mojo into 2025.  We're tentatively planning the January Duel - A New Hope - for Satruday, January 17th.  Announcements will go out for that in the new year...

Until then, may the force be with you.  Always.

 

Preview: 2024 Championship - December 6, 2024

 

How are we already in the last month of 2024???  Where did the thermal detonators time go??  December heralds the most important Duel of the year, though!  That's right - it's time for the 2024 CHAMPIONSHIP!  This Duel isn't a first-come, first-serve basis.  You have to earn your spot at the table by winning during the calendar year or being ranked high enough if you didn't.  And we have an exciting and dynamic range of Duelers this year, from grizzled veterans to up and coming padawans.  

The Championship is our World Series, Super Bowl, and Oscars all rolled into one!  And it goes down this Friday night!

CHAMPIONSHIP DUEL HISTORY:

2023 - Rob won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2022 - Evan won with Count Dooku in the Emperor's Throne Room

2021 - Rob won with Jango Fett in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2020 - Ben H. won with Boba Fett in the Naboo Reactor Pit

2019 - Ian won with Darth Maul in the Emperor's Throne Room

2018 - Ben H. won with Jango Fett on the Kamino Platform

2017 - Austin won with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2016 - Curtis won with Mace Windu on the Kamino Platform

2015 - Nathan won with Count Dooku in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2014 - Ryan won with Boba Fett on the Kamino Platform

MEET THE DUELERS:

Instead of random seating like normal Duels, the Championship features an intentional order of Duelers, with the top chair going to the best Dueler of the year headed into the Championship.  Let's see who has a chance for glory!

Chair #12 - Julia.  Nobody breathed a heavier sigh of relief than Julia's at last month's Thanksdueling!  Riley E. almost secured a spot in the Championship with a win, but her second place finish guaranteed Julia got the last chair.  Her best finish in 2024 was second place at the Valentine's Duel.

Chair #11 - Michael.  Michael would love to get back into the win column at the Championship.  He has four top-five finishes in 2024, including two second places.  His most recent was at the Doubleheaders back in August.  

Chair #10 - Curtis.  He's still going through a rough patch, as his winless streak is at three years now.  He did secure two top-four finishes in 2024 though, with his best performance at the Power Coupling bachelor's party Duel last Spring, where he finished third.

Chair #9 - Jordann.  Jordann is the only Dueler at the table who has yet to claim a career victory, but she has certainly come close and has been a mainstay this year.  She had five top-five finishes in 2024.  That includes her near miss in second place at the Imperial March.

Chair #8 - Jonah.  The 2024 Championship will mark Jonah's transition from rookie to veteran Dueler!  Though he's had several rough finishes in his early career, there's no taking away his win at the October Fight Night!

Chair #7 - Justin.  This rookie Dueler and first year CL has only played three times in 2024, but one of those Duels was his first place finish with Rey at Doubleheader #1!  That's just the kind of way to become a legend in this league.

Chair #6 -  Riley B.  The recently retired professional is still in the Waco area, so in addition to pinch-hitting for us a couple of times this year, he went ahead and won himself a chair at the Championship with his victory at game 2 of the Twin Sun Slam.

Chair #5 - Elliot.  He once held the record for most Duels played without a win, but Elliot shattered that stigma when he finally brought home the bacon at the Valentine's Duel!  He'll need to shake the rust loose for the Championship.

Chair #4 - Alex G.  Not since the career of our most recent Hall of Famer, Duncan, have we seen a Dueler reach two career wins so quickly!  Alex won his debut Duel at CL Training back in August, and just two games later scored his second victory at Doubleheader #2!  Could he also bring home the Championship in his first year of play?

Chair #3 - Grant.  After suffering a years-long winless streak of his own, Grant burst his losing streak in a big way with the ultra-rare back to back wins in 2024.  The first was at the Power Coupling, with his second at Duel of the Fates.  He's got a mess of top three finishes this year to boot.  He's scorching hot!

Chair #2 - Rob.  He is the defending winner of last year's Championship, his second time in his Dueling career he got to hold the Vader trophy.  He was no slouch in 2024 either, with wins at both the Twin Sun Slam and the Fall Brawl.

Chair #1 - Ian.  Nobody rang the victory bell more in 2024 than Ian!  He racked up three - YES THREE - wins in 2024.  He was atop the winner's podium at January's A New Hope, May the 4th Be With You, and again last month at Thanksdueling!  What a run!

MEET THE CHARACTERS:

Something else fun that we do for the Championship is uses characters who won Duels that year and not just randomly generated names.  Here are the 12 characters throwing down at the Championship!

 

None of these characters are slouches, and they'll all be in the Carbon Freezing Chamber this Friday night at 8PM!  Swing on by the North Village Fine Arts Studio to watch it all live!

Thanksdueling! - November 9, 2024

Geonosis Arena (via the Hoth 3D board)

Ok folks, before we jump into the Thanksdueling! recap, we have a couple of important public service announcements for our Epic Duels league.

First - you're taking too long on your turn.  We all our.  Let's speed it up, people!  Think of your move ahead of time, etc.  There will of course be crucial moments in the game where prolonged discussion is appropriate and even encouraged.  But if you're moving one space and drawing two cards...that should go quickly.  Thank you for your help.

Second - you don't have to hit "reply all" when RSVPing for a Duel.  Just reply to Rob - you'll be ok!  Unless you like driving Curtis crazy.  Then, by all means, hit "reply all" or at least "cc" him.  Thank you for your help.

We now return to our normal blog recap schedule... 

11 turkeys about to get basted...

Our 12 Duelers donned their parkas for the Geonosis via Hoth board.  If you're new to the league, the Hoth board is the exact same layout as the Geonosis map that came with the original game.  In other words, it's a classic!

This game was a real slobber-knocker in that the light and dark sides, at least initially, would not flip on each other.  The board got even more gummed up when Justin's Torbin took the Barash Vow, blocking the side lane from the dark side advance.  This turned the action to the middle, where the light side was quickly eliminating dark side minor characters, including Rob's Han Solo using a Bowcaster on his first turn to destroy one of James' Super Battle Droids.  A couple of hours later Rob was rewarded by being Tied To A String by Curtis' Supreme Leader Snoke.  Han had no chance in the dark side kill box, and the Godfather won the Golden Jar Jar for the second month in a row!

It looked like the light side might be in trouble, but Kiera's Yoda decided to be the true leader of the alliance by charging into the dark side to try and help Ian's Anakin.  She Force Pushed James' Count Dooku into the light side corner and tormented others, allowing Ian to retreat and Riley E.'s Mandalorian to fire Disintegration at Jonah's Maul!  Jonah couldn't block it and he was shockingly gone in eleventh.

Kiera quietly plotting while the dark side debated.

Despite Kiera's heroics, she quickly became the target and poor Yoda was down to his last two points of health.  Sam proved how sneaky Cad Bane could be, and used Flame Gauntlet to destroy Kiera's night in tenth.  It was one of the most selfless moves in recent league history though, Kiera!

Sam/Cad and Jordyn/Jango joined forces with James' Dooku, who despite saying he was joining the light side, flipped once again and had Justin's Indara pinned against the still sleeping Torbin.  But Justin was able to use Jedi Prowess to extend his life.  Meanwhile, Caden was using the double-minor character combo of Chirut and Baze.  Before Baze died he unleashed two Staccato Lightnings to eliminate three dark side minors.  A couple of rounds later Chirut used double Blind Lightbows to finish off Cad Bane.  Sam checked out in ninth!

You can't see, but James was wearing flip-flops under the table.

With eight Duelers left in the game, the light and dark sides were still locked against each other and dead even.  James flipped YET AGAIN and sweet talked himself back into the good graces of the light side, but before the ink had even dried on the new contract his Dooku Force Pushed Justin/Indara to an eighth place death!  And Torbin had just woken up and changed his galactic diaper, too!

This became a key turning point in the game, because instead of the dark side now having the distinct advantage, James/Dooku and Alex G./Grievous started acting as independent contractors.  The long term effect was they left Curtis/Snoke out to dry and open to shots when they wouldn't make room for him behind the snow drifts.  Curtis was justifiably cranky.  He inflicted some damage on his way out the door, but Ian's Padme laid down the final hit.

The Thanksdueling! trophy looming in the background...

Things were still chaotic and unsettled.  Alex/Grievous and James/Dooku looked to be in a solid alliance, but Jordyn/Jango was starting to waffle on them and was having sidebars with Riley/Mando.  Riley and Ian/Anakin looked tight with Caden/Chirut along for the ride.  Give Caden credit, navigating double minor characters on that treacherous of a board was daunting, but James/Dooku moved in and punched Chirut's card in sixth.  

Alex had a Magnaguard protecting Dooku, but moved him on his term (on purpuse?), leaving James exposed to The Mandalorian.  Riley had already reshuffled and, for the second time that night, laid wasted to a dark side character with Disintegration!  James flipped more times in a single night than I can ever recall in a game - hat tip to him for making it work all the way to fifth place!

The Mandalorian Armor Twins

That left four Duelers, and Riley made a shocking declaration by suggesting the three of them focus on Ian's Anakin and Padme, who were both in good shape.  That's how it played out for several rounds, but Ian/Anakin proved to be elusive as they darted around the snow drifts and Riley and Jordyn didn't want to commit their shooting characters to up-close attacks on Anakin.  That forced Alex/Grievous to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and he eventually grew tired of that and instead offed Jordyn/Jango in fourth.  Well done, Jordyn!  That was just her second career Duel.

Riley and Ian patched up their differences at that point and agreed to go in on Grievous.  Alex was fully healthy and had just reinstalled his Magnaguards.  Riley was drawing nothing but deceased Cara cards at that point, though, so Ian was having to do most of the work.  Alex bluffed it well, but he couldn't draw a Grievous card to save his life.  His luck finally ran out when Padme (still alive!) used a Precise Shot.  The 2024 unofficial rookie of the year was finally out in third.

GULP!

It was past 2AM for the final two, and it looked like it was going to be an epic showdown.  Anakin was banged up but still had Padme.  The Mandalorian was healing up while Ian was tracking down Grievous.  Riley came out firing with This Is The Way, which she had held back to use against Ian, and then miraculously top-decked it on the DRAW A CARD when she had to reshuffle her deck!  But Ian used a Counterattack...and then another a couple of rounds later when Riley played her third Disintegration!  Riley hit a terrible run of luck as her hand was soon almost entirely made up of Cara cards.  Ian stayed persistent and finally used an Anger to end Riley/Mando in second place...denying Riley a chair in the Championship match!  Congrats to Ian - who added to his career win total (16!), still good for second place all-time in league history.  Kudos to Riley too, who had a heck of a night with the Mandalorian.

Ani and Padme winning on Geonosis - how appropriate!

FINAL ORDER OF FINISH:

12.  Rob/Han

11.  Jonah/Maul

10.  Kiera/Yoda

9.  Sam/Cad

8.  Justin/Indara

7.  Curtis/Snoke

6.  Caden/Chirut & Baze

5.  James/Dooku

4.  Jordyn/Jango

3.  Alex G./Grievous

2.  Riley E./Mando

1.  Ian/Anakin

This win gives Ian three for 2024 - which means he'll occupy the #1 chair for the Championship next month!  More details are coming on that one.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday everyone!

 

Preview: Thanksdueling! - November 9, 2024

Gobble gobble, you Dueling Turkeys!  It's November and that means it's time for THANKSDUELING!!!  There's nothing like taking time with friends over the holidays, telling them how much you appreciate them...and stabbing them in the back!  Or shooting - we're equal opportunity ruthless in this league.  PEW PEW!

This Saturday at 7PM in the North Village Fine Arts Studio we're throwing down on our Hoth board, which is really the Geonosis map from the original print of the game.  It will be nice and snowy!

HISTORY OF THANKSDUELING!:

2023 - Julia won with The Mandalorian in the Naboo Reactor Pit

2022 - Penny won with Anakin Skywalker in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2021 - Kaleb won with Princess Leia in the Rancor Dungeon

2020 - Duncan won with Darth Vader in the Rancor Dungeon

2019 - Alex C. won with Darth Maul in the Geonosis Arena

2018 - Ben H. won with Luke Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena

2017 - Rob won with Boba Fett on the Kamino Platform

2016 - JD won with Yoda in the Emperor's Throne Room

2015 - Nathan won with Darth Vader in the Geonosis Arena

2014 - Alex R. won with Boba Fett in the Geonosis Arena

MEET THE DUELERS:

Our tradition for the Thanksdueling! preview is to list what each Dueler is thankful for this year!

Alex G. is thankful for...two trophies!  Are you kidding me!?  The rookie of the year is turning pro at Thanksdueling.  Could he land a third win??

Caden is thankful for...a second chance!  We haven't seen Caden at the table since his unfortunate last place at CL Training.  Welcome back, Caden!

Cate is thankful for...attacking twice on a turn!  Seriously, I can't think of another Dueler in league history who loves inflict damage on others.

Curtis is thankful for...Championship tune-ups.  He's only played a couple of times this fall and looks to shake the rust off at Thanksdueling!.

Ian is thankful for...top five finishes!  He's placed in the top five in six of his last seven Duels!!

James is thankful for...consistency!  This will mark his fifth consecutive Duel, and if he wins Thanksdueling!, he'll get to turn pro at the December Championship!

Jonah is thankful for...Sol!  Jonah, still a Dueling rookie, took down his first win last month with the relatively new character from The Acoloyte!

Jordyn is thankful for...Star Wars puns!  Rob had the pleasure of working the same group process room with Jordyn this week and she had him rolling!

Justin is thankful for...a free Saturday!  Since winning at the Doubleheader in August we haven't seen Justin back in action until now.

Kiera is thankful for...the Brooks Bounty Hunter Guild!  The BRC has become a wretched hive of Duelers this year, and that is most definitely a compliment.

Rob is thankful for...this bumper crop of CL Duelers!  We have nine CLs playing Saturday night, how cool is that!?!

Sam is thankful for...top half finishes!  Sam has finished sixth or higher in his last three Duels.  Can he score his first trophy at Thanksdueling!??

The Geonosis/Hoth board is a classic!  We're throwing down promptly at 7PM - if you need a rules refresher come a few minutes early!  Until then...grab a turkey leg and get ready!

30 Wins in 150 Duels

Enjoy this graphic chronicling Rob's 30 wins across the first 150 Duels in League History!

Fight Night - October 4, 2024

Naboo Reactor Pit

It's hard to even comprehend it's already October, and even harder to realize we're just one more Duel away from the 2024 Championship!  Fight Night is one of the last chances to secure a spot in the biggest Duel of the year.  Would somebody new punch their card for a chair at the December match??  #foreshadowing

Trick or treat!  (Probably tricks...)

Folks settled in at the table inside of the North Village Community Center (fun fact - this was the room we used for 2014-15 Dueling season!) and Rob explained the rules for the opening and closing laser walls of the Naboo Reactor Pit.  Rob/Jyn Erso and James/Boba Fett got stuck in the worst two starting spots, the small chamber between the reactor area and the rest of the hallway.  It took no time at all for Jordann/Ahsoka and Grant/Droidekas to start suggesting Jyn and Boba would be great targets for everyone else playing.  James lost Greedo but managed to Rocket Retreat to the back end of the hallway.  Rob wasn't as fortunate.  His Jyn Erso was the first character down thanks to Grant's Droidekas.  Rob went from first last month to last this month.  It always stings!

The next phase of the game took a LONG time - the Duelers huddled in the hallway trading shots with the other end of the board, navigating walls spontaneously opening and closing.  Alex G., playing Han and Chewy, secured his Bowcaster and popped Eric's Cad Bane.  But when the pit side of the board finally advanced, Han got caught too far forward.  Cate's Reva, who was out for blood in any form she could find it, landed the kill shot.  Alex is a real all-or-nothing Dueler, if he ain't first, he's (nearly) last!

Cate considering which alliance member she'll attack...

God bless Duelers like Cate, who keep the game moving with action.  Her alliance had to redirect her a lot, but she wasn't shy about playing cards.  Unfortunately, getting the hit on Han left her exposed to Han's alliance.  They attacked immediately, and Riley B.'s Orson Krennic played Hero of the Empire to knock her out in tenth.  That was a nice recovery by Riley, who had earlier suffered from an I Will Not Fight You from Mark's Luke Skywalker.

It looked like the hallway crew might actually tip the scales, but they ran into a bad string of untimely laser door closures.  That left Riley B. susceptible to the pit alliance.  Jonah's Sol crept in for the kill, using Noble Intentions.  Riley played great but was stuck with some bad luck.  He hopes to have better luck at the Championship!

The last stand.

Losing Krennic was a big blow for the hallway crew, but they had a glimmer of hope when Jordann/Ahsoka made her way down the hall to confront the remaining trio.  But yet again, the doors closed each time it looked like Jordann might be in danger.  Her alliance wisely concentrated their fire on Riley E.'s Bo-Katan.  She held out as long as she could, but Grant's Droidekas did her in in eighth.

James' Boba Fett had retreated to the back line hours ago, and was finally in position to unload with his stockpiled attack cards.  But Mark played ANOTHER I Will Not Fight You, which was brutal for James.  He held out a bit longer, but Jordann, totally vibing with her previous least favorite character Ahsoka, landed a five point attack to send James into the great big sarlacc in the sky.  

"You're third-partying, bro!"

With six to go it was clearly Sam S.'s Captain Phasma against everyone else.  Earlier in the game Sam scored a major coup when he used New Recruit against one of Grant's Droidekas!  Sam went on a thirty minute monologue, trying to talk and joke his way out of being the next target, and played an uncanny amount of well-timed defense cards, but it ultimately wasn't enough.  Jordann once again collected a trophy, and Sam was done in sixth.  It was no riz-factor ten.

Just before Sam went down, the alliance of five splintered when Eric, playing his first Duel (and playing very well!) and piloting Cad Bane, started shooting Grant's last Droideka.  That put the target on Eric, even though Jordann proposed a Brooks College final three at one point.  Eric proved the usefulness of Rocket Boots more than once, but he finally succumbed to his wounds, fittingly, from a Droideka attack.  That was a heck of a first Duel, Eric!  Come play again.  

The Three Amigos

With Cad Bane gone, there were four to go.  Jordann waffled a bit and wouldn't commit to a target, even though Mark had made an offer to work together.  That essentially left Mark/Luke Skywalker without an ally.  Everyone feared his fully healthy Luke and Leia, but those health points quickly evaporated.  Grant's Droideka blasted him off the board in fourth.  Not bad for a Dueler who had his appendix out just seven days earlier!

Jordann could feel her chance at victory slip through her fingers when Jonah/Sol decided to stay loyal to the damaged Droideka belonging to Grant.  Grant pulled a surprising volley of attacks on her, and it proved fatal.  The Droideka eventually got her out in third.  Jordann is playing so well right now!!  When will she finally ring the winner's bell??

It looked like Jonah was going to cruise to victory, especially with Grant's Droideka on his last row of health.  But the unrealized advantage of the double minor character Droidekas is that every card they draw can be used, and out of nowhere, Grant was blocking shots and whittling down Sol to his last few points of health!  Jonah got down to his last attack card while Grant was on his last point of health.  In a fateful decision, Grant used a three defense instead of his four, but Sol's attack was four points!  Jonah won his first Duel in just his fourth career game!!!  Congrats to Jonah!  This was only the second game for Sol - that's a great start for the character.  But also...way to go Grant!  My goodness, he was deft at rolling those Droidekas around the board and causing damage.

Put respect on Jonah's name!

The final order of finish:

12.  Rob/Jyn

11.  Alex G./Han

10.  Cate/Reva

9.  Riley B./Krennic

8.  Riley E./Bo-Katan

7.  James/Boba

6.  Sam S./Phasma

5.  Eric/Cad

4.  Mark/Luke

3.  Jordann/Ahsoka

2.  Grant D./Droidekas

1.  Jonah/Sol

Congrats again Jonah and Sol!!  Our November Duel - Thanksdueling! - is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 9, at 7PM.  Pencil it in now, Rob will send out the official invite in a few weeks.

October is crazy - enjoy the month of activities and mentally prepare for the November Duel.  Until then...PEW PEW!

Preview: Fight Night - October 4, 2024

There are only two Duels left to qualify for the 2024 Championship, held each December.  Anyone with a win during the calendar year qualifies, and the remaining seats go to the top ranked professional Duelers.  This year's Fight Night is one way to save a seat for the biggest Duel of the year!

It feels appropriate we'll be playing Fight Night in the Naboo Reactor Pit.  The board is set up to promote numerous skirmishes.  There's nowhere to hide on this battleground!  

HISTORY OF FIGHT NIGHT:

2023 - Penny won with Tobias Beckett in the Geonosis Arena

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:

A tradition for the Fight Night preview post, our annual October Duel, is to share what the perfect Star Wars costume is for each of the Duelers this Halloween!  On that note...

Alex G. - despite winning twice this year, poor Alex G. recorded his first ever last place finish at last month's Fall Brawl.  That makes his perfect costume...Jar Jar Binks!

Cate - she played her first career game at Doubleheader #1 and showed a real blood lust for attacking early and often.  That makes her perfect costume...a Wampa!

Connor - this marks Connor's fourth Duel and he's played well up to this point.  He also suffered a massive nose bleed at last month's match.  That makes his perfect costume...Garindan!

Eric - rookie Dueler alert!!!  We're excited to welcome Eric to the league, as Fight Night will be his first Duel.  That makes his perfect costume...Sors Bandeam!

Grant D. - Grant's stellar 2024 continued last month with a third place at the Fall Brawl.  His wisdom in a league of newer Duelers makes his perfect costume...Chief Chirpa!

James - he experienced a rough Doubleheader in August, but James proved his mettle at the Fall Brawl, where he finished second with The Stranger from The Acolyte.  That makes his perfect costume...Bazil!

Jonah - this is also Jonah's fourth Duel.  He's yet to crack the top 6 in a Duel though.  He's certainly brave and willing to put himself out there though.  That makes his perfect costume...Porkins!

Jordann - she's the highest ranked professional Dueler without a win, and she got close once again at the Fall Brawl, where she finished fourth.  Her politicking makes her perfect costume...Mon Mothma!

Mark W. - Mark's lone Duel was a seventh place at Doubleheader #1 back in August.  It's hard to say how he'll do in his second match.  That makes his perfect costume...Rio Durant!

Riley E. - the two-time winner hasn't been on the winner's podium in a couple of years.  And now she's been cast in her high school play.  That makes her perfect costume...Sy Snootles!

Rob - can you believe the Dueling godfather won his 30th career Duel at the Fall Brawl, which was also the league's 150th Duel?  That's just gross.  That makes his perfect costume...Tion Medon!

Sam - he's coming off two top-five finishes at the Doublheaders in August.  He certainly has a scoundrel's approach.  That makes his perfect costume...DJ!

Please know some of these costume choices make absolutely no sense.  I'll let you figure out which ones those are, though...

We play Friday at 7PM over in the North Village Community Center.  See you all then!  PEW PEW!!!

The Fall Brawl - September 21, 2024

Eravana Cargo Hold

It was supposed to be mentioned in the preview blog, but the 2024 Fall Brawl was a historic 12-way Duel for the league because it was our 150th battle!  You have to love big round numbers like that.  Here we are in season 11, still surpassing milestones.  I'm not crying...you're crying!

Smile if you're thinking about releasing the rathtars...

It was nice to be back in our old Dueling headquarters of the North Village Fine Arts Studio.  The room wasn't available to us last year, but setting up was just like slipping into a comfortable set of Mandalorian armor again.  It was much less comfortable playing the Eravana Cargo Hold board, and for two reasons:  RC and CJ - AKA - the two rathtars locked in storage, just waiting for a Dueler to release them into the wild!

Guess how long that took...

Run!!!

...it took no time at all.  Never change, you cutthroat Duelers!!

A lot of positioning for control of the center four squares of the board - the only four squares immune from the path of the rathtars - started just as the rathtars were released.  Connor/Death Trooper #1, Joe/Paz, and Kiera/Mace's Clonetrooper all made it to the middle.  Joe couldn't help it and let out RC, who immediately terrorized the light side of the board...which was Joe's side!  Some Duelers just want to see the world burn.

A secondary door opening by Kiera inadvertently left Alex G.'s Obi-Wan Kenobi open to multiple attacks.  He soon found himself tussling with numerous dark side operatives.  Alex lost a lot of momentum when he attacked James' The Stranger, only to lose an action to Kortosis Armor.  Grant/Tobias Beckett got the kill shot though with a brutal undefended Trust No One.  Alex wanted a third trophy for his collection...but not the Golden Jar Jar!

Duel Arm Rests

Joe's Armorer continued swinging and throwing her hammer and tongs, and there was no rhyme or reason to the violence.  This turned the light side of the board volatile.  It reached a fever pitch when Joe tangled on the board with his real life wife, Michaela/Bo-Katan!  In-fighting had left Bo-Katan weak, but it was quite the shock when Joe knocked out Michaela in eleventh.  We're looking for confirmation Joe spent the night on the couch...

Joe was pretty banged up, but he earned as many admirers as he did enemies with his loosey-goosey style of play.  In the end, though, James retired The Armorer in tenth with The Stranger's Force Blast, which all things considered, is a pretty cool way to go out.

What's behind door number two?

Curtis' Cad Bane was taking shots with his Pyke troopers, but he left the safety of the middle four squares to try and collect his bounty on Jonah's Fennec Shand.  Jonah had already lost Black Krrsantan, but he was able to put some surprise damage back on Curtis.  There was fresh blood in the water and Curtis' alliance started chomping at the bit.  Rob/General Grievous made a pact with James/The Stranger and they worked together on Cad.  Curtis was NOT happy about that betrayal.  James' minor character Mae used Deadly Daggers to send Curtis home in ninth.  Rob will try to make nice with him at lunch on Monday...if Curtis will sit with him.  To be continued...

Give credit to Jonah - he was an early target in the game and ignored his moral compass by betraying his light side alliance to push himself deeper into the night.  But when Grant/Beckett popped some shots, Fennec was damaged.  Kiera, whose Mace Windu had to navigate the light side collapse, exacted sweet revenge with a Whirlwind Attack.  Jonah was dust in the...whirlwind.

Bloody nose incoming...

With seven Duelers to go we were dealing with some chaos above the board.  First, poor Connor got a spontaneous bloody nose that was quite severe - Jillian had swung by to check on her dad Grant and played a couple of rounds for Connor while he went into the bacta tank.  Then, rookie Dueler Noah/Rey nervously broke the base of one of the eliminated MagnaGuards!  

But Rob finally called a pause to the game because something happened that had never been considered before when playing in the Eravana Cargo Hold.  By pure coincidence, Jordann's Darth Maul landed on the starting space of one of the rathtars and then was joined on that square by the CJ rathtar.  It was Rob's turn, and he realized, for his two actions, he could close both doors and trap Jordann/Maul with the rathtar!!!  How would that even work??  Would it be a four point attack on Darth Maul each round until a door was open?  Or two points of auto-damage!?!  We had to break out the Jedi Council on the spot to discuss the implications and render a ruling.  As you could imagine, Jordann was NOT happy that her game might be in jeopardy.  We ended with this decision: Jordann would not have reasonably stayed in that square, with the rathtar approaching, if she knew she could be locked there with a rathtar.  So Rob said he wouldn't close the doors but that, moving forward, if it happens again a character CAN be locked in with a rathtar and the rathtar would attack four on their turn until a door is open again or the character is eliminated!

Connor won his own personal Krennic deck.  Game used.

Once that ruling was administered, it was back to Dueling.  Kiera had done a heck of a job to survive the light side implosion, but despite trying to put the target on Rob/Grievous, she found no allies.  James added to his trophy collection with a Trakata Attack.  Kiera took out her homework to be productive while cheering on fellow BRC-er Jordann.

The lone light side character left at that point was Noah, who was playing his first-ever Duel and flying by the seat of his pants trying to avoid rathtars.  One ended up eating his minor character Finn!  Connor decided to spill somebody else's blood instead of his own and blasted Rey with Hero of the Empire.  Noah - you played great!  A top-six finish in your first Duel, on the most complex board in the league - well done!

CJ headed straight for Darth Maul

With five to go, the melee characters had a softly spoken understanding they weren't too keen on working with the shooters (Grant/Beckett and Connor/Krennic) any longer.  That was tough for Connor, who had worked very closely with James/The Stranger all night.  Before the board could eliminate Krennic, though, Connor managed to play Peace and Security, which dumped everyone's hands.  James stayed aggressive, though, and used a four point attack to finally let Connor go to an urgent care.

Rob/Grievous was moving to engage Grant/Beckett when out of nowhere, his alliance partner Jordann/Maul stabbed him in the back with an attack!  Rob was equally miffed and impressed by the blind side.  That basically turned the table into two teams:  Rob and James vs. Grant and Jordann.  But Grant was well protected by closed doors and the repeating loops of the rathtars, forcing Jordann to fight on two fronts.  She couldn't sustain that and James once again used Trakata Attack for the kill.  Jordann has a nice run of high finishes going right now!

It takes two to make a thing go right.

After many hours of Dueling Rob finally needed a bathroom break, knowing good and well Grant would try and persuade James to team with him against Rob.  Rob did a lot of the heavy lifting against Grant since James had done a lot against Maul.  Grant was on his last points of health, pleading with James to let him weaken Rob, but James stuck to his alliance and delivered the kill shot.  Grant was out in third, and we had a Sith-tacular final two of The Stranger vs. General Grievous!

Rob had agreed to card up a round before attacking James when James agreed to off Grant.  With that stipulation, Grievous retreated to the middle four squares on the board just in time to play Reinforcements!  Grievous' minor characters had been a nuisance for many throughout the night, and now The Stranger was going to have to cut through them to get to Rob.  This cat and mouse game lasted a long time, but Rob was able to slowly weaken The Stranger.  James fought valiantly, and even surprised Rob with a Kortosis Armor, but the prequel villain finally laid down a five point attack to win the night!  James is still just an amateur Dueler, but that second place finish was awesome, as was his kill count on the night.  But in the 150th Duel in league history, it would be Rob's night, marking his 30th career win.  That's gross!

Final order of finish:

12.  Alex G./Obi

11.  Michaela/Bo-Katan

10.  Joe H./The Armorer

9.  Curtis/Cad Bane

8.  Jonah/Fennec

7.  Kiera/Mace

6.  Noah C./Rey

5.  Connor A./Krennic

4.  Jordann/Maul

3.  Grant D./Beckett

2.  James/The Stranger

1.  Rob/General Grievous

Next month is extremely busy, but it looks like we can squeeze in the October Duel - FIGHT NIGHT - on Friday, October 4th, at 7PM.  Rob will send out official invites soon.  Until then...here's to the next 150 12-way Duels!  PEW PEW!