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.

Duel of the Fates - April 19, 2024

Ewok Village

Friends - we finished a Duel before midnight!  IT'S ABOUT TIME.  What a great pace, people!  We were wrapped up around 11:15, which is a welcome change.  What's that?  You want to know who actually won??  Ok, ok, let's get into it...

Duel of the Fates was played in the treetops of Ewok Village.  Those poor forest dwellers didn't deserve the carnage that was about to take place.  Rob pushed play on "Duel of the Fates" on repeat, and poor CJ was almost immediately plugging her ears.  THAT'S WHY WE DO IT, BWAHAHAHAHA!

Those smiles will soon fade...

As with past Duels, the main bridge area became the spot for early conflict.  Rico/Han and Riley B./Fennec chose to put their respective Wookies facing their light side alliance instead of the threats on the dark side of the board.  That might have been in part because they didn't know Curtis was signaling the desire to flip to the dark side.  Riley B. took one of the first shots of the game, targeting Riley E./Moff Gideon.  The dark side then focused their attacks on Fennec.  It took a couple of rounds, but Moff Gideon blasted Riley B. with Astute Panic and it was a quick night for poor Riley B.

Not going well on the light side of the board...

Curtis' flip to the dark side was solid at that point, making Rico's Han Solo the next easiest target.  Grant D./Kylo Ren managed to march a Knight of Ren to the far end of the bridge, landing a three point attack on poor Han and sending Rico home in eleventh.  This was all in within the first half hour or so!

Bekah/Bo-Katan, who skipped a formal and had homework due at midnight (!!!), was playing in her sixth Duel, meaning she's now a professional.  Congrats Bekah!  Unfortunately, she tried to flip to the dark side a tad too late.  She landed next to Rob/Emperor and Parker/Vader.  They welcomed her with open arms...holding light sabers!  A You Will Die from Rob helped off Bekah in tenth, but she's debuting in the professional rankings in ninth place, and that ain't shabby!

Ahsoka Oh-no!

Julia/Ahsoka and Bella/Luke were hiding around the tree on the light side of the board, but with the rest of their alliance falling, they were suddenly exposed.  Bella played I Will Not Fight You on CJ's General Grievous, who had been stuck on the opposite end of Ewok Village discarding and drawing.  Curtis, meanwhile, used Grappling Line to pull Ahsoka into a dark side kill box.  She took hits from multiple people, and even used a nifty I Choose to Live, but Parker's Storm Trooper blasted her into ninth.

While half of the dark side alliance turned their attention to Bella/Luke, Grant/Kylo was the first to break the dark side bonds.  He began attacking Parker's Darth Vader.  Parker responded with a well-timed Your Skills Are Not Complete.  Ian/Cad stayed in hot pursuit of Luke Skywalker...literally!  Ian used his Flame Gauntlet to finish Bella in eighth place.  This was also Bella's sixth Duel, adding her to the professional level too.  Well done, Bella!

Mandone

Ian wasn't done pulling people's cards.  He used a two-point Pike attack to eliminate Parker in seventh.  Ian did a great job throughout the game keeping Cad Bane on the move and directing the action.

The final six were a very tight unit, but then it was that awkward moment in every Duel when the superior alliance has to start eating itself.  It was Rob's turn and he secretly wanted to go after Curtis' Mandalorian.  He wasn't alone, as Riley E. verbalized the same urge.  Rob promptly used a Force Lightning on Mando and Riley followed with The Great Purge (which that card is SICK, btw...).  The kill shot, however, came from CJ's General Grievous, who had finally crawled out of her back corner to join the action.  She successfully used A Fine Addition, meaning she got to add a five-point Mandalorian attack card to her own hand!  We think that's only the second time in league history Grievous has actually killed somebody with the card.

This board is so sweet!!!

That made it five Duelers left: Rob/Emperor, Grant/Kylo, Ian/Cad, CJ/Grievous, and Riley/Moff Gideon.  It was once again Rob's turn, and he asked for feedback.  Ian bravely put it on CJ's Grievous, who had literally been carding up the whole game.  A half second behind Ian saying that, Grant put his foot in his mouth and named Riley (which was pretty funny as it happened).  Arguments were presented, but Grant and Rob signaled they wanted to stick with blades, so Rob called open season on the remaining shooters.

Rob used a couple of Force Lightnings on Cad Bane, and CJ chased Ian down with Grievous.  Grant/Kylo, meanwhile, engaged with Moff Gideon.  Ian and Riley decided to focus their shared attacks on Grievous, greatly weakening CJ's hand and characters.  Riley, however, finally fell to the combined attacks of Kylo and the Royal Guards.  She was out in fifth.  CJ had Ian pinned in the back corner of the board, and would not accept his overtures to work together as near-dead Duelers.  Cad got chopped down with a five-point attack.  Ian rested in fourth.

The dark side three.

Once Cad Bane was gone the Royal Guards started shooting at Kylo Ren, which did not surprise Grant in the least.  He moved to eliminate CJ next though, and did so in brutal fashion when CJ didn't defend Vader's Bloodline.  This was just CJ's fourth career Duel, and her third place finish is her personal best.  She may have wrestled the "Tiny Titan of Terror" title from her big sister!

Grant had managed to hold onto his I Know What I Must Do (12 attack), and used it to annihilate one of Rob's Royal Guards while also reshuffling that same card back into his fresh draw pile.  Rob had reshuffled too, but he was quickly in danger as he started pulling Guard cards who were now gone from the board.  A couple of attacks later the Emperor was down to three points of health, and Grant used Choke to win the game!!!  Grant went six years between wins after his last victory, and now he went six DAYS between first place finishes!!!  He played fantastic, and it's a good reminder for the league that, despite his low character ranking, Kylo Ren is a BOSS!

Smiles all around!

Final order of finish:

12.  Riley B./Fennec

11.  Rico/Han

10.  Bekah/Bo-Katan

9.  Julia/Ahsoka

8.  Bella/Luke

7.  Parker/Vader

6.  Curtis/Mandalorian

5.  Riley E./Moff Gideon

4.  Ian/Cad Bane

3.  CJ/General Grievous

2.  Rob/Emperor

1.  Grant D./Kylo

Grant has won the last two Duels in a row, all in the span of a week.  That's a hot Dueler!!!  

Our next Duel is the last of the academic year:  MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU, which will be played on, you guessed it, May the 4th!!!  Invites will go out for that next weekend, and Rob will reserve spots for anybody graduating/leaving Waco to get one last Duel in.  It's a sad time of year for the Dueling league in that regard...

Oh - and next month will be an ALL-SHOOTERS DUEL - 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