DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 05/16/2014 Duedate: 05/29/2014
ARUAK CITY ARENA
DM-11 TURN-750
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
UNCLEAN ONE
CHAOS CARNIVAL (631)
(11-7659) [17-7-0,111]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
UNCLEAN ONE SHINZON
CHAOS CARNIVAL (631) RIVER RATS (662)
(11-7659) [17-7-0,111] (11-7796) [2-0-0,26]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
HOT DOG OLD HAROLD ANNE
BULLDOGS (157) KRILL CAVALRY (374)
(11-7601) [21-12-1,100] (11-7490) [5-11-0,36]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BULLDOGS (157)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. ANIMAL FARM (510) 39
2. RIVER RATS (662) 20 COLORIFIC (511)
3. KRILL CAVALRY (374) 18 Unchartered Team
4. CHAOS CARNIVAL (631) 8
5. BULLDOGS (157) 2 RIVER RATS (662)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2 COLORIFIC (511) 737 352 26 67.7 1/ 1 BULLDOGS (157) 11 1 1
2/ 3 ANIMAL FARM (510) %1493 778 54 65.7 2/ 2 ANIMAL FARM (510) 10 3 1
3/ 4 BULLDOGS (157) %1437 956 45 60.1 3/ 3 COLORIFIC (511) 5 6 0
4- 5 ANIMAL MAGNETISM (463) 37 36 3 50.7 4/ 4 KRILL CAVALRY (374) 5 10 0
5/ 6*RIVER RATS (662) 2 2 0 50.0 5/ 6 CHAOS CARNIVAL (631) 4 6 0
6/ 7 CHAOS CARNIVAL (631) 113 132 6 46.1 6- 5 ANIMAL MAGNETISM (463) 3 2 1
7/ 8 KRILL CAVALRY (374) 566 %1018 9 35.7 7/ 7*RIVER RATS (662) 2 2 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===ANDORIAN REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 8 ARKERS (turn 374): CLYDE D'CLUB of PEASANT REBELLION (Nomad, mgr.)
DM 11 ARUAK CITY (turn 749): UNCLEAN ONE of CHAOS CARNIVAL (Nurgle, mgr.)
DM 14 TOBIR (turn 749): BARIUM ENEMY of PERIODIC STATEMENTS (Mannequin, mgr.)
DM 22 SOLVEN (turn 734): FOXY LADY of ARE YOU ? (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 24 ZORPUNT (turn 736): ARE YOU DONE YET? Of BASH BROS. BOSS (Assurnasirbanipal)
DM 25 LYRATILAN (turn 733): LOIAL of WHEEL OF TIME (Stillgard, mgr.)
DM 26 CALEAM (turn 730): APPELONIA of GOLDEN CANYON (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 30 IAYE (turn 731): KOJAK of ALL JACKED UP (Pat Sajak, mgr.)
DM 40 ZENSU (turn 694): EBBUTT MARSH of BEYOND THE PALE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 41 KATI-TEI (turn 691): FLYING PIG of HELL FROZEN OVER (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 46 ARDIVENT (turn 682): SADIE of FANDILS (Wise Old Fandil, mgr.)
DM 52 FRATSFA (turn 321): SUN QIAN of WAH CHING (Pec Killer, mgr.)
DM 63 AMEN-TEI (turn 576): K. GRIFFIN of BAD GIRLS (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 71 KYR'TERR (turn 275): HAUGHA RYDE of THE ZOO (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 634): SARINA of GOLDEN CANYON (Jorja, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 8 ARKERS (turn 374): WEIRD ALCHEMY (La Guillotine, mgr.)
DM 11 ARUAK CITY (turn 749): BULLDOGS (Kennelworth, mgr.)
DM 14 TOBIR (turn 749): MENTOR BLISS (Dr. Feelgood, mgr.)
DM 22 SOLVEN (turn 734): MIDDLE WAY 15 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 24 ZORPUNT (turn 736): KRILL CAVALRY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 25 LYRATILAN (turn 733): WHEEL OF TIME (Stillgard, mgr.)
DM 26 CALEAM (turn 730): GOLDEN CANYON (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 30 IAYE (turn 731): OMNITRIX (Buri, mgr.)
DM 40 ZENSU (turn 694): BEYOND THE PALE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 41 KATI-TEI (turn 691): LAZY SUNDAY (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 46 ARDIVENT (turn 682): THE 27 CLUB (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 52 FRATSFA (turn 321): IRON CATHEDRAL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
DM 63 AMEN-TEI (turn 576): WAYFARERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 71 KYR'TERR (turn 275): OUTER GODS (Var, mgr.)
ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 634): SUPERIOR FATHER et al (Manager, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
----------------
DM 8 ARKERS (turn 374): IWO JIMA of SMITHSONIAN (Curator, mgr.)
(turn 373): PORT-A-FORTRESS of THE CHOSEN (Longshot, mgr.)
DM 11 ARUAK CITY (turn 747): DOGGY BAG of BULLDOGS (Kennelworth, mgr.)
DM 14 TOBIR (turn 748): THE SQUARE of WU-TANG FOREVER (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 22 SOLVEN (turn 733): IRSON ORSON of MIDDLE WAY 15 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 24 ZORPUNT (turn 736): ARE YOU DONE YET? Of BASH BROS. BOSS (Assurnasirbanipal)
(turn 735): CHILI CON CARNAGE of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit)
DM 40 ZENSU (turn 692): KORVIN ROSS of BEYOND THE PALE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 46 ARDIVENT (turn 680): ROBERT JOHNSON of THE 27 CLUB (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 52 FRATSFA (turn 321): SINISTER SAINT of IRON CATHEDRAL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
DM 63 AMEN-TEI (turn 575): SERGEANT 4 of MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 71 KYR'TERR (turn 274): MUSHROOM of PIZZA TOPPINGS (Warlock, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
I didn't build my golem, Unclean One, with the ability to write or anything of
the sort, so I will speak on behalf of my creation! I was pleased and surprised to
see that Title fight after the brutal loss the Carnival suffered in the Fool's
tourney, Hzuilquoigmnzhah (we always called him H-dog) being prematurely taken from
us in the vagaries of fortune with which we warriors must live.
I don't expect Unclean One to endure in the top spot past one turn, with the
worthies populating the Challenger Champion bracket (I'm looking at you, Blue Blood),
but that's quite alright; this is the second one of my warriors to achieve a shocking
elevation from Champions to the top spot. We take what we can get, here at the
Carnival.
Particular congratulations, by the way, to the Bulldogs for their 11-1-1 these
last three turns. Very impressive! I'd tip my hat to you, but my head is too
misshapen for such things.
-- Uncle Nurgle, creator and voice of Unclean One
SPY REPORT
Well, what are you looking at, ARUAK CITY? Ain't you never seen Snide Clemens
before? Ah, shaddup and listen to my news. Now let's all watch ANIMAL FARM's heads
swell from their 4-0-0 this turn. Haa ha ha ha! Big shots, big talk, big deal. Of
course, we're all terribly impressed to see CHARCOAL CHIMP win a fight and gain 13
points, terribly. Tsk, tsk, KUNG-FU MASTER beat RIN TIN TIN and RIN TIN TIN lost 15
points. You're breakin' my heart. And if variety is the spice of life, ARUAK CITY
may be getting bland, as UNCLEAN ONE stays top dog in the city. The Victory Tavern,
humph! I've tasted better ale at mortuaries. Where do they get this stuff? From
ARUAK CITY's trash dumps?
He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day, the coward. What's
the big D? THE VULGARIANS was the most avoided team? Bunch of lily livered...
grumble... mumble... curse... And who led the way in this mass act of cowardice?
Let's see, well, whatcha know? It was BULLDOGS. Ha ha ha ha! Ooh, I'm frightfully
impressed, HOT DOG was this turn's most challenged warrior. Watch that ego swell,
sports fans.
Death and Taxes. The less death I see, the more it taxes my patience. Let's
see if anyone's dead or dying. Honor is like a chainmail shirt, it only shines
through use. Certain nameless cowards will doubtless rebuke me on this one.
There's got to be a better place in ARUAK CITY to get a drink than The Victory
Tavern! Any suggestions? Just wait 'till next time I show up here, I won't be so
nice! So nyaaah! I see the crowds are getting restless, I must leave now-- Snide
Clemens
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
UNCLEAN ONE 7659 17 7 0 111 CHAOS CARNIVAL (631)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
HOT DOG 7601 21 12 1 100 BULLDOGS (157)
BLUE BLOOD 7721 18 7 0 97 COLORIFIC (511)
-FAWNY KITAEN 5093 10 9 0 95 ANIMAL MAGNETISM (463)
CHARCOAL CHIMP 7696 14 4 2 91 ANIMAL FARM (510)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LEMON LAMB 7722 13 8 1 88 ANIMAL FARM (510)
EBONY EYE 7671 12 4 0 83 COLORIFIC (511)
RIN TIN TIN 7812 11 3 0 76 BULLDOGS (157)
GOLD TOOTH 7643 11 6 2 73 COLORIFIC (511)
D'ENDRRAH 7632 15 12 0 71 CHAOS CARNIVAL (631)
-MILDSIDE 2 5091 11 7 2 68 ANIMAL MAGNETISM (463)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
FUSCHSIA FROG 7670 15 12 0 65 ANIMAL FARM (510)
VIOLET VIPER 7807 9 4 1 59 ANIMAL FARM (510)
BULL PEN 7835 6 1 0 59 BULLDOGS (157)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHAROLAIS 7799 5 0 0 52 BULLDOGS (157)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
OLD HAROLD ANNE 7490 5 11 0 36 KRILL CAVALRY (374)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-LLAMA TURNER 6052 3 3 0 29 ANIMAL MAGNETISM (463)
WILHOLMAN DONN 7546 6 8 0 28 KRILL CAVALRY (374)
LANE TERRAZA 7570 4 6 0 28 KRILL CAVALRY (374)
KIM O. SABY 7553 5 8 0 27 KRILL CAVALRY (374)
SHINZON 7796 2 0 0 26 RIVER RATS (662)
-LILAC LEMUR 7846 2 0 0 24 ANIMAL FARM (510)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-GREEN HORN 7843 3 1 0 21 COLORIFIC (511)
PINK HORROR 7836 2 2 0 16 CHAOS CARNIVAL (631)
SLOW POTATO 7842 3 4 0 13 KRILL CAVALRY (374)
-RED FACE 7848 0 1 0 1 COLORIFIC (511)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
DA1 7854 0 1 0 CHAOS CARNIVAL 631 STONE GOLEM 750 NONE
DA2 7855 0 1 0 CHAOS CARNIVAL 631 WURM KIN 750 NONE
TURD 7853 0 1 0 RIVER RATS 662 SHEWISH GIANT 750 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
Congrats to Unclean One, Duelmaster of Aruak City. The name may not seem so
appropriate for The Champion of The Heart And Soul of Andoria, but I am sure he has
showered within the past week. Duelmasters drink free at The Bulldog Inn. (Shower
or not.) -- Kennelworth, Proprietor
Delarquan Spy, M. Chardinee, Veteran Mercenary -- Thanks for being our cannon fodder
and assisting The Bulldogs to a 3-0. Salute. -- Charolais, Hot Dog, Rin Tin Tin
And who gave you cannons? -- Kag'griss, Veteran Mercenary of Aruak City
Hopefully my new recruit, Mutt, will arrive soon, so I can assess him for action.
Health. Humility. Honor. -- Kennelworth, Bulldogs
Yo ho ho. Ahoy, mates! Me critters bea doin' bloody fine. Yon 2-1. Luv me
critters. Aye. -- Mino, Animal Farm
D'endrrah -- I salute your talent. You beat me solidly. (sigh) That's four losses
in a row now. And I started so well at 9-2? (sigh) Maybe I need a crustacean
psychologist? -- Fuschsia Frog
Lane Terazza -- Not al lemurs can go into gladiatorial action and come up smelling
like lilacs. -- Lilac Lemur
Old Harold Anne -- Today was my day, and it was a good day. I enjoyed the tussle. --
Violet Viper
I won! I won! Pounded that Convicted Assassin like a stake on a tent. Whammo!
But I can just wait for PPE's rants, cuz no other Colorific won. -- Blue Blood, Proud
Colorific
Unclean One -- I didn't want to get near you! Phew! -- Ebony Eye, Proud Colorific
Wilholman Down -- I may have lost to you, but I have won 3 of 4, so I really don't
care what PPE has got to say. -- Green Horn
I have a lot to say! You Colorifics suck! It is time for me to use The Dark Arena
to help me, er, I mean the team, out! Yes I will! 1-2?! Disgusting! -- Purple
People Eater, Proud Colorific Manager
Kim O. Saby -- I'm not sure how I made it through that one; good fight! -- Pink
Horror
3-2 with two Dark Arenas... I'll take it! Well done, Carnies. Now, if only the
Commission could see fit to send us something other than squishy, stupid giants to
replace our fallen! -- Uncle Nurgle, Chaos Carnivalmaster
Hzuilquoigmnzhah -- Though we could never pronounce your name, you will be missed! --
Uncle Nurgle
Amazing point gain, Chaos Carnival! Way to GO. -- Jorja
Greenhorn -- Well, of COURSE I'm still slow. That's my NATURE. -- Slow Potato
Six non-Dark Arena standbys today, and we only got one. Still, could've been worse!
Two-three is better than last turn. -- Kim O. Saby
We salute the tourney participants. -- Jorja and the Krill Cavarly
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
TURD was dealt death by SHEWISH GIANT in a 2 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
DA1 was slaughtered by STONE GOLEM in a dull 2 minute Dark Arena battle.
DA2 was murdered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena fight.
UNCLEAN ONE bested BLUE BLOOD in a 2 minute veteran's Title contest.
RIN TIN TIN was defeated by KUNG-FU MASTER in a 2 minute match.
HOT DOG viciously subdued VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute gruesome brawl.
CHARCOAL CHIMP overpowered D'ENDRRAH in a 1 minute one-sided struggle.
EBONY EYE was bested by KHALHUMS DWARF in a 3 minute veteran's competition.
GOLD TOOTH lost to M. CHARDINEE in a 3 minute duel.
LEMON LAMB viciously subdued KHALHUMS DWARF in a 2 minute gruesome expert's fight.
WILHOLMAN DONN was overpowered by CHAROLAIS in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
BULL PEN handily defeated AMBITIOUS GUARD in a exciting 1 minute one-sided bout.
FUSCHSIA FROG devastated DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 2 minute brutal mismatched conflict.
VIOLET VIPER demolished AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
OLD HAROLD ANNE viciously subdued PINK HORROR in a popular 8 minute gruesome conflict.
LANE TERRAZA overpowered EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute uneven struggle.
SHINZON handily defeated SLOW POTATO in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
KIM O. SABY devastated OSKSI NOBLE in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|SLASHING ATTACK 7 STRIKING ATTACK 50 - 17 - 2 75 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 6 SLASHING ATTACK 38 - 21 - 4 64 |
|AIMED BLOW 3 TOTAL PARRY 11 - 7 - 0 61 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 - 0 50 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 LUNGING ATTACK 13 - 14 - 0 48 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 BASHING ATTACK 8 - 9 - 0 47 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 AIMED BLOW 11 - 13 - 0 46 |
|BASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 8 - 0 38 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 8 - 0 27 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 750 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 1 - 2 5 SLASHING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 4 STRIKING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 3 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 1 LUNGING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 3
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
TOTAL PARRY UNCLEAN ONE 7659 17 7 0 111 CHAOS CARNIVAL (631)
STRIKING ATTACK HOT DOG 7601 21 12 1 100 BULLDOGS (157)
SLASHING ATTACK CHARCOAL CHIMP 7696 14 4 2 91 ANIMAL FARM (510)
LUNGING ATTACK EBONY EYE 7671 12 4 0 83 COLORIFIC (511)
PARRY-STRIKE FUSCHSIA FROG 7670 15 12 0 65 ANIMAL FARM (510)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is HOT DOG 7601. The most popular warrior this turn
was OLD HAROLD ANNE 7490. The ten other most popular fighters were EBONY EYE 7671,
HOT DOG 7601, LEMON LAMB 7722, BLUE BLOOD 7721, GOLD TOOTH 7643, BULL PEN 7835,
FUSCHSIA FROG 7670, UNCLEAN ONE 7659, RIN TIN TIN 7812, and SHINZON 7796.
The least popular fighter this week was DA1 7854. The other ten least popular
fighters were SLOW POTATO 7842, PINK HORROR 7836, WILHOLMAN DONN 7546, D'ENDRRAH
7632, DA2 7855, KIM O. SABY 7553, LANE TERRAZA 7570, VIOLET VIPER 7807, CHAROLAIS
7799, and CHARCOAL CHIMP 7696.
The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:
HOT DOG (11-7601) BULLDOGS (157)
BLOODGAMES at the SUMMER FACE-TO-FACE
Back by popular demand, we will be having Bloodgames at the Summer FTF! For those of
you who always wanted the chance to manage the last warrior standing alive upon the
arena sands, your day has come. At the end of the ten turns, even though several
warriors, bruised and scarred, MAY yet live, only one will be crowned Champion of the
Bloodgames. And in this game mere survival counts for little. A great general once
said, "The object of battle is not to die for your cause, but to make your enemy die
for his." This general would have greatly enjoyed the Duelmasters Bloodgames. There
will be two different arenas:
FTF-Style (DM 98): for Face-to-Face attendees, with turn-by-turn strategies
Mail-in-Style (DM 99): for all managers, with one strategy for all ten rounds
Gameplay proceeds according to standard DM rules, except for a few notable exceptions:
BLOODGAMES ROLLUP -- Your Bloodgames team is ten warriors, one of each fighting
style, each warrior designed from scratch! (All are 84 points, 3-21, as usual.)
DEATH -- As the name implies, the Bloodgames will leave the arena sands somewhat
darker before they're over. It's a dangerous sport intended only for the tough and
spirited. The Arenamaster will be less likely to intercede on behalf of a dying
warrior. Even at a 1 kill desire, kill attempts will occur.
REPLACEMENTS AND ROLLUPS -- There will be no replacement characters.
CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES -- In the FTF-style bloodgames, there are no regular
challenges, only bloodfeuds. For the Mail-in arena, warriors may not change their
strategy from round to round (to make it fair for those who could not attend the
FTF). There will be no DA challenges in either arena.
TURN PROCESSING AND DUE DATES -- If you are not attending the FTF, we must have your
rollups and strategies by the Wednesday before the FTF, else they are due by 9pm on
Friday, at the hotel. The Bloodgames will process at the FTF with the regular
tournament.
MISSED TURNS -- All warriors fight each round. Only the dead may rest.
ERRORS -- If we make an input error, that warrior will be awarded a win and kill.
Errors must be reported before the next turn processes.
NEWSLETTER -- Warriors are ranked according to their number of kills. Champions of
Bloodgames may write a column for the newsletter at the end of the games.
FEES -- A Bloodgames rollup costs a $10 set-up fee. Managers may roll up more than
one team but may run only one team in each arena. The fee for all ten rounds is $49.
AWARDS -- The Bloodgames last ten rounds. Only warriors who survive to the end of
Turn 10 will be eligible for an award. However, a consolation award of a Bloodgames
T-shirt will be awarded to the dead warrior with the most kills.
The living warrior with the greatest number of kills will be the Bloodgames Champion.
Bloodgames Victor titles, 2nd and 3rd place, and Bloodgames Runner-up titles, 4th
through 6th place, will be awarded to those living warriors with the greatest number
of kills at the end of Turn 10, with one other important consideration: Each of these
six warriors must be of a different fighting style. Win/loss records and, if
necessary, recognition points will only be used to determine awards if there is a tie.
A Bloodgames T-shirts will be awarded to the manager of the team with the most kills.
The Bloodgames Champion fights for free in Advanced Duelmasters, and all Champions and
Victors earn Tournament Victor status, which allows them to challenge once per turn
with increased priority. These awards last for six months. The manager of the
Bloodgames Champion, Victors, and Runners-up will receive Bloodgames T-shirts.
AFTERMATH -- Warriors from the Bloodgames may not transfer to any other arena. Once
the games are over, the arena and teams will be disbanded. The fighters have won
their freedom and will never more be seen in the gladiatorial games. A special bonus
will, however, be awarded to the 1st through 3rd place warriors. Lady Sheila
Greywand, of the Isle of the Eye, has consented to allow the top three gladiators in
each Bloodgames admission to the Advanced Duelmasters games. Any special training
required to qualify those three warriors for Advanced Duelmasters combat will be
conducted before transfer into ADM. Astute managers will note that this means that
three warriors that are designed from scratch will survive the Bloodgames, win one of
the top three places, and go on to immortal glory! One of those warriors could be
yours!
The challenge is yours to take. The final plans are yours to make.
When the dust settles, remember: To the victor goes the spoils!