The Imperial March - March 20, 2026

Conveyex Train

With so many new characters now in the league, it's a bit refreshing that nobody seems to have all the cards memorized, and the combination of new cards and opponents is creating some new gameplay!  That was on full display at this month's Imperial March Duel - keep reading for all the exciting details!!!

The 180th 12-way Duel in league history!

We had a bit of a delayed start as newly professional Dueler Ally sorta kinda forgot she was playing in the Imperial March.  When she got to the table she found herself with a good character (Bo-Katan) but a brutal starting spot, right in the middle of the train.  She started taking shots immediately.  It would be Junior's Saw Gerrera (second time playing him!) who got the elimination.  Why does our league have such a terrible history of anointing new professionals with last place finishes??

Riley, who preferenced Brooks Residential College in her housing app, had used her Plo Koon to help take down Bo-Katan.  But she wasn't ready for James' Sith Apprentice Anakin (second time playing him!) to lay some hits when she jumped onto the train.  It looked like she might escape to safety...until Alex G. used a Vader Wrath to knock her out in eleventh!  She was grateful for the couch somebody moved into the Fine Arts Studio...

Sam piloting his pesky Galactic Marines

It looked like the non-train end of the board had an advantage over the other end, but an indecisive and noncommittal Junior/Saw Gerrera suddenly prompted everyone to go after him instead.  Tatum/Fennec Shand's lit up at the idea, and she helped lead the charge.  It would be a Vader Wrath once again terminating a player from the board.  Saw has only played twice in the league, and both times have been with Junior!

James/Sith Ani, Alex/Vader, and Mark/Aayla finally decided to rush the other side of the board.  Fearing for his life, and kind of wanting to see how the first volley went, Rob's Tobias Beckett said he would join them.  He had been stuck in the middle of the board all game at that point, trying not to pick a side.  But he didn't like the odds of that matchup, so he backstabbed that trio by moving Val behind Sith Ani, making it impossible for him to escape.  Curtis used Dengar to knock him out in ninth.  Sith Apprentice Anakin has played twice, finished ninth twice, and been used both times by James.  Weird.

Tatum about to pull the play of the game...

Tatum's Fennec Shand was very beat up after that exchange.  She decided to make a REALLY big move by using a movement card to run up to Alex's Darth Vader and peep his cards.  Then she made an attack...and Alex chose not to defend!  It was Fennec's I Don't Miss - for 7 points of damage...the exact amount of health Vader had left!!!  That was crazy - good job Tatum!

Unfortunately for Tatum, though, she was left exposed and without nearby alliance partners.  Mark took advantage, and Aayla Secura sent Tatum on an early set of rounds in seventh place.  That was a nice jump up from her first Duel last month, though!

Complexity at the final six.

Things got screwy with six Duelers left.  Sam/Ki-Adi-saymyfullname wanted to go after Eric's double minors (Migs and Q9-0).  Rob wanted to go after Ki-Adi for their first scuffle two hours before.  Mark's Aayla was the odd one out and Curtis had no idea what to do.  After some random damage across the board, the group finally decided to go after Sam.  It was a good thing, too, because Ki-Adi-Mundi is a beast and Sam was playing him quite well.  The 12x12-way summer veteran made the group work for it but he finally bowed out in sixth.  His jokes per minute ratio, though, was spectacular.  (Personal favorite:  "Jonah, how many cards do you have?" - asked before the game had started...)

Jonah's Jod Na Nawood (say that five times fast...) had been bobbing and weaving all night, but he definitely took some damage from Ki-Adi and after he got further attacked by Curtis' IG-88, it wasn't looking good for Jude Law.  Rob's Beckett got the elimination shot and Jonah rested in fifth.

Freakin' clankers...

The most influential moment of the night, though, came down to Mark's Aayla Secura.  He had no alliance partners left on the board, but got to decide who he would attack before being eliminated.  He chose Rob's Beckett over Curtis/IG-88 and Eric/Q9-0.  Those extra attacks proved problematic for Rob, though he thanked both Mark and Curtis with a Double Blasters.  That sent home Mark in crutches in fourth place.

Rob ran out of cards at that point, and Curtis took full advantage.  Dengar got the kill shot and Beckett was out in third...two spots away from repeating as the winning character of Imperial March.

Our first droid final two???

We're pretty sure history was made in the final two because the last two characters standing were Eric's Q9-0 and Curtis' IG-88 - both droids!!!  Let's hope that's not foreshadowing civilization's downfall in the age of AI.  Eric played really well, but Curtis/IG-88 had the clear deck advantage since Eric was stuck with so many Migs cards.  It took a few turns, but Curtis pulled off the win to defend his Imperial March trophy with IG-88!  This was just IG-88's second Duel and he already has a trophy.  This was Curtis' 15th career win, too.  Eric deserves a ton of praise though - he took a double minor deck all the way to second place!

Final order of finish:

12.  Ally/Bo-Katan

11.  Riley/Plo Koon

10.  Junior/Saw Gerrera

9.  James/Sith Anakin

8.  Alex G./Vader

7.  Tatum/Fennec Shand

6.  Sam/Ki-Adi-Mundi

5.  Jonah/Jod Na Nawood

4.  Mark/Aayla Secura

3.  Rob/Tobias Beckett

2.  Eric/Q9-0

1.  Curtis/IG-88

Next month is our infamous Duel of the Fates - where we listen to "Duel of the Fates" on repeat for the duration of the battle!  The tentative date for that is April 10, but that will be confirmed later...

...until then, PEW PEW!

12x12-Way Weekend Episode VI: We Yearn for a Jedi - June 20, 2025 (4PM)

Conveyex Train

We must have been feeling it at this point of the weekend - we don't really have any pictures of this Duel!  This was the first ever "all melee" Duel in league history, though, and the small board of the Conveyex Train made it a perfect battle for light sabers.  When the dust settled, though, it was Jonathan winning his THIRD Duel of the weekend!!!  It also marked victory number one for The Stranger!

Episode 6 - all melee Duel.

The Imperial March - March 22, 2025

Conveyex Train

Sometimes in this league, things are so serendipitous it makes you believe in a higher power...like THE FORCE!  Sacrilege and pending lightning strikes aside, what if I were to tell you the last two characters standing in The Imperial March were also the two big characters from the scene in the movie that the playing board was based on???   Read on for the details!

All aboard the choo-choo train!

Eric (Chirrut & Baze) became the early target with his double-minor combo of Rogue One rebels, and that included Elliot using his tow cable to jump back onto their speeder to commence attacks.  But Eric was one with the Force and the Force was with him, so the attention, almost out of nowhere, shifted to Jonah's The Stranger on the other end of the board.  Riley B/Jyn Erso, Riley E/Han Solo, and CJ/Darth Maul managed to avoid a huge infight and direct their collective ire against poor Jonah.  The Stranger was the top ranked character heading into the Duel, and folks were clearly uninterested in keeping him around.  Even Jonah's Teal bestie Alex/Reva was forced to join in.  It would be CJ's Maul who got the glory of eliminating The Stranger, and Jonah got the glory of holding the Golden Jar Jar.  Brutal!

By this point a lot of folks were fully carded on a crowded board.  Despite some early mistrust Josiah/Captain Phasma and Rob/Mace Windu had stood next to each other peacefully.  But Josiah was in an unintentional kill box and the Duelers sitting after Rob and before Josiah's turn started to give Mace the "let's destroy Phasma" vibes.  Poor Josiah couldn't defend that many enemies.  Jordann/ General Grievous landed the eleventh place blow with Make Them Suffer.  Why is Grievous so mean???

That's the "why did I get Han?" face.

With Phasma gone Chirrut and Baze became the next target.  Chirrut died first and Baze was surrounded with nowhere to run and plenty of people gunning for him.  But Eric was insistent that Elliot's Obi-Wan Kenobi make the final kill shot, and Elliot was happy to oblige.  Eric was gone in tenth.

Elliot ended up using a Force Control, and ended up surrounding Cate's Bo-Katan Kryze, who had made threats of attack to nearly everyone on the board, and everyone on the board basically agreed she should go next.  Cate's blood lust is famous at this point, as her "never have ten cards in your hand" philosophy keeps the game moving.  But the Conveyex was moving too and needed to offboard more characters.  Two attacks from Rob/Mace Windu's Clone Trooper finished the job in ninth.

The Maul-CJ partnership is as terrifying as it is hilarious.

One of the key moments of the game kicked in after Bo-Katan was eliminated.  Jordann/Grievous and Alex/Reva locked horns in a fated battle in the middle of the board.  Nobody but those two knew it was a foregone conclusion they would tangle, and that's just what happened.  The unintentional consequence was that it tipped the scales in the favor of the shooting characters.  CJ was actually next to go, after using two Blinding Surges on defense made her week.  Reva offed her in eighth with Grand Ambition.

Alex's penchant for being wishy-washy on his alliances left him no dancing partners after that move, and it would be Jordann who would secure the upper hand as her MagnaGuard pushed Reva to her demise.  Rob was kicking himself for not interjecting earlier, because with Maul and Reva gone the blades were sledding up hill on a shooter's board with plenty of shooters left.  

Fit check - does your shirt match your light saber?

Rob desperately tried to get Jordann and Elliot to stay loyal with each other, but Jordann wouldn't look Rob in the eye and Elliot was experiencing Jedi mind tricks from Riley E/Han and Riley B/Jyn.  Just as Rob was going to but severe damage on an exposed Han Solo, Riley B. used Jyn's Kyber Krystal luck to dump Mace's Wisdoms and a Whirlwind!  Rob was stunned by his sudden turn of fortunes, and was gone soon after charging in against Jyn in a final attempt to try and get even.  It was nutty!

Riley B., who was doing us a big-time solid by subbing for a sick Dueler, was playing a fantastic game as Jyn and Cassian.  But the other Duelers began to fear him and were having a hard time setting up a firm final three.  So Riley B. became the odd Dueler out.  It took quite a bit of work to whittle him down, but Elliot's Obi nailed the final nail in the coffin and Jyn was gone in fifth.

Obi-Gone Kenobi.

The game slowed down quite a bit at this point, which was a bummer because we played pretty quickly at this Duel.  After a lot of haggling, hemming, and hawing, Elliot/Obi became the target.  Curtis flew about as low under the radar as a shooter can this game.  He used a It's Been A Ride Babe! with his Val, which actually didn't kill her but did hurt Obi something fierce.  Elliot would finally go down with a subsequent attack from Val for fourth place.

The biggest move of the game went down next.  Curtis/Beckett and Riley E/Han realized they needed to work together to take oust Jordann's General Grievous.  Riley had already used her Bowcaster earlier in the game (to little effect when Mace blocked all but two points of damage), but had secretly got it again on her reshuffle.  She attacked Jordann twice...but Jordann didn't defend on the second attack...WHICH WAS THE BOWCASTER!!!  ELEVEN POINTS OF DAMAGE!  Jordann was stunned and used a couple of Spare Parts to try and recover, but there was no digging out of that hole.  Curtis used Trust No One to send Jordann out in third.  Her desperate hope to win a Duel before graduating is in jeopardy, but her absolutely stellar finishes this year have actually moved her into the top spot in the Dueler rankings!  Congrats Jordann!

Boom goes the Bowcaster!

And then there were two!!!  And who were the two???  Tobias Beckett and Han Solo...on the Conveyex Train from the Solo movie!!!  How cool was that?!

Curtis definitely had the stronger major, but Riley's Chewbacca was still alive and kicking.  But unfortunately for Riley, so was Val!  And for maybe the first time in league history, Val used It's Been A Ride, Babe! twice in the same game!!!  That was five points of auto-damage to Han, which is too much on an already weak-health character.  Riley managed a final Wookie toss, but Curtis had one last Trust No One that offed Riley in second!  Curtis won with Beckett!!!  On the train!  This broke a three and a half year winless streak for Curtis, to bring his career total to eleven wins.  This was also Beckett's third win.

Final order of finish:

12.  Jonah/The Stranger

11.  Josiah/Captain Phasma

10.  Eric/Chirrut & Baze

9.  Cate/Bo-Katan

8.  CJ/Darth Maul

7.  Alex G./Reva

6.  Rob/Mace Windu

5.  Riley B/Jyn Erso

4.  Elliot/Obi-Wan

3.  Jordann/General Grievous

2.  Riley E/Han Solo

1.  Curtis/Tobias Beckett

That was a great, and relatively quick, night of Dueling!  Next month is DUEL OF THE FATES, our annual April Duel where we listen to "Duel of the Fates" on repeat the entire night.  Pure audio torture.  It's the best.  We're looking at Friday, April 4, for that, but more details are coming.

Until then...congrats again, Curtis!  PEW PEW!

Power Coupling Duel (surprise bachelor party for Ian) - April 13, 2024

Conveyex Train

With Ian's pending nuptials coming soon, the Jedi Council determined a surprise bachelor's party Duel was in order for one of the legends of the league.  Our only regret?  We didn't invite his lovely fiancé, who for some reason, Ian won't let come and play with us.  I wonder why...?

Surprise, Ian!

Our 12 Duelers spanned the ten-year history of the league, including Hall of Famers (JD! Nathan! Kaleb! Duncan!) and current players, all excited to pepper Ian with awkward questions about his future wife.  We owe a big thanks to JD and Jonathan, who helped orchestrate the surprise.  Speaking of surprises...none of us were when Ian, picking his character last, ended up with his favorite - DARTH MAUL!!!

After explaining the Conveyex Train board to our senior Duelers, we were ch-ch-chugging along (get!?!).  There was a lot of nervous energy thanks to the cramped board, but things got off to a brutal start when Kaleb's Emperor Palpatine dropped JD/Anakin's hand with YOU WILL DIE.  Woof!!!  JD paid for half of the Airbnb and got sent to the (train) rails in last place when Elliot's Greedo finished him off.

Ouch.

Things didn't get any more friendly.  Riley B.'s Jango, caught on one of the side speeders, was taking shots when all of a sudden Ian's Darth Maul laid his tow cable and boarded Riley's area!  I don't have to tell you how that turned out.  Fortunately, though, JD had just bought a new Star Wars card game so he and Riley played that together for the rest of the night.

Hobby Lobby Chic

Rob's Darth Vader was looking for a character on the opposite side of the board to start doing distance damage too, and with a nod of approval from Nathan's Count Dooku, Jonathan/Mace were shelled.  That end of the board collapsed when Elliot/Boba joined in.  The fatality shot came from one of Duncan/Obi's Clone Troopers.  

Despite trying to join the other side of the board, Elliot found himself the next target.  He's had a strong run of late, but his Boba was landlocked for most of the game, and folks weren't excited to see him start using Thermal Detonators.  Fittingly, Michael's Han Solo finished him off with Gambler's luck.

Friends become our chosen Dueling family.

Nathan/Dooku, Ian/Maul, and Grant/Luke looked to be a firm alliance.  Duncan used double Force Controls, however, to isolate Nathan's Count Dooku.  He fought bravely but couldn't withstand the onslaught, especially when Luke and Maul were moved so far away from supporting him.  Kaleb reluctantly used a Force Lightning to stop Nathan in eighth.  It was fun having him back at the table, though!

Duncan thinking about his drive back to Houston...

Ian, the man of the hour, became cranky that his alliance kept shrinking.  He made it known he was headed over to Rob/Vader to pay his respects and share his feelings about it.  But this wasn't Rob's first rodeo with an upset Ian, and he managed to flip the attention to Duncan's Obi-Wan Kenobi.  He hated to do it, but Vader isn't known for his sympathy.  Others rallied to that idea, and with Duncan losing a number of his cards, he was blasted into seventh courtesy of Michael's second Bowcaster of the game.

And then there were six!  Nobody was sure which direction to go, and Curtis moved in on Ian's Maul.  He survived a Force Push but, once again, wanted to tangle with Rob's Darth Vader.  Despite Rob's pleas to work with Grant/Luke to eliminate Michael's Han, Ian wasn't having it.  It was his party, and he'll Sith Speed if he wants to!  The kill shot, though, came from a Justice by Grant's Luke Skywalker.

Rob and Ian tangling - some things never change!

That left five and, just as Rob had tried to explain to Ian, Darth Maul was the next target!  Han Solo took shots and nobody else seemed excited to keep him around, bachelor party or not.  It took a couple of rounds, but Kaleb/Emperor made his second Force Lightning kill of the night.  Good game, Ian, we wish you many years of wedded bliss.

The final four players finally realized Kaleb's Emperor Palpatine was sitting pretty.  Despite taking a Bowcaster very early in the game Kaleb had deftly floated into the final four with little attention.  That finally came to an end, though.  There was a lot of haggling and some side-switching, but Curtis/Yoda didn't want to stay united.  His Force Strike parked Kaleb in fourth.  He's so good!

Three married guys at the bachelor party.

The final three had a lot of twists and turns too, and eventually all three of Grant/Luke, Michael/Han, and Curtis/Yoda were damaged.  Michael still had Chewbacca on the board, so he was the only one of the three who couldn't heal.  Over a period of time Michael somehow had the lead.  He was about to finish off a near-dead Grant with a Wookie Toss, but Grant pointed out to Michael he could use both Tosses and kill the healthier - and harder to eliminate - Yoda.  Much to Curtis' dismay, that's what Michael did!  Curtis/Yoda finished with the bronze.

Michael/Han still had the health advantage, though he was low-carded too.  Grant was just two points from dying, and only had a couple of Leia cards in his hand.  In a Hail Mary move, he charged Han with nothing in his hand, and drew for his first action.  He got a 5 point attack for Luke and used it for his second action...killing Han!!!  GRANT WON!!!  GRANT FINALLY WON AGAIN!!!  It had been nearly six years since his last victory, and this one makes it eight for his career.  He also becomes just the fifth Dueler in league history to win with Luke Skywalker, one of the original 12 characters from the game but the one with the least amount of wins.  Congrats to Michael too, who somehow survived with Han on a tough board and nearly took it down.

Together Grant has it all!!!

Final order of finish:

12.  Anakin/JD N.

11.  Jango/Riley B.

10.  Mace/Jonathan

9.  Boba/Elliot

8.  Dooku/Nathan

7.  Obi/Duncan

6.  Vader/Rob

5.  Maul/Ian

4.  Emperor/Kaleb

3.  Yoda/Curtis

2.  Han/Michael

1.  Luke/Grant

What a fun night celebrating our friend and Dueler, Ian!!!

Doubleheader #2 - August 26, 2023

 

Conveyex Train

There was absolutely no break between the first and second games since it was already 10PM.  Fortunately Curtis and Grant whipped up a second batch of Padawans in a Blanket to fuel us with the snacks we'd need to carry into the night.  That, and the case of Dr. Pepper in the fridge, got our brains re-stimulated...

Loco on the space locomotive...

This game started hilariously when Ian/Captain Phasma New Recruited one of Atticus' Knights of Ren, meaning the minor now belonged to Phasma and not Kylo.  From there alliances began to form with a split roughly between the middle of the train.  Grant D. tried to go big with a Bowcaster right out of the gate too, but Rob's Yoda had a 15 defense card ready for it and yes, you read that right.  Grant got Han again!!!  So funny for 11 of us, so frustrating for Grant...

Bekah's Emperor and Atticus' Kylo, with their exposed spots on the train, were getting banged up early.  Rob had made overtures to Riley B.'s Luke Skywalker to flip earlier in the match, but when Riley tried to kill one of Yoda's Clones to make a path for a Children of the Force escape, Rob got cranky.  He comboed a Force Lift & Push to send Luke to the far end of the board into a kill box.  Elliot/Jyn, Jackson/Mace, Curtis/Snoke, and Riley E./Boba were all willing to take shots and Riley B. got stuck with the Jar Jar after almost winning the Jango in Game 1 of the evening.

Parker's Rey was eager to help save his declining alliance and Backflipped to attack Riley E's Boba after she was blackmailing him with a Thermal if Parker didn't finish off Bekah's Emperor.  (Can I just take a pause real quick and have a dad moment - I'm so proud of my daughter that I got to type that sentence lol...)  Parker ended up overextending himself, however, as he got too deep into the alliance and had little cover from the combined attacks.  Ian used On My Command to park Parker in eleventh.

New strategy: align with the person who drove you.

Bekah was still near death but had fallen back far enough the enemy alliance couldn't reach her.  Fearful she'd start pulling Force Lightning, Meditation, or even You Will Die, Curtis' Snoke eliminated the risk by using Tied to a String.  That was enough to end Bekah's night in tenth.  What a crazy first two games of Bekah's Dueling career - let's hope she comes back out again soon!

Atticus was still pretty fired up with Ian's Phasma kidnapping his minor, and landed hits on her.  He also used a Force Freeze on a Greedo attack that killed one of Rob's Clone Troopers when Kylo moved out of the way!  But Atticus couldn't anticipate his alliance partner Evan/Reva - The Third Sister (making her Duel debut!) flipping on him!  Reeva dropped a five point attack and poor Atticus was done in ninth for the second time that night.

Updated Conveyex board courtesy of our friends on Discord!

Ian's Phasma had retreated deep in his alliance after getting roughed up by Kylo.  That's when Curtis/Snoke realized Ian only had two cards in his hand.  That was easy pickings for Snoke - Phasma was gone in eighth before the rest of the alliance could even help!

Elliot/Jyn, Riley E/Boba, and Rob/Yoda started moving in on Jackson's Mace.  Even though they had all been working together, Jackson was fully carded and that made Mace particularly dangerous.  Curtis wasn't excited by that, though, and went after Riley's Boba instead.  She had hoped nobody would notice how low carded she was, but nobody asks for card counts as frequently as Curtis does.  Riley was thrown into the sarlaac in seventh.

Jackson sizing up his options.

Jackson's Mace looked like he might have been able to avoid being next, but Evan's Reva, fresh off flipping from the enemy alliance, swooped in with multiple attacks, including Grand Ambition, and Jackson was out in the top six, also for the second time that night.  #symmetry  

This game was moving a bit faster than the first, but we were well past midnight.  Somehow Grant's Han was still on the board.  Rob's Yoda made the safe play and started attacking him.  The greatest Dueler/Character combo in league history glided into fifth place.  Well done as always, Grant!

The Cassian tug of war.

There were only four Duelers left, and Rob/Yoda became the consensus target for the other three.  However, Rob pointed out to Curtis his Snoke would almost assuredly be the next target after that.  They eventually decided to partner together to take down Evan/Reva and Elliot/Jyn.  It's not every day you see a 2 v 2 in the final four!  Rob was a bit low carded, and Curtis was initially stuck with a hand full of defense.  Still, they managed to force Elliot to switch his main character status to Cassian and kill Jyn.

Though Rob had promised final two with Curtis, he was down to six cards and four of those were Clone Troopers.  He had one Clone left, barely, as it was down to its last health point.  In a Hail Mary play, he started shooting Curtis' Snoke, much to Curtis' chagrin.  Elliot and Evan welcomed it, but Curtis Force Lightninged Evan in fourth...which was HIS second fourth of the night!

I'll spare you all the details, but Curtis and Rob lobbied AT LENGTH with Elliot to side with one of them against the other.  Those sides changed a couple of times, but eventually Elliot and Rob partnered to take down Snoke after Cassian played Looks Like a Killer.  Elliot had a nearly impossible task of winning with his normally designated minor character.  He played his heart out but Rob's Yoda was able to attack Cassian into the fatal damage range of a Force Push.  Elliot got second place and Rob, for the first time in league history, finally won with Yoda!  He's now won with 11 of the 12 original characters in the game.  The win also makes Yoda the sixth character with double digit wins.

Yoda Soda for the Yoda victor!

The final order of finish:

12.  Riley B./Luke Skywalker

11.  Parker/Rey

10.  Bekah/Emperor Palpatine

9.  Atticus/Kylo Ren

8.  Ian/Captain Phasma

7.  Riley E./Boba Fett

6.  Jackson/Mace Windu

5.  Grant D./Han Solo (!!!!!!!)

4.  Evan/Reva - The Third Sister

3.  Curtis/Supreme Leader Snoke

2.  Elliot/Jyn Cassian

1.  Rob/Yoda

Well...by 2AM...we were all done!  Thanks to everyone who played!  Our September Duel, The Fall Brawl, will take place later September.  More details coming soon on that one.

Good night!!!

Fight Night - October 8, 2022

Conveyex Train

This year's Fight Night Duel featured an all-shooters battle on the Conveyex Train (the aerial heist from the Han Solo movie).  While the Conveyex board is usually dependent on the tow cables for melee characters, little Wicket, the minor character of Princess Leia, was the only avatar without a gun (unless you count Whirling Rocks).  So we had two dozen shooters, no raised terrain, and generally low health for all major characters?  Sign me up!

All aboard the pain train!  CHOO CHOO!!!

Once chairs, characters, and starting order were established, Fight Night began.  The players at the table took a couple of rounds to beef up their respective hands.  The first attack of the night came from Penny, playing in her first Duel, as her Boba Fett took a shot at her dad/Rob/Jyn Erso!  No such thing as a family alliance at this table.  Especially after Riley's Wicket went after little sister CJ's Fennec Shand!

Parker joined in on attacking CJ with his Cad Bane, but he soon learned CJ is not somebody you mess with lightly.  She blocked two big attacks with Body Mods, and Parker was stunned when his turn ended with no damage done to Fennec.  CJ was all about the payback after that, which included BK's Electric Knuckles!  Others joined in on that action too, and before Parker could make heads or tails, his Cad Bane was out in last thanks to a 4-point attack from Rob's Jyn!

Though Penny's Boba was the first person to fire her weapon, she soon found herself low-carded and without much help.  She became the next target, and it would be Juan's Zam Wessell that used a Sniper Shot to end her first Duel in eleventh place.  Fett on Fett violence...say it ain't so!!!

Commence negotiations...

While this action was going on at one end of the board, things got heated on the other end as well.  Bella, another rookie Dueler, discovered one of the best cards in the game...BOWCASTER!  She used it at point-blank range against Grant H.'s Tobias Beckett!!  That sent Grant reeling, though he recovered some of the damage when he successfully attacked back with Improvise.  Bella tried to escape by traversing to the other end of the train, but her poor Han got caught in the crossfire.  One of Curtis' Death Troopers made the final hit to retire Bella in tenth.

Though CJ got the sweet justice she was looking for with Parker's ouster, she soon found herself isolated with multiple characters pointing their blasters at Fennec and BK.  It was Andrew's Mandalorian who no longer wished to see his Book of Boba Fett colleague on the board.  Cara Dune rang her bell in ninth.  She's just a kid!  A scary, vindictive kid...but still!!!

Rogue One, represent!

This Duel was moving along quickly, which as a total aside, is a nice development we'd love to see in the future, cough cough, hint hint.  With eight to go the loose alliance of remaining Duelers needed another target.  Evan made the bold move to play You Have Something I Want with The Moff against Grant's Beckett!  That was the signal the rest of the board needed.  Curtis' Death Troopers moved into position.  Grant almost argued his way out of it, but Curtis decided to attack.  Others joined, and Rob's Cassian got the final shot.  Grant was eliminated in eighth.

Once again the board was looking for a consensus kill.  Chatter started moving toward Riley's Princess Leia, but she swayed the board to consider Andrew's Mandalorian.  Some folks were still feeling the sting of his Whistling Birds from earlier in the evening, and that was enough for Mando to be next.  The entire board went in on it, and it would once again be Jyn Erso with the final crack.  Congrats to Andrew, though, because that seventh place finish was a personal best.  He's trending in the right direction!

Juan in the driver's seat.

And then there were six!  The remaining Duelers had made it into the top half of the finishers.  Juan's Jango and Kevin's Lando started to tussle.  Kevin was desperate for the rest of the board to side with him, but was crushed when those surrounding him pointed their weapons at him instead.  Lando is the best defensive shooter in the game, and others were leery about going deep with him on the board.  Juan, fittingly, got the kill-shot with Jango's Missile Launch.

The tension was palpatine palpable with just five to go!  Rob was wigging out, thinking Curtis and Evan were in an ironclad alliance.  But Curtis made it known he wanted to go final two with Rob instead.  Unfortunately, Curtis moved his Krennic towards Rob, believing he was safe.  That placement, essentially in the middle of the board and in the crosshairs of everyone left, gave Rob little choice but to put the target on Krennic instead.  Once Curtis said he was willing to go after anyone else instead, everyone followed suit.  It was a tough and sudden end for Curtis in fifth place after a Sniper Shot from Juan's Zam.

Locked in a death spiral...

Before Curtis was eliminated, he did manage to dump everyone's hand and force everyone to start with four new cards.  Rob sensed Evan's Moff Gideon was weak and exposed, while also still at full health with both Dark Troopers.  Rob stuck his neck out and suggested Evan be next.  Riley's Leia was all for it, but in what turned out to be the key moment of the game, Juan had to decide what to do next.  Rob risked his own standing by assuring Juan he'd stick with him to the final two, especially since their two characters were the weakest ones left.  Juan decided to accept that, and Evan found himself against three characters at once.  He did manage to use It Means More To Me on Riley's Leia before sinking in fourth place, though.

Riley thought Rob might side with her in the final two, but Rob's Cassian began shooting Leia, trying to draw out the auto-damage of Leia's ...I Know card.  That made it clear to Juan that Rob was honoring their deal.  But Riley moved in on Jango instead of Jyn, and seriously wounded Juan before Zam hit her THIRD Sniper Shot kill of the night.  Riley was done in third.

Epic Duel victories are built on hope!

Juan fought deftly and valiantly all night, but there was no surprise in how it would end after Riley's Leia wrecked his damage card.  Rob used Kyber Crystal Luck to land the elimination of Plush Poe's pick to win the Duel.  Rob/Jyn won!!!  This was the first career win for Jyn and Rob's double-dozenth personal victory in league history.  Juan's second place finish is a career-best finish too, great job Juan!!!  And most importantly...the Duel lasted just over three hours.  Hooray for speedy Duels!

Final order of finish:

12.  Parker/Cad Bane

11.  Penny/Boba Fett

10.  Bella/Han Solo

9.  CJ/Fennec Shand

8.  Grant H./Tobias Beckett

7.  Andrew/The Mandalorian

6.  Kevin/Lando Calrissian

5.  Curtis/Orson Krennic

4.  Evan/The Moff

3.  Riley/Princess Leia

2.  Juan/Jango Fett

1.  Rob/Jyn Erso

Thanks everyone for a great Fight Night, and especially Bella, CJ, and Penny for allowing us to play on what turned out to be a big vacation weekend.  It looks like our November Duel, Thanksdueling!, will be played on Saturday, November 5th.  That's not finalized yet, but go ahead and pencil it in.  More details to come.

And for one last time...PEW PEW!

May the 4th Be With You - May 7, 2022

 

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.

May the 4th 7th Be With You!

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

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.

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