Doubleheader #2 - August 29, 2026

Death Star

We were starting the second Duel almost three hours late (poor Michael showed up on time, too!), and the grousing about the unusual layout of the Death Star of course started immediately.  Suck it up, Duelers!  Warfare isn't always symmetrical!!!  

They're doomed.

The map was a bit odd in that there were only three narrow passages running the length of the board.  With that kind of congestion, the light side decided to turn on one of their own.  Poor Eric/Yord was the target as he was in a friendly kill box.  Scratch that, no such thing...  Anyway, folks were fully carded and Yord needed to put his clothes on.  Multiple people contributed but CJ's Clone Commando made the final shot.  In a way Eric was the real winner, because he got to go home before midnight...

Miles/Mother Koril, playing his second creepy Night Sister of the evening and turning pro in his sixth career Duel, Possessed one of CJ's Commandos.  CJ didn't like that and moved to try and shoot Koril.  But the light side wasn't too keen on an Order 66, so they all attacked the Commandos!  CJ was gone after James/Jar Jar threw an Oopsa Bomb Bad on the last Commando and Rob's Saesee Tiin.  Ouch!

Curtis loves sitting on the corner spot.

There was mythical talk about starting in one of the four corners of the board, but that fairytale ended quickly when Rob's Saesee (he's bringing Saeseeeeee back ((yeah)) took more shots.  A stalemate had formed so, to mix things up at some prompting by Rob, Mason's KX Security Droid Crowd Dispersed Sam's IG-88 into a mini kill box!  But Sam got ruthless and played Security Protocols - self-destructing and killing Rob in tenth in the process!

Curtis also sacrificed his main character for the sake of his minor when he played Force Ghost, making young Luke Skywalker the main.  Mason's actions won him no favors (guys - it was just his third game - relax!) and they took KX down in ninth.  Mason has played just three times but has already played KX and K2 - weird!

 

James on a Jar Jar murder spree

Though Sam was still on the board with danger Dengar, his options were limited.  James, who was having the time of his life as everyone's least favorite Gungan, used Accident Prone to auto-damage Sam out in eighth!!  Talk about your low blows!!!  Sam took a Dr. Pepper and made the long drive back to Dallas...

Riley/General Grievous was fairly spry in the middle of the board, but Jonah's Grand Inquisitor finally got loose and jacked up the first year Brooks student.  Riley couldn't survive, especially with Ian's Phasma New Recruiting one of her minors.  The game one winner would have to settle for seventh this time.

Half done, half to go...

That left just six Duelers at the table.  Ian/Captain Phasma and Curtis/Old Ben had been beefing all game long, especially after Ian killed R2-D2.  But with just young Luke left Curtis' hand was half Old Ben.  Phasma used On My Command and Luke couldn't defend.  That just seems wrong!  Curtis rested in sixth.

And then there were five!  Despite being booted into a kill box earlier in the game, and having Kelnacca destroyed before he could do real damage, Miles had hung in there with Mother Koril.  But once again the rest of the Duelers had the heebie jeebies about the Night Sisters.  Jonah used a Ringed Lightsaber to off Miles in fifth.  Congrats on turning pro, Miles!

How is Ian still alive?

There were just four Duelers left:  James/Qui-Gon & Jar Jar, Ian/Phasma, Michael/Commander Cody, and Jonah/Grand Inquisitor.  Michael had laid low through a lot of the game after taking spalsh damage from Jar Jar.  But he was healing up and starting to shoot folks.  Ian was really banged up with Phasma and couldn't heal.  So James/Qui-Gon and Jonah/Inquisitor locked horns.  But Jonah played Ready To Die, which lowers numerical defense values by two.  It just so happened James' only had two point defenses in his hand!!!  Jonah sliced through him like butter and Jar Jar, I mean Qui-Gon, was finally out in fourth.  That was a great day of Dueling for James!

Ian was down to his last two health points, while Michael was fully healthy again.  Somehow Ian convinced Jonah not to off him!  It would prove to be Jonah's undoing, as the shooters combined to blast the Grand Inquisitor off the board in third place.  

Slow motion car wreck in 3...2...1...

With just two Duelers left it was Michael with the fully healthy but not particularly great character Commander Cody up against Ian and his two points from dying Captain Phasma.  The only thing that could change the tide would be an undefended, 8-point Make Them Suffer bluff by Ian AND OH MY GOD THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!!!  Cody took eight points of damage and was suddenly on tilt!!!  Ian pulled his last Backup Pistol for two more points too!!  It was absolutely sickening to watch as poor Michael went from a near win to a second place finish!!!  Ian pulled it out!!!  Poor Michael!!!

This marks Ian's twentieth career victory!  He's just the second Dueler in league history to reach that milestone.  It's also Captain Phasma's first win too.  

Here's the final order of finish:

12.  Eric/Yord

11.  CJ/Clone Commandos

10.  Rob/Saesee

9.  Mason/KX

8.  Sam/Degnar (IG-88)

7.  Riley E/Grievous

6.  Curtis/Luke (Old Ben)

5.  Miles/Mother K.

4.  James/Qui-Gon

3.  Jonah/Grand Inq.

2.  Michael/Cody

1.  Ian/Phasma

Here's something cool - we haven't had a repeat winner in 2026!  That means nine Duelers have already secured a spot in the finals with three Duels remaining before the Championship!

Congrats again, Ian!  12th place in game one to 1st place in game two is a special kind of torture...

 

Twin Sun Slam - June 28, 2026

Death Star

After a family medical emergency forced the original Twin Sun Slam to be postponed until later in June, the rescheduled doubleheader shrank down to a single game...but it was glorious!  We had a hall of famer come back to battle, three new padawans debut, and a first time winner!  On to the recap!!!

They're smiling because they see the Yoda Soda behind the camera.

The Death Star map was chosen for the Twin Sun Slam, and that's a tricky one because it's a different layout each time we play.  Curtis was convinced Mace Windu had the worst starting spot, so naturally that's who he randomly picked to play with.  He tried to defect to the dark side alleyway immediately, but Rob/Saw Gerrera and Sam/Indara weren't having it.  They started picking off his Clone Troopers and dealing him damage for the betrayal.  Hall of Famer Kaleb (maybe playing his last ever 12-way Duel???) used his Fennec I Don't Miss to off Curtis in last...and Curtis was grumpy.

That didn't help the light side too much because they were still down in numbers to the dark.  Sam's Indara is a naturally defensive character, but he had a weird starting hand and lost Torbin almost immediately.  That made him the focal point of the dark side offensive, and Riley/Vader used a Throw Debris to bump him off in eleventh.  He drove down from Dallas for that!

Who has two thumbs and a Wookie minor character?  That guy!

One of the exciting aspects of this game was having Michele join us.  Not only did she bring delicious wookie cookies, she's also the first faculty in residence to Duel!  She did a great job with Han and Chewie, but as folks who've played know, they aren't the best combo to have in the middle of the board when one of your alliance partners flipped.  She fought valiantly but fellow newbie Jeremy/Aurra Sing used an 8-point Czerka Rifle Shot to freeze her in tenth!

Things were pretty desperate at that point for the light side, and not just because Rob was playing Saw Gerrera with his daughter's asthma mask on.  HOFer Kaleb was doing all he could to reek havoc, but his Fennec could only play so many Body Mods to survive.  In an absolutely cruel way to die, Ian/Grand Inquisitor played Interrogation, which requires you to discard two cards or subtract two health points.  Kaleb only had one card...so he had to subtract two health points and died!  Kaleb is moving to Virginia soon, which is going to make it much harder for him to sub in from time to time.  We love you Kaleb!!

Oh, it's beautiful!

The remaining light side was just about obliterated when the inevitable dark side infighting started!  Jeremy/Aurra and James/Krennic had been stuck in a side alley all game.  So Jeremy, in his first Duel, decided to go big and start shooting Caleb's Emperor!  It looked like James was going to join him, but Caleb retaliated by playing You Will Die on Jeremy!  That definitely changed James' mind, and he used Hero of the Empire to off a defenseless Jeremy.  It was a bold move, Jeremy, we loved the intention!

It looked like James was in good position to go very deep, but when he turned his attacks on Zach's Aayla Secura, she used a defense card to flip across open terrain and land next to Krennic!  She used a few Form IIIs (do not count as an action) and a ten-point attack to knock James from full health to near death!  Riley/Vader didn't waste any time and played the mop-up man, eliminating James in seventh.  It was a stunning turn of events for sure.

Lies!  Deception!!!

Did we mention Rob kept quoting Saw Gerrera all game and fake-huffing Rhydo with his daughter's mask?  Because he definitely did.  He and Zach were the last two light side standing, and the dark side was a bit agitated they hadn't stopped Rob's wheezing yet.  But the dark side reunited and concentrated their attacks on Zach's Aayla first.  He fought valiantly, but there was no stopping them, especially when Miles' Darth Maul ran in.  Zach finished sixth in his first Duel.  Well done, Zach!

Meanwhile, Ian's Grand Inquisitor moved to the back row to confront Rob/Saw Gerrera.  Saw was banged up, just like the character, and desperately pled his case to Ian that he and Riley/Vader needed him to take down brothers Caleb/Emperor and Miles/Maul.  Ian just wasn't having it, though, and spent a LOT of cards trying to take down Saw.  It eventually worked, and the table was relieved that the Saw impersonation was finally dead.

These two are always teaming up...

Just as Rob had tried to warn Ian, the brothers joined together and got to work on Riley's Vader.  It didn't take long before Miles' Darth Maul whittled her down and out in fourth.  The last time Riley played with Vader she won the 2025 Championship, and then she finished fourth.  She does well with her favorite character!

Ian tried to convince Miles/Maul that he needed his Grand Inquisitor to help take down big brother Caleb's Emperor Palpatine.  But Miles stayed loyal to Caleb and that went in on the Grand Inquisitor.  Miles used an Athletic Surge and Ian, playing his first Duel since becoming a father, was out in third.  Way to go, baby-daddy!  (That was weird...)

Cain vs. Abel

With Caleb and Miles in the final two, their father Curtis was suddenly in a much better mood!  This also meant the league would see its 45th unique Dueler win a game.  It looked like Caleb/Emperor had the early advantage, but Miles fought tough, even after enduring a You Will Die.  He had nerves of steel as he refused to runaway on his last points of health.  He drew an Athletic Surge...that Caleb couldn't defend!!!  Miles won with Maul!!!!  What a dramatic finish!  Caleb gave his little brother a big hug and Curtis said he would be happy to finish 12th each time if one of his sons won.  (I may have made that last part up).  The soon-to-be high school sophomore won in just his fourth career Duel, and it also marked the third family in league history to have a parent-child combo winners.  

We should also point out Darth Maul moves back into a tie with Darth Vader for most career character victories at 18 apiece.  That's quite a number!  

Congrats, Miles!

That's the last 12-way Duel until we kick off season 13 at CL Training in August.  BUT - we still have the singles tournament on July 26 coming up!  We'll need 32 Duelers to make that happen and, in a league first, we're using all the new league characters alongside the original 12!!!  Pay attention to your email and the insta page for that sign-up, it's coming soon!

Thanks everyone for 12 great years of Dueling - and here's to 12 more!!  PEW PEW!

Final order of finish:

12.  Curtis/Mace

11.  Sam/Indara

10.  Michele/Han

9.  Kaleb/Fennec

8.  Jeremy/Aurra

7.  James/Krennic

6.  Zach/Aayla

5.  Rob/Saw

4.  Riley/Vader

3.  Ian/Inquisitor

2.  Caleb/Emperor

1.  Miles/Maul

Valentine's Duel - February 7, 2026

Death Star

What a night of firsts!  We saw the "official" league debut of the Death Star board, a 70-tile 3-D printout of Death Star-themed pieces that are randomly placed each time we play on it, meaning we'll never see the same configuration twice.  IG-88 and Commander Cody made their first character appearances, while Tatum and Kevin K. made played in their first career Duels too!  But it was also a night of 35ths...more on that below!

11 hearts breaking on Valentine's Day...

The evening got off to a late start thanks to I2E parking issues and having to set up the Death Star board, but once the dice started rolling, it was on!  Ian/Dr. Evazan recognized Justin/Captain Rex was fairly exposed to distance attacks from Ian's side of the action.  They immediately started attacking Rex!  Justin eventually Secured the Perimeter to escape, but it was short lived when Jillian's Jod Na Nawood sent him home in last!!!  Poor Justin - that's two 12th place finishes in a row.  :(

Hard start for Rex and IG-88

Meanwhile, on an isolated corner of the board, David/IG-88 and rookie Dueler Tatum/Saesee Tiin started mixing it up.  Even though this was just Tatum's first Duel, she caught the blood lust for attacking!  David was getting peppered by the other side of the board too.  In a final act of defiance, he blew up IG-88 and hit surrounding characters with his Security Protocols.  It wasn't the night David wanted and it was a rough start to league play for IG-88, but they'll both surely be back again soon...

Kevin wonders what he got himself into...

The self-destruct move from IG-88 left Tatum in really rough shape.  She tried to join forces with Ian and James/Beckett's alliance.  They were all for it but Kevin/Kylo Ren and Rob/Kit Fisto did not appreciate the perceived defection.  Kevin went in for some big hits, but he accidently left himself exposed to laser fire from the opposite alliance.  Nayshaun's Storm Trooper (Grand Inquisitor) sent Kevin home in tenth.  Welcome to the league though, Kevin!

Tatum's Saesee Tiin couldn't hold out much longer after that.  The board was too clogged for her to run to safety.  Riley used Commander Cody to blast her into ninth place.  Playing in a Duel was on Tatum's Baylor bucket list.  Let's hope playing a second match is on there too!

Kicking the bucket.

Ian/Evazan, Nayshaun/Grand Inquisitor, Jillian/Jod Na, and James/Beckett were running things at that point, especially after convincing Junior/Luminara not to defect.  But with such a strong pack of shooters, Rob/Kit Fisto made overtures to Nayshaun and Junior to flip sides and stick to a melee alliance.  James and Ian were pretty annoyed when they eventually did!  Kit Fisto and Grand Inquisitor managed to damage and Push Tobias Beckett With A Smile to the opposite corner, where Michael's Baze was ready with some Staccato Lightning.  James survived the first round of attacks and hit a Double Blasters, but Baze shot him with the Lightning again and James bowed out in eighth.

The script was flipped.

The majority alliance became the minority, but Jillian and Ian were fairly well protected on the Death Star map and the only way to get to them was through a bottleneck.  Riley, piloting the new Commander Cody, finally played the most anticipated card of the evening:  AT-RT!  That's right, Cody removed his minor characters to climb into the first vehicle in league history.  The excitement was short lived, however, when Dr. Evazan wisely destroyed it before it could destroy him.  Riley retreated and tried to heal for a couple of rounds, but Ponda Boba hit a cross-map shot to send the 2025 Champion home in seventh place.

The AT-RT towers over the board!

Ian and Jillian were now running out of options.  Jod Na Nawood pulled off a well-timed Pirate Charm, but Junior/Luminara and then Rob/Kit Fisto charged in.  Junior got the elimination with a 3-point attack.  Jillian/Jod Na was gone in sixth.

Rob/Kit Fisto and Michael/Chirrut & Baze both assumed Ian's Dr. Evazan was the next target.  But after Jillian was gone, Junior and Nayshaun stood up and had a whispering sidebar, without including Rob or Michael.  It was painfully obvious those two were plotting how to make the final two.  Rob and Michael didn't appreciate that at all, and Ian was more than happy to join forces with them!  Kit Fisto and Dr. Evazan went from game-long enemies to alliance partners, attacking Junior's Luminara Unduli.  Meanwhile, Michael started taking potshots on Nayshaun's Grand Inquisitor, who had been carding up for several rounds.  Everyone was beyond nervous with the number of 5/1 base cards he had already discarded.

Congrats to Nayshaun for turning pro!

Junior tried to retreat to the Grand Inquisitor's side of the board, but Chirrut pulled off the Blind Lightbow attack to eradicate Luminara!  Junior went from visions of top two to a fifth place finish.  That good finish helped him hold onto #1 in the amateur rankings.

It was now three characters against Nayshaun's Grand Inquisitor.  Rob and Ian were set up well to lure Nayshaun into a kill zone, but Michael - who was down to just Chirrut - got caught away from his teammates.  Though he fought valiantly, there was just no way to withstand the Inquisitor's onslaught.  Michael was out in fourth place, but that's an outstanding effort for having double minor characters.

Enemies to Besties: the Rob and Ian Story.

The layout of the Death Star board meant Nayshaun could only access Rob and Ian through one pathway.  Ian began shooting him with Dr. Evazan at long distances while Rob's Kit Fisto moved forward to entice the Grand Inquisitor to fall for their trap.  Ian weakened Nayshaun's defenses, which allowed Rob's Kit Fisto to move in for the attack.  They were able to put the Grand Inquisitor on ice in third place with a Push With A Smile.  A big congrats is owed to Nayshaun, though!  He turned professional in this match and is now ranked fourth in the professional Dueler standings!

Ian had told Rob earlier he probably couldn't defeat him in the final two, but he kept his word anyway to stick with him to the final two.  It was a funny turn of events as they had locked horns for most of the night.  Ian's prediction ran true, Dr. Evazan couldn't muster attacks big enough to damage Kit Fisto.  Rob used a final Push With A Smile to win his 35th career Duel!  That is obnoxious.  This also marked Kit Fisto's first career win in just his third game played.  

Pushing with a smile!

Final order of finish:

12.  Justin/Captain Rex

11.  David/IG-88

10.  Kevin/Kylo Ren

9.  Tatum/Saesee Tiin

8.  James/Tobias Beckett

7.  Riley/Commander Cody

6.  Jillian/Jod Na Nawood

5.  Junior/Luminara Unduli

4.  Michael/Chirrut & Baze

3.  Nashaun/Grand Inquisitor

2.  Ian/Dr. Evazan

1.  Rob/Kit Fisto

Thanks again to everyone who came out to play!  And thanks to the random strangers who gave us leftover Shorty's Pizza.  Next month's Imperial March will have to wait until after Spring Break.  March 20th is the likely date, so that pencil that in until it's confirmed.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  PEW PEW!

12x12-Way Weekend Episode IX: Rise of Trash Talkers - June 21, 2025 (12PM)

Death Star (NEW BOARD!!!)

We waited all weekend for this Duel - it was the debut of our newest board:  THE DEATH STAR!!!  Ryan came through in a HUGE way with this one.  It's all 3D printed pieces that fit into a grid, and you place the pieces randomly so you'll never play the same configuration twice!!!  There are raised terrain, open terrain, starting spots marked by mouse droids...this thing is SICK!!!  And it looks absolutely gorgeous! 

The mood at the table was tense for this one, as people were stressed by a brand new layout and residual animosity from the previous eight Duels.  At the end of the day - and how fitting! - it was the mastermind of the Death Star himself, Orson Krennic (Jonah), who won the day!!!  This also marked Jonah's second career win.  He deserved this one too!  He randomly got five 12th place finishes on the weekend, but that was much more indicative of bad luck than Jonah's awesome talent as a Dueler.

Episode 9 - the last randomized characters/starting spots of the weekend.

12x12-Way Weekend Episode V: The Empire Sounds Whack - June 20, 2025 (12PM)

Trash Compactor (sneak preview of the new Death Star board)

We tried to place the fastest playing boards for our noon Duels over the weekend, so that brought us to the Trash Compactor.  Instead of using the 2D board, we used Ryan's new Death Star board pieces to create the Trash Compactor!  Nothing is quite as tense in a 12-way Duel as being stuck on the row that is about to crush you out of the game!!  The final four was quite odd, as Ryan's Dooku made a weird play that guaranteed his own death and Curtis' Kylo Ren the win! 

Episode 5 - all-dark side Duel.