Rogue Won - December 15, 2016

Before we talk about the Duel, before you even read this blog recap, STOP.  Turn off your computer.  Go to the movie theater.  Buy a ticket for Rogue One.  IT'S SO GOOOOD!!!!

Ok, you watched the movie?  I told you it was good!  Please proceed with reading...

Geonosis Arena

That's right friends, we were back in the Geonosis Arena, meaning we still haven't played in the Carbon Freezing Chamber in almost a year.  When will the streak end?

I forgot to take the group shot before Princess Leia died.

 Things started fast and furious, we were almost on pace for a record time before things gradually slowed down.  Stephen, playing with Luke at the top of the columns, was the first to defect!  But not long after that, Austin/Dooku flipped to the light side and Nathan's Boba Fett did the same!

Austin and Curtis, deep in strategy.

Although Stephen made a big move to go to the dark side, he couldn't withstand the minor characters who shot him once he got down there, including Ducky's Chewbacca who bowcasted him into last place.  Daniel's Mace, loyal to the light side, was the next to go.  JD's Emperor used a couple of Force Lightnings on him and then he dropped You Will Die.  At that point, Joel's Darth Maul swooped in with a fistful of "does not count as an action" cards to give poor Daniel an early exit.

Even with the loss of Mace, the light side alliance was still looking strong.  Austin's Count Dooku dropped Taunts on Joel's Maul, and sent him to the rail in tenth.  Maul has a history of poor finishes in the Geonosis Arena.  The light side tried to descend on the remaining dark, but they were out of position.  That's when Rob/Obi-Wan used Ducky's Han Solo as a sacrificial lamb by attacking him with his cards that let him move everybody around the board.  That set up final kill boxes for Jango/Brannon, Emperor/JD, and Vader/Jonathan.

Final two selfie.

Nathan's Boba offed Han and then Austin's Dooku eliminated Jango in eighth.  Folks have grown weary of the elder Fett's deep finishes in games.  Despite Jonathan and JD's incessant chatter with Rob about flipping, Obi-Wan stayed loyal to the light side.  Austin, having a big rebound game from his previous last place finish, killed Jonathan in seventh and Curtis/Yoda ended JD's afternoon in sixth.

With five to go the alliance needed to figure out who was next.  Curtis told Rob he was loyal to him but Rob flipped that info to rally Ian and Nathan against Curtis.  Boba Fett got the final shot on Yoda and Curtis was done in fifth, though that won't stop him from parading around with his 2016 Championship Trophy.

With four to go the group turned on Austin's Dooku, and he stopped in fourth after Obi delivered the finishing blow.  With three left, it looked like Boba and Ian's Anakin would turn against Rob's Obi-Wan, but Ian feared Boba's special cards due to his own poor health, and made the surprising move to team with Obi against Boba.  Padme, still alive, shot the junior Fett off the board, setting up a final two of Anakin & Padme vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This final stage took half an hour as Anakin, damaged from the game, kept using Padme as a human blockade as he danced around the columns.  Rob/Obi-Wan was nearly full health, though, and had the patience to play the cat and mouse game before finally whittling Anakin down to zero health.  That made for Rob's seventh career victory and first in nearly a year and a half!  It also brings Obi-Wan into a tie with Darth Vader for most career victories at five each!  And I forgot to mention...this is Nathan's FOURTH Duel with Boba Fett in a row!!!

Final order of finish:

12.  Stephen/Luke
11.  Daniel/Mace
10.  Joel/Maul
9.  Donald/Han
8.  Brannon/Jango
7.  Jonathan/Vader
6.  JD/Emperor
5.  Curtis/Yoda
4.  Austin/Dooku
3.  Nathan/Boba
2.  Ian/Anakin
1.  Rob/Obi-Wan

Ok, I promise, that's really the last Duel of 2016!  Thanks to everyone who plays this game, we'll start back up in January 2017 with our annual "A New Hope" Duel!

Preview: Rogue Won - December 15, 2016

In honor of the world premiere of Star Wars Rogue One, we're holding a Duel!  Because that's what you do, people.  And in an unusual move, we're playing on a weekday afternoon, in order to get to the movie on time.  That probably means we're doomed for a looooong match.

HISTORY:

There is no history!  And there will never be another Rogue Won Duel again (unless there's a sequel). This is a once-in-a-lifetime Duel.  Boom.

MEET THE DUELERS:

So who is crazy enough to play a weekday Duel right before Christmas break?  Glad you asked...

Austin - the first person to ever finish last place with Darth Vader, but the winner of the side game at CL Training, Austin is finally making his second ever official appearance at a Duel.

Brannon - he's playing his fourth match but he's trying to reverse his trend of declining finishes, including eleventh place at Thanksdueling.

Curtis - if you've never seen Curtis before, he's the guy currently walking around the offices holding a three foot tall gold Darth Vader trophy after winning the 2016 Championship.

Daniel - he skipped out on the Championship for a "student group advising conflict," but the nasty rumor on the street is that he was ducking the competition!

Donald - this will be Ducky's fifth Duel, meaning he's one short from becoming a professional.  He finished seventh with Obi-Wan at Thanksdueling this year.

Ian - you can't teach Epic Duels heart, folks.  Ian changed up the work times for his student staff to get back on the board after a disappointing finish at the 2016 Championship.

JD - he's grateful for a shot at a happier 2016 ending after his brutal backstabbing on the Kamino Platform at the Championship.  JD will avenge that treachery!

Joel - it's great to have Joel back, who hasn't played since a disappointing eleventh place finish at the Fall Brawl back in September.

Jonathan - things didn't go well for Jonathan and Darth Maul at the Championship, but you can't deny how good he looks in his new professional status Dueler blazer.*

*there's no such thing as a professional status Dueler blazer, but now I think there SHOULD be...

Nathan - poor Nathan got sick just hours before the Championship, meaning he couldn't defend his 2015 title.  He skipped a trip to WVU just to play but ended up on the disabled list.

Rob - he got a Star Wars Lego advent calendar from his mommy this year, and he may or may not be playing with them every morning before he goes to work.  Also, he is 41 years old.

Stephen - he won two Duels this semester but he was unable to guide Emperor Palpatine to a strong finish at the Championship.  He is looking  for that to change this time around.

MAGNETIC LEGO ADMIRAL ACKBAR PREDICTS THE WINNER:

Hmm.  It looks like the author of the blog post might have forgotten to snap a pic with his magnetic Ackbar and is trying to pass off this random google search pic as the real deal...

Magnetic Lego Admiral Ackbar's prediction record:  1-5.

We'll be in North Village at 1PM on Thursday everyone - those who aren't playing are free to come by and cheer on the action!