Dueling Zone News

(The number that precedes the team name is their previous ranking)

1) (1) CHAE DYNASTY (4-1) The Chaes retained their top spot by winning three duels over Warrior Force. Jenny is having a great season, staying undefeated after her Iron Fist win. Kenny also came out on top, and Morgan got an admirable substitute victory over Andu. The Bye week is coming up for the Chaes.

2) (3) REAL RHYDIN (3-1) A big win over Team Fist puts Real RhyDin at second in our rankings. Tahlia gets another huge Iron Fist victory, this time against former Kiowa Belt winner, Darik. Jewell and Eden contribute victories as well. Week Six sees them facing unlikely powerhouse Great of Strength in what is probably the matchup of the week.

3) (4) GREAT OF STRENGTH (3-1) Rebounding from a hard loss against Chae Dynasty, Great of Strength squeak out another victory against Deathcake. Bile takes the Iron Fist, and a clutch performance in the Anchor by Melanie puts them in the win column again. That victory puts them in the driver's seat for a playoff appearance. We'll see if their luck will continue against a strong Real RhyDin team.

4) (2) TEAM FIST (2-2) Team Fist drops three of four individual duels to Real RhyDin. Only Blondie came up with a win against Hope in the Push. With two weeks to go, Team Fist still has a chance at the playoffs, but they're going to need a win against Team Dirty coming up, seeing as how they'll be against Chae Dynasty in the final week.

5) (5) DEATHCAKE (2-3) Deathcake falls to Great of Strength by a point in a battle that had playoff implications. Canaan and Sal both got wins, but they unfortunately came up short. Still, with Team Fist's loss, they might have a shot. A win against Warrior Force next week in their final matchup of the season would help their case.

6) (6) TEAM DIRTY (1-3) Bye week for Team Dirty. Dizzy killed bugs good. Kruger did his pose for random people on the street. I bet Cooper's workout routine was a bear. Ha! I kill me.

7) (7) WARRIOR FORCE (0-4) Another tough break for Warrior Force this week as they lost to the powerful Chae Dynasty. Rachael got a Crutch match win against Duci. Deathcake is on the horizon, we'll see if Tex can take a shot at MVP when he squares off against Canaan in the Push match.

TEAMS ON THE RISE: Real RhyDin (2 from 3) Great of Strength (3 from 4)

OVERALL: Tons of important matches are coming up in Week Six. Great of Strength vs. Real RhyDin is the most obvious, but the other teams will be fighting for their playoff lives. Team Fist vs. Team Dirty will be significant for both teams as well. The final weeks are here, so keep watching and supporting your favorite teams and duelers!

Later.

Up first is the legblock. So far this season, only 1 legblock has been attempted, with Eden being our brave soul. It resulted in a null round. Clearly, people shy away from this move because legs normally don't go high enough to block someone's fist. I don't see too many more being attempted. In fact, if I see two more in these final weeks, I'll be shocked. I'd consider it a miracle if one actually worked.

Next, we take a look at the hook, that wide swinging haymaker that can put someone's lights out. The problem with it is, it takes a long windup, and it's wide arc slows it down enough so that many fighters can get out of the way, or counter with something faster. This season, only two hooks have been attempted, (I'm looking at you, Andu) with neither connected. I blame this on the fact that it's a telegraphed blow, and people know enough to not be on the receiving end of one.

Moving on our list, we get to that infamous destroyer of jaws, and if the opponent is hanging in the air, family jewels- the uppercut. We have had four attempted in the first four weeks, and every single one has missed its mark. I'm not surprised that it's only being used an average of once a week. What has been surprising is that I would expect that at least one would have connected. I'm not sure if this is just bad luck, or if fighters are getting a little crazy about when they attempt it. Probably the latter. Still, I'm hoping that one of these connects because it always makes for highlight reel footage.

In a pleasant surprise, the spinkick has been attempted seven times so far, with an amazing 4 of them scoring a point. In fact, due to this move connecting over 50% of the time, is it even really risky if used judiciously? The sight of a leg whipping around and catching an unsuspecting opponent can often swing the tide in a fighter's favor, leaving the opponent unaware as to what to expect next. My hope is that this continues to happen, within reason, and that a camera gets a good shot of foot meeting face.

Last, we come to the feint, that skillful art of faking your opponent out of their britches into another attack. Timing is everything with the feint. Do it right, and you look like a genius. Do it wrong, and your failure to commit to the original blow will cost you. Through the first four weeks, a whopping 33 feints have been attempted, averaging out to almost 1 per bout. But, it seems that the difficulty involved in this has eluded most fighters, as only 8 have worked out in a fighter's favor. 13 times, the opponent scored. 12 times there was a null round, with many of them being where a fighter missed on the point because they didn't follow through. That's less than a 25% success rate. I think people will start following through more when they realize the points they're leaving in the ring. Until then, stay risky Rhydin!

(The number that precedes the team name is their previous ranking)

1) (4) CHAE DYNASTY (3-1) A four duel sweep by the Chaes propel them into the top spot in this week's rankings. Charlie dealt Xanth a stunning loss in the Iron Fist, Jenny and Kenny both won, and check out Duci with the big win over Anubis! If the Chaes keep dueling like this, why shouldn't they wind up in first place at the end of the season? Warrior Force is coming up in Week 5.

2) (2) TEAM FIST (2-1) Team Fist had the bye week. Koy wore something fabulous. Blondie squinted at people and smoked a cigar. Matt reminded people how old he is. You catch my drift.

3) (3) REAL RHYDIN (2-1) Real squeaked past Warrior Force by two points to take their second straight victory. Kheldar got the Iron Fist win, and Hope defeated Xerzes. Things seem to be clicking for them now, and they'll need that, because their next opponent will be Team Fist.

4) (1) GREAT OF STRENGTH (2-1) Losing all four duels to Chae Dynasty brought Great of Strength back to reality and down to number four in our rankings. Xanth loses in the Iron Fist after five straight wins in that position. Still, with two victories at the halfway point, they are still in the playoff hunt. They may be able to rebound with Deathcake on tap for next week.

5) (5) DEATHCAKE (2-2) Winning three out of four, Deathcake took the win over Team Dirty. Sal's five round victory over Terry set the pace, while Rekah and Cassius won the Crutch and Anchor respectively. Deathcake has just as good of a shot at the playoffs as any team ranked above them. Great of Strength is their Week 5 opponent.

6) (6) TEAM DIRTY (1-3) Another tough loss as Dirty fell to Deathcake. Claire continued her MVP pace with her fourth victory over Canaan. The bright spot is they've won eight out of sixteen of their duels, so it may just be bad luck on their part. They'll get a bye week next to relax and regroup.

7) (7) WARRIOR FORCE (0-3) Warrior Force got close, but ultimately lose to Real RhyDin. Tex gets his third win of the year with a dominating win over Eden. Rachael adds a victory by beating Kate in the Anchor. Things look grim with Chae Dynasty arriving next, so I don't see them getting their first win of the season just yet.

TEAMS ON THE RISE: Chae Dynasty (1 from 4)

OVERALL: Real RhyDin vs. Team Fist should be an entertaining matchup this week. We'll see if Deathcake can vault into the top half of the rankings when they go up against Great of Strength. Plenty of fists will be flying as we enter the last half of the season, so keep rooting for your favorite IFL team!

Later.