The Fall Brawl - September 13, 2025

Narkina-5 Imperial Prison

We had an interesting rule adjustment for the dreaded Narkina prison board!  One of the characters playing was the Viper Probe Droid, the minor for the Wampa.  If you've ever watched Empire Strikes Back you realize...they don't walk - they hover!  And the scariest part of Narkina is the floor turning into an electric shock if the Duelers aren't on program.  So it was declared by the Jedi Council...the Viper Droid would be immune to the prison floor!  Would that prove to be important in this Duel???  Read on to find out!  #foreshadowing 

Smile if you love being "on program"!

It was fun to be back in the North Village Fine Arts Studio, our first Duel there since May.  The Fall Brawl had five characters that debuted this summer, and everyone scrambled to look at their decks before the game began.  It didn't take long for the fireworks to launch.  Josiah/Jod Na Nawood and Curtis/Krennic encouraged folks to concentrate on the table of Eric/Ahsoka, Rob/Mace, and Ian/Rey.  And that's what folks started to do!  But then Ian's Finn landed some cross-prison shots on Jod Na Nawood and the tides shifted.  The coup d'état was when Junior/Wampa turned on his own table, mauling Josiah/Jod in last place!!!  LET THE BIG WAMPA EAT!

Meanwhile, poor Michael, Dueling for the first time in months after welcoming a new padawan into the world, got stuck with Fennec Shand for the 147th time.  He played her aggressively, though, including using Black Krrsantan to rip off Finn's arm and kill him!  He thought they were putting Ahoska in a kill box, but the neighboring table decided to go after Fennec instead.  Nayshaun's KX Security Droid used an Arakyd Attack and Fennec was sacrificed to the Imperial Prison Complex in eleventh place.

Why are the Narkina tables so small???

Fennec dying was but a brief reprieve for poor Ahsoka.  Nayshaun was more than happy to explore all of the factory settings of his KX unit, including Crowd Control, which knocked Eric clear out of the game in tenth.  Ouch!!!  But the tables turned (literally?) after that, because Rob/Mace and others went off program while the KX droid was on the ground, and then Mace began attacking it.  Others followed suit, and it would be David's Galactic Marine who landed the final blow.  Nayshaun got short-circuited in ninth.

Curtis/Krennic could only look on in horror as his early rally to kill Ahoska/Rey/Mace had gradually turned everyone against him.  Without an alliance partner to count on, he played Peace and Security, just as Ian's Rey approached his work table.  Though everyone's hands got dumped, it wasn't long after that Rey got her sweet revenge, playing The Last Jedi to thwart Curtis in eighth place.

They call Mark's basketball shooting technique "off program."

David was giddy he had survived being first out, as this was just his second career Duel and that was his experience in his first.  His Ki-Adi-Mundi was unafraid to move attacks from one Dueler to the next, including James' Kit Fisto.  Ian's Rey migrated to David's table, though, and that's when the cone-headed Jedi was in trouble.  He couldn't withstand the multi-front attack, including a Flamethrower from Justin's Jango Fett.  Rey rang the final bell, and David was out in seventh.  That's much better than his first Duel, though!

A first-time Dueler finding his groove...

Rob's Mace was finally reloaded from that pesky Krennic Peace and Security, so he hopped over to the table with Mark's two Droidekas.  Mark didn't want to tangle with Mace, but Rob knew those two droids are super-hard to take down late in games.  An unblocked Battlemind/Whirlwind combo destroyed his full-health robot.  The second one moved over to the table hitting Ki-Adi-Mundi.  In a surprise move, motivated largely by rankings (!), Mark used his final volley of attacks against his teammate Justin/Jango!  That seriously crippled the senior Fett.  But Ian was on mop-up duty at that point, and Rey collected another trophy.  Congrats to Mark, who turned pro at the Fall Brawl and debuts in fourth place in the rankings!

Half of the final four!

Justin/Jango was on life support, so James/Kit Fisto put him out of his misery in fifth place with Form One.  That left four Duelers in the prison:  Ian/Rey, James/Kit, Rob/Mace, and Junior/Wampa.

It was Rob's turn, and he suggested Ian's Rey was the most powerful character left in the game.  He assumed the others would feel the same way, but Ian made his own arguments that Mace and his Battleminds and Whirlwinds were to be feared as well.  Junior had been playing Switzerland for most of the game, and decided to Viper shoot Kit Fisto.  Rob got the feeling James wouldn't turn against his table buddy Ian, so he launched an attack against Kit Fisto.  A Battlemind ended James' night in fourth as a result.  It was a nice rebound Duel for Kit Fisto, who debuted in last this past summer, and James continues his nice string of Duels of late.

How many times will you attack Rey on this turn?

Junior finally, begrudgingly, agreed to help dispatch Rey next.  The tension levels rose when both Junior and Rob realized Ian hadn't redrawn Rise of Skywalker, the 12 defense/8-point heal card yet.  It became a race - could they knock out Rey before she found it in her deck???  It helped that Rob used both Whirlwinds on Ian in the process.  When it was all said and done, Ian suffered bad deck luck and Mace struck Rey down in third!

Have we mentioned this was Junior's first official Duel yet!?!?!  And here he was, guaranteed a top-two finish!  Rob's Mace was banged up, especially getting caught on the electric floor a couple of times in the final four, but the Wampa couldn't heal since the floor-immune Viper Droid was still in the game.  Rob also knew the range of attacks the Wampa was capable of, so he played a tedious and patient game to slowly heal, chip away at the Wampa, and wait for the Whirlwinds to finally get back in his hands.  And that's just what happened - Junior/Wampa received the auto-4 damage for second place!  What a sensational first Duel though!!!  Congrats Junior - you played the Wampa like you grew up on the ice planet Hoth.

A lot of Mace up in your face!

This was career win #34 for Rob (obnoxious), his second win a row (gross), and he defended the Fall Brawl trophy to boot!  It also marked the tenth win for Mace Windu, who hadn't won since The Centurion, back in the Covid days of 2021.  

Final order of finish:

12.  Josiah/Jod Na Nawood

11.  Michael/Fennec Shand

10.  Eric/Ahsoka Tano

9.  Nayshaun/KX Security Droid

8.  Curtis/Orson Krennic

7.  David/Ki-Adi-Mundi

6,  Mark/Droidekas

5.  Justin/Jango Fett

4.  James/Kit Fisto

3.  Ian/Rey

2.  Junior/Wampa

1.  Rob/Mace Windu

Next month is the October Duel - FIGHT NIGHT - and we have 12 new treats with plenty of tricks in store for you!  The word on the street?  Twelve.  New.  Characters!  Have we lost our minds?!?!  YES.  And if you think we've already mined all of the possible characters in the Star Wars universe...I promise you, there will be some EPIC new combatants, drawing from the original trilogy, prequels, sequels, and beyond!!!  You won't want to miss it!  The tentative date is Friday, October 3, but Rob will send out more info on that as the date draws near...

PEW PEW!

12x12-Way Weekend Episode VII: The Force Was Mistaken - June 20, 2025 (8PM)

Narkina-5 Prison

This Duel marked the first time in league history that we played FOUR Duels in one day!!!  And this one, like the night before, went DEEP into the night before it was resolved.  Once the prison floor stopped pulsing with electricity, it would be Curtis' Lando Calrissian who survived!  He was the perfect character on the perfect starting spot to make it to the end.

Episode 7 - all-shooter Duel.

 

Valentine's Duel - February 7, 2025

Narkina-5 Imperial Prison  

Quick question: how many Golden Oreos can you eat in one sitting?  Follow up question: what if some of them in the package are randomly soggy?  Is that an issue?  Final question: when do candy canes expire?  Is February too late to be eating them?  These were some of the many culinary inquiries our Valentine's Duelers faced, as our annual February Duel encouraged the participants to bring a sweet treat to share!  Kudos to those who remembered - and shame on the league organizer for forgetting!!!

Scared Straight: The Narkina-5 Prison Documentary

The Valentine's Duelers gathered in the Narkina-5 Imperial Prison and, I know you're wondering...how soon did Duelers go off program?  The answer: almost immediately!  And it stayed off program for most of the night...except for two crucial rounds late in the game when the last four Duelers standing were too delirious NOT to raise their hands over their heads!  But I'm getting waaaaay ahead of myself...

Nobody can remember the last time this happened, but the six light side and six dark side Duelers were all sitting six-in-a-row at the table, meaning the respective sides could coordinate extremely well together.  The dark side quickly eliminated Caden's Cara Dune, but the light side hatched a bold plan when The Mandalorian played Grappling Line and pulled Rob's Darth Maul into a kill box!  But Rob somehow used his Martial Defense to completely block Mando's Disintegration!  James/Leia and Elliot/Ahsoka whittled down Maul to near death, but in the first flip of the game (and maybe, maybe aided by Rob running his mouth...), Alex G./Bo-Katan didn't lay the final two hits...and instead joined the dark side!  

Prison sucks!

The light side was equal parts nauseated, disgusted, and disgruntled with Alex, while Rob laughed evilly.  This allowed the dark side to concentrate their fire on The Mandalorian!  Darth Maul got the kill shot with one of his many Sith Speeds, and poor Caden went from hero to the sidelines in last!!!  Rob managed a couple of more hits on Ahsoka too, but with zero cards left in his hand, his blaze of glory left him in eleventh.  What a way to go, though!

Elliot was still gob smacked by Alex's betrayal, and couldn't believe the position he found himself in.  The light side was imploding and he was next to go.  Cate's blood lust was satisfied when her Jango Fett used a three point attack to retire Ahsoka in tenth.  It was a sound tactic, Elliot, don't beat yourself up!

Austin, which Dueler got blind-sided?

The light side tried to rally.  Justin/Mace hopped off the safety of his table to rush Alex's table.  He landed a Whirlwind, but didn't use Wisdom to retreat.  The dark side launched a silo at poor Mace, with Alex using an Ariel Assault for the knockout punch.  Way to go down swinging, Justin!

The only two Duelers left in the light side alliance at that point were James/Princess Leia (Green Leia) and Riley/Luke Skywalker (White Leia).  They were sure they were next, especially once Josiah/The Stranger murdered Wicket.  But everyone knows Cate can only contain her urge to obliterate others for so long, and when she couldn't get an angle on the light side she Missile Launched/Rocket Retreated Mark's Moff Gideon!!!  Alliance disfunction at it's finest!  Mark was bewildered, especially when the rest of his alliance followed suit.  To add insult to compounding injuries, Moff Gideon was eliminated by being electrocuted by the floor!  The next Brooks College staff meeting is going to be AWKWARD.

Look at that face - full of Missile Launch glee!

The crazy twists and turns kept coming.  James and Riley got quiet as mice tiptoeing through a room full of sleeping cats when Josiah threw out Ian/Snoke as the next target.  The debate came fast and furious, as Ian moved the negative attention to Alex/Bo-Katan and his hesitancy to shoot the light side remnants.  Nobody had any idea what to expect from Cate, and Josiah decided her killing spree necessitated the end of her night.  In a risky move, his Mae used A New Acolyte to off Jango.  That was probably just as well - Cate had a 3AM alarm set for her rugby trip!  😦

The animosity towards Alex couldn't be ignored at that point.  He had no friends left on the board.  And in a bit of a control-his-own fate move, he chose to stay off the tables and take his kill shot from the electric floor!  The Narkina-5 Prison fried two Duelers on the night!!!

The wolves circle Austin...

Austin/Cad Bane was a loyal dark side alliance member throughout the night, and it was cool he made it to the final five because he took some damage out of the gate.  But Ian/Snoke didn't look too keen to have extra shooters on the board, so he named Austin as his target of interest.  Austin tried to shake his hand several times to indicate no hard feelings (this is a classic "you had to be there" moment...).  Nobody would rescue Cad Bane, but Austin finished a career-best fifth place.  Nicely done!

Rather than work together as the last two dominant dark side members, Josiah and Ian declared war on each other!  James, who had recently played The Stranger last semester, knew full well Josiah's character was a handful.  He and Riley joined Ian...but it took a LONG time for them to finally oust Josiah.  I'm talking poorly played Tied To A Strings, I Will Not Fight You's...the works!  But Josiah couldn't hold out forever, and James landed the final blow.  There's a reason The Stranger is the top ranked character in the league right now - well done Josiah!

How did these two make it to the final three???

This may not be fully appreciated by those who weren't at the Duel, but it was nothing short of a miracle James/Leia and Riley/Luke went from a seemingly 8th and 7th place finish to the top three.  They worked extremely well together, but the reality was James' Princess Leia had up to 16 points of automatic damage in her deck, and Riley and Ian were roughed up on their damage indicator cards, so they chose to partner against James.  The problem was 8 of those points of auto damage come from Leia's I Know defense cards, so neither wanted to go forward with a frontal assault.

Ian managed to use some Force Lightnings and Riley's minor Leia kept shooting major Leia (yes, it was trippy), but James smartly killed the minors, forcing the issue by making Ian and Riley stand adjacent to Leia.  Ian felt Riley wasn't doing enough, so he ended up turning on Riley, heavily damaging Luke.  It was a controversial move as Riley professed she was still with him.  But the attack allowed James to finish Riley/Luke in third.  Riley had the best hat at the table, though.

The final two was James/Leia and Ian/Snoke!  Both were badly damaged and searching for their automatic damage cards (Covert Operation for Leia, Force Lightning for Snoke).  Ian had some uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the night, but the worst one was when he lost count of Leia's I Know defense cards.  She has two of those - the ones that do four points of damage to whoever attacks - but Ian thought one was already in James' discard pile.  As it turns out, he pulled the second one from his draw pile.  Ian healed enough to take four points from one of them, but his jaw dropped when he attacked a second time only to get four MORE points of auto damage and lose the game!  That's right - James won his first career Duel.  Way to go!!!!  That's another Dueling trophy for the Teal trophy case.  This also marks Princess Leia's second career win.

Final order of finish:

12.  Caden/The Mandalorian

11.  Rob/Darth Maul

10.  Elliot/Ahsoka

9.  Justin/Mace Windu

8.  Mark/Moff Gideon

7.  Cate/Jango Fett

6.  Alex G./Bo-Katan

5.  Austin/Cad Bane

4.  Josiah/The Stranger

3.  Riley E./Luke Skywalker

2.  Ian/Snoke

1.  James/Princess Leia

It's always fun when a Duel produces a first-time winner!  James becomes the 41st Dueler in league history to win a Duel!

Due to the basketball schedule and Spring Break, the March Duel - THE IMPERIAL MARCH - will be played the weekend of March 22nd/23rd.  We'll have to wait for the tournament bracket to figure out which night Baylor plays (stay above the bubble, Bears!!!).  So that means we'll go silent for a few weeks.  

Until then...PEW PEW!

Doubleheader #1 - August 26, 2023

 

Narkina 4 Imperial Prison

It's one of the best days of the year - Doubleheader day!!!  We get to play two Duels in one evening.  That's all kinds of special.  But that also makes for a looooooooooong night.  So the first game needs to be a fast-moving board.  Like the Narkina 5 prison board...that'll go fast, right!?  Right?  Guys...why is nobody looking me in the eye...?

First game at Rob's new house!

Spoiler alert.  This game took about 5 hours.  It was what it was.

Here's a fun fact.  Rob has played The Mandalorian three times - including this game! - and all three times he's had Whistling Birds in his first four cards.  The first two times he played it as his first action of the game.  This time he waited a whole round before he couldn't contain himself.  He let them rain down all over the board, and basically divided the players into two teams: those who got hit, and those who didn't.  From there everyone was scrambling to get into position to jump onto the work benches so their characters wouldn't catch damage if somebody wasn't "on program."

With everyone on tables the pace became grueling.  Ian's Jango wasn't afraid to stay off the table.  He also used his Zam to open up big damage on Alex A.'s Qui-Gon.  Others focused fire on Grant D.'s Grievous guards and Parker's Pyke Syndicate.  Parker was ultimately betrayed by his own alliance when Jackson's Lando used the Battle of Tanaab Maneuvers card to hand Parker his temporary Golden Jar Jar in last place.  But that also meant Parker got to be the new prison warden!!!

Jackson visualizing Riley B.'s advice.

While Parker's Cad was gone Rob's Mando used a combo Rising Phoenix and Grappling Hook to pull poor Elliot's Count Dooku until a kill box with Riley E/Anakin and Ian/Jango.  But it would be Bekah's Night Owl - both Bekah and her character Bo-Katan were making their Dueling debut! - who would land the kill shot.  Elliot sensed it was going to be a long time before game 2, so he wisely chose to leave the Jedi Temple and clear his head for a few hours.

Alex A. got betrayed by his alliance in his rookie Duel at CL Training, but this time around, his alliance was crumbling around him.  Jar Jar did manage to pull off the Oopsa Bombbad card, but that only enraged an entire table against him.  Atticus' Obi-Wan Kenobi ran to Qui-Gon's table to eliminate him in tenth.  Alex could have left to go back to campus for his hall program...but he stuck around to watch the finish!  That would prove to be a punishing decision.

Kamino enemies but Narkina allies.

Grant D.'s General Grievous seemingly respawned his guards 17 times in the game, making it hard to kill Grievous as nobody was willing to venture a walk across the board, especially since Grant/Grievous and Jackson/Lando had no interest in going "on program."  Atticus started taking damage from fellow Duelers as well as the floor of the board!  And it would actually be the prison itself that got the last of Obi-Wan's health points.  Curse these iron bars!!!

That left eight Duelers to go, and Bekah had tried to avoid conflict for most of the game but now she turned into the target.  She pulled off some neat combos with the new Bo-Katan deck, but she ran out of partners and space on the board.  Riley E.'s Anakin ended Bekah's first Duel in eighth.  I think we only lightly scarred her, so that's a good sign she'll be back for more!

The white squares are death!

Grant's Grievous became the next target, and he was finally running out of defense cards and minor characters.  Ian's Jango, who had taken some damage by this point, went for his auto-damage Wrist Cable to prevent Grant from pulling any other tricks from his sleeves.  Wait, Grievous doesn't wear shirts, he has no sleeves...  Nonetheless, Grant crashed in seventh.

Jackson deserves a special shout-out.  In just his second career Duel he was deftly playing Lando.  But once Riley E.'s Anakin moved across the board again to land hits, Lando's time was limited.  Once again Ian's Jango used a wrist cable to park Jackson in the top six.

Ian abusing wrist cables.

Somehow we were past 9PM at this point.  Good grief!  Riley E./Anakin used a Wrath-in-good-faith on Riley B.'s Storm Trooper to join both him and Evan's Moff Gideon on one table, directly across from Ian/Jango and Rob/Mando.  Experience Duelers know the "final five" is when alliance shifts are formalized, and after the dust had settled, Ian chose to move against Evan's Gideon.  Rob, however, hopped off the table to use Amban Shock against Riley B.'s Vader!  Long story short, it was quite hectic.

When the dust settled Evan's Moff Gideon managed to get the drop on Riley E.'s Anakin.  She had sustained prison floor damage when she led charges against Lando and Grievous.  The high school sophomore was ejected in fifth.

Like a Moff to the flame.

This recap has done a poor job highlighting all the good things Riley B.'s Vader had accomplished throughout the game.  With four Duelers left he was still at full health, and the the three remaining shooters put the target on him.  Evan was on the same table, and he needed to be, because he finally used the Darksaber!  That was a big blow to Riley B., but he had revenge on his mind.  Sensing Evan was low on defense, Riley chose to attack.  Evan chose not to defend.  You know what happened next:

ALL TOO EASY!!!!!!!!

In one card Riley B. crushed 20 attack points on poor Evan's Moff Gideon!!!  Evan was shockingly gone in fourth place.

Ian's Jango and Riley B.'s Vader were both in rough shape health-wise.  Rob's Mando had good health, but he was running into an unbelievably bad redraw with his cards.  He had nine in his hand, and eight of them were the deceased Cara Dunne.  Rob got Ian to promise him they'd work together to get Vader, but Ian immediately betrayed him!  With nothing but useless minor cards, Mando was soon eliminated by a Zam Sniper Shot.

Ian was dangerously close to a Wrath/Debris auto-death, but Vader didn't have them back in his hand yet.  When Jango got him down to two health points it would be, YET AGAIN, a third kill via Wrist Cable!  Ian was the winner...five hours after we started good lord...  Big congrats to Riley B. too, who had a career-best finish.

Using Jango to win the Jango trophy!

The final order of finish:

12.  Parker/Cad Bane

11.  Elliot/Count Dooku

10.  Alex A./Qui-Gon Jinn

9.  Attius/Obi-Wan Kenobi

8.  Bekah/Bo-Katan Kryze

7.  Grant D./General Grievous

6.  Jackson/Lando Calrissian

5.  Riley E./Anakin Skywalker

4.  Evan/Moff Gideon

3.  Rob/The Mandalorian

2.  Riley B./Darth Vader

1.  Ian/Jango Fett!

And this wasn't the last Duel of the night...

May the 4th Be With You - May 4, 2023

 

Narkina 5 Imperial Prison

Duelers carried all of their feels into the last game of the academic year.  After a robust celebration at the Golden Bears, they hurried across campus to the Fine Arts Studio to try and win the Golden Obi.  But before the battle could commence, we needed to honor a retiring Dueler:

Welcome to the Hall, Duncan!

That's right - our newest member of the Dueling Hall of Fame is Duncan!  Duncan packed a lot of action into his three years in the league, winning three times.  That included two of his first four career Duels.  Those, interestingly enough, took place online during the COVID season.  He ranks in the top five all-time in Duels and wins for a student.  Congrats Duncan!

May the 4th was with one of these Duelers...

Duncan wasn't done being the center of attention, though!  In honor of our new board - Narkina 5 Imperial Prison - which was featured in the new show Andor, Duncan delivered an impassioned speech slightly adjusted from what Andy Serkis spoke on the show:

My name is Duncan Crosby and I'm the day shift manager on Level One of Heritage. I'm speaking to you from the community center in North Village. We are, at this moment, in control of the facility. How long we hang on, how far we get, how many of us make it out, all of that is now up to us. We have deactivated every floor in the facility. All floors are cold. Wherever you are right now, get up, stop drawing cards. Get out of your cells, take charge and start attacking Rob. He doesn’t have enough defense cards and he knows it. If we wait until he stock piles cards, it'll be too late. We will never have a better chance than this and "I would rather die trying to take Rob down than giving him another win. We know he’s won the last two duels. We know he made these two new characters so that only he knows the mechanics. We know that no one really knows how this board works except Rob. And now we know, that when he says that we’ve played a good duel, he’s tricking us into trusting him for the next game and that ends today! There is one way out. Right now, the building is ours. You need to move, shoot, attack! You need to help each other. You see someone who's getting attacked, someone who is getting cards dropped, you get them help and you keep them alive until we put Rob in 12^th place. There are 11 of us. If we can fight half as hard as we've been working, we will be home in no time. One way out! One way out!

What!?!?!  This rivals the "Kill Rob First" cupcakes at the first Twin Sun Slam a few years ago in outright contempt for our humble league commissioner!  And Duncan backed up those words by rallying the board to join him in his attacks on Rob!  The Knights of Ren fell first, and then Duncan went in for the kill against Kylo, using Darth Maul's Athletic Surge for the overkill and escape back to the safety of his table.  The only real damage Rob managed was to be the first Dueler to not be "on program" for the night!  Rob's death also meant he got to be the prison warden for the rest of the night. Yay.

Everyone scurrying for the tables.

There was no denying there was frenetic energy in the air, either from the excitement of the last Duel or the electricity coursing through the floor of the board.  The layout of the new board also meant there were no clear alliances.  Do you partner with the folks near your table, or kill them to get all of your characters to safety?  Curtis' Emperor had started Force Lightning-ing Elliot's Yoda, while others were shooting diagonally at Riley B.'s Han Solo.  Curtis moved his Imperial Guard into position to shoot Han twice more.  Riley wasn't having it, though!  He rolled Chewbacca behind the Emperor and combo-ed a Bowcaster and 5 point attack to kill Curtis in eleventh!!!  That's the second time in recent Dueling history Curtis was on the wrong end of Riley's Bowcaster.

Riley couldn't enjoy his revenge for long, however.  In his weakened state he was vulnerable, and his tablemate Evan/Anakin took advantage.  A big 5-point swing ended Riley's night in tenth.  

The confusion and constantly changing alliances continued after the first three deaths.  More Duelers were starting to stay off program, which caused anyone not standing on a table to take damage.  For some reason Miguel, playing Captain Phasma's first ever Duel, became a target.  It was confusing because Ian/Jyn was the only opponent he had really tussled with.  Both Miguel/Phasma and Ian/Jyn eventually each hopped off their respective tables to have a shootout like an old movie Western.  Phasma had one more Backup Pistol to put back on Jyn when Ian attacked.  In a bold move, though, Miguel didn't retreat on his turn - he returned fire on Ian!  That left Jyn near death, and Julia/The Armorer - our other brand new character on the board - took advantage with a hammer blow to the noggin.  Ian was capped in ninth.

We are going to miss the heck out of Miguel!

It was impressive to see Miguel outlast Ian, but Captain Phasma was on the last row of damage and her cool Special Cards were burried in her deck.  It would be Michael, playing with Fennec Shand for the second game in a row, who would lay Miguel down gently with a 2-point attack in eighth place.  This was Miguel's last Duel, as he's graduating and heading off to Princeton.  I'm not sure any other Dueler in league history had more fun playing Epic Duels, especially when causing chaos to break games wide  open.  We love you Miguel!!!  

What came next proved to be the biggest moment in the game.  JD M./Krennic was having a relatively quiet game, minus a couple of Grenades he chucked.  But he sensed the final seven was a key juncture, so he played the dreaded Peace and Security, which forces everyone else to discard their hand and draw new cards while Krennic keeps what he has.  Julia/The Armorer and Michael/Fennec looked gutted as they laid their cards down.  From there Yoda became the new target.  Poor Elliot was fighting hard all night but things weren't breaking his way.  As he was banged up, Michael's Black Krrsantan took a couple of shots from across the board.  Curiously, Elliot didn't defend either attack, but the second one was for 5 points, so Yoda was donezo in seventh.

Elliot hoped for more...

Michael's Fennec was off the table with the understanding everyone would stay on program, but that's when Kat/Boba proved how dangerous noncompliance could be.  She kept her hands on the table and Fennec was shocked with three points of damage.  He eventually became so week JD's Krennic took him out in sixth with a 3-point attack.  

Why, Kat, why...?

At this point it should be noted and commended how low to the ground Evan/Anakin and Duncan/Maul were playing.  It was clear nobody on the board wanted them in the game, but they huddled together at a far table and waited and healed.  Eventually, though, the remaining shooters turned their attention on Anakin.  He had Counterattacked a Hammer Throw from The Armorer, but Kat's Boba spiked him with a Kyber Dart, killing Evan in fifth while drawing three cards for making it a kill shot.  

Julia, mistakenly believing Kat was against her Armorer, played one of the sickest cards of the night: A Mandalorian No More.  The Armorer can pick an opponent and have them show their hand.  If that opponent has a character with Mandalorian armor, they have to discard the hand!  Boba wears Mandalorian armor!  Kat had to dump her hand!!!  That move created a lot of distrust, and JD publicly declared he would not align with Julia.  Instead, he committed to partnering with Duncan's Maul!  As a result, Maul moved in and whittled down Julia until she was gone in fourth after a Super Sith Speed.

Duncan danced?  Duncan danced.

When Duncan/Maul eliminated Julia/Armorer, he still had an action left and was standing next to Kat's Boba.  He hit her with an Athletic Surge and retreated to a different table!  Kat was badly wounded, and JD had his own share of damage too, so everybody assumed they would partner together to go against Maul.  But JD had no interest in it, and instead zapped Boba/Kat out in third place!

The final moments...

JD's Krennic still had a Death Trooper on the board, and together, they started shooting long distance against Maul.  Duncan had to choose his movements wisely, as JD had no intention of staying on program.  Duncan finally made it to the same table as JD/Krennic, but a Krennic heal card left him depressed as he realized his attack calculus wasn't going to be enough.  He tried to escape, but JD played Here of the Empire to win the game!!!  In their final league Duels, JD and Duncan finished first and second!  Unbelievable!!!  The win marked JD and Krennic's second wins.  What a storybook ending!

Final order of finish:

12.  Rob/Kylo

11.  Curtis/Emperor

10.  Riley B./Han

9.  Ian/Jyn

8.  Miguel/Phasma

7.  Elliot/Yoda

6.  Michael/Fennec

5.  Evan/Anakin

4.  Julia/The Armorer

3.  Kat/Boba

2.  Duncan/Maul

1.  JD M./Krennic

And...that's the end of our ninth season, the 22-23 academic year.  What a fantastic Duel to go out on.  To Duncan, JD, Miguel, and others...thanks for making this league special!  It was an honor to have you a the round table.  May the Force Be With You.  Always.

For folks in town this summer, keep an eye on your email as we'll likely play the Twin Sun Slam on the first or second Saturday of June.  That's a doubleheader at Rob's house where we grill and drink Yoda Soda between games.  Until then...

Preview: May the 4th Be With You - May 4, 2023

 

We've come to the end of the road.  It's time to take this season, LOCK IT UP, and throw away the key.  And by LOCK IT UP, I mean lock it up in the Narkina 5 Imperial Prison!!!

What better way to end a school year of Dueling than debuting a new board?!?  This board will introduce a couple of new features for the league.  First, it has "half raised terrain."  There are four tables on the board Duelers can stand on, but still be adjacent to characters on the floor for attacks and defense.  And shooters can blast across them to whoever is on the other side or even on the table.

You might be asking, why would I want to stand on a table during a Duel?  Well that's because, once per round, the Narkina Prison Warden will shout "ON PROGRAM!" and Duelers will have just three seconds to place their hands on their head.  If even one Dueler doesn't comply...any character not standing on a table receives a point of damage!  If that happens two rounds in a row it's two points, and three rounds in a row it goes up to three!!!  Who will be the first Dueler to defy the Prison Warden???

Ok...that should be enough excitement for a year-end Duel...BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE!!!

We just couldn't help ourselves.  We have TWO NEW CHARACTERS playing in this one too!  The Armorer (w/Paz Vizsla) and Captain Phasma (w/First Order Stormtroopers) enter the fray, and who knows what tricks they have up their armored sleeves!?!

New board!  New Characters!!  Ok, I think I need to sit and calm myself down...

HISTORY OF MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU:

2022 - Rob won with Kylo Ren on the Conveyex Train

2021 - Kaleb won with Jango Fett in the Trash Compactor

2020 - Ryan won with Han Solo on the Kamino Platform

2019 - Riley won with Emperor Palpatine in the Emperor's Throne Room
2018 - Rob won with Mace Windu in the Emperor's Throne Room
2017 - JD won with Yoda in the Emperor's Throne Room
2016 - Chris K . won with Jango Fett in the Emperor's Throne Room
2015 - Rob won with Jango Fett in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

MEET THE DUELERS:

The bittersweet thing about the May the 4th Duel is we know it will be the last time our graduating and/or departing Duelers will join us at the round table.  156 different individuals have played at least one Duel with us.  And though it's always exciting to see that number grow, it's important to take a moment and pour out some blue milk for those about to leave for a galaxy far, far away...

Curtis - A strong 2021 for Curtis was followed by a winless 2022.  He'd love to bring home the Obi-Wan trophy in 2023.

Duncan - Oh man...it seems just like yesterday Duncan was schooling us in the online Duels during the COVID year.  And now he's graduating!!!  Could he win #4 in his last shot??

Elliot - Elliot is tied for most career Duels played without a win!  How is that possible?  He's so good!  He needs to secure May the 4th to avoid the record.

Evan - The 2022 Champion will finally receive his permanent Championship plaque at May the 4th.  He wouldn't mind the Golden Obi too.

Ian - Ian played with Lando for a record fourth time at last month's Duel of the Fates, and he nearly won it while ultimately finishing in third place.

JD M. - Remember when Chewbacca was crying in his prison on Cloud City?  That was the sound Duelers made when they heard JD was leaving us because he landed a job in North Carolina.  RAWRRRrrroooo...

Julia - Congrats once again to Julia, who joined the professional ranks last month at Duel of the Fates and avoided the last place curse many endure in their sixth Duel.

Kat - You know a Dueler is excited to play when they accidentally hit "reply all" during a break from teaching the CL Class.  YOU CAN'T TEACH HEART.

Michael - Give Michael a light saber!  Since winning with Grievous at A New Hope in January, he has three bad finishes with shooters.

Miguel - I don't think there will be a dry eye in the Imperial Prison when Miguel takes the table for the last time.  The Maryland kid is a legend and the Golden Jar Jar's favorite Dueler.

Riley B. - In three 2023 Duels, Riley has finished in the top half twice.  He has a nice little streak going and would love to reach the winner's podium.

Rob - The collective groan in the Central Office could be heard across campus when Rob showed up to work last month with his sixth trophy.  Can he defend the Golden Obi to stay at half a dozen?

PLUSH POE PREDICTS THE WINNER:

Poe, just as we lost all hope in you, you predicted the winner in March and your pick for April finished in second.  Do you...actually know what you're doing?  This is the last time we'll ever see your beanie-baby face.  Who you got???

OH SNAP!  Poe picked the Armorer, in her rookie Duel!  THIS IS THE WAY.

Just a couple of other things before we sign off.  First - before the Duel starts we're electing a new member to the Duels Hall of Fame.  It's well deserved!  Second, I could use a volunteer to act as the Prison Warden - let me know if you're interested!!!

We'll be playing in the North Village Fine Arts Studio, as soon as we can after the Golden Bears are over.  May the 4th Be With Us!!!