Fight Night - October 21, 2023

 

Geonosis Arena via Hoth

History was made in a few different ways during this Duel, and we'll get to more of that later, but one cool "first" was that eight of the main characters were female!  Adding Ahsoka and Morgan to the league, along with the randomly selected Princess Leia, Bo-Katan, Jyn Erso, Fennec Shand, Captain Phasma, and Reva, the Third Sister, helped us tip the scales.  The original 12 main characters that came with the game were all male.  It's nice the new characters have helped us balanced things out a bit!

Trick or treat...

The game was tight right out of the gate, especially with the weird placement of the light side starting characters on the board.  Parker's Fennec was invited to flip sides out of the traditional Mace Windu starting spot in the elbow of the snow columns, but he retreated deeper into his light side alliance instead.  That left his minor BK the Wookie all alone, and the dark side immediately started shooting him until he was off the board.

That wasn't the only advantage the dark side alliance gained.  Atticus' Count Dooku was feeling spry, so he charged down the narrow side of the columns and engaged Jackson's Mace Windu!  They were both taking damage but Atticus showed a flare for the dramatic when he Force Pushed poor Jackson into a dark side kill box!  Rob, playing the new character Morgan, used an enhanced 4-point attack to finish off Mace in last.  It was a brutal turn of events for Jackson - there was nothing he could do.

There really IS a wampa in there!

Parker's Fennec was alone and shivering in the cold, and the dark side didn't hesitate.  Parker managed a couple of Body Mods, but it wasn't enough to withstand the onslaught, especially after Rico's Reva pulled a nifty Grand Ambition kill and then used a Honing Beacon to jump back to his dark side alliance.  Parker cratered in eleventh.

Riley E. tried to keep the spirits up of the light side, but Riley B. saw the writing on the wall and defected to the dark side alliance!  That left Curtis/Leia, Riley E./Jyn, and Bella/Ahsoka all by themselves.  Curtis had seen enough and engaged in one vs. one battle with Atticus' Dooku.  Atticus was stunned by all of the auto damage and he was gone soon after, thanks to a Camouflage attack from Curtis.  Atticus was out in tenth, but give him credit, he always gets his money's worth!

Bella, Curtis, and Riley scrambling...

Curtis was lucky to unload so many of his good cards on Dooku, because Kevin ruined his night when the Emperor played You Will Die on Curtis' Leia.  A host of dark side characters took shots down the alley on a defenseless Curtis.  Penny's Beckett used an Improvise for the K.O.  Curtis was gone in ninth.

Bella's Ahsoka Tano was the next target of an air-tight dark side alliance.  She got off some cool shots with her minor character Sabine, but caught on her heels and with dwindling options, Bella couldn't perform any of the cool new attacks Ahsoka brings to the league.  Bella was kaput in eighth.

The Emperor betrayed!

Riley E.'s Jyn Erso was the last remaining non-flipper from the light side, and she was dug in tight behind the snow columns.  Rob's Morgan wandered down, only to see the major character status flipped to Cassian!  The dark side was loaded, and that's when Elliot's Captain Phasma put the target on Kevin's Emperor.  Kevin didn't realize everyone else at the table was ok with it.  He was loyal to the end, but Penny's Beckett put the final nail in the coffin in seventh for a saddened Kevin.

Riley E. was tickled by the stay of execution, but her time was up after Kevin's exit.  Rico moved a Purge Trooper into position and layed a vicious 5 point attack to oust Cassian and Riley in sixth place.

Bo-Katan abandoned!

Rico deserved a comedy award for his less-than-subtle table talking in this match.  He made it known Riley B.'s Bo-Katan was next on the chopping block.  Riley had been whole-hearted in his new dark side alliance, but they didn't return the favor!  Elliot had New Recruited one of Rob's zombie (Rob Zombie?!)  Night Troopers (the new Morgan deck is spooky!), and the zombie trooper ate Riley's brains - figuratively - in fifth place, much to Riley B.'s chagrin.  

There were four left:  Rob/Morgan, Penny/Beckett, Elliot/Phasma, and Rico/Reva.  It was Rob's turn, but the other three were deadly silent.  Rob assumed they were waiting for him to pick the target, but unbeknownst to Rob, the three of them were already aligned to take down his Morgan in fourth place!  They almost got away with it, but at the last second, he caught Elliot winking to Rico after Rob had said he thought they should aim their efforts at Reva!  

Our league does not endorse the dark arts of the Night Sisters

Rob was kicking himself for forgetting one of the golden rules of the league:  if you don't know who's next, it's you!  He pivoted and told Rico they ought to stick together to avoid a final three with two shooters.  Elliot attacked Rob regardless, but Rico chickened out on attacking Rob too after Rob had dumped one of his better cards.  That was all the crack Rob needed to drive a mile-wide wedge between Rico and Elliot.  Penny was also grumpy that Rico had put a homing beacon on her Beckett, implying she was next after Rob was gone.  The combined efforts of the board, but really a double dose of Double Blasters from Penny, sent Rico packing in fourth.  He played great with Reva!

Rob's Morgan and Elliot's Captain Phasma were both battered, especially after Val played a It's Been a Ride, Babe, on Phasma.  They finally held off on attacking each other, but it was too little too late as Penny had reshuffled and pocketed another Double Blasters to off Elliot in third.  Elliot was once again so close to his first win!!!

All in the family.

The final two was a daddy-daughter dance between Penny and Rob...just like Penny's first career victory at last year's Thanksdueling!  Rob Reincarnated another zombie Night Trooper for some extra protection, but down to his last health point, he knew he needed to go on the offensive and try and knock Penny off before her second Double Blasters emerged from the new draw pile.  He definitely put damage on her, but he couldn't risk more attacks in fear of not being able to defend himself.  Luck was on Penny's side as she Double Blasted Rob into second place!  Penny won her second Duel in just four career matches!!!  That ties the record Kaleb and Isaiah have both achieved.  Wow!!!  Rob hates finishing second, but it hurts a lot less when it's your offspring claiming the trophy!

Final order of finish:

12.  Jackson/Mace

11.  Parker/Fennec

10.  Atticus/Dooku

9.  Curtis/Leia

8.  Bella/Ahsoka

7.  Kevin/Emperor

6.  Riley E./Jyn

5.  Riley B./Bo-Katan

4.  Rico/Reva

3.  Elliot/Phasma

2.  Rob/Morgan

1.  Penny/Beckett

Congrats again, Penny!!!  She currently has two trophies in her possession.  Crazy!!!  

Our November Duel, Thanksdueling!, will likely be held Saturday, November 11th, at 7PM.  Save the date now!  And for those who qualify for the 2023 Championship in December, we're looking at Saturday, December 2!!!  I can't believe how close we are to that...

Thanksdueling! - November 5, 2022

 

Carbon Freezing Chamber (Dagobah Board)

The night started a bit chaotically as we had a last minute cancel, but we were super blessed to have Jocelyn join the fray and save Thanksdueling!  Thanks Jocelyn!!!

The kid's table!

Jocelyn impacted the game out of the gate by being the first person in ages to question the light/dark side dichotomy we operate with so frequently.  As Rob tries to remind folks, "there are no sides."  Jocelyn's Count Dooku started out in the middle of the board, and was happy to roam there as she got a sense for how everyone was going to play.  Andrew's Zam Wesell started the fighting when she attacked Riley B.'s Qui-Gon Jinn.  That pretty much solidified light vs. dark, as even Jocelyn wandered back to the dark end of the Dagobah swamp.

Bella displaying 50% sense of humor, 50% Dueling anxiety

The game truly busted open when Riley E., playing with the genuinely terrifying Supreme Leader Snoke, used Tied To A String to pull poor Michael's Rey into a dark side kill box.  Jocelyn was appalled by the brutality, while Bella laughed at the chaos.  It was a devastating turn of events for the light side, as Rey was clearly their best character.  The light side tried desperately to kill some minors to enable Michael to escape.  Michael even pulled off a Rise Of Skywalker to stave off elimination, but he eventually fell in last place.  It was brutal!

The light side needed to rally, and rally they did.  Andrew's Jango Fett was leading the front lines of the dark side alliance, but that also left him a bit exposed.  The light side jumped at the opportunity to start whittling him down.  It would be Riley B. who bravely charged into the middle of the board, after an assist from Parker's Princess Leia, to punch Andrew's ticket in eleventh.  

Rob needed a Battlemind!

With ten to go, the dark and light sides were once again balanced.  This was when the dark side decided to launch another kill box.  This time it would be Jocelyn's Count Dooku using a Force Push to send Riley B.'s Qui-Gon to the back row.  Just like in football, might as well run the same play if they can't stop it!  The light side knew it was time to rush, and Rob/Mace, Corona/Yoda, and Penny/Anakin started moving forward.  They identified Jocelyn's Dooku as the key to springing Qui-Gon from captivity.  Riley B. contributed by using a There's Always A Bigger Fish on Jocelyn, but Jocelyn countered with Gain Power.  Touché!  Dooku couldn't hold out forever, though, and Jocelyn had to exit in tenth after Penny's Anakin landed a 5-point attack.

This was the juncture in the Duel when the dark/light factions dissolved.  Grant H.'s Cad Bane made a quiet flip to the light side, but for two rounds, kept throwing Parker's Leia out as a target.  Parker was quite vocal in the attack, but Rob's Mace and Kat's Darth Vader both agreed to go in on the surprise kill box.  Parker's jaw dropped, and he had no help to escape the predicament.  Leia was finally eliminated in ninth by a 3-point attack from Kat's Storm Trooper.  The indiginity!

Riley isn't trapped on the dark side, 
the dark side is trapped with Riley!

We should pause and take a moment to recognize how crazy-good Riley B. was playing with Qui-Gon.  Despite Riley E./Snoke and Bella/Moff Gideon's best attacks, they could not destroy Qui-Gon.  They were essentially doomed when Kat declined to assist.  With Kat and Grant playing on the other side, Riley E.'s Snoke was the next target.  She fell out in eighth when her own sister Penny cracked her with an Anger!

This enabled Riley B. to finally flee his dark side prison, using Jedi Meditations to begin healing himself.  He was ready to let Qui-Gons be Qui-Gons.  But his Jedi robes weren't made of Teflon.  Bella's Moff Gideon chose to attack, and Riley chose not to defend.  Little did he know it was Astute Panic!  That attack was the exact value needed to eliminate Riley B. in seventh!!!  

Decision time for Jedi Corona

Bella pulled off the attack of the night, but she was also left without an alliance when Riley E. was removed from the game.  Penny was still low carded, but she dropped a 5-point attack on Bella to finish off Moff Gideon in sixth place.

That left a final five of Kat/Vader, Grant/Cad, Rob/Mace, Penny/Anakin, and Corona/Yoda.  (Something funny to note - Corona often wears a Yoda t-shirt to the Duels, but for Thanksdueling! he dressed up as Anakin.  But then he picked Yoda to play with!)  Rob sensed Kat and Grant were tight, and that they wanted to target Penny's Anakin, who was a bit injured and low carded.  But Rob feared he could do no better than third place in that scenario, so he suggested to Corona and Penny that their three Jedi stick together to eradicate the remaining dark side characters.  Penny liked it because she was the target, and Corona eventually decided it made sense for him too.  Kat and Grant were cranky for good reason, and they presented good counter-arguments, but the Jedi decided to stay strong.

The Grave Digger

Rob created a wall with his Mace and two Clone Troopers for Anakin to hide behind, while Padme continued to roam the board.  Kat's Vader pursued Anakin anyway, trying to get Rob to reconsider.  It turned out Vader was low on defense, and the attacks from Yoda and Mace did her in.  Corona landed a Force Strike and Kat finished the evening in fifth place.

And then there were four!  Grant was working Rob REAL hard to readjust his alliance.  His logic was sound, but Rob's gut told him his best chance was sticking with the Jedi.  While Kat's parting attacks weakened Penny's Anakin, Grant saved his last damage for Rob's Mace Windu, which was leaving Corona in good position with Yoda.  Cad couldn't withstand a 3 vs. 1 Duel, though.  Yoda's Clone Trooper popped him in fourth place.

The two pros Penny played like a fiddle.

When Cad Bane perished Rob immediately unloaded a Whirlwind on Corona's Yoda.  Corona and Penny had agreed to work together to attack Mace Windu.  Penny was in the worst shape, as she only had about seven points of health left, and couldn't heal because Padme was still very much alive.  Rob's strategy was to tell Penny, just hang back, and let him go head to head with Corona's Yoda.  That's how things started, Rob and Corona chasing each other around the board, spending 5 minutes on each of their turns trying to convince Penny to work with them to eliminate the other.  And that's when Penny used the guise of a new Dueler (this was just her second Duel) to fool two Duelers who should have known better!

Penny started taking pot shots at both Yoda and Mace, weakening them both, and pretending like she was being swayed from one side to the other.  Not once did Rob and Corona stop and say, hey, maybe we should work together?  The night ended with two consecutive actions by Penny.  She moved Padme in a direct firing line of Yoda, who was just two health points from death.  Corona tipped off he didn't have any defense left, but begged to stay in the game to use a Force Lift on Rob.  Padme killed Corona in third with a 3-point attack, which was crushing for poor Corona.  But with Yoda dead, Rob's Mace was no longer protected from Padme.  He had more health left than Yoda, but not by much.  He had enough defense in his hand to survive a smaller attack, but Penny pulled out the...PRECISE SHOT!  Nine points of damage on her dad, and Penny won her first 12-Way Duel in just her second game!!!  Rob couldn't be more proud in second place - his two oldest daughters won Duels in 2022!!!  I'm not crying, you're crying!

Slay!

The final order of finish:

12.  Michael/Rey

11.  Andrew/Jango Fett

10.  Joceyln/Count Dooku

9.  Parker/Princess Leia

8.  Riley E./Supreme Leader Snoke

7.  Riley B./Qui-Gon Jinn

6.  Bella/Moff Gideon

5.  Kat/Darth Vader

4.  Grant H./Cad Bane (Grant got Cad again, lol!)

3.  Corona/Yoda

2.  Rob/Mace Windu

1.  Penny/Anakin Skywalker

  

That was a fun night of Dueling, as the Carbon Freezing Chamber map always produces drama.  And this was the last Duel of the year except for December, which is...THE 2022 CHAMPIONSHIP!  This is the one Duel of the year that is invite only - anyone who won a Duel has an automatic seat at the table, and the top ranked Duelers fill the remaining spots.  This is what we've worked for all year!  The Championship is our Super Bowl.  More details are coming on all of that.  In the meantime...congrats again to Penny!!!