DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 08/25/2023    Duedate: 09/07/2023

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM 93    TURN 642

This Week's Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

CHICKEN SAUSAGE
MY DIET FOOD (1900)
(93-11127) [7-2-1,62]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              CHICKEN SAUSAGE
                               MY DIET FOOD (1900)
                               (93-11127) [7-2-1,62]

Popularity Leader              This Week's Favorite

SALAD                          BJORN
MY DIET FOOD (1900)            THE NORSE (1864)
(93-11125) [6-3-0,31]          (93-10920) [1-1-0,5]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

THE NORSE (1864)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. THE NORSE (1864)              30 
2. UBER ACES (1903)              21    THE MUPPETS (132)
3. MY DIET FOOD (1900)           16    Unchartered Team
4. BASH BROS TBALL (1899)        12 
                                       THE NORSE (1864)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1*THE NORSE (1864)           8   2  0 80.0   1/ 4*THE NORSE (1864)          8  2 0
 2/ 2*MY DIET FOOD (1900)       27  16  1 62.8   2/ 2*MY DIET FOOD (1900)       8  6 0
 3/ 4*BASH BROS TBALL (1899)    25  17  0 59.5   3- 3*BANGERS & MASH (1901)     6  4 0
 4- 5*BANGERS & MASH (1901)     16  14  1 53.3   4/ 5*BASH BROS TBALL (1899)    5  2 0
 5- 6*AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    10  20  0 33.3   5/ 0*UBER ACES (1903)          3  7 0
 6- 7*PLASTIC BOYS (1866)        1   2  0 33.3   6- 7*PLASTIC BOYS (1866)       1  0 0
 7/ 0*UBER ACES (1903)           3   7  0 30.0   7- 6*AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    1  4 0

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

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

                          NOBLISH ISLE GRADUATION FINAL EXAM

                               25 True/False Questions
                                 90% = Passing Grade
                        Special Assist = All answers Are FALSE

 1. D2 is all work and no play or fun.
 2. You may bloodfeud only once.
 3. The WF (war flail aka whiffle) is probably the best weapon available.
 4. Scum warriors are not allowed.
 5. A warrior's hit points are only determined by CON.
 6. One must challenge warriors by name only on the strategy sheet.
 7. D2 is only for those under age 30.
 8. A warrior must be a designed godling to enter into tournaments.
 9. All warriors are born with the same amount of stats and skills.
10. One cannot use a weapon unsuited to the warrior's style.
11. A manager may have only one team in D2.
12. Parry riposte (rippers), parry lungers (plungers) and parry strikers (pikers) are 
    the easiest styles to run.
13. Endurance plays no factor in D2.
14. 10-10-10 is the best strategy.
15. There are four skill and eight stat types.
16. When a warrior dies, your team is reduced by one.
17. One secret strategy works best for each style of warrior.
18. All Face-To-Face Tournaments are held near the fancy office headquarters in Tempe, 
    AZ.
19. The arena Duelmaster may challenge any other warrior in the arena.
20. Female warriors are better fighters than male or neutral warriors.
21. A warrior must wear armor.
22. In general old-time managers in the game dislike each other and seldom 
    communicate.
23. There are no luck factors in the game.
24. The RSI Customer Service people are mean and uncaring people.
25. It is impossible for a warrior to have an expert on its initial design roll.

NOTE: Certain of these questions are discussed thoroughly in Noblish Island 
Newsletters. So tune in!

      -- Brought to you by The Thin Man of My Diet Food  (A Consortium representative)

***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***

                                    What is Knack?

If you stick around Duel2, you will eventually hear about a concept called 'Knack.'  
It is also sometimes called a warrior's Luck Factor or Hidden Stats.  Nobody 
completely understands what it is, but most managers agree that it exists.

First, understand that while Knack exists, there are many other items that contribute 
to a warrior's record.  Sometimes you may think you have a knacky warrior, but you 
eventually figure out that it is something else that makes your warrior win.  This can 
include favorites (every warrior has a set of favorites which they get bonuses when 
using), raw skills, favorable matchups as well as just plain old good design and 
management.

But sometimes, you'll run across a warrior that fights above and beyond (or below and 
before) their abilities.  I will talk mostly about the positive side of knack, but the 
negative side also exists.  Warriors with knack will just plain find ways to win.  
There is really nothing fancy about it.  It doesn't mean they can't lose, but it does 
mean they win fights they shouldn't.

Perhaps the best example of a Knacky warrior is a famous warrior named Daydream 
Believer.  This PR started 17-14-4-17-7-8-17.  Now understand that this is a solid 
design for a Parry Riposte.  In addition, the warrior rolled +4 in both attack and 
parry.  Finally, Mannequin, the manager, found DDB's favorites from fight #1.  All of 
that together and you'd expect some major success from DDB.  On the other side of 
things, 7 will...  I (and many other managers) would fully expect to lose many a fight 
because of that 7 will. Well, DDB surpassed all expectations and TC'd Rookies, Adepts, 
Champions, and Challengers.  DDB is the only naturally born warrior to TC 4 different 
classes.  People have copied DDB's stats many times since then and to the best of my 
knowledge have never seen more than a single TC from those stats.  Even with all the 
positives DDB had, you shouldn't see 4 TC's from this warrior. But DDB has that 
magical knack (in addition to everything else) and been cloned many times.  While many 
of the clones have died one or more times, they have also generated something like 7 
or 8 additional TC's.

This article is mostly to be aware that there is a 'knack' factor to warriors.  Just 
because a warrior looks horrible on paper doesn't mean it can't win.  And sometimes, 
you may have a warrior that looks fantastic on paper, but can't win.  It is possible 
that warrior has 'inverse knack' and really is worse than it should be.  Or it could 
just be that you've had bad luck or really bad matchups.

                                      SPY REPORT

     Greetings, warriors of NOBLISH ISLAND!  Once again I've been called out of 
retirement for my abilities and insights into Spyreporting.  Woof!  SIMPLY DESSERTS 
were a bunch of dogs after THE NORSE got through with 'em!  1521st ain't so sweet as 
1st!  Ya gotta be quick on yer feet!  Keep your elbow off the table!  Thrust!  Block 
out the pain!  THE NORSE is now ranked 1st with a 3-2-0 turn.  Some people say I 
ramble too much, I don't say anything relevant.  I repeat myself.  I ramble.  Well 
BASH BROS TBALL moved up 1, to 4th.  What's with BIG LUG?  He actually beat NOBLISH 
ISLAND's EMBEZZLING SCRIBE, and walked away with 20 more points from the fight.  
Major screwup at UBER ACES.  ASSURS HONOR lost 9 points to ERIK.  Some new 
strategies, perhaps?  Maybe ASSURS HONOR will provide more easy wins...  I'm sure 
NOBLISH ISLAND is excited about CHICKEN SAUSAGE, the new Duelmaster from MY DIET 
FOOD.  (remember?)  But when you've seen as many as I have...  I suppose you want to 
hear some rumors and dirty gossip about your fellow fighters?  Tough!   
     Speaking of cowardly avoiders and unfair challenges...  How well I know the 
feeling of being in the most avoided team!  Don't fall out of practive, BANGERS & 
MASH!  In my day, no team with a 16-14-1 would scare me off!  What's the problem, MY 
DIET FOOD?  What do people see in TOO COLD?  His 4-5-0?  BASH BROS TBALL ain't 
talkin', but he's got 17 points.   
     Warriors of NOBLISH ISLAND unite.  You have only your games to lose!  Here's 
some advice:  study your opponent, master many skills, fight dirty.   
     Who knows what the future holds for a warrior.  More fights, there's no doubt.  
Are you as tired of reading this as I am of writing it?  Actually, I guess I'm 
writing it before you read it.  Oh, well.  I don't want to overstay my welcome...-- 
Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CHICKEN SAUSAGE 11127         7   2  1  62         MY DIET FOOD (1900)       

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SNACK DUTY 11115              7   2  0  55         BASH BROS TBALL (1899)    
-PORKY 11134                   5   1  0  39         BANGERS & MASH (1901)     

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-EYE SCREAM 11130              5   1  0  33         BANGERS & MASH (1901)     
 SALAD 11125                   6   3  0  31         MY DIET FOOD (1900)       
 POTATO 11124                  4   5  0  26         MY DIET FOOD (1900)       
-WALTER 11131                  2   4  0  25         BANGERS & MASH (1901)     

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 DIET MT. DEW 11126            6   3  0  22         MY DIET FOOD (1900)       
 ERIK 10917                    2   0  0  21         THE NORSE (1864)          
 BIG LUG 11146                 1   1  0  21         UBER ACES (1903)          
-PIGSQUATCH 11109              3   3  0  20         AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    
 TOO COLD 11118                4   5  0  17         BASH BROS TBALL (1899)    

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GORM 10919                    2   0  0  17         THE NORSE (1864)          
 HARD BOILED EGG 11128         4   3  0  15         MY DIET FOOD (1900)       
-CHUPACAPYBARA 11105           4   2  0  15         AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    
 BORED KIDS 11137              3   1  0  14         BASH BROS TBALL (1899)    
-SIGMUND 10929                 1   2  0  14         PLASTIC BOYS (1866)       
-GIBRALTER 11132               2   4  1  11         BANGERS & MASH (1901)     
-PIGBAG 11106                  2   4  0  11         AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    
 ASMUND 10918                  2   0  0  10         THE NORSE (1864)          
-XENA 11133                    2   4  0  10         BANGERS & MASH (1901)     
 SKARDE 10921                  1   1  0  10         THE NORSE (1864)          
 DAME JEDI 11147               1   1  0   9         UBER ACES (1903)          
-KEBAB ROSS 11108              1   5  0   8         AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    
 NO COACH 11154                1   0  0   7         BASH BROS TBALL (1899)    
-PIGTOOTH 11107                0   6  0   6         AGONY OF D'FEET (1897)    
 BJORN 10920                   1   1  0   5         THE NORSE (1864)          
 ASSURS HONOR 11145            1   1  0   4         UBER ACES (1903)          
 PROTON 11144                  0   2  0   2         UBER ACES (1903)          
 ZULUNI 11143                  0   2  0   2         UBER ACES (1903)          

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
WINDY 11116             4  3 0 BASH BROS TBALL 1899 CHICKEN SAUSAGE 11127 639   

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Zuluni -- Nice fight! So close, so close! -- Bjorn

Dame Jedi -- May the Force be with you. -- Asmund

About Newsletter 93 -- Is there a website out there listing all the articles published 
in Noblish Island?

     No, but the newsletters are archived on the website. Click on Old Newsletters. 

Greetings, Managers. My goal is to run all of my warriors every turn, yet the mail-in 
gods say otherwise. It took about 12 days for my turn to arrive from RSI to my abode. 
So it looks like I may miss a turn every now and then, my apologies to anyone wishing 
to challenge. -- Agnar the Red

Congrats and good-bye to Duelmaster Profiterole and his Simply Dessert team. Good luck 
elsewhere in D2. -- The Thin Man

Cannoli, I was hungry. -- Chicken Sausage

Walter, you no like salads? (crying real tears) -- Salad

Who wouldn't let me fight? Eh? -- Hard Boiled Egg

Xena, maybe YOU need to go on a diet? -- Diet Mt. Dew

Mud Pie, you left an awful taste in my mouth. -- Potato

Assur, let's fight! -- The Thin Man

Plastic Boys and Uber Aces -- WELCOME. -- The Thin Man (My Diet Food)

Health. Humility. Honor. -- The Thin Man (stating The Consortium motto)

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

GORM bested HARD BOILED EGG in a crowd pleasing 1 minute Challenge fight.
SKARDE lost to DIET MT. DEW in a 6 minute Challenge battle.
CHICKEN SAUSAGE handily defeated FRATSFA SLAVE in a 1 minute one-sided Title match.
SNACK DUTY vanquished POTATO in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
SALAD overpowered TOO COLD in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
BJORN was bested by BORED KIDS in a popular 5 minute bloody beginner's brawl.
ASMUND beat ZULUNI in a 1 minute gory amateur's brawl.
ERIK handily defeated ASSURS HONOR in a 1 minute uneven melee.
DAME JEDI won victory over MORDANT DESERTER in a action packed 1 minute novice's duel.
PROTON lost to NO COACH in a 2 minute novice's fight.
BIG LUG overpowered EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute one-sided melee.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK                   5         SLASHING ATTACK   21 -   9 -  2      70  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  4         AIMED BLOW        19 -  14 -  1      58  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   3         TOTAL PARRY       16 -  13 -  0      55  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      2         BASHING ATTACK    25 -  21 -  2      54  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         LUNGING ATTACK    45 -  40 -  2      53  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         PARRY-STRIKE       1 -   1 -  0      50  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    1         WALL OF STEEL     17 -  17 -  0      50  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         STRIKING ATTACK   24 -  27 -  1      47  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  1         PARRY-LUNGE        3 -   5 -  0      38  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    0         PARRY-RIPOSTE      5 -  12 -  0      29  |

Turn 642 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:

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

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
BASHING ATTACK   CHICKEN SAUSAGE 11127       7   2  1   62 MY DIET FOOD (1900)
STRIKING ATTACK  SNACK DUTY 11115            7   2  0   55 BASH BROS TBALL (1899)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is SALAD 11125.  The most popular warrior this turn was 
BJORN 10920.  The ten other most popular fighters were SKARDE 10921, GORM 10919, DAME 
JEDI 11147, NO COACH 11154, SALAD 11125, PROTON 11144, CHICKEN SAUSAGE 11127, SNACK 
DUTY 11115, ASMUND 10918, and ERIK 10917.

The least popular fighter this week was DIET MT. DEW 11126.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were ASSURS HONOR 11145, ZULUNI 11143, BORED KIDS 11137, TOO COLD 
11118, POTATO 11124, HARD BOILED EGG 11128, BIG LUG 11146, ERIK 10917, ASMUND 10918, 
and SNACK DUTY 11115.