DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 02/02/2021    Duedate: 02/15/2021

SEAM ARENA

DM-20    TURN-147

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

GEHENA
VENDETTA (62)
(20-839) [14-9-0,115]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

GEHENA                         BEOWULF
VENDETTA (62)                  HERO'S INC (67)
(20-839) [14-9-0,115]          (20-932) [4-3-0,34]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

MR READ-A-LOT                  GEHENA
HUCKLE'S CATS (23)             VENDETTA (62)
(20-774) [12-37-0,73]          (20-839) [14-9-0,115]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

VENDETTA (62)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. HUCKLE'S CATS (23)          44
2. VENDETTA (62)               43      PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)
3. HERO'S INC (67)             33      Unchartered Team
4. ROBO VILLAGE (68)           20
5. LOST SENTINELS (19)          8      ROBO VILLAGE (68)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1*ROBO VILLAGE (68)         20  10  1 66.7   1/ 7 VENDETTA (62)            10  5 0
 2/ 2 PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)    296 217 15 57.7   2/ 1 HUCKLE'S CATS (23)        9  6 2
 3- 3 80S FANTASY (60)         135 106 10 56.0   3/ 4*ROBO VILLAGE (68)         9  6 0
 4- 4 HOUSE OF PAIN (15)        48  38  4 55.8   4/ 2 DARQUE KNIGHTS (22)       9  6 0
 5/ 9 VENDETTA (62)             60  55  3 52.2   5/ 6*HERO'S INC (67)           8  7 0
 6/ 6 PIXELBENDERS (36)        322 300 10 51.8   6/ 9 PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)     6  9 3
 7/ 7 DARQUE KNIGHTS (22)      373 349 26 51.7   7- 5 WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)     5  5 1
 8/ 8 THIRSTY THUGS (31)       360 346  9 51.0   8/ 8 THIRSTY THUGS (31)        5  8 0
 9/12*HERO'S INC (67)           17  18  0 48.6   9/ 3 PIXELBENDERS (36)         5 10 0
10/10 HUCKLE'S CATS (23)       305 346 13 46.9  10-11*LOUD NOISES (66)          4  0 1
11-11 WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)     74  88  3 45.7  11/10 LOST SENTINELS (19)       2 11 0
12/13 LOST SENTINELS (19)      289 421 29 40.7  12-13 HOUSE OF PAIN (15)        1  0 0
13-14*LOUD NOISES (66)          10  19  1 34.5  13-14 80S FANTASY (60)          1  4 0

    '*'   Unchartered team                       '-'  Team did not fight this turn
   (###)  Avoid teams by their Team Id          ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

Seamites,

I really don't have a clue what to say in such a column.  First, I am not going to the 
Isle of the Eye.  So, I can't really divulge any information about my stats or 
strategies in the arena. Secondly, looking at my career, it is pretty obvious I should 
not be giving out advice about excelling in the gladiatorial games.  I mean, I am 
barely hanging on to 50%.

I really don't know who I'm going to challenge either.  I'm confident the Aimed Blow 
is getting avoided.  Sorry Halftone, we've met before and I'm not interested in losing 
another one.  Gehena and Davina could be a feast or famine challenge.  Slashers either 
rip your face off in the first minute or they pass out from exhaustion just a few 
minutes into the fight.  I think the safest bet is to challenge Rich Black again, so 
that is what I will do.

Okay, not sure when and if an invite is coming.  If I am back here again next turn, 
I'll be sure to ramble some more.  If not, then something went HORRIBLY wrong and the 
world is out to get me!

                                          Hopefully Next Time,

                                          Duelmaster Fal Icetooth

                                      SPY REPORT

Welcome back to Seam, my darlings!  It is great to see each of you.  I have been 
traveling a bit of late.  No, no!  There is nothing wrong. The new fashion lines 
always start popping up during this time, so I like to travel to various cities and 
see what the latest trends are saying.  Bah, cover your ears (and your eyes)!  I may 
be getting too old and set in my ways because I find the new styles atrocious!  They 
leave nothing to the imagination and they are certainly not made with a lady such as 
myself in mind.  Let's stick to the arena where the fashion trends tend to be more 
static - a good old fashioned longsword and a nice suit of ring mail will never go out 
of style on the arena sands!

Fal Icetooth got the chance to prove his title was more than luck. This turn he tried 
proving it against Gehena, who challenged him from the Challenger Champion ranks.  It 
was an exciting 2-minute bout and at the end we had a new Duelmaster!  Congrats to our 
newest champion Gehena from the Vendetta guild.  Gehena and his teammates are managed 
by Paradox.

Death has been called the great equalizer.  He does not care if you are a prince or a 
pauper, but will take both in equal measure.  In the arena, he is seen as a frequent 
visitor and this turn was no different.  We lost one on the regular sands and two by 
torchlight. Najka the Blight was killed by Death Knell (how fitting a name) in the 
lower ranks.  Darque Knights also sent one to the Dark Arena along with Phantom 
Regiment.  Essentially, death this turn centers around these two teams.  Is this irony 
or just coincidence?

Congrats to Vox Sunfire, who received an invitation to the Isle of the Eye.  It looks 
as if it has been a long road for him.  Vox will presumably fight his 50th arena fight 
as he bids us farewell next turn.  A few others appear to be getting close to 
immortality if they can hang on for a few more turns.  Sitting on the throne does not 
hurt in getting the attention of the Commission agents who make such decisions!  Heed 
this advice, gladiators!

Weirding Ways have disappeared from the rankings, and it looks as if Loud Noises and 
80's Fantasy will follow them if they are not active next turn.  Way of All Flesh is 
also missing.  We hope all of them find their way back to us!  I keep hearing rumors 
of missives being lost throughout Alastari by various delivery services.  I hope this 
will rectify itself soon.  We do not want any interruptions to our games in Seam or 
elsewhere for that matter!

Time for me to go, my sweets.  I will certainly see you next turn.  We should have an 
exciting turn in store.  Gehena gets to defend his title against any challengers 
(hopefully they will be active challengers, hungry for arena glory).  There are a few 
active bloodfeuds, but teams have been sporadic of late.  Who knows if any vengeful 
challenges will go forth!  Oh well, we will wait and see. Until next time, my 
darlings!

                                             -- Sidara Brigthbell

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GEHENA 839                   14   9  0   115       VENDETTA (62)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 VOX SUNFIRE 773              24  25  2   111       DARQUE KNIGHTS (22)
-STANZA 97                    12   5  2   107       HOUSE OF PAIN (15)
 HALFTONE 848                 13  11  0   106       PIXELBENDERS (36)
 SUNDER 842                   13  10  1   102       VENDETTA (62)
 DAVINA 849                   13  10  0    99       THIRSTY THUGS (31)
 FAL ICETOOTH 810             17  17  1    96       DARQUE KNIGHTS (22)
 RUFOLF VON FLUGEL 858         8  11  1    92       HUCKLE'S CATS (23)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RICH BLACK 881               10   5  0    89       PIXELBENDERS (36)
 MIXL 777                     19  28  0    85       THIRSTY THUGS (31)
 ASCENTION 840                13  10  1    85       VENDETTA (62)
 JANITOR JOE 868              10   7  3    81       HUCKLE'S CATS (23)
 PURGE 785                    17  25  2    78       LOST SENTINELS (19)
 FLAZOR 831                   15  13  0    74       THIRSTY THUGS (31)
 OBLIVION 843                 10  13  1    74       VENDETTA (62)
 MR READ-A-LOT 774            12  37  0    73       HUCKLE'S CATS (23)
 TARL 822                     16  15  0    71       LOST SENTINELS (19)
-TEEGRA 845                   11   8  0    71       80S FANTASY (60)
 RATTLECHAINS 826             17  12  0    69       PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-SAMWISE GAMGEE 854           10   4  0    56       80S FANTASY (60)
 WOLFGANG WOLF 853             8  13  0    54       HUCKLE'S CATS (23)
 ALPHA LOCK 917                6   4  0    54       PIXELBENDERS (36)
 CHIP 837                     12  15  1    52       THIRSTY THUGS (31)
-MEJIDIJA 95                  10   8  0    52       HOUSE OF PAIN (15)
 APOCOLYPSE 841               10  13  0    47       VENDETTA (62)
-ELENORAL 287                  7   4  1    43       HOUSE OF PAIN (15)
 BEOWULF 932                   4   3  0    34       HERO'S INC (67)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-VANILLA ISIS 948              4   1  1    33       WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)
-SAM 908                       4   2  0    33       LOUD NOISES (66)
 RUDOLF VON FLUGEL 865         7  11  0    32       HUCKLE'S CATS (23)
 THE CAN COLLECTOR 939         4   2  0    30       ROBO VILLAGE (68)
 I DON'T MOW 941               4   2  0    27       ROBO VILLAGE (68)
 HYDRA 934                     4   3  0    24       HERO'S INC (67)
 DEATH KNELL 974               1   0  1    24       PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 TRAILER TRASH TOM 938         4   2  0    23       ROBO VILLAGE (68)
-YA'LL QAEDA 928               4   3  0    23       WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)
 SIF 935                       4   3  0    22       HERO'S INC (67)
-BROOKE 910                    3   3  0    22       LOUD NOISES (66)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BOKEH 916                     5   5  0    20       PIXELBENDERS (36)
 THE HANDYMAN 942              5   1  1    19       ROBO VILLAGE (68)
 AJAX 933                      3   4  0    19       HERO'S INC (67)
 CODEX 882                     2  13  0    19       LOST SENTINELS (19)
 THE PARK TRAMP 940            3   3  0    18       ROBO VILLAGE (68)
-VICKIE 964                    1   0  1    18       LOUD NOISES (66)
-HOWDY ARABIA 963              1   2  0    15       WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)
 JABB FROSTBLEED 973           1   1  0    15       DARQUE KNIGHTS (22)
-JIMBO 965                     1   0  0    14       LOUD NOISES (66)
 UNINVITED GEIST 956           3   2  1    12       PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)
 MALINGERING SOUL 960          1   3  1    11       PHANTOM REGIMENT (25)
 WOLVERINE 946                 2   4  0    10       HERO'S INC (67)
-OKSTUPID 950                  2   3  0     9       WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)
-PROUD BUOY 949                1   4  0     8       WAY OF ALL FLESH (17)
-GEOFF 953                     1   1  0     7       LOUD NOISES (66)
 CMYK 972                      0   2  0     2       PIXELBENDERS (36)
-BLIX 970                      0   1  0     1       80S FANTASY (60)

'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
BOMBAATA 914            1  3 0 80S FANTASY 60       UNINVITED GEIST 956   146   
DEAD 975                0  1 0 DARQUE KNIGHTS 22    SWINE GOLEM           147  NONE
MAJULA FIRE 955         3  1 0 DARQUE KNIGHTS 22    VANILLA ISIS 948      146   
NAJKA THE BLIGHT 961    2  2 0 DARQUE KNIGHTS 22    DEATH KNELL 974       147   
HOT POT 966             0  2 0 LOST SENTINELS 19    MALINGERING SOUL 960  146   
KING HAMLET 959         0  4 0 PHANTOM REGIMENT 25  SWINE GOLEM           147  NONE
COOL GRAY 962           1  1 0 PIXELBENDERS 36      VICKIE 964            145   
SUCCOR 958              0  1 0 THIRSTY THUGS 31     THE HANDYMAN 942      144   
LITTLE BLUE BIRD 922    2  3 0 WAY OF ALL FLESH 17  CHIP 837              143  NOT REVENGED

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Lost Sentinels -- That's what I get for aiming at the arms.  Or, I guess that is what 
Hot Pot got.  The death was unintentional, but I await the bloodfeud.  I've been 
there, I wouldn't deliberately send some down the dark path. -- Malingering Soul

Fantasy of the 80s -- Well, it is hard to feel too bad after Bombaata tried so hard to 
hack me to bits first, but the death was unintentional.  But when you play with knives 
these things happen. See. this is why I don't get invited anywhere.  I await the 
bloodfeud. -- Uninvited Geist

Tarl -- How are you lost?  And what exactly are you guarding if you don't know where 
you are?  Or are you AWOL from you post and thus not guarding anything because you are 
lost?  Or perhaps you are guarding those who are lost?  In that case you aren't really 
lost at all, that would be more of a guardian of the lost.  Hmmmm.  I'm confused.  
Guess I'll just make a little noise with these chains and poke you a bit until I 
figure it out.  thanks for the win. -- Rattlechains

10 Slashers???  Do you folks really think slashers are that great??  Interesting style 
choices here.  

Can Collector -- I blame you for what the boss is doing to me this turn.  Be careful 
or I'll send my kid after you. -- King Hamlet

Thanks for the PR advice. Other than the two currently in ADM I have one PR I am 
running. Absolutely not the build you told me about, and to be honest I would have 
never made a warrior with a will that low. Go figure. The PR I have has 15-15-12-15 
for his wit, will, speed, and deftness. They did poorly in the mail in, however I'm 
pretty sure that they got an expert in Riposte by now. I followed the advice on the 
builds from the terrablood site, and it's been my observation that speed is important 
for defense and Riposte. Strength would be nice, but I grew up with the philosophy to 
never waste points on Strength or constitution because they are not where the majority 
of the skills are at.. anyway,, my newest PR shall spend a year in tournament 
development so when I bring him to the arena he might have the skills not to get 
himself murdered. -- Eli.

Thanks for the PR advice. As it turns out after 5 warriors died in the mail in I had a 
rollup close to the prescribed build so I went for it.  Now for a new topic. Aimed 
Blows. Why are they so unbeatable that they literally double the total warriors in 
most of ADM and definitely in Primus? Of my entire list of warriors I have only had 
one make it 10 rounds and that was a rookie AB, and this last one my best result was 
6-3 by my only AB in ADM. I understand  that this is a long ongoing issue that has 
even led to managers quitting the game in frustration. It has led to RSI inventing a 
style masters subcategory for tournament play just to appease managers who prefer not 
to be like everyone else and play AB. Hell one manager in arena 2 only makes AB 
warriors.  I dont remember AB being this op back then and yes I know there has been 20 
years for managers to learn more, however the lack of knowledge back then doesn't 
equate to the absolute dominance of the style now..what changed? I know that there 
have been changes made, I've read almost all of the forums and I have witnessed 
differences myself. So what gives? And if it is such an obvious issue then why hasn't 
anything been done to even things out? Or is there a design bias intentionally created 
into the class? I mean, in boxing, the best defense against a striker is to be a 
counter striker.. so does that equate here? Does the riposte technique work against an 
aimed blow? I know aimed blows are also counter fighters because they usually suck at 
initiative yet all things being equal an AB will out jump a similar build and tactics. 
Why? I fight AB just about every turn in every arena, and while my warriors have had 
some success it seems that in Primus an AB winning is a forgone conclusion.  In fact 
last face I attended, The guy who won was the reigning champ and all he ran were AB. 
In one tournament he fought himself for the title.. how is that fair? Why hasn't there 
been anything done to try and make the game more balanced?

Weirdo -- Thanks for the advice, but last turn was just match-ups so I didn't get any 
uncomfortable surprises.  Landlords don't like surprises, it usually means a fight 
over the damage deposit, speaking of which I need to get that back on a few sets of 
armor. -- The Landlord

Master Darque -- Thanks for sharing your thoughts on PR's, a style that has me 
frustrated for certain. -- The Landlord

Rich Black -- I never have any idea how those challenges are going to go.  On one 
hand, I have a style advantage, well at least around this level of play.  On the other 
hand, I am me and have not shown any consistency whatsoever throughout my career. 
Thanks for a good fight! Let's do it again. -- Fal Icetooth

Sunder -- Sometimes experience has its advantages.  I do not think this was one of 
those times.  I'll take luck of the draw any day though! - Vox Sunfire

Vanilla Isis -- I like the name, but didn't care for the part where I
died. -- Ghost of Majula Fire

Proud Buoy -- Bah! -- Jabb Frostbleed

All -- I'm trying to think of a previous time when the top two warriors in this arena 
are so clearly the underdogs going into the next turn. May my puds soon leave for the 
Isle of the Eye! -- Master Darque

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

KING HAMLET was viciously butchered by SWINE GOLEM in a 3 minute Dark Arena fight.
DEAD was slaughtered by SWINE GOLEM in a dull 4 minute brutal Dark Arena battle.
GEHENA savagely defeated FAL ICETOOTH in a 2 minute master's Challenge Title duel.
ASCENTION was defeated by DAVINA in a 1 minute master's Challenge match.
SUNDER slimly won victory over RICH BLACK in a 3 minute Challenge fight.
OBLIVION beat MR READ-A-LOT in a popular 1 minute master's Challenge brawl.
THE PARK TRAMP was handily defeated by APOCOLYPSE in a 1 minute Challenge melee.
TRAILER TRASH TOM won victory over CODEX in a 1 minute Challenge duel.
THE HANDYMAN was defeated by BEOWULF in a action packed 1 minute Challenge duel.
VOX SUNFIRE overpowered PURGE in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
HALFTONE handily defeated FLAZOR in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
RUFOLF VON FLUGEL demolished RATTLECHAINS in a 1 minute mismatched match.
MIXL was handily defeated by JANITOR JOE in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
ALPHA LOCK was subdued by TARL in a crowd pleasing 1 minute one-sided brawl.
CHIP was handily defeated by WOLFGANG WOLF in a 1 minute uneven fight.
RUDOLF VON FLUGEL was overpowered by ARADI THUG in a 1 minute uneven struggle.
BOKEH was overcome by I DON'T MOW in a 4 minute bloody bout.
AJAX devastated CMYK in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
HYDRA narrowly defeated MALINGERING SOUL in a 2 minute match.
SIF beat INCOMPETENT PUNK in a exciting 1 minute bout.
WOLVERINE was overpowered by JABB FROSTBLEED in a 1 minute mismatched conflict.
THE CAN COLLECTOR devastated UNINVITED GEIST in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
NAJKA THE BLIGHT was slaughtered by DEATH KNELL in a 1 minute one-sided match.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|SLASHING ATTACK                  9         WALL OF STEEL     30 -  19 -  2      61  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  7         PARRY-LUNGE        8 -   7 -  1      53  |
|AIMED BLOW                       6         STRIKING ATTACK   36 -  33 -  5      52  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   5         TOTAL PARRY       17 -  16 -  0      52  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    4         LUNGING ATTACK    48 -  52 -  1      48  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   3         SLASHING ATTACK   49 -  54 -  2      48  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    2         AIMED BLOW        37 -  41 -  0      47  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      2         PARRY-RIPOSTE     13 -  18 -  1      42  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      2         BASHING ATTACK    25 -  35 -  0      42  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     2         PARRY-STRIKE       2 -   8 -  0      20  |

Turn 147 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:

BASHING ATTACK     2 -  1     SLASHING ATTACK    4 -  5         3  SLASHING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK     3 -  2     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  2         3  AIMED BLOW     
STRIKING ATTACK    4 -  3     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  2         3  LUNGING ATTACK 
AIMED BLOW         3 -  3                                       1  TOTAL PARRY    
PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  1                                       1  STRIKING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY        1 -  1     
WALL OF STEEL      2 -  2     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
SLASHING ATTACK  GEHENA 839                 14   9  0  115 VENDETTA (62)
AIMED BLOW       HALFTONE 848               13  11  0  106 PIXELBENDERS (36)
LUNGING ATTACK   SUNDER 842                 13  10  1  102 VENDETTA (62)
STRIKING ATTACK  JANITOR JOE 868            10   7  3   81 HUCKLE'S CATS (23)
PARRY-RIPOSTE    TARL 822                   16  15  0   71 LOST SENTINELS (19)
WALL OF STEEL    BEOWULF 932                 4   3  0   34 HERO'S INC (67)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is MR READ-A-LOT 774.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was GEHENA 839.  The ten other most popular fighters were SUNDER 842, RICH BLACK 
881, KING HAMLET 959, DAVINA 849, BEOWULF 932, SIF 935, OBLIVION 843, HALFTONE 848, 
TARL 822, and AJAX 933.

The least popular fighter this week was DEAD 975.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were NAJKA THE BLIGHT 961, UNINVITED GEIST 956, WOLVERINE 946, CMYK 972, I 
DON'T MOW 941, RUDOLF VON FLUGEL 865, CHIP 837, MIXL 777, RATTLECHAINS 826, and 
FLAZOR 831.

The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:

VOX SUNFIRE (20-773) DARQUE KNIGHTS (22)