Games The 24th Jedi Draft - I will finish What Horax Started (Winner: DarkEagle!)

DarkEagle
Mikaboshi

 

These thing don't write themselves (I'm writing it now- partway through)

 

Alright, here we go (finally)!

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Presented by: Matt's Radar Services

I heard that DE had an 8-pack, that DE was shredded VS The X-Emperors


Individuals

Caedus- I think it's pretty unanimous that Caedus can't beat Sidious, but I think he can at least make a fight of it. Caedus is aware of just how dangerous Sidious was and won't underestimate him. Caedus has a number of tricks up his sleeve, plus he can keep fighting despite taking injuries. Let's not forget how he did a number to Luke after Luke snuck up on him and stabbed him from behind or how he (while injured) stomped Kyle Katarn (who had prep and help). All Caedus has to do is fight defensively (which he's shown to be capable of doing) and hold on a while until assistance arrives.

Bane + Zannah- This is a pretty beastly duo, and imo, individually can beat everyone on Mika's team except Sidious. Put them together and I'm not sure they'll be stopped. Bane has the skill, power, and experience to handle Krayt or Malgus and Zannah has the chops to deal with the other. She poses a stylistic challenge for both of them- Krayt didn't fare too well the last time he faced a Soresu master (Kenobi) and Malgus has shown difficulty dealing with double-bladed saber wielding women Plus, she has a ton of experience against aggressive powerful fighters (Bane, Sarro) like Krayt and Malgus. Have Bane backing her up and I don't think they'll have a problem. Some quotes on Zannah in case people don't think she can hang in the big leagues:

A recurring theme is how her defense is practically impenetrable. And she's got some uncommon moves she can use.

She's a tactical supercomputer. She's capable of analyzing new opponents in only a few seconds to gauge their strengths and weaknesses.

In her fight against Bane, he's going all out. 110% He's going way harder than she's ever seen him, including pulling out some sick new moves, and she still stops him. Impenetrable against the best Bane can bring.

Sneaking up on Raskta without her (or any of the other Jedi) noticing is no small feat.

As an untrained child, Zannah was able to shield herself from the Force Storm caused by the Ruusan thought-bomb.

Sorcery:

While Bane's going ham on her, she's able to play excellent defense and to set up a crippling sorcery attack.

Again, as an untrained child, she disintegrates Darovit's hand faster than Bane can react.

It only takes a moment for Zannah to whip out some powerful sorcery. She's even able to cripple Bane with these abilities. No one less than Sidious can handle that.

Krayt and Malgus are pretty strong guys, but they're not quite on par with Bane or Zannah, and they have far less cohesion.

Scourge
Reposting this for Scourge:

In this team battle, with so many opponents, Scourge is going to be Darth Energizer Bunny. He'll be able to handle almost anyone from Mika's team.

Arcann + Vaylin
Two more insanely powerful people here. You can rewatch the videos I posted earlier on them here. Note how Arcann can tangle with the Outlander, even at points severely wounding or almost killing them. The Outlander that can beat Malgus.

Vitiate was scared of Vaylin's potential in the Force. In the linked vids, you can see how Lana Beniko is scared to face Vaylin, even with the Outlander. And how Vaylin chucked like half a skyscraper at them.

Throw in some cohesion "She formed a close bond with her brother Arcann" (SWTOR Codex), and here's two more that can tangle with pretty much anyone on Mika's team save Sidious.

Kas'im

Kas'im is an expert swordsman, well versed in all the forms of saber combat. Plus he utilizes an uncommon technique himself. Kas'im poses quite the threat to Mika's backfield, and can probably put up good showings against Lumiya or Ventress. "But Sora Bulq. But Vaapad" Sora hardly poses a challenge to Mace and dies to Quinlan. I'd take Kas'im's showing against (non-peak, but still very dangerous) Bane everyday over Bulq.

See where I'm going with all this? I have a number of people on my team that can handle most of Mika's team. Caedus, Bane, and Zannah all require Sidious to handle them. Scourge, Arcann and Vaylin can beat Lumiya, Ventress. Kas'im's a beast. And I've still got Kar, Talon, Nihl, and Vestara. Who's going to stop them? Sion? He can't even beat Kreia. Kar Vastor makes Mace Windu think twice about tangling with him.

Vestara can go toe-to-toe with Ben Skywalker

Just too much power and skill down the line for Mika's team to be able to handle all of my guys.

Battle Meditation
Oh, and I've got a master of battle meditation boosting them up.

Better get your Kirk voice ready, because you can't handle Lord 'El Tigre' KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN

Cohesion
I've touched on it a bit already, but I've got a few really good cohesive links on my team. Bane and Zannah are going to be nigh unstoppable together, Vaylin and Arcann are quite powerful with each other; toss in Talon + Nihl, Vestara + Gavar, even sort of Bane + Kas'im (Kas'im was his saber instructor for a while) and Kas'im + Kaan. The only odd ones out are Scourge (who at least has mutual hate for Vitiate to share with Arcann/Vaylin), Vastor, and Caedus, who at least is an effective leader.

The only point of contention is Bane - Kaan and their differences on the Rule of Two. And they're able to work together (DB POD where Bane helps the Brotherhood summon a Force lightning storm to burn the forest). It's more of a professional difference than a personal one.

Sure, after the battle, there's not going to be much in the way of high-fiving, but they'll work together until then.

Mika's team, on the other hand, has very few positive links. Sidious and Nyax I guess works? Sidious + Lumiya is ok, but she worked more with Vader and wasn't the biggest fan of Sidious during LOTF (iirc, she calls him psychotic or a psychopath a few times). His best is definitely Ventress + Talzin, but there's a problem. The Nightsisters hate Sidious. Ventress hates him for ordering Dooku to kill her, ordering the massacre of her Nightsisters, and all the stuff during Dark Disciple (she pretty much hate all Sith). Talzin and Sidious have each spent significant resources trying to kill each other, and Sidious isn't the kind of guy to let that slide....

Summary
There's just too many threats on my side for Mika's to deal with effectively- someone on my side is going to be left unblocked. Caedus, Bane, and Zannah need Sidious to deal with them; Scourge, Arcann, Vaylin, Vastor, and Kas'im are too much for the mid-level of Mika's team to handle and the remainder of my team are no slouches. Throw in some good cohesive pairings and some sweet battle meditation and I see too much of my team having the advantage over most of Mika's. Sidious can't take out all of my powerhouses, and he'll fall eventually.

I heard that DE had an 8-pack, that DE was shredded to victory!

 

Sidious: I think Caedus vs Sidious is rather close, as close as it gets outside of Luke, but it's not like it's in doubt. Sidious has prep here as well, and I think it's also safe to assume that he preps better than Caedus, both in regards to what he can do through the force but also in what he brings in terms of relics and artifacts. That not only helps Sidious personally, but the entire team significantly.

It's also not really realistic to think that Sidious can be isolated from the rest of the team and tied up in a 1 on 1 situation like that, its more likely that it would take multiple characters from DEs team in order to effectively deal with Sidious and attempt to contain his destructive power in any kind of significant way. That would create some obvious backfield imbalances in my favor.

Malgus: I honestly think that Bane does beat Malgus one on one, if they had the luxury of being alone he'd probably lose 8/10. I don't think it is a blowout though, Malgus is no slouch and there are some heavy similarities between the two. In a team situation Malgus becomes far more of an asset, his entire existence has been as a military general during a period of intense warfare and great success for the armies he led.

I can easily envision him marshaling the more physical combatants of my team such as Sion, Nyax, Bulq and bringing some level of cohesion to their tactics and overall effectiveness. Sidious coupled with Malgus at the core of my team's main assault that is a really hard nut to crack.

Krayt: Regarding Krayt and Zannah. My first thought is that yeah A'Sharad Hett had some trouble with Kenobi, but then he became Krayt and seemed to benefit from a significant increase in power. I think Krayt takes it, his lightsaber style is far more of an asset against Zannah's style than was Bane's approach....and no doubt Krayt has become far more dangerous a foe in the more than 100 years that passes between his fight with Kenobi and his peak as a Dark Lord of the Sith. Nor is Zannah exactly on the level of Kenobi, she may be close (I think she is kind of close in that regard), but she isn't.

Then consider prep and this is still tight, both benefit very well from that. Krayt has some specific instances of force defense which would help him against Zannah, he's shown powerful mental defenses against Wyyrlok in the past. Possibly some Vong stuff could prove to be a huge asset against someone who doesn't have first hand experience with them, they can prep, but it isn't the same as having dealt with it before.

If any of the top 3 were to be a one on one situation this one seems to be the closest, but I do think Krayt would win. Though he is probably going to be right in the mix with the other more martial types, that seems his style, and he makes for another powerful piece to my assault squad.



Is Bane in his armor in this draft? If so I find myself wondering what Vong bioweaponry could be used against those orbalisks. That would suck to experience in mid battle.

Asajj Ventress and Talzin: I honestly see these two sticking close together, they compliment each other extremely well and it would be a tactical error to not allow them to do so. Ventress is a beast, a great line of last resort that protects a powerful battlefield controller such as Talzin. She's going to most likely put up that huge green barrier and throw around some heavy artillery across the battle field, where as the other martial types are grouped into an assault squad Talzin would seem to be the head of my support squad, probably even protecting the likes of Naga and Andeddu under her formidable defenses.

Talzin's real benefit is in prep. She was able to heal the mind of Darth Maul. Wow, cool. How is that helpful? Maybe she can do it with Nyax, at least enough so to get him to be more servile to someone like Malgus. She was also able to cast spells on Asajj and other Nightsisters that made them undetectable, may not be useful long but could be put to great use by people such as Asajj and Lumiya, or even Naga Sadow and Andeddu as well.

She brings some great intangibles to the party that nobody on the opposing team really offers. The entire draft they have been without prep, now Talzin has it, she is significantly more dangerous for having it and like Sidious she can do a lot to make her team a greater threat.

Lumiya: I could see Lumiya hanging close with Asajj to be honest, protecting the support squad rather than diving into the fray along with the big dogs. Most likely skirting around the sides of the battle, possibly hidden from detection by Talzin, and picking people off or creating deadly distractions. She is no slouch by any means, but her nature is more reliant on stealth and surprise, I think she thrives in this kind of chaotic environment if she plays her to her strengths.
One strength in particular seems to be her ability to persuade Caedus. My team will put her unique insight on Caedus to good use I am sure.

And again, I absolutely feel that she beats Scourge, he's a tool.

Andeddu/Naga: My thinking leads me to this duo sitting in that big green force barrier of Talzin's. Andeddu warping the minds of the lesser Sith on the opposing teams, anyone who doesn't have noted mental defenses would struggle against his power. Naga being one of the best battle meditation practitioners in Sith history, granted the best of it was aided by Ship, but along with his useful tricks in sorcery and alchemy during prep I feel that meditation is where he becomes a HUGE asset to my team.

These guys are going to really make things much harder for the opposing team. Looking at DEs team from the 4th pick down it seems clear they are fighter types, there doesn't seem to be a lot of proof that any of them have powerful mental defenses to ward off someone like Andeddu. That could be a huge, and very quick, tipping point against DEs entire backfield.

Naga is going to make my team run at top effectiveness, and tighten cohesion which can be crucial during chaotic team situations. Consider who is going to provide battle meditation for DE's team, outside of his top 3 can anyone do it? Can either Bane or Zannah do it for that matter? I don't think they can to be honest. So DEs entire team has Caedus being the only one who can provide battle meditation, which means they won't get any since that would almost force Caedus from challenging Sidious.

That is why I picked Naga last, for team situations like this he is worth having, especially when the other team doesn't really have any options to counter or neutralize it.

Sion/Nyax/Bulq: As I mentioned earlier I see these guys as front line fighters being marshaled by Malgus. These are all solid fighters, though somewhat limited in diversity of powers they all bring something a little special to the table. Sion and his limited invincibility, he is going to be a very hard tank to stop, but what if my sorcerers or the many on my team with access to relics can beef him up even more? Now he becomes a serious problem for DEs team. Nyax brings his own sets of challenges, but he is formidable enough, if he can be tamed by Talzin and then enhanced through sorcery by Sidious or Naga then he becomes a killing beast. Same goes for Bulq, if he can be enhanced via sorcery or ancient sith artifacts he becomes far more deadly to his opponents.

Prep: I've given many examples of how prep helps my team. Sidous with his sorcery and horde of powerful artifacts, Talzin with her magic to help protect and give greater stealth to others, Krayt and his vong bio-weaponry, Andeddu and his deadly illusions that most of the other team doesn't really seem specifically suited to defend against. Naga brings ancient sorcery and another horde of sith relics to enhance those on his team, but his main benefit is the meditation which will make my team better in all regards.

Now looking at the other team, none of those characters are really known for possessing huge hordes of powerful amulets, talismans, and weapons. The divide in what each team offers for prep is pretty big in my view, both in terms of boosts able to be provided via the force as well as from dark side artifacts.

Cohesion: So both are Sith teams, it's only going to be so good. That said, my team's top 3 build a strong foundation. Sidious is overwhelmingly the single most powerful on my team. Malgus is used to following an Emperor, I think he would realize quickly that Sidious is the alpha and he would quickly fall into the role he played for Vitiate as the main attack dog. Krayt believes in the Rule of One, that seems to dictate that the strongest leads and all else serve with obedience for the good of them all.

Lumiya, I think she goes with what she knows, she's going to do what Sidious says. Talzin may hate Sidous, and she may have Asajj (who I think fears Sidious enough to be careful), but if Malgus, Krayt, Lumiya fall in line there won't be an issue, they have a common enemy here.

The other team doesn't look great to me. Caedus isn't really the ideal leader of a powerful Sith team in my book, then you have Bane who we know doesn't work well with any more than 1 other Sith....same for Zannah. Neither of them are going to have any kind of specific leadership traits that would translate well in a fight like this, Bane has some military experience but nothing like Malgus....and Zannah probably has far less experience in large group combat situations like this. Scourge seems like he would be a decent battlefield commander. Then you have Kar Vastor, doesn't seem like one to work well with others. Lord Kaan and Kas'im have specific beef with Bane. If I am remembering correctly, Vaylin and Arcann don't really play nice all the time either.

There is no core of leadership for this team to form around and if they don't have some dedicated battle mediation to smooth over the edges then it starts to look like a significant cohesion disadvantage to me.

To sum it up: I have the single most powerful character in this match with Sidious. and I should have some pretty good cohesion for a Sith team, and with that a lot of great leadership experience. I have a far more diverse offering of offensive and defensive abilities on my team, as well as far superior prep which can make the leasers of my team far more dangerous. As far as I can tell I have a significant advantage in Battle Meditation. Obviously this is a close fight or we wouldn't be in teams now, which one seems like the more well rounded and organized team?

There. How's that for a rant. Wasn't ideal, would have loved it to be nice and pretty with pictures and quotes, but all I am up for is a lot of blabber I guess.

Good luck DE.

 

DarkEagle

1. Darth Caedus
2. Darth Bane
3. Darth Zannah
4. Lord Scourge
5. Kar Vastor
6. Arcann
7. Darth Talon/Darth Nihl
8. Lord Kaan/Lord Kas'im
9. Vaylin
10. Gavar Khai/Vestara Khai

MIkaboshi


1. Darth Sidious
2. Darth Malgus
3. Darth Krayt
4. Asajj Ventress
5. Lumiya
6. Darth Sion
7. Mother Talzin
8. Lord Nyax
9. Sora Bulq
10. Naga Sadow/Darth Andeddu


Finally! Here we are at last. So let's start with a few things: Both teams have excellent military strategists: Jacen certainly has plenty of that. As does Kaan and Nihl and Arcann. Both teams prep well. And both have their own tricks up their sleeves.

Here's where things get interesting though. DE's number one pick is not quite as powerful as Mika's. And that matters a lot here. Of all the characters in this fight, we have the most tangible material on Sidious and his abilities. And one of those abilities was taking on and taking out multiple opponents. So for instance, I could see Sidious killing the Kai's before they have a chance to think about it. Kaan and Kas'im too for that matter. Afterall, it didn't take him long to take out Mace's little posse. And Savage and Maul were never a true threat. Hell, Vader basically took advantage of him when he was distracted trying to kill Luke. Yoda was the only one to actually put up a decent fight- and even he underestimated Sidious.

So yes, Caedus may hold him at bay- but closer to the way Mace did it if at all. The problem is, I don't see a way where Sidious hasn't hindered part of DE's team from the start.

What DE brings that makes up for that however is the raw power of Arcann and Vaylin along with the knowledge and skillset of Bane and Zannah. The problem here though is that you have these two top sith trying to follow Caedus- we've seen how Bane feels about following sith that aren't fully dedicated to his ideals (Kaan who he's also working with).

On the flip side, Sidious did order Ventress' death and Talzin's too. So don't think those girls will follow him happily. On the other hand, they don't have much choice. Malgus and Krayt are also two that hunger for power but when it comes to Sidious, one of his better qualities is his ability to bring strong personalities to heel (Dooku, Anakin).

As a leader, Sidious is more effective. Caedus might face some more trouble when compared to Bane or Zannah.

All that said, I would definitely say that Mika has a weaker bottom half. Sora Bulq will be good at exactly two things: sucking and dying. He's the Plo Koon of this matchup. Nyax? Meh. Sure, Maybe Talzin can Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo them into not being as terrible for a bit, but Vaylin could take them out by herself.

When it comes down to it, this is a very, very close team battle. Vaylin and Arcann overcome the power gap that Caedus has against Sidious. But Mika brings the gimmicks with Talzin, Andeddu and Sadow.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the top fighters. Krayt and Malgus have weathered a lot and Bane and Zannah as well. But if all they end up doing is cancel each other out, that still leaves Caedus losing to Sidious. And once Sidious is freed up, there goes DE's team. Talzin keeps the other lesser members of Mika's team alive- whether it's hiding them for a bit or just making some cool illusions to distract them, I begrudgingly admit that Talzin isn't terrible for this team battle and is actually useful. That said, if Vaylin goes against her, she'd be toast and several others might fold very quickly.

So then it comes back to Sidious. And no one on that team takes him out in my opinion. Every scenario I look at, I see Sidious standing in the end. It would take DE's entire team at full strength to take him down and I see Krayt, Malgus, Ventress, Talzin and the rest making that very difficult for them.


Winner: Sidious and his pawns

 

Really? How the flip am I supposed to beat Sidious? I have literally the next-strongest darksider and 4 more incredibly powerful ones (Bane, Zannah, Arcann, Vaylin) and you say "it would take my entire team at full strength" to beat him??? wtf. What tf else am I supposed to do?

I don't mind losing to a well-reasoned argument (though, obviously, I would much disagree with it), but the reasoning of "Sidious would dump on DE's team all by himself" is bs.

 

I believe I said it would take everyone at top strength but because Mika has Krayt and Malgus and Ventress and Talzin and Lumiya and Sion, that won't happen.

The biggest strike against you is individually you have no one on your team that handily beats Sidious. The second strike is Talzin, Sadow and Andeddu doing that voodoo that they can do. True you have Zannah for sorcery but Mika has those three and Sidious knows it too. The Kaan/Ka'asim/Bane thing also might bite you slightly more that Talzin/Ventress might bite Sidious for Mika.

Your big advantage is Arcann and Vaylin, but again if they are the ones left standing and it is them vs. Sidious- it's basically raw power vs. "power! Unlimited power!" But with actual training. The have the power but then so did Anakin. You need the skill and knowledge which Valkorian and Sidious have that they don't. Sidious is ultimately the deciding factor in this matchup, but there were several ways I looked at to see if your side could prevail. I kept hitting against the sorcerers, the number 2 and 3 picks and Sidious. And that's why I voted as I did.

 

Poor Inty DarthIntegral

 

Theater!

 

Overtime? Extra rounds? SUDDEN DEATH? Increased attempts at bribery?

 

Bribery you say?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yo Inty, I'll use the The when referring to Ohio State for, like, a week (which is a pretty big concession for me)

 

I have hopes that our wait shall be rewarded, no pressure.


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DarkEagle, Mikaboshi - I've PMed you my PayPal account. We'll see who comes up bigger ...

Just kidding

And yes, this match, for all the marbles, deserves ...

Which I shall put in my next post, so this post brings about false hopes of seeing an actual judgment/winner.

 

Before I start, I want to say kudos to both GMs. Just fantastic teams to put together and not an easy call. The pure power of Sidious is not matched by Caedus, but I think even Sidious' planning and scheming is overcome by Caedus' ability to do the same. The trickery of Caedus, but the sorcery that those on the other team have adds another layer of complexity. This is really just a fantastic battle. I've decided on a winner, but let me tell it in a story ... (one in which, yes, I take plenty of liberties, but ...)


The Final Battle

An overwhelming darkness filled Imperial Square. The evil energy was thick, the brooding hatred flowed from the beings now assembled.

snap-hiss

One red blade illuminated.

snap-hiss

Another followed. And then another. Soon, the entire place glowed with an ominous red.

Darth Sidious scowled. He respected the power of Malgus. He knew the talents of Krayt. He trusted the ability of Ventress. Those were the horses on which he would ride. Four horses, just like the tales of the apocalypse. Man-to-man, he knew they had the edge. Cut off the head, and the snake would die. Take out Caedus, and victory would be assured. He was the only one who could do it, and he needed to get him. Quickly.

Darth Caedus closed his eyes. He pushed away thoughts of his sister and of his uncle. He brought himself to the here and now. He believed not in the troops he had alongside him, but in the infallibility of his plan. Surely, Bane knew the pawn he was being used as, but he would fall in line, before falling. He just hoped that falling wouldn't happen to quickly. Caedus knew that the number of blades wielded by his side was their advantage. And if he could increase that advantage quickly ... well, that was the plan.

Statis ended, and the two sides charged at each other. Just as Caedus had predicted, Sidious came right at him. Raising his saber in a defensive position, Caedus backed away. One step, then two, then three. Sidious lunged at him, and was met by a block from a red lightsaber, just not one that belong to Caedus. but rather to Darth Bane. Bane then used his brute force to throw back against Sidious, who was caught off guard.

Caedus smiled as he ran away. He knew Bane was no match for Sidious. Not for long, at least. But he could hold him off for a bit. He'd appealed to Bane's ego in the strategy session. He'd actually convinced him that he could defeat the great Darth Sidious. But defeat isn't what Caedus needed from Bane. Just delay. As Sidious and Bane went back and forth, Caedus rushed for his real opening targets ...

One slash from Caedus, and Sora Bulq was dead, lying on the ground. Another slash took down Darth Andeddu, before a third took out Naga Sadow.

The plan Caedus had laid out was working masterfully. An advantage of five warm bodies had quickly ballooned into eight. This was Caedus at his best - a bully, avoiding the fight with his equals and superiors and taking out those woefully beneath him. He turned with an evil grin on his face to find his next pray. Lord Nyax engaged him, but only briefly, as Caedus quickly dispatched him, too. His grin grew larger.

But his grin left his face and was replaced by a scowl, as his lightsaber was taken away from him, too. A lightwhip grabbed his weapon, and - startled - he was helpless to stop it from being ripped away.

"Hello, boy," Lumiya called out. She knew her best bet was to keep him rattled, unfocused, and on his heels.

Startled, Caedus called out through the force and summoned the closest lightsaber to him - the one that belonged to the now fallen Sora Bulq. He held it briefly, and evaluated it. It wasn't his own, didn't flow like an extension of his own body. Still, the Force was his ally. Reaching out with the force, he partnered with his new blade as best he could, lighting it, and engaging with Lumiya.

Owing to his unfamiliarity with the new blade, and Lumiya's knowing his every tendency, Caedus was unable to make quick work of the Dark Lady. The more frustrated he grew at her holding him up, delaying his plan, the more successful she was in dueling him, and the longer their duel went.

Meanwhile, Sidious delivered a fierce blow to Bane, disarming him - figuratively and literally, removing his lightsaber by removing his hand at the wrist. Sidious then took the path of pleasure, calling upon his lightning to fry Bane and finish him off.

He debated searching for Caedus, but decided the coward could wait. He surveyed the field and saw Caedus engaged with Lumiya, in a battle that had no business being stalemated, and yet was. He saw Darth Krayt and Darth Zannah locking lightsabers in an epic duel. He saw the carcasses Caedus laid in his wake, and decided to take a page from his book and try to add to the body count. With a speed that defied tracking, Sidious darted through the battle field and joined up with Darth Sion and Mother Talzin, who were being overwhelmed by the foursome of Darth Talon, Darth Nihl, Lord Kaan, and Lord Kas'im.

With a single parry, Sidious downed Nihl, taunting him as a fake Sith as he did so. Sidious took another strike, and down went Kaan. Kas'im killed Sion, but was then put down by Sidious, and similarly, Talon downed Mother Talzin, before meeting her end at the end of Sidious' red saber.

The battle field was a bit more even now. Lumiya still occupied Caedus. Zannah and Krayt were in a duel for the ages. Darth Malgus and Asajj Ventress were killing off the minor players on the other side - Vaylin, both of the Khais, and Arcann, all downed by their combined might.

Caedus realized his plan was not working, and disengaged from Lumiya, running as fast as the Force would allow him. Reaching out, he got his own lightsaber back and met up with Zannah. Side by side, they took down Krayt, before reinforcements could arrive.

But, arrive they did, as the Ventress/Malgus duo showed up to confront them. The clash of those four sabers was loud, and echoing. They parried back-and-forth, neither side able to get an advantage.

Lumiya got reengaged by Lord Scourge. she was tired from her duel with Caedus, and he made quick work of her.

Sidious then engaged with Scourge, Kar Vastor, the last remaining pawns before the coward and his princess.

Meanwhile, Caedus switched onto Ventress. her double blades and her rage fueling an offensive attack. But Caedus didn't mind being on defense. He allowed the hatred in Ventress to build until her inevitable mistake allowed him to drive his lightsaber into her chest.

Sidious dispatched Vastor, then Scourge. He made his way towards the coward. But he arrived moments after his last ally - Darth Malgus - succumbed to the combined might of Caedus and Zannah.

Caedus smiled. Not a grin. Not a wince. An honest smile. In his planning, he'd laid out a best case scenario. And this was it. The most powerful sith of all time - Darth Sidious - alone against him and the one ally he wanted fighting him - Darth Zannah.

Sidious, though, was even quicker than Caedus realized. He moved as quick as Caedus thought as he engaged the pair in battle. A flash and a clash of sabers, another flash and another clash. All Zannah and Caedus could do was react. Sidious had them completely on the back foot.

Attack! Attack! Attack! Sidious kept them off balance, kept his foot on the gas, kept his offense in lightspeed. A powerful thrust caught Zannah off guard, and a force push knocked the wind out of her and knocked her to the ground. Sidious now faced Caedus one-on-one.

At last, he got the coward.

Slice-parry, stab-parry, thrust-parry. Sidious threw all the offense he had at Caedus, but Caedus had an equal defense. Until he didn't. Sidious caught the side of Caedus and sliced him open. Then, caught his right knee. Caedus fell to the ground in pain, and Sidious swooped in, lopping off his right arm at the shoulder.

Sidious cackled for just a moment. He was going to kill the coward, and then finish off the princess.

He lifted his lightsaber and swung down with the blow that would end Caedus, but his lightsaber was met by that of Darth Zannah, blocking him, temporarily saving Caedus' life. Zannah now engaged Sidious, managing to go on the offense briefly, until Sidious - predictably - took the offensive back. He battled Zannah back, he knocked her lightsaber away, and she fell to her knees. Sidious unfurled a single slice of his blade, removing her head from her shoulders.

But, before he could turn around, Caedus had summoned the Force, ignited his lightsaber, and thrown it towards Sidious. The blade pierced through his back, and into his hart.

Caedus, unable to even stand, was the sole survivor, with carnage all around him.

Winner: DarkEagle

(I think, much like PointGiven, that DE's team has the stamina up top to hang with Sidious long enough to allow the advantage they have in the backfield to negate the power advantage Mika has up top. I also think Caedus is the - barely - superior strategist here. And, while I touched on those reasons in my theater, they might have gotten lost/exaggerated and I think they lead his team to victory, even if it wouldn't quite play out this way)

(Good game, all. Fantastic final)

 

Ugh, you had Scourge kill Lumiya again?!

Congrats DarkEagle Well played round, and well deserved.

Thank you DarthIntegral Point Given and Yodaminch for judging, and to Darth_Furio for running the show. Well done as always.

Next time I call dibs on a judge spot.

 

Yay! I wonder if the city will let me have a championship parade....

Big thanks to Darth_Furio for getting this rolling and commissioning

Thanks to Yodaminch Point Given and DarthIntegral (great write-up) for being great judges

Mikaboshi we have got to stop meeting in the finals- it's too stressful for me

Thanks to everyone else that played, always great to see new players!

 

LOL, no kidding. I agree.

Just realized that DE's win puts him in an elite group of only 4 GMs who have won 2 drafts.

1. "The first annual 2003 Jedi Draft" (Winner: GenMadine)
2. 2003 Second Installment (Winner: GenMadine)
14. 2006 First (Winner: KenKenobi)
15. 2006 Second [Return to SWC!] (Winner: Shadow_of_Durron)
16. 2007 First (Winner: Shadow_of_Durron)
18. 2007 Third (Winner: KenKenobi)
20. 2011: A New Draft (Winner: DarkEagle)
24. 2016: I will finish What Horax Started (Winner: DarkEagle)

 

Congrats to DarkEagle. A well deserved win! One I predicted I think...

Hats off to Mikaboshi. An awesome comptetitor and I'm glad you stayed a GM.

Thanks to the judges Yodaminch Point Given DarthIntegral. You guys kept the game moving and I hope to see you guys as GMs next time around, because I want to be a judge.

Well Done to all the GMs. Vets like Mika, DE, Tunes, Evil Incarnate Skywalker_T-65 Great arguments and showing the newbs how it's done. To the rooks, great job! Especially cubman987 and The Vanguard You all make the game what it is.

I was happy to bring the game back and I will commish again if you guys want.

Bardan_Jusik Can you please lock her down and give DarkEage his colours! Also please unlock the Jedi Draft discussion thread.

 

Heh, it's been on my mind since the start And I was rather worried you'd beat me to it

You wily tempter- of course!