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!

Preview: Valentine's Duel - February 6, 2026

There's nothing like cupid's bowcaster to spread the love of Dueling in the month of February!  We are ready for the 12th annual Valentine's Duel this Friday at 8PM in the North Village Fine Arts Studio.  Is there anything more romantic to hear than when your opponent whispers, "I choose not to defend"???  If that doesn't make your heart pitter-patter, I don't know what does.

We have something else to celebrate at this Duel - the debut of TWO MORE new characters!  That's right, Commander Cody & the 212th Clones, as well as Empire Strikes Back bounty hunters IG-88 & Dengar, make their first appearance this month.  Head to the "new characters" tab above to get a sneak preview of their cards!

That brings the league total of characters up to 68!  But more importantly, it also means we now have 64 major-minor decks to use for this summer's singles tournament!  So those 64 characters will only have TWO entries in the tournament!  There's no telling which character will come out on top!!!

The other big news for this Duel is it's the official league debut of the Death Star board!  We used it at the 12x12-way Duel this summer, but this magnificently printed 3-D board has 70 individual tiles that are randomly place on our grid, meaning we'll never play the same layout twice!  A big shoutout to Hall of Famer Ryan for once again blessing our league with his brilliance!

HISTORY OF THE VALENTINE'S DUEL:

2025 - James won with Princess Leia in the Narkina 5 Prison Complex

2024 - Elliot won with Bo-Katan Kryze on the Kamino Platform

2023 - Miguel won with Boba Fett in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2022 - Rob won with Rey in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2021 - Curtis won with Orson Krennic in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2020 - Rob won with Anakin Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena

2019 - Ben won with Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room

2018 - Ryan won with Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room

2017 - Ian won with Darth Maul on the Kamino Platform

2016 - Grant won with Han Solo in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2015 - Rob won with Darth Vader on the Kamino Platform

MEET THE DUELERS:

This is the best preview post every year, because instead of rambling on about the Duelers, we simply post the Valentine's Day card they're passing out to their friends this year.  Act surprised when they give you one!  (And shout out to CL Tatum and new Teal RHD Kevin, who are both making their Dueling debut this Friday!)

...and remember, Rob finds 12 new Star Wars Valentine Cards every year for this post!!!

David

Ian

James

Jillian

Junior

Justin

Kevin

Michael

Nayshaun

Riley

Rob

Tatum

MEET THE CHARACTERS:

These are the 12 characters making eyes at each this Valentine's Day!

We *think* this is the first Duel in league history that was a random draw of characters without any of the original 12 that came with the game.  Is that a good or bad development??!!

Come on by the Fine Arts Studio at 8PM to watch the chaos!  Duelers and visitors are encouraged to bring a sweet treat to share!

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!

Preview: Valentine's Duel - February 7, 2025

Nothing warms the heart like true love...of STAR WARS EPIC DUELS!  February is upon us, and that means it's time for our 11th Valentine's Duel in league history!  Star Wars cupids will aim their Kyber Darts at the hearts of Duelers ready to take down a win in the dreaded Narkina-5 prison board.  If you're not familiar with the Andor series on Disney+, the floor can electrocute you if you aren't "on program."  If you're standing on one of the work benches that's fine!  But if you're not...it's quite shocking!  Just like true romance should be!!

HISTORY OF VALENTINE'S DUEL:

2024 - Elliot won with Bo-Katan Kryze on the Kamino Platform

2023 - Miguel won with Boba Fett in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2022 - Rob won with Rey in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2021 - Curtis won with Orson Krennic in the Eravana Cargo Hold

2020 - Rob won with Anakin Skywalker in the Geonosis Arena

2019 - Ben won with Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room

2018 - Ryan won with Darth Vader in the Emperor's Throne Room

2017 - Ian won with Darth Maul on the Kamino Platform

2016 - Grant won with Han Solo in the Carbon Freezing Chamber

2015 - Rob won with Darth Vader on the Kamino Platform

MEET THE DUELERS:

The best part of the Valentine's Duel preview is you get to see which Star Wars Valentine's Day card each Dueler is passing out this year.  As best as we can remember, these cards haven't been used in previous previews!  You gotta keep it fresh!

Alex G:

Austin:

Cat:

Elliot:

Ian:

James:

Josiah:

Julia:

Justin:

Mark:

Michael:

Rob:

MEET THE CHARACTERS:

Do you want to see which characters are playing?  Sure - here you go!

This one will be action packed - there are some STRONG characters showing up for a long stretch in the Narkina pen!  Good luck to all, and feel free to come join us Friday, 7PM, in the North Village Fine Arts Studio!

PEW PEW!