DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 12/25/2024    Duedate: 01/07/2025

SHADOWSPIRE ARENA

DM 81    TURN 466

This Week's Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

DRUV
PRAY THE GODS (155)
(81-3785) [21-18-0,125]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

KARL-FRANZ                     POSITION IS EMPTY
FAR TRAVELERS (113)            
(81-3946) [12-10-3,138]        

Popularity Leader              This Week's Favorite

WASTEL                         SARCASM
DARQUE AGES (29)               WICKED MARTYRS (148)
(81-3917) [16-15-1,71]         (81-4051) [5-4-1,38]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

LITERATE LOONS (40)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)           63 
2. LITERATE LOONS (40)           47    NBA LEGENDS (156)
3. BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)       41    Unchartered Team
4. ARDUIN (200)                  30 
5. PRAY THE GODS (155)           30    CM-THE MENTORS (168)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1 NBA LEGENDS (156)        290 238 17 54.9   1/ 1 LITERATE LOONS (40)      11  4 0
 2/ 2 CULT OF BACCHUS (4)      1014 849 36 54.4   2/ 4 ARDUIN (200)             10  5 0
 3/ 4 CLAN LONGBEARD (39)      964 837 34 53.5   3/ 9 BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)   9  6 1
 4/ 3 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)    778 677 22 53.5   4/ 6 CULT OF BACCHUS (4)       8  6 0
 5/ 5 DARQUE AGES (29)         1060 988 46 51.8   5/ 2 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)     7  8 0
 6/ 6 PRAY THE GODS (155)      502 480 29 51.1   6/10 FAR TRAVELERS (113)       6  4 0
 7/ 9 ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)      199 191  6 51.0   7/12 NBA LEGENDS (156)         6  4 0
 8/ 8 FAR TRAVELERS (113)      134 131 10 50.6   8/ 8 PRAY THE GODS (155)       6  5 0
 9/ 7 CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)     129 127  7 50.4   9/11 CLAN LONGBEARD (39)       6  9 0
10/10 WICKED MARTYRS (148)     673 675 30 49.9  10/ 3 WICKED MARTYRS (148)      6  9 0
11/11 BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)  454 498 34 47.7  11/ 5 DARQUE AGES (29)          5  7 0
12/12 LITERATE LOONS (40)      799 883 36 47.5  12/13 ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      5 10 0
13/13 ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      62  80  3 43.7  13/ 7 CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)      5 10 0
14/14 ARDUIN (200)              68  97  2 41.2  14/14 ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)       4  6 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.

Hello Shadowspire!

Truly an honor and a pleasure to sit upon this throne! Did not actually expect this 
anytime soon, so trying to catch my breath a bit. 

Okay.

Not sure where Karl went. As if my red hair is not distinctive enough, I also have the 
pleasure of a relatively quick ascension to the throne. For those who don't read the 
end of the newsletter, I'm a trained Striker. I've attempted to bring my crossbow into 
the arena, but they keep telling me no; I reckon I'm doing well enough without that. 

The boss is learning how to strategize for us Strikers. He said he likes my strategy! 
Of course, it probably helps that I like to learn. I am 5 skills from maxxing out my 
learning in on area and 7 in another. Unfortunately, I'm also confirmed to have a -2 
to one skill area. What all those numbers mean baffles me, but the Boss puts great 
store in that information.

No challenges for me this turn, although I will use my avoids to try to make the 
commission a bit more selective about who I face. Perhaps I will meet Karl. Best of 
luck to all!

                         -- Scarlett of Childhood Heroes
                          Shadowspire Duelmaster (465)

                                      SPY REPORT

Back to the action, chumps! Welcome to The Spire on this fine, chill day. I will be 
your chill guide for today's spy report. I am the ever-charming Huard DePriest, but 
you knew that already. It isn't often you get blessed with my presence, so hold the 
applause until I am finished. Well, yes, you do get to see me every two weeks, but 
that is not nearly enough time to appreciate my greatness! Hold the questions until I 
finish this report!

All hail Druv of Pray the Gods! This tenacious gladiator unseated Scarlett with a bold 
challenge and proved that prayer might work better with a touch of steel. With a 21-
18-0 record and 125 points, Druv reigns over the blood-soaked sands. Will he keep the 
throne, or is someone sharpening a blade with his name on it? Druv is managed by Vlad 
Taltos, so congrats to him! Good luck with a title defense in a few weeks.

Props to Ale House Mercs, who climbed six spots with a spicy 63-point gain. From 
bottom-tier sippers to potential arena chuggers, these gladiators might just be onto 
something--like winning more fights. Are they gladiators or mercenaries? Can you be 
both? I guess you can, but I'm curious if the pay is better at the arena or on the 
field.

Fans adore the grim determination of Wastel from Darque Ages. This grizzled gladiator 
remains the crowd favorite, showing us that even the most battle-worn warriors can 
charm an audience. The title of "This Week's Favorite" goes to Sarcasm of Wicked 
Martyrs. Known for cutting remarks both in and out of combat, Sarcasm entertained the 
crowd despite a tough loss to Zakariya.

The most avoided team was Arduin, a crew so feared that Clan Longbeard spent the week 
doing everything possible to sidestep them. Perhaps a tactical retreat--or maybe the 
Longbeards just don't fancy ending up short-bearded. The arena's social butterfly 
(read: punching bag) was Big Brother of Childhood Heroes. Challenged by multiple 
contenders, he's either wildly popular or just a really tempting target. A rough loss 
to Karl-Franz didn't help his case.

And there you have it, folks, another bloody, hilarious, and honor-filled turn in 
Shadowspire. Until next time, this is Huard DePriest reminding you that the only thing 
worse than losing in the arena is being boring while doing it! See you in two weeks!

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 DRUV 3785                    21  18  0 125         PRAY THE GODS (155)       

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 KARL-FRANZ 3946              12  10  3 138         FAR TRAVELERS (113)       
 DORNE 3891                   21  14  1 104         CULT OF BACCHUS (4)       
 DENNIS RODMAN 3894           18  15  0 103         NBA LEGENDS (156)         
 PHANDELYON 3805              18  13  0 102         ARDUIN (200)              
 SHAQ 3840                    24  20  0 101         NBA LEGENDS (156)         
 BIG BROTHER 59               23  30  0  99         CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)      
 NIKOLAI GOGOL 3911           17  14  0  99         LITERATE LOONS (40)       
 TENN PENN 3871               21  18  0  98         WICKED MARTYRS (148)      
 ORLANDO 2688                 20  31  1  92         DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)     
 SCARLETT 3959                13   4  1  91         CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)      

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 KAYD THE BOQ 3937            14  12  1  89         BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)   
 KIRIN ICHIBAN 1680           15  12  0  86         ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)       
 REFRIGERATOR PERRY 552       20  16  0  84         CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)      
 DURN WOLFSNARL 3955          12  10  0  84         BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)   
 MARCUS CATO 3969             14  15  1  82         ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      
 DAGO DRACOSPEAR 3948         12   7  1  76         DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)     
 TZISS 3962                   11   9  2  72         WICKED MARTYRS (148)      
 WASTEL 3917                  16  15  1  71         DARQUE AGES (29)          
 WYRMSHADOW 2986              14  12  0  68         DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)     
 TENG SWARM 4005               7   7  0  68         ARDUIN (200)              

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 FOPDOODLE 3953               13   9  1  66         DARQUE AGES (29)          
 DAINTY LEAF 3890             14  21  2  65         CULT OF BACCHUS (4)       
 THE LEPER KING 3995          12   4  0  65         DARQUE AGES (29)          
 STEPH CURRY 3965             10   8  0  64         NBA LEGENDS (156)         
 MICKEY SPLITZ 3973            9  10  0  63         BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)   
 HOARD 3974                    9   6  1  62         DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)     
 TIBERE GRACCHUS 3971         11  18  1  60         ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      
 APPIUS CAUDEX 3970           14  15  0  57         ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 G.K. CHESTERTON 3958         11   9  0  55         LITERATE LOONS (40)       
 PUBLIUS SCIPIO 3966          12  17  1  54         ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      
 JERRY WEST 4009               7   5  2  51         NBA LEGENDS (156)         
 OLD PECULIAR 1808             7   7  1  51         ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)       
 KARL MALONE 4042              5   3  0  50         NBA LEGENDS (156)         
 ZAKARIYA 4001                 8   6  0  47         FAR TRAVELERS (113)       
 GROOG 3960                   10   9  0  42         CULT OF BACCHUS (4)       
 GEORGE ELIOT 3978             9  10  2  42         LITERATE LOONS (40)       
 SARCASM 4051                  5   4  1  38         WICKED MARTYRS (148)      
 FLAVIUS MANICUS 3976          8  11  0  37         ROMAN REPUBLIC (204)      
 THOMAS MANN 4076              4   1  0  37         LITERATE LOONS (40)       
 EGWENE 4010                   4   8  0  36         CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)      

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 DAKATA 3994                   5   9  0  33         CULT OF BACCHUS (4)       
 FREEZE BEE 4070               5   1  0  33         ARDUIN (200)              
 PHRAINT 4028                  6   7  0  32         ARDUIN (200)              
 DAHNAR 4003                   7   8  0  31         CLAN LONGBEARD (39)       

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SKOR 4029                     6   5  1  31         FAR TRAVELERS (113)       
 VERA ELSTER 4056              6   3  2  29         BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)   
 ALITA 4052                    5   4  0  29         WICKED MARTYRS (148)      
 BOSCOE 4074                   3   2  0  28         CLAN LONGBEARD (39)       
 AMOS 4065                     6   2  0  27         CLAN LONGBEARD (39)       
 YON 3982                      7   4  0  25         PRAY THE GODS (155)       
 RASAE 4032                    4   8  0  25         CLAN LONGBEARD (39)       
 FAUNA 4037                    7   3  0  24         FAR TRAVELERS (113)       

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 THE AMAZING BOB 4031          5   8  0  23         BIG LAKE SOLUTION (178)   
 ARCTIC WOOKEY 4035            4   6  0  18         ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)       
 KARTHIK 4049                  2   4  0  18         PRAY THE GODS (155)       
 MOLSON 4084                   1   0  0  16         ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)       
 KAPOW 4085                    1   0  0  15         ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)       
 WYRMSTAKE 4066                2   4  0  13         DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)     
 GWORM 4071                    2   4  0  10         ARDUIN (200)              
 ZUBIN 4079                    1   0  0  10         PRAY THE GODS (155)       
 MAESTA 4073                   2   3  0   9         DARQUE AGES (29)          
 FRANK O'CONNOR 4075           2   3  0   9         LITERATE LOONS (40)       
 MOLDYLOX 4080                 1   1  0   8         CULT OF BACCHUS (4)       
 FARHAH 4081                   1   2  0   5         CLAN LONGBEARD (39)       
 VELMA DINKLEY 4077            0   4  0   4         CHILDHOOD HEROES (8)      

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
KOHLBE 3950            13  8 0 CLAN LONGBEARD 39    KARL-FRANZ 3946        463  
SRI GHURKA 4069         1  3 0 FAR TRAVELERS 113    VERA ELSTER 4056       466  
AETHEIST 4078           0  1 0 PRAY THE GODS 155    STONE GOLEM            466 NONE

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Nikolai Gogol -- What a fun interaction!  Thank you for the fight and the trains! -- 
Scarlett

Druv -- But you didn't parry! No Fair! You have to parry! -- Big Brother

Tibere Gracchus -- Now, if you... ow! If you look... Ouch! Listen, if you will just... 
OUCH! Fine! You win! -- Egwene

Wyrmstake -- Not at all groovy! Not at all!! -- Velma Dinkley

Wastel -- Now why did you have to go breaking that shield!? My grand-pappy left me 
that shield! Don't you understand emotional value?! -- Refrigerator Perry

Longbeard -- Hey! I know that guy! -- Scarlett for Childhood Heroes

All -- Big surprises for us. Did not expect to be sitting on the throne anytime soon. 
Let's see if I can hold it to the magic 20 fight mark and get an insta-vite! Beginning 
to think its only a matter of time before Big Brother makes his transition. Kind of 
scary to think of him as immortal. We continue to try to figure out how to help Egwene 
and Velma improve. I guess we will see. -- Scarlett for Childhood Heroes

Flavius Manicus -- You are one tough Kannar. Excellent training and hope that rating 
helps you in the future. -- Dahnar the Tested

Dworm -- Once again I find a way to lose and get no training results. My boss is going 
to kill me...Literately! -- Rasae the Fearfull

G.K. Chesterton -- What is up with trying to kill me!?! Plus I get zero training. You 
are vorthless, BE GONE! -- Amos the Perturbed

Frank O'Connor -- Rasae warned me about you. Thanks for the training. -- Boscoe the 
Paragon

Freeze Bee -- Double desperation and you don't quit!?! I demand an investigation into 
suspected P.E.D's. -- Farhah the Incredulous

Congrats Rodger Neffer on your invite to the Isle. -- Clan Longbeard guild

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

AETHEIST was butchered by STONE GOLEM in a 3 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
DRUV vanquished SCARLETT in a exciting 1 minute uneven Challenge Title battle.
BIG BROTHER was overpowered by KARL-FRANZ in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge duel.
KIRIN ICHIBAN devastated STEPH CURRY in a exciting 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
PHANDELYON devastated ORLANDO in a 2 minute gory uneven Challenge brawl.
DURN WOLFSNARL bested TZISS in a 1 minute Challenge match.
MICKEY SPLITZ bested KARL MALONE in a 2 minute Challenge competition.
SKOR was overpowered by G.K. CHESTERTON in a 1 minute uneven Challenge melee.
THE AMAZING BOB was viciously subdued by DAKATA in a 2 minute Challenge fight.
EGWENE viciously subdued YON in a slow 5 minute brutal Challenge fight.
VERA ELSTER easily killed SRI GHURKA in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge bout.
ARCTIC WOOKEY was demolished by BOSCOE in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge match.
VELMA DINKLEY was outwaited by AMOS in a tiresome 13 minute Challenge battle.
DENNIS RODMAN devastated VETERAN MERCENARY in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
DORNE overcame RODGER NEFFER in a 2 minute expert's fight.
TENN PENN overpowered TENG SWARM in a 2 minute gruesome uneven struggle.
REFRIGERATOR PERRY was savagely defeated by NIKOLAI GOGOL in a 6 minute brawl.
DAGO DRACOSPEAR was overpowered by SHAQ in a exciting 1 minute one-sided match.
MARCUS CATO beat WASTEL in a crowd pleasing 3 minute bloody master's fight.
KAYD THE BOQ overpowered WYRMSHADOW in a 1 minute uneven fight.
DAINTY LEAF savagely defeated FLAVIUS MANICUS in a action packed 4 minute bout.
JERRY WEST was handily defeated by FOPDOODLE in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
PUBLIUS SCIPIO was savagely defeated by THE LEPER KING in a popular 3 minute fight.
TIBERE GRACCHUS beat GROOG in a 1 minute fight.
SARCASM lost to ZAKARIYA in a popular 5 minute fight.
OLD PECULIAR demolished DAHNAR in a 1 minute one-sided melee.
APPIUS CAUDEX was vanquished by HOARD in a action packed 1 minute one-sided fray.
GEORGE ELIOT beat ALITA in a 3 minute gruesome competition.
FREEZE BEE overpowered WYRMSTAKE in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
THOMAS MANN viciously subdued FAUNA in a 3 minute gory fray.
GWORM was savagely defeated by KARTHIK in a 2 minute gory match.
RASAE overpowered PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 3 minute one-sided bout.
PHRAINT overpowered MOLDYLOX in a 1 minute one-sided fray.
MAESTA slimly lost to KAPOW in a crowd pleasing 3 minute brutal novice's duel.
FRANK O'CONNOR was subdued by ZUBIN in a 2 minute gruesome novice's struggle.
FARHAH was overpowered by MOLSON in a 2 minute one-sided match.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK                 10         TOTAL PARRY       56 -  43 -  0      57  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   9         SLASHING ATTACK   43 -  34 -  2      56  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      9         STRIKING ATTACK   54 -  47 -  5      53  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  8         BASHING ATTACK    29 -  27 -  2      52  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     7         PARRY-LUNGE       25 -  24 -  0      51  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   6         AIMED BLOW        32 -  32 -  1      50  |
|AIMED BLOW                       6         WALL OF STEEL     26 -  27 -  0      49  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    5         LUNGING ATTACK    44 -  46 -  1      49  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      5         PARRY-RIPOSTE     21 -  31 -  0      40  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    4         PARRY-STRIKE      15 -  37 -  0      29  |

Turn 466 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-RIPOSTE      5 -  0     TOTAL PARRY        4 -  5         3  PARRY-LUNGE    
BASHING ATTACK     5 -  1     PARRY-LUNGE        2 -  3         2  STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK     6 -  3     STRIKING ATTACK    4 -  6         2  LUNGING ATTACK 
AIMED BLOW         3 -  3     SLASHING ATTACK    3 -  5         1  WALL OF STEEL  
                              PARRY-STRIKE       2 -  5         1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
                              WALL OF STEEL      1 -  3         1  BASHING ATTACK 
                                                                1  TOTAL PARRY    

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
PARRY-LUNGE      DRUV 3785                  21  18  0  125 PRAY THE GODS (155)
STRIKING ATTACK  KARL-FRANZ 3946            12  10  3  138 FAR TRAVELERS (113)
WALL OF STEEL    DORNE 3891                 21  14  1  104 CULT OF BACCHUS (4)
PARRY-RIPOSTE    DENNIS RODMAN 3894         18  15  0  103 NBA LEGENDS (156)
LUNGING ATTACK   PHANDELYON 3805            18  13  0  102 ARDUIN (200)
BASHING ATTACK   SHAQ 3840                  24  20  0  101 NBA LEGENDS (156)
TOTAL PARRY      TENN PENN 3871             21  18  0   98 WICKED MARTYRS (148)
SLASHING ATTACK  KIRIN ICHIBAN 1680         15  12  0   86 ALE HOUSE MERCS (5)
PARRY-STRIKE     WASTEL 3917                16  15  1   71 DARQUE AGES (29)
AIMED BLOW       WYRMSHADOW 2986            14  12  0   68 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is WASTEL 3917.  The most popular warrior this turn was 
SARCASM 4051.  The ten other most popular fighters were NIKOLAI GOGOL 3911, DAINTY 
LEAF 3890, MARCUS CATO 3969, WASTEL 3917, KAPOW 4085, THE LEPER KING 3995, ALITA 
4052, THOMAS MANN 4076, KARTHIK 4049, and MAESTA 4073.

The least popular fighter this week was AMOS 4065.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were VELMA DINKLEY 4077, YON 3982, FRANK O'CONNOR 4075, MOLDYLOX 4080, RASAE 
4032, FAUNA 4037, WYRMSTAKE 4066, DAHNAR 4003, JERRY WEST 4009, and WYRMSHADOW 2986.

The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:

RODGER NEFFER (81-3872) WICKED MARTYRS (148)

                                NAME CHANGE-O-RAMA

      The gladiator known as Pretty in Pink Johnson came into the guildhouse in a 
state of excitement that sat oddly on his large battered face.  "There are goats on 
the lawn outside the Commission office!"  
      His teammate Slinky Silver raised a languid eyebrow.  "So?"
      "That means a name-change coming!  I can finally change my name to Pinkerton and 
get some respect!"
      "As badly as you fight, who will respect you?" his teammate asked.
      "With a new name, I will fight better, just wait, you'll see.  Because I will 
respect myself!"
      Slinky shook his head.  "Circular reasoning won't help.  You need more 
managerial attention."
      "If my name isn't embarrassing, I'll GET more attention.
      Slinky shook his head again.  "You're expecting a lot of a couple of goats that 
may have been hired to manage the landscaping."

                                  *   *   *   *   *  

     Warrior and team name changes will be accepted beginning February 15 and continuing 
throughout the month of March.  The cost will be $2 per name change.  All proceeds 
will be used to buy goats via Heifer International and will be matched up to $500.  If 
you have names you want to change, please contact Customer Service. -- RSI