DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 05/05/2023 Duedate: 05/18/2023
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM 93 TURN 634
This Week's Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
TUESDAY
FIVE DAYS (1887)
(93-11058) [3-1-1,57]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY TUESDAY
FIVE DAYS (1887)
(93-11058) [3-1-1,57]
Popularity Leader This Week's Favorite
MINI MOUSE TOO COLD
MOUSE HOUSE (1881) BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
(93-11015) [3-1-0,42] (93-11118) [1-1-0,6]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893) 54
2. MY DIET FOOD (1900) 44 DARK TOADS (527)
3. MOUSE HOUSE (1881) 26 Unchartered Team
4. FIVE DAYS (1887) 18
5. LUCKY RABBITS (1896) 2 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0*MY DIET FOOD (1900) 4 1 0 80.0 1/ 3*MOUSE HOUSE (1881) 9 6 0
2/ 4*MOUSE HOUSE (1881) 13 7 0 65.0 2/ 2*HUNGER GAMES (1882) 8 4 0
3/ 2*HUNGER GAMES (1882) 10 6 2 62.5 3/ 4*SAY WHAT (1880) 7 8 2
4/ 5*SAY WHAT (1880) 10 10 2 50.0 4/ 6*SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893) 7 8 1
5/ 1*BASH BROS TBALL (1899) 5 5 0 50.0 5/ 5*BASH BROS TBALL (1899) 5 5 0
6/ 6*SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893) 7 8 1 46.7 6/ 0*MY DIET FOOD (1900) 4 1 0
7- 7*AGONY OF D'FEET (1897) 2 3 0 40.0 7/ 8*FIVE DAYS (1887) 3 3 1
8/ 8*FIVE DAYS (1887) 3 6 1 33.3 8- 7*AGONY OF D'FEET (1897) 2 3 0
9/ 9*LUCKY RABBITS (1896) 1 7 0 12.5 9/ 9*LUCKY RABBITS (1896) 1 7 0
10- 0*PLASTIC BOYS (1866) 0 1 0 0.0 10- 0*PLASTIC BOYS (1866) 0 1 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
CHALLENGE AND AVOID
YOUR PARTNERS IN CRIME
A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
Challenges, and their partner "avoids" are underused strategic weapons. Don't be
left home without them!
An avoid is an attempt to prevent a warrior from challenging you. Why allow a
warrior the advantage of selecting you for a match? Why allow a warrior to decide on a
special strategy just for you? One great thing about avoids is that you may avoid THE
WHOLE TEAM of any warrior you want to avoid. You are allowed to avoid two whole teams.
There is no use double-avoiding as it does not improve your chances to avoid that one
individual team.
A challenge is an attempt to fight a specific warrior. Why not attempt to fight a
specific warrior of choice? Why leave the opponent selection to the MUGS (match-up
gods) or, worse yet, an opponent who chooses/challenges you? You are allowed to
challenge two warriors. You may, indeed, challenge the same warrior twice. (Double
challenge) It DOES improve your chances of a match to double challenge a same warrior.
Of utmost importance is to understand that you must challenge and avoid NUMBERS,
not names. Challenge warrior NUMBERS. Avoid team NUMBERS. Challenge individual
warriors; avoid whole teams. No challenge or avoid is 100 percent effective.
Challenges can be further enhanced by winning a TV or TC (Tournament Victor;
Tournament Champion) in a Mailer or Face-to-Face Tournament. The TV/TC effectiveness
lasts six months. So, in a normal arena, the warrior who won the TV gets 12 or 13
turns of enhanced challenging. The most effective challenge, The Blood Feud, is
nearly, but not quite, 100 percent effective. A four turn BLOOD FEUD is awarded to
your TEAM (Any team member can use it each turn.) when an opposing warrior kills one
of yours. Blood feuds transcend classes. (E.g. a Challenger can BLOOD FEUD an Adept or
an Initiate can BLOOD FEUD a Challenger Champion, etc.) To use a TV or Blood Feud,
simply write BF or TV on the challenge line with the to be challenged warrior number
and circle it all for emphasis.
How does one choose whom to challenge and what to avoid? That's a good question
and like many decisions, the answers are more of an art than a technology. This is the
methodology used by The Consortium managers. It works well for them.
1. Always avoid two different teams
2. Actively seek to challenge twice. (If only one good choice is available, double
challenge.)
3. Challenge for these situations
a. A probable easy opponent
b. A warrior you have beaten before
c. To tie up a warrior you do not want to fight one of your fellow warriors, such
as your Duelmaster
d. To take advantage of a Blood Feud (4 rounds)
e. For a good style match up.
2. Avoid for these situations -- always
a. Emphasis on a team who is bloodfeuding you
b. Emphasis on a team who just beat your warrior
c. Emphasis on a team with warriors in range who are far more experienced or
skilled than you
d. Emphasis on a team you just cannot seem to beat.
e. Emphasis on teams with warriors whose styles are difficult for your style
Often there will be more warriors to challenge or more teams to avoid than the
strategy sheets allow. Choose wisely, but choose for sure. Most of the circumstances
are straightforward, and it is easy to select the challenges and avoids. However, in
many cases, especially those with little knowledge of nearby opponents, it will come
down to what style or type of warrior is best to challenge/avoid.
There are available charts "out there" which prioritize which styles have
advantages over other styles. Beware of them. The data is based on warriors over the
years and those managers who submitted data for those charts. The warning: today's
lunger is not yesterday's lunger, and my aimed blow is not your aimed blow, and
today's basher is not yesteryear's basher, and a tourney warrior is not necessarily an
arena warrior, etc, etc, etc. The Consortium offers their generic style considerations
for challenges and avoids: (This advice is for DM, but not necessarily for ADM.)
1. Fast offensives challenge AB, slower BA and SL, and known slower ST
2. Aimers challenge scummy/tanky warriors especially TPs
3. Scums challenge LU and softer hitting/smaller offensives
4. Scum hunters (need special strategy ) are good damage/endu LU, hard hitting BA,
critting or hard hitting ST, hard hitting SL with good endu, good PS
5. Consortium-style wastes challenge LU and softer hitting/smaller offensives
6. Lungers challenge AB, PR, PS
7. Rippers, if skilled, challenge ST, faster BA's
The Consortium always avoids and almost always challenges. (Did I make that
clear?)
One final note. The challenging will bring into play and discussion: What is an
appropriate challenge?" The "rules"/"D2 system" allow you to challenge anyone in your
class and the class just above you. Your class is defined, interestingly, as Inits,
Adepts, Champs, and Duelmaster. A "Challenger" Init is an Init for challenge wise
purposes. A "Challenger" Champ is a Champ for challenge wise purposes. Hence the
higher level challenger category can challenge the lower level "non challenger" class.
(Simply put, a Challenger Init can challenge an Init, a challenger Init, and an Adept.
An Adept can challenge Adepts or Challenger Adepts.) This system can allow/cause
challenges from very high experience and recognition point warriors to very low
recognition point and experience warriors. Some regular arenas foster the belief that
challenges may/should ONLY be parallel or up in recognition points. These are usually
Andorian arenas. The rules/system may allow otherwise, but the environment and the
beliefs of sportsmanship of Andorian types differ. This can cause some "discussion
altercations" or even bring the rest of the arena Managers "down" on you.
Challenges and avoids are there to be used to your advantage. Do so.
-- The Thin Man of My Diet Food (Consortium affiliated)
***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***
ASSUR'S STRIKER GUIDE
The striker is one of the core styles in the game. It is the easiest style to
succeed with and run. Design is important and while I am sure there are managers with
a more refined set of strategies than I have, I have more than enough experience with
them to give a set of basics to get anyone started. So perhaps this should be
considered a beginner & intermediate guide to the style.
The first thing to note is that strikers are pure offensives. I would not
recommend trying to do anything else with them. I'm sure there HAVE been successful
'tank' strikers (Lots of str, con, wil) and I've seen 'dodgy' strikers that dodge as
well as lungers. But I consider these the exceptions. I don't recommend messing with
anything but the pure offensive version. This is what they were made to do. And with
the right set of stats and physicals, you can wind them up and let them go and they
become quite pretty to your win/loss record.
First I will describe what I look for and recommend in physicals. Endurance and
damage are the only two items that matter. My 'minimums' are Normal Endurance/ Normal
Damage, Poor Endurance/Good Damage, and Very Little Endurance/Great Damage. I don't
run anything below those levels any more (and sometimes not even the ones that roll up
with those levels). I (and others) have succeeded with less, but I stand by my
recommendations. There are managers whose standards are higher than mine, also.
Next are skills & stats. Note that the only skills that 'really' matter for a
pure offensive are attack, initiative, and decisiveness. The other skills don't hurt
you, but don't design or really care about them. For decise, I recommend staying in
the 8+ range. 10+ is a lot better, but I'd be willing to go down to 8 on a striker. (That translates to something like 15 wit/9 will/10 speed as a bare minimum) Attack is
trickier. I've seen too much variation in strikers to give a 'minimum' value. 6+ is a
guideline, but more is way better. The tricky part is how many good strikers I've
seen that started with less (even far less). I wouldn't worry as much about attack,
but realize that it is a core stat. I (and most other managers) don't design around
initiative. Following good practices on the rest of the stats should be fine. For
stats, I recommend the following minimums:
STR: 9+ (Add points here, especially for low size strikers)
CON: any
SIZ: any
WIT: 11+ (Add lots of points here if you can)
WIL: 9 (breakpoints at 9, 15, 17, and 21)
SPD: (depends on wit/will, prefer even)
DFT: 11 (11 is perfect)
Feel free to experiment with one of the numbers lower than my minimums. 3 str Dagger
strikers work fine. The minimums work well though. They give a weapon, physical, and
skill configuration that is nice. (SS/SC available, breakpoints on attack skills).
While I say 'any' for CON & SIZ, I'd prefer con on the low side. I want my points
going to skills or damage first.
Weapons: For speed, SS, HA, and QS are the typical choices. For damage, SC, BS,
and BA. LO is another core weapon with great all around strengths.
Armor: ALE/L max! Ok, you can go higher. But why?!? You're trying to win as a
pure offensive. N/N if you don't care about death. ALE/L if you do. That is my
motto on pure offensives.
Strategy: 10-10-x (modify with tactics as desired). Feel free to experiment in
later minutes and desperation. I do recommend lowering numbers as the fight
progresses, but you're going to win or lose in 1 minute anyways, so it doesn't matter
(much/usually).
Examples: These are strikers that I've currently got ready to prep for their next
tournament or I'm running right now. I mostly only run strikers in tourneys, so my
strikers tend to look similar. The Consortium runs lots of strikers here in DM 93 and
I'll point you to his design articles for strikers that don't have 21 wit. 21-4-7-21-
9-11-11, 9-9-16-21-10-8-11, 9-3-16-17-17-9-13, 17-5-10-21-10-10-11, 11-13-5-21-9-14-
11, 15-3-11-21-9-14-11, 17-4-10-21-9-10-13, 9-9-12-21-10-12-11.
Advantages/Strengths: Strikers learn decise & attack, can use all the good
weapons, and conserve endurance. What is not to love?!? Can run very well on a
single strategy and can beat every style. Lots of design flexibility.
Disadvantages: They cannot be bonused in attack and they can use all the weapons
(meaning your favorite is probably a bad/mediocre weapon). They are a low attack
style. They do not have much flexibility in ways to run/win and so some consider them
less fun.
Best Matchups: Bashers, Slashers, Parry Lungers, and Aimed Blows.
Worst Matchups: Parry Ripostes and Walls of Steel.
SPY REPORT
It's me, The Unknown Spymaster, back to give you this week's Spy Report. Sit
back in your seats and we'll have more fun than a barrel of Zontanis. Say good-bye
to SILENT GENERATION, as they are pushed from the coveted top team spot by the MOUSE
HOUSE stable. Call it luck at the right time or bribes in the right hands, but the
new team MY DIET FOOD scored a 4-1-0 record this week. Hey everybody, watch out for
TUESDAY, who flew up 17 points in the rankings after mashing PORK BUTT like a melon.
Keep your eye on this gal. And falling like a basher in the top ten was NOT NOW, who
dropped 13 points after a disappointing (to say the least) bout with MAISEY MOUSE.
In front of all the crowds, TUESDAY took the Duelmaster's crown for hers own. I give
the bum two weeks. Advice to bashers--never force anything, just get a bigger
halberd!
But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle!
Well dang howdy, but if challenges were votes, WHAT? would be president. Although it
may be a contest it doesn't want to win. Well, it looks like MUD PIE wasn't happy
with last turn's rank, so she went for broke by challenging up 26 points. No guts,
no glory. I don't know about you, but when I saw MUD PIE step out on the sands with
SALMON, I though it was over before it started. Good upset MUD PIE! In a touching
display by a 'touched' warrior, CREAM PUFF went after MICKEY MOUSE, who was higher by
25 points. Well, when the dust settled, CREAM PUFF lost to MICKEY MOUSE.
Death is kind of like a new puppy: he's always around wanting to play. (Ha
Zontani, how's that for a wise saying?). We might as well mark the passing of PORK
BUTT, who was relatively new to the arena at 3-1-1. Probably killed before his first
shave. In the 'Oops, What Have I Done?' category, WHAT? was mashed by PROFITEROLE,
who let WHAT? know that killing members of SIMPLY DESSERTS is a no-no. Remember:
alliances are great, but try and take your ally in the arena with you and see what
happens.
I think I had better cut this one short. It's been nice chatting to those of
you whom I have not offended yet. C'mon, Leadfoot, let's make some tracks. Hasta la
bye-bye. (Loud choruses of 'Beat it, ya bum!')-- The Unknown Spymaster
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TUESDAY 11058 3 1 1 57 FIVE DAYS (1887)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MINI MOUSE 11015 3 1 0 42 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
GET OUT 11006 3 1 0 38 SAY WHAT (1880)
MICKEY MOUSE 11019 3 1 0 34 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BRISKET 11027 2 2 0 33 HUNGER GAMES (1882)
MAISEY MOUSE 11020 1 3 0 33 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
RE-HOUSED MOUSE 11016 3 1 0 31 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
TEXAS TWINKIE 11024 3 1 1 30 HUNGER GAMES (1882)
MUD PIE 11087 2 1 0 28 SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893)
PROFITEROLE 11085 2 1 0 25 SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893)
HOFFA!!! 11008 3 1 0 24 SAY WHAT (1880)
SALMON 11022 2 2 0 24 HUNGER GAMES (1882)
NO 11011 1 3 0 24 SAY WHAT (1880)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MIGHTY MOUSE 11014 3 1 0 22 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
FRIDAY 11055 0 4 0 22 FIVE DAYS (1887)
WHAT? 11007 1 3 1 15 SAY WHAT (1880)
NOT NOW 11120 2 1 1 14 SAY WHAT (1880)
CANNOLI 11086 2 1 0 14 SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893)
DIET MT. DEW 11126 1 0 0 14 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
SALAD 11125 1 0 0 12 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
-CHUPACAPYBARA 11105 1 0 0 11 AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)
HARD BOILED EGG 11128 1 0 0 11 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
BAD COACH 11117 2 0 0 10 BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
CREAM PUFF 11089 1 2 1 6 SIMPLY DESSERTS (1893)
TOO COLD 11118 1 1 0 6 BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
CHICKEN SAUSAGE 11127 1 0 0 6 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
KLAKATTAX 11104 1 2 0 5 LUCKY RABBITS (1896)
SNACK DUTY 11115 1 1 0 4 BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
-KEBAB ROSS 11108 1 0 0 4 AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)
WINDY 11116 1 1 0 4 BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
COMPETITIVE DAD 11119 0 2 0 2 BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
POTATO 11124 0 1 0 1 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
-PIGSQUATCH 11109 0 1 0 1 AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)
HARRY HARENGON 11123 0 1 0 1 LUCKY RABBITS (1896)
-THUMBER 11101 0 1 0 1 LUCKY RABBITS (1896)
-WOLMA 11100 0 1 0 1 LUCKY RABBITS (1896)
-SIGMUND 10929 0 1 0 1 PLASTIC BOYS (1866)
-SNOZZ 11102 0 1 0 1 LUCKY RABBITS (1896)
-PIGTOOTH 11107 0 1 0 1 AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)
-PIGBAG 11106 0 1 0 1 AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
THIRSTY THURSDA 11053 0 1 0 FIVE DAYS 1887 TEXAS TWINKIE 11024 631
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
PORK BUTT 11023 3 1 1 HUNGER GAMES 1882 TUESDAY 11058 634
DAWNA MORNING 11103 0 1 0 LUCKY RABBITS 1896 CREAM PUFF 11089 632
NO! REALLY! 11009 0 1 0 SAY WHAT 1880 PORK BUTT 11023 631
MACAROON 11088 0 2 0 SIMPLY DESSERTS 1893 WHAT? 11007 633 JUST REVENGED
PIECE OF CREPE 11129 0 1 0 SIMPLY DESSERTS 1893 BLACK ORC 634 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
We are here. A salute to everyone. Welcome my guys: Salad, Potato, Chicken Sausage,
Hard Boiled Egg, and Diet Mt. Dew. -- The Thin Man (My Diet Food)
Assur, what a nice thing to say about The Consortium and bashers. You are a much nicer
guy than he led me to believe. -- The Thin Man
All -- Short and sweet, dipped in icing, is the life of a... -- Macaroon
Salmon -- I enjoyed the repeated clank of my sword. I might consider music as my next
career. -- Profierole
Pigbag -- War Flail is largely considered a poor weapon. Given your strength, you
should be using a SC (and hoping you have the other requirements for that weapon). --
Assur
Klakattax -- I assume you saw that you were using no weapons. -- Assur
P.S. Parry Ripostes are one of the tougher styles to play. Making big ones is not
helping at all! While I think they need good damage, I also want them smaller. The
biggest one I've made recently is 13, but most of the ones I make are size 11 and
smaller.
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
PIECE OF CREPE was butchered by BLACK ORC in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
PROFITEROLE vanquished WHAT? in a 1 minute uneven Bloodfeud battle.
MUD PIE demolished SALMON in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
CREAM PUFF was devastated by MICKEY MOUSE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge contest.
TEXAS TWINKIE was savagely defeated by MINI MOUSE in a 1 minute bloody match.
TUESDAY butchered PORK BUTT in a 1 minute bloody one-sided Title duel.
NOT NOW was overpowered by MAISEY MOUSE in a popular 1 minute mismatched brawl.
GET OUT handily defeated FRIDAY in a 1 minute uneven melee.
MIGHTY MOUSE lost to BRISKET in a 1 minute duel.
RE-HOUSED MOUSE defeated NO in a 1 minute duel.
HOFFA!!! unbelievably bested WINDY in a dull 16 minute veteran vs. novice fight.
KLAKATTAX was overpowered by CANNOLI in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
SNACK DUTY was subdued by SALAD in a 3 minute amateur's competition.
BAD COACH bested POTATO in a 2 minute novice's battle.
TOO COLD was unbelievably bested by DIET MT. DEW in a 4 minute amateur's bout.
COMPETITIVE DAD lost to CHICKEN SAUSAGE in a 1 minute amateur's bout.
HARD BOILED EGG vanquished HARRY HARENGON in a 1 minute one-sided fray.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 9 TOTAL PARRY 15 - 8 - 0 65 |
|BASHING ATTACK 5 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 3 - 0 63 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 4 BASHING ATTACK 17 - 12 - 1 59 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 LUNGING ATTACK 17 - 12 - 1 59 |
|WALL OF STEEL 3 STRIKING ATTACK 18 - 13 - 2 58 |
|AIMED BLOW 3 SLASHING ATTACK 11 - 12 - 1 48 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 7 - 1 46 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 5 - 0 44 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 AIMED BLOW 11 - 16 - 1 41 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 5 - 0 38 |
Turn 634 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:
TOTAL PARRY 2 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 4 - 5 3 STRIKING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 4 - 1 AIMED BLOW 1 - 2 2 SLASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 3 2 LUNGING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 2 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW
PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 1 BASHING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 3 1 PARRY-LUNGE
1 TOTAL PARRY
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK TUESDAY 11058 3 1 1 57 FIVE DAYS (1887)
LUNGING ATTACK MINI MOUSE 11015 3 1 0 42 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
SLASHING ATTACK GET OUT 11006 3 1 0 38 SAY WHAT (1880)
BASHING ATTACK MICKEY MOUSE 11019 3 1 0 34 MOUSE HOUSE (1881)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is MINI MOUSE 11015. The most popular warrior this
turn was TOO COLD 11118. The ten other most popular fighters were SNACK DUTY 11115,
MINI MOUSE 11015, MAISEY MOUSE 11020, RE-HOUSED MOUSE 11016, SALAD 11125, BAD COACH
11117, POTATO 11124, HARD BOILED EGG 11128, PROFITEROLE 11085, and MUD PIE 11087.
The least popular fighter this week was HOFFA!!! 11008. The other ten least popular
fighters were WINDY 11116, HARRY HARENGON 11123, KLAKATTAX 11104, NO 11011, MIGHTY
MOUSE 11014, FRIDAY 11055, TEXAS TWINKIE 11024, CREAM PUFF 11089, SALMON 11022, and
WHAT? 11007.