Afk arena best mages

I'm not sure what to do, I've looked everywhere. Any help would be appreciated.
Oblivion.esm
Cobl Main.esm
Av Latta Magicka.esm
CustomSpellIcons - OBME.esm
Jog_X_Mod.esm
SettlementsOfCyrodiil.esm
Oblivifall Master File.esm
Better Cities Resources.esm
CM Partners.esm
Cobl Glue.esp
Unofficial Oblivion Patch.esp
UOP Vampire Aging & Face Fix.esp
DLCShiveringIsles.esp
Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.esp
Cobl Si.esp
Better Cities .esp
DLCHorseArmor.esp
DLCHorseArmor - Unofficial Patch.esp
DLCOrrery.esp
DLCOrrery - Unofficial Patch.esp
DLCVileLair.esp
DLCVileLair - Unofficial Patch.esp
DLCMehrunesRazor.esp
DLCMehrunesRazor - Unofficial Patch.esp
DLCSpellTomes.esp
DLCThievesDen.esp
DLCThievesDen - Unofficial Patch.esp
DLCThievesDen - Unofficial Patch - SSSB.esp
DLCBattlehornCastle.esp
DLCBattlehornCastle - Unofficial Patch.esp
DLCFrostcrag.esp
DLCFrostcrag - Unofficial Patch.esp
Knights.esp
Knights - Unofficial Patch.esp
Knights Infamy.esp
SM Plugin Refurbish Lite.esp
SM Plugin Refurbish Lite OBSE.esp
Better Dungeons.esp
ReclaimSancreTor.esp
The Mystery of the Dulan cult.esp
Oblivion Uncut.esp
Legion-occupied Forts.esp
Oblivifall - Losing My Religion.esp
HoarfrostCastle.esp
Oblivion_Character_Overhaul.esp
BOO Standard Overhaul.esp
MTCExpandedVillages.esp
Hunting and Wildlife Expansion.esp
Actually Valuable Valuables.esp
Mixxa77 - Allied Oblivion Gate Patrols.esp
BetterLegendaryItems.esp
BetterSaves.esp
Birthsigns for NPCs.esp
BlackScreenSneakFix.esp
BookTrackerUpdatedv1.1.esp
Creature Diversity.esp
Death Notifications.esp
Detect Item.esp
Display Stats.esp
Dungeon Actors Have Torches 1.6 CT.esp
Dungeon Actors Have Torches 1.6 DT.esp
Dynamic Oblivion Combat.esp
Enhanced Hotkeys.esp
Extended UI.esp
GMArcheryRebalance.esp
book_stat_hacks.esp
GOSH.esp
AoG - Greed Vision.esp
Idle Dialogue.esp
Ultimate Leveling.esp
The Lost Spires.esp
More Magical Mages Guilds Clean.esp
Kvatch Rebuilt.esp
SMO.esp
DKSpellEffectiveness0Min.esp
lSinderion's Serendipity.esp
Relevant Scrolls & Potions & Staves.esp
MigLockpicking.esp
Practical Training.esp
More Effective Enchantments.esp
Necromancer Battlemages.esp
LINK.esp
LootMenu.esp
Lootable Merchant Chests.esp
ScriptEffectSubduer.esp
More Magical Arcane University.esp
TalosBridgeGateHouse.esp
Region Revive - Lake Rumare.esp
AFK_Weye.esp
AFKWeye_MTC_RRLRumarePatch.esp
Adventurers Guild.esp
00RBScribeSupplies Intensive.esp
Sutch Village.esp
Oranstad.esp
Vampire Hunting - Order of the Virtuous Blood.esp
Oblivifall - Losing My Religion KOTN.esp
MTCThievesGrottoV4.1.esp
BHC_Expanded.esp
Faregyl.esp
Cats & Rats.esp
Travelers of Cyrodiil.esp
WhiteRoseFarm.esp
The Ayleid Steps.esp
Mages Guild Quests.esp
SilverfishFalls.esp
ClearwaterFarms.esp
MannimarcoRevisited.esp
DialogTweaks.esp
RandomRoadEncounters.esp
Falanu's Love.esp
GOSH Region Ambiance.esp
mythsandlegends.esp
Ayleid Artifacts.esp
Bibliophilia.esp
Vanilla Staff Replacer.esp
Buff Daedric Artifacts.esp
Faction Relations.esp
Hooded Outlaws.esp
vermillionandsilverthorn.esp
300_White Stallion 4.esp
VaultsofCyrodiil.esp
Fighters Guild Quests.esp
LegionOutposts.esp
LandmarksOfCyrodiil.esp
Servant of the Dawn.esp
Better Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.esp
SOC-RegionalFarms.esp
Bounty Quests.esp
00SnowyRoadToBruma.esp
Salmo the Baker, Cobl.esp
ShadowfangKeep.esp
CRTRenewed.esp
Dungeons of Blackwood.esp
BrotherhoodRenewed.esp
GuildAdvancement.esp
Shop Visitors.esp
IsolatedVillage.esp
WhiteStallion-LegionOutposts Patch.esp
TreasureChest.esp
Frostcrag Village.esp
Shivering Isles Root System.esp
Vergayun.esp
Morrowind Ingredients.esp
thievery.esp
Enhanced Economy.esp
Feldscar.esp
Villages1.1.esp
West Roads.esp
MannimarcoComplete.esp
_zz_BanditCollection(100gp).esp
Gottshaw Village.esp
Urasek.esp
OldCrowInn.esp
LTDVampireOverhaul.esp
Dogs in cyrodiil.esp
Torynde.esp
Repetition - Imperial Requisition Quests.esp
zES Nagaia Molag.esp
Reedstand.esp
Alternative Start by Robert Evrae.esp
WickmereFarm.esp
HackdirtAlive.esp
hackdirtabyss.esp
SunderedKeep.esp
Tales of Cyrodiil.esp
Damsels In Distress.esp
Legion Forester Outposts All Races.esp
Legion Forester Outposts.esp
AncestorMothsExpanded.esp
Cyrodiil Travel Services.esp
Teleportation Services.esp
DoTheUnderdark.esp
RescueMenien.esp
Comp_Cecilia.esp
CM Partners More NPCs NE.esp
Daedric Lord Armor.esp
LegionOutposts-ThievesGrotto Patch.esp
Honor Thy Dead.esp
WR Villages Addon.esp
PTMudwater.esp
Sinderion.esp
RoadShrines.esp
MTC-Oranstad Patch.esp
NakedNord.esp
Crowded Cities Cyrodiil.esp
Populated Prisons.esp
Molapi.esp
SecretOfTheGlyphs.esp
Shivering Isles Raiders.esp
CM Partners NPC NE.esp
Faction Followers.esp
ArcaneUniversityExperience.esp
Auxiliaries.esp
Av Latta Magicka.esp
Battlemages Revised.esp
Listener Overhaul.esp
Unique Artifacts for Unique People.esp
BetterLorgrenBenirus.esp
NagaiaMolag-SutchVillage Patch.esp
County Gates.esp
Glenmoril Covens.esp
kvAnalenDaelkhun01.esp
Niben Bay Camp.esp
kvFoyada01.esp
Marking the Landmarks.esp
Mixxa77-Fence-Chests.esp
Hunter's Hunting Trophies.esp
Palace Improvement.esp
Vamped up Vampire Armor.esp
TreasureChest - ALEX.esp
Static Alchemy and Ingredient Storage.esp
Soulgem Magic.esp
ReclaimSancreTor-ThieveryInTheImperialCity patch.esp
RandomRoadEncountersShiveringIsles.esp
Mothy Moth Cult.esp
LightYourWay.esp
Robbers With Gold And Gems.esp
Nerussa's Wine Collection version C.esp
Spire of Eternity.esp
BrumaGuildReconstructed.esp
CM Partners Special NPCs.esp
SilgorBradus.esp
xulBrenaRiverRavine.esp
Rathunas01.esp
Better Cities FULL.esp
Better Cities - Lost Spires - Adventurers Guild.esp
Better Cities Skingrad - Reclaiming Sancre Tor.esp
Better Cities Chorrol - Oblivifall Losing My Religion.esp
Better Cities Chorrol - Knights of the Nine.esp
Better Cities Skingrad - Oblivifall Losing My Religion.esp
Better Cities - The Lost Spires.esp
LegionOutposts-BC6 Patch.esp
Better Cities Chorrol - Reclaiming Sancre Tor.esp
Oblivifall - Losing My Religion BC Bruma.esp
Better Cities - IC Imperial Isle.esp
OSPS-BC_IC-II_RRLR_TalosBridge_Patch.esp
Better Imperial City.esp
Better Cities - Thievery.esp
Better Cities Market District - Oblivion Uncut.esp
Bashed Patch, 0.esp
kuerteeCleanUp.esp

Context: Not a developer and have no interest in having to research for hours why some little thing isn't working, then hours typing in terminal commands that I don't understand, praying that fixes it.
That said, I do want to try moving away from Apple, MSFT, Google, etc. I like having the best hardware that just works, though I should note that I am not going to be doing much (or any) graphically intensive tasks/gaming on the laptop. The most intensive thing I'd do is virtualize Windows to play Magic Arena, while connected to 2 external monitors. Otherwise, it's mainly just browser stuff and occasional video calls.
To try to reduce the likelihood of having hardware/driver issues, I'm guessing buying intentionally pre-installed Linux is the best route? Apart from Slimbook, Tuxedo, and Dell, I also looked at the ThinkPad Yoga, but I don't like the ThinkPad aesthetic at all.
Now, I prefer Fedora to Ubuntu, and Gnome to KDE (though I haven't tried others). This is purely based on my limited experience fighting to get some form of Linux working properly on an old MacBook, which I've given up on. Slimbook is the only one that offers to come with Fedora installed, though I don't know if that means anything in terms of hardware compatibility/support.
Beyond that, the main factors for me, coming from modern Macbooks, are (in this order):

1. Build quality/materials: solid build, minimal flex, stiff hinge, minimal fingerprinting
2. Touchpad: large, responsive, ideally not mechanical
3. Biometrics: Either face or fingerprint, just something to be able to get into my password/TOTP vault without having to type out my long, complex password every time
4. Battery life: from fully charged, I don't want to have to think about battery until plugging in overnight (again assuming mostly just browseoffice suite type stuff). I'd like this to work even if I install a different distro than what it originally came with...if possible.

Side note...are any of these compatible with Apple's thunderbolt monitors?

Welcome to the DAT, summoner! Post questions regarding team composition, content progression, game mechanics, or anything else in this thread. If you are able to help your fellow summoners, please take some time to contribute to the community and answer some questions yourself as well!
A lot of helpful guides and resources can be found in the subreddit mega wiki.

If you ask a question please give ALL relevant information!

• Your monster box: Upload a screenshot to Reddit directly or an image hosting site like imgur or use swarfarm. Sort your box by "Grade" and try to include all 4*s and LD nat 3*s.
• Your current progression: Where you currently are in the game, what your teams are, what content you need help with and what you have tried so far.
• For ToA, which enemies are on the floor you're stuck on.
• For PvP, indicate what rank you are trying to achieve, i.e. currently F3 want to get C1 Arena. For RTA also share your rank percentage.

The less people have to clarify or look up to help you, the more likely you will get a fast response.

Beginner friendly/farmable PvE teams

Recommended progression: GB10 -> ToAN -> GB12 -> ToAH -> (DB11 ->) NB12 -> R5 and Rifts
Fast progression: GB12 -> (DB11 ->) NB12 -> BJ5 -> Tricaru DB12
Note that for NB12 a few violent sets (especially on twins) are making things a lot easier so before tackling Necropolis you might want to farm a little bit of DB11, it also gives you Guard runes for Tricaru.

• GB10: Vero (L), Fran, Loren, Lapis, Shannon/second awakened (2A) Kro
• Legacy GB10 teams typically include Belladeon, Bernard, or Darion. These units are outdated and can be skipped.
• GB12: Vero (L), Fran, Loren, 2A Kro, Shannon/Lapis/2A Naomi
• DB12: Verde (L), Fran, Loren, Sig, Elsharion or Verde (L), Vero, Fran, Loren, Spectra (2A)
• PB10: Verde (L), Colleen/Fran, 2A Raoq, 2A Kro, 2A Spectra/Yen/Pang. You can also use 2A Jultan to tank the boss (on multiple Will sets).
• SB10: Fran, Loren, 2A Kro, 2A Raoq, Ling Ling
• NB12: Lapis (L), Colleen/Fran, Loren, 2A Raoq, 2A Kro/Raoq (NB10 guide). Twins are a much better choice and should be used if possible. You can also directly use Tricaru.
• ToA(H): Fran (L), Lapis, Verde, Loren, Vero/2A Kro/2A Spectra. Use Tyron if you have him. 2A Sath/Thrain are good options if you want to go for a dot team, do not use Baretta as he's terribly outdated.
• R5: Front Line: Xiong Fei, Darion Back Line: Colleen, 2A Kro, Tesa, Theo/Xiao Lin/Belladeon
• R5 stat minimum: You need 25k HP and 1.5k DEF for FL units and 20k HP and 0.8-1k DEF for BL units. Healers and your cleanser should have 100% RES after lead.
• Rift unit options: Xiao Lin, Theomars, Fran, Colleen, and 2A Kro can be used in most of your rift teams. FL Mav/Bernard is good for Water rift and Lapis is good for Fire and Dark rifts. Twins are great in all rifts.

You still need appropriate rune quality and turn order! Do not expect to beat a dungeon just by having these units

Common speed teams

• R5 - BJ5: Colleen, Baleygr, Janssen, Dagora, Loren, lead unit (BJ5 guide)
  
• DB12 - Tricaru: Verde (L), 2A Icaru, 2A Icaru, 2A Icaru (guide (Note: DEF requirement is 3300)) (Cheatsheet) (Calculator)
  
• NB12 - Tricaru: Either add Astar or replace Verde with her (on vamp, same stats). Adding Astar and Lushen to clear waves first also works.
  
• GB12 - dots dots dots: 2A Sath, Mellia, Mellia, 2A Tatu, dot unit/Lushen (guide)
  
• PB10 - Tricaru: Kill towers first (usually L>R>B but some people reported R>L>B working better for them).
  
• SB10 - dots dots dots: 2A Sath, Mellia, Mellia, 2A Tatu, dot unit/Lushen
  

PvE accuracy requirements

Rifts need no ACC. R5 needs 15%. SB10 needs 25%. PB10 39%. ToA(H), GB10, and NB10 45%. DB10, GB12, NB12 and ToA Hell 55%. DB12 needs 65%.

General tips and answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

• NEVER feed non-farmable monsters! (you can feed dupes for skill ups)
• Save your devilmons! In general you do not want to give devilmon to 4* units, Sigmarus and Jeanne are the best early game candidates. Veromos does not need devilmon.
• Best summon stone targets: Tyron, Lushen, Shaina, Sabrina, Talia. For PvP Khmun, Skogul, Galleon.
• Check the events for free energy, mana, and other beneficial stuff. To find the current event pages use the button below the energy/mana counter in-game.
• Lapis can farm Faimon Hell on the free 6* level 15 vampire/revenge runes provided by the challenges. She should be your first 5* and probably 6* as well.
• Shield sets can reduce the HP/DEF requirements on other units and multiple shield sets will stack to form one larger total shield. Each set contributes a shield equal to 15% of the base HP of the monster they are equipped on.
• White artifacts from B2 are cheap to upgrade and can give you a massive stat boost early.
• Hall of Heroes (HoH) should be attempted as high as you can climb. Reps like Rica or Verad can help a lot. Mid/late game players can get 5 extra copies of the HoH monster using almighty scroll pieces after each floor at the small cost of 2000 guild points for each extra monster.
• Most nat 5*s are PvP exclusive and should be set aside in storage till you make some progress on PvE. Some exceptions are CC units like Rica for ToA, cleansers like Anavel for starter R5, and Perna for rifts.
• Dimensional hole energy should be spent as soon as possible, always try to stay under the energy cap (recharge rate: 1 per 2h). 2A Kro first, then Spectra or Raoq.
• Need advice on RTA? Check this post first
• Looking for ToA Hell guidance? Take a look at this FAQ post.
• Swarfarm provides a bestiary for monster stats and data logs.

For more information please check out the more exhaustive FAQ.
If you see someone using monster icons, you can learn how to use them yourself: https://www.reddit.com/summonerswawiki/icons .
To set your user flair please visit the Reddit website (do not use the mobile app) and edit it there (example picture).

This is the follow up to my previous post where i go over the rest of this year's bots
Rotator: UNDERRATED seriously one of the most slept on bots in the whole field. Victor is a fantastic driver it's extremely durable has a good weapon that never breaks down and they unlike most of the teams have an actual strategy.
Rusty: It's Rusty nuff said.
SawBlaze: Jameson is another amazing driver. It has a very durable weapon and puts on great fights. A rare case of the control bot done right. They'll go far this year no doubt.
Shatter: Has been falling by the wayside this season and is too wasteful with their hammer. At this point i'm not sure how much it can be improved without changing the omni wheels for a more conventional set up.
Shreddit Bro: Awful Awful Awful. Evan seems like a great guy but Pain Train and now this have been a waste of a slot for the past 3 years. It's clear this team doesn't really have the know how to build a good heavyweight.
Skorpios: The robot where i like everything but the bot itself. Zach and Diana are great people and i've loved watching their channel for years now but their bot seems like a weaker version of SawBlaze.
Slammo: Honestly i'm glad this got shunted down to the alternates. Boring control bot that doesn't stand out amongest the field. Also never been a fan of Craig ever since i first saw Foxic in Robot Wars.
Starchild: Why did Brandon change from P1 an ever improving robot to this i will never understand. It's weapon is pretty much deadweight and as long as HUGE is around then it's whole gimmick doesn't work.
Switchback: This robot has got so much potentical that i think it can still live up to. Loved their video going into them building them. The weapon set up is very cool and could be adapted for other robots.
Tantrum: Fast strong durable great team. It's the champions what more can i say. Not sure they'll retain the title but they'll put up a real fight in the attempt to do so. Good luck to Alex and Ginger.
Terrortops: GIVE THIS ROBOT A TOURNAMENT RUN: it is by far the best of the alternates and why it was not accepted into the main tournament i will never understand. The weapon set up seems like it's a revolution waiting to happen.
Triton: My most hyped newcomer going into this season but has been so disappointing. Bradley doesn't seem to be that great of a driver and the weapon hasan't been the powerhouse i would have expected from them. When Tombstone comes back next year expect this bot to drop out.
Valkyrie: Why is the show seemingly ignoring this bot entirely. They have had no interviews whatsoever and everyone seems to not care for them. Powerful weapon and it's fairly durable.
Whiplash. Most overrated bot in the field. Most boring control bot out there. Matty is a great driver but this robot puts me to sleep whenever it's in the arena.
Witch Doctor. Have always loved this robot and really want them to get the Giant Nut. Mike and Andrea are amazing at what they do and the team is always great to watch

Welcome back ya'll. If you need a catch up, here's my boy Logans' Part 1. Here the story continues, so hope you enjoy.
AEW Winter is Coming (7th December 2023)
Bandido and Rey Fenix Vs Hostile Intent
Winter is Coming is kicked straight off with tag action, as Fenix looks to avenge his beatdown at the hands of his brother. Teaming up with Fenix tonight is a good friend Bandido, deciding to fight alongside him against Hostile Intent, being revolted by their actions last week. The bell rings as Fenix and Penta stare at each other from a distance. The fans cheer for Lucha Bros, but they’re chanting for a ghost. The two start circling around one another. Penta stops his strut midway as he raises his fist in the air. “CERO MIEDO.” as the hand comes right back down. Fenix shows, well…no fear, as he kicks Penta right in his shin. Penta retorts back with an overhead CHOP. Fenix steps back cause of the impact, but jumps right back at Penta with a SUPERKICK. Penta ducks under, crouching down for a LEG SWEEP. Fenix jumps over it, trying to follow it up with a DOUBLE FOOT STOMP on Penta, but Penta rolls out of it. Penta gets back to his feet and rushes at Fenix, as Fenix bushes him aside. Penta bounces off the ropes, ducking under as Fenix LEAPFROGS over him. Penta bounces off the other side, AND SLIDES UNDER A DROPKICK ATTEMPT FROM FENIX. Penta rushes back to his feet, as Fenix tries to regain himself. PENTA SHUTS DOWN ANY RETALIATION, BY SLICING FENIX’S LEG WITH A SOCCER KICK. Penta proceeds to repeatedly stomp on his brother’s leg, before slamming him into his corner.
Following this, PAC and Penta take turns, tagging in and out, working over Fenix’s leg. PAC forces Fenix to run by IRISH WHIPPING him, and then proceeding to hit his knee with a LOW DROPKICK. PAC brings Fenix to the top rope as looks to hit him with a TOP ROPE GERMAN SUPLEX, but Fenix continues to fight back. The two stand atop the turnbuckle as Fenix starts hitting PAC, who still has waist control, with ELBOWS. PAC drops down to the mat, shakes it off, before ascending back to the turnbuckle. He hits Fenix with some shots to the back, AND SWITCHES IT AROUND BY GOING FOR A TOP ROPE POISON RANA. BOTH MEN GO FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, BUT FENIX LANDS ON HIS FEET. His knee immediately buckles, as PAC gets back up. PAC tries to get back to Fenix, but he’s a step slower as Fenix rolls forward, popping up straight into a CUTTER. The crowd are on their feet as Bandido stretches his arm out for a tag. Fenix gets back up, hobbling to his corner as he finally tags in Bandido. Bandido immediately SPRINGBOARDS off the ropes, and hits an ARMDRAG on PAC. Penta jumps into the ring too, dashing towards Bandido. Bandido is like a freight train, never stop never stopping as he hits pushes himself off Penta with a TIGER WALL FLIP, and hits a rushing Penta with a RELEASE BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX. PAC catches Bandido off guard with a ROUNDHOUSE KICK. PAC brings Bandido back to his feet, IRISH WHIPPING him into the ropes, hoping for a RELEASE BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX of his own, ONLY FOR IT BE COUNTERED BY A SMOOTH LOOKING TILT-A-WHIRL-GOURDBUSTER.
The match continues to rage on, as all 4 men fight back and forth. In the closing stretch of the match, PAC and Bandido are the legal men, as Bandido is all fired up. He’s chopping PAC in his chest, as PAC continues to get pushed back. Another CHOP from Bandido sends PAC stumbling back onto the ropes. Bandido follows up on PAC by running the ropes on the other side and going for a SATELLITE DDT, ONLY FOR PAC TO COUNTER IT WITH A POP UP POWERBOMB. ONE…TWO…THRE, BANDIDO KICKS OUT. Penta is on the apron, draping over the top rope for a tag. He gets his wish as PAC tags him in. PAC starts climbing the top rope as Penta sets Bandido up for a FEAR FACTOR. ONLY THEN FENIX RUNS AT PAC, RUNNING OVER THE TIGHTROPE AND FINISHING WITH A SUPER HURRICANRANA OFF THE TOP ROPE. Penta lets go, rushing at Fenix, dropping his brother down with a SLING BLADE. Penta goes towards PAC, pulling him back to his feet. Bandido is almost to his feet, but Hostile Intent takes him out with a DOUBLE SUPERKICK. Fenix is trying to bring himself back to his feet using the ropes. PAC grabs onto Fenix’s head from behind, rag dolling him to the centre of the ring. He pulls him up as Penta lines up a SUPERKICK and fires the shot, ONLY FOR FENIX TO DUCK AT THE LAST SECOND, MAKING PAC EAT THE SUPERKICK. PENTA IS BRIEFLY TAKEN ABACK, AND THIS MOMENTARY DISTRACTION IS ENOUGH FOR BANDIDO TO LAND A HURRICANRANA, STRAIGHT INTO A PIN. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Bandido and Rey Fenix def. Hostile Intent
PAC is fuming after the loss, arguing with Penta. Penta claims it was an accident, but PAC says the accident cost him the match. The two leave the ring, arguing all the way up to the rampway, as Penta ends up shoving PAC away out of frustration. The two almost come to blows, but Alex Abrahantes gets in-between them, stopping this inevitable collision for now.
AEW Dynamite
Tag title eliminator battle royale I and II
As is tradition, The challengers for the World tag titles will be selected via two battle royales. Winner of each match will be added to the fatal four way at the ppv, which includes Best Friends, the current tag champion, and La Faccion Ingobernable’s very own Rush and Andrade. The first match comes down to Fenix fighting against PAC and Mark Quen. PAC and Mark team up to try and take Fenix out, almost succeeding, but Fenix is able to hold on, eliminating Quen out of the ring. He’s unable to eliminate PAC however, who’s trusty hammer is the decision maker, knocking off the top rope onto the apron, and then swiftly eliminated by a kick to the face. Hostile Intent is in, securing a spot at Revolution. Bandido and Fenix have one final opportunity to enter the tag title fatal four way, and they’re able to clinch it after Bandido hits a TILT-A-WHIRL MEXICAN DESTROYER ON ISIAH CASSEDY, and then throws him out of the ring. Ethan Page on the outside tries to catch him, but Fenix runs the ropes and hits an OVER THE TOP ROPE MOONSAULT PLANCHA ON THE OUTSIDE, eliminating both him and Isiah from the bout, but securing the win for his team.
Later in the show, Swerve Strickland interrupts a Firm promo. He buys Private Party’s contract on the spot from The Firm, who are more than happy to get rid of, in their words, these jobbers. Swerve asks Private Party to make a decision, a decision that’ll change their lives for the foreseeable future. “Let’s talk somewhere private.”, Swerve walks away saying this, as Mark and Isiah choose to walk with him.
AEW Revolution (5th March, 2024)
Rey Fenix and Bandido Vs Hostile Intent Vs Best Friends Vs Andrade and Rush
Tornado Tag
AEW World Tag Team Championship
Best Friends walk into this as the tag champions, stuck in the midst of a blood feud. Hostile Intent have their own qualms with Best Friends, having lost their tag title to them. La Facción Ingobernable have had considerable beef with Death Triangle, but they’ve been nothing but cordial to Hostile Intent in the lead up to this, suggesting at an open slot in the faction. All that goes out the window tonight however as bodies fly, men crash and burn. In the final moments of the match, PAC and Pentagon find themselves in control. Penta has landed the FEAR FACTOR on Trent, as PAC is standing on the top rope. Before he can hit the BLACK ARROW however, he’s interrupted by Bandido who meets him at the top rope, as the two start brawling at the top rope. As that fight ensues, Penta is caught off guard by Fenix, WHO SPRINGBOARDS IN THE RING AND LANDS A CANADIAN DESTROYER ON HIM. Bandido staggers PAC with a HEADBUTT, and picks him up. Fenix makes his way to the other turnbuckle, climbing the top rope. BANDIDO MOONSAULTS WITH PAC, LANDING A REVOLUTION X AS FENIX LEAPS OVER FROM THE OTHER SIDE, LANDING A FROG SPLASH ON PAC ONCE BANDIDO MOVES OUT THE WAY. AFTER LANDING THIS COMBO CALLED THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION, FENIX MAKES THE PIN. ONE…TWO…THRE, RUSH BREAKS UP THE PIN. Rush shoves Fenix away at the last second, as Bandido makes a dash towards him. Rush uses Bandido’s own momentum and sends him crashing into the turnbuckles with an OVERHEAD RELEASE BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX. Fenix tries to attack Rush, but Andrade catches him halfway. He feints a FRONT KICK, but lands a DISCUS BACK ELBOW INSTEAD, SENDING FENIX TUMBLING IN THE CORNER. Rush and Andrade have the same idea now, walking over to the opposite turnbuckles, letting out a loud roar to hype the crowd and themselves, AND RUSHING BACK INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE CORNERS, LANDING A RUNNING KNEE SMASH ON FENIX, AND THE BULLS HORNS ON BANDIDO. RUSH PULLS BANDIDO TO THE CENTRE AND MAKES HIS PIN. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Andrade and Rush def. Hostile Intent, Best Friends, Bandido and Rey Fenix
Rush places his foot over Bandido’s lifeless body, as Andrade lands a LA SOMBRA on Fenix after the bout. The new champions raise their titles in glory, as Rush gestures over to PAC and Penta, perhaps promising something similar.
In the weeks to come we see the problems between these multiple factions continue to boil over. Bandido and Fenix launch attacks at La Faccion time to time, avenging their humiliation at Revolution, but the numbers continue to topple them. Whereas tension have continued to arise between La Faccion and Fenix and Bandido, bridges are being built with Hostile Intent. Rush, Andrade and Preston Vance start accompanying Pentagon to his matches, with Pentagon returning the favour. They crash Hostile Intent promos, joking around with Penta in Spanish, much to PAC’s annoyance. This annoyance slowly devolves into contempt as PAC starts acting quite hostile towards La Faccion. Hostile Intent are the biggest free agents in the faction market right now, dipping their toes in the pond. The leader of Mogul Affiliates is one of them, Swerve Strickland. Swerve has cast a wide net, focusing on Private Party, Samoa Joe, and of course, Hostile Intent.
AEW Dynamite
Preston Vance, Andrade and Rush Vs ???, Rey Fenix and Bandido
Fenix reveals that he’s found the man to even the odds. A man who probably has more animosity against La Faccion than even Fenix and Bandido. The man isn’t revealed until the match itself. La Faccion make their entrance first, waiting in the ring for this mystery tag partner. Fenix and Bandido come out first as the crowd cheer them on. And this is when Scorched Earth blares throughout the arena. Out walks Dragon Lee, never having went to NXT cause Tony Khan took out his chequebook, standing alongside Fenix and Bandido. Rush looks livid, seeing his own brother standing up to him. Dragon Lee hasn’t forgotten the betrayal against him by Rush and Andrade, stabbing him in the back because he refused to bend his morals for their underhanded tactics. From bell to bell, all men fight at a breakneck pace. Springboards, Dives, Chops, Stomps, launches and splashes are hurled around like a Headlock Takeover, as the crowd eats up this traditional Lucha 6-man encounter. In the final moments of the match, FENIX AND BANDIDO LAUNCH THEMSELVES OUT OF THE RING, PERICINF THROUGH PRESTON AND ANDRADE ON THE OUTSIDE WITH A TOPE SUICIDA. Lee is left alone with his brother in the ring, as he pulls him up with his air, spouting about vengeance. Rush spits on Dragon, who responds back with a slicing KNIFE EDGE CHOP. RUSH never backed down from a fight though, striking back with a THUNDEROUS CHOP OF HIS OWN. The brothers exchange these chops with one another, their chest turning red as bruises start flaring up. Their wills are unbreakable, but their bodies start slowing down, with Dragon taking a step back. He tries to walk back towards Rush, who pushes him away with a BOOT to the face. Rush then tracks back to the ropes, bouncing back for a LARIAT, BUT GETS CAUGHT WITH A STANDING SPANISH FLY INSTEAD. ONE…TWO…THR, RUSH KICKS OUT. Dragon jumps back to his feet, lowering his knee pad, and diligently waits for Rush to get back to his feet, BEFORE DASHING AT HIM WITH THE RODILLA DRAGON, BUT RUSH SLIDES OUT AT THE LAST SECOND. DRAGON BOUNCES CHEST FIRST OFF THE ROPES, AS RUSH LATCHES ONTO HIS WAIST AND USES THE MOMENTUM TO LAND A RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX. The crowd are on their feet as Rush slowly makes his way back to his feet. Dragon tries to do the same, dragging himself to the corner, taking a brief rest to regain himself. Rush doesn’t allow this though, setting up his finish, AS HE RUNS AT DRAGON, LYING IN THE CORNER, TO FINISH IT ALL WITH THE BULLS HORNS, BUT FENIX AND BANDIDO STOP HIM MIDWAY WITH A DOUBLE SUPERKICK. They follow it up by bringing him back to his feet and whipping him towards Dragon FOR THE DESNUCADORA. FENIX AND BANDIDO BLOCK ANDRADE AND PRESTON FROM RUSHING IN, AS DRAGON MAKES THE PIN. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Dragon Lee, Fenix and Bandido def. La Faccion Ingobernable
This new faction has a successful debut, and would later be known as Facción de Sangre Derramada. This war is nowhere near over though, as a new challenger approaches this battlefield.
AEW Dynamite (24th May, 2024)
Hostile Intent Vs Private Party
#1 contender title shot for the AEW Tag titles
The top two ranked teams will duel it out tonight to determine the next challenger for Rush and Andrade’s AEW tag titles at Double or Nothing. The bell rings as Quen and Penta start us off. The two have a great exchange, with Penta single handily taking out both men, but his momentum is halted after Quen distracts the ref, allowing for Isiah to stun Penta over the top rope. Private Party then take turns working over Penta, preventing him from escaping with a tag. Isiah climbs the top rope, hyping up the crowd who relentlessly boo him. HE DIVES OFF THE TOP FOR A SWANTON BOMB, BUT PENTA RAISES HIS KNEES, DRIVING THEM INTO ISIAH’S SPINE. Penta crawls over to his corner, as Quen jumps in, pulling Penta back by his leg. Isiah throws Penta into the corner, and follows him there for a SPLASH, BUT PENTA FLIPS OVER HIM USING THE TOP ROPE, LATCHING ONTO QUEN’S HEAD, AND HITTING A BACKBREAKER. The crowd are on their feet, as Penta makes his crawl yet again, he dives to make the tag, ONLY FOR PAC TO DROP OFF THE APRON. PAC starts backing away as Alex and Penta shout at him. Isiah is back at his feet at this point, and he starts attacking Penta. PAC just stares at the chaos, as Private Party start double teaming Penta. Alex tries to talk sense to PAC, but PAC just clocks Alex, shutting him up temporarily. La Faccion Ingobernable has had enough, as they make their way down. The start shouting at PAC too, who just coldly stares them down. Penta is able to fight off the double team in this time, fighting at the top rope. Rush orders PAC to get into the ring, and PAC just smirks at him, AS SWERVE AND SAMOA JOE STAND RIGHT BEHIND EM, SMACKING THEM OVER THE BACK WITH CHAIRS. PAC JOINS IN THE ATTACK, SLAMMING ANDRADE INTO THE STEEL STEPS. As the assault continues outside, Penta is briefly distracted, GIVING PRIVATE PARTY ENOUGH TIME TO LAND A PICTURE PERFECT GIN AND JUICE. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Private Party def. Hostile Intent
La Faccion is further wrecked after the match, with PAC chucking Penta out of the ring. Swerve puts his hand out for Private Party, who look at one another, and then gleefully shake the man’s hand. This wasn’t the end for this faction for this week however, as on the rampage before Double or Nothing, Swerve renames the faction to ‘Mogul Empire’. Mogul Empire crash a promo between The House of Black and Facción de Sangre Derramada, declaring themselves as title contenders based on star power alone. The House of Black fear no team, accepting both challenges.
AEW Double or Nothing (28th May, 2024)
Private Party Vs Rush and Andrade (La Faccion Ingobernable)
AEW World Tag Team Championship
In this match, Rush and Andrade are fighting at a disadvantage, being bruised up from their last encounter against the Mogul Empire, and also missing backup for the night. Mogul Empire on the other hand, have a battalion at their disposal, as Parker Boudreaux and Trench cause constant distractions and interference, causing Andrade to be caught with a GIN AND JUICE. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Private Party def. Rush and Andrade
The Mogul Empire have already managed to capture the tag titles tonight, adding in even more gold will further cement the faction as the next best thing in AEW. Let’s see if they can do so.
PAC, Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland (Mogul Empire)Vs Facción de Sangre Derramada Vs House of Black
AEW Trios Titles
House of Black have been on a dominant, yearlong title run. They have been racking defences, defeating top teams left and right. This might be their most unique challenge yet, as even as the champions, they are not the centre of attention in this match. The true story going in is the blood feud between Fenix and PAC, alongside the immediate rise of the Mogul Empire. And the Mogul Empire almost had the win in the bag, until the ref goes down, and La Faccion make their way down. They have the steel chairs this time, wrecking shit and knocking out the Mogul Empire. They go after Fenix and Dragon Lee too, but they get knocked the fuck right back with SPINNING HEEL KICKS on the chairs, bouncing off their domes. Brody King tries to shut this shit down, hitting a DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE ON FENIX AND DRAGON. He IRISH WHIPS Bandido into the corner, WHO JUST STEPS ALL THE WAY UP, BALANCING ON THE STEEL RINGPOST, DIVING OFF TO LAND A SENTON ATOMICA ONTO MALAKAI BLACK ON THE OUTSIDE. Brody decides to let that go for now, focusing on the win instead. He brings Buddy back to his feet, as they go for DANTE’S INFERNO on REY FENIX. BUDDY LIFTS FENIX UP FOR THE VERTICAL SUPLEX, BUT FENIX ESCAPES OUT THE BACK, LANDING A POISONRANA ON BUDDY. Dragon Lee catches Brody off-guard with a SUPERKICK. He staggers back a bit, only to be shook by a SUPERKICK FROM FENIX. Brody refuses to go down however, firing up instead as he goes for a DOUBLE LARIAT, but the two men duck under AND LAND A DOUBLE SUPERKICK, SENDING BRIDY TUMBLING OUT OF THE RING. Fenix immediately runs the ropes as Dragon waits from for him at the end, AND POPS FENIX IN THE AIR, LAUNCHING HIM OUTSIDE FOR AN ELEVATED PLANCHA ONTO BRODY KING. Bandido has made his way into the ring, as Dragon and Bandido lift Buddy UP FOR A DOUBLE DRAGON DRILLER, AND DROPPING HIM HEAD FIRST ON THEIR KNEES. FENIX MAKES HIS WAY TO THE TOP ROPE, BRIEFLY LOOKS UP AT THE SKY, THEN LANDS THE FROG SPLASH. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Facción de Sangre Derramada def. Mogul Empire and House of Black
Swerve is shell shocked at this loss, PAC and Joe fuming out their ears. They obviously want revenge, beating Facción de Sangre Derramada for the trios title would be a dream, but they’re eyes are on a different faction right now. Forbidden Door is coming along, maybe they can get some help.
AEW Forbidden Door (25th June, 2024)
Penta, Rush, Preston Vance, Andrade, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi and Shingo Takagi (Los Ingobernables) Vs Pac, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, Mark Quen, Isiah Cassidy, El Phantasmo and KENTA (Mogul Empire and Bullet Club)
Fuck AAA. This is our booking. Also fuck New Japan. El Phantasmo is the leader of Bullet Club by now. In the weeks leading up to the ppv, we saw teases from Rush and Andrade of the band coming back together. Swerve was planning something for himself this time around though, scouting the strongest talent that hates LIJ with all his might. He found the absolute right men for the job. On the penultimate episode before the ppv, Bullet Club and Mogul Empire have surrounded the ring. ELP stands between the ring and the rampway, shouting at Naito to show up, UNTIL FINALLY, STARDUST BLARES THROUGH THE ARENA, AND OUT WALK THE LIJ FAITFUL THE EVEN THE ODDS. A HUGE BRAWL ENSUES BETWEEN THE FACTION, WITH NAITO AND ELP LETTING THEIR BOYS DO THE HEAVY LIFTING, OPTING TO TRY AND PSYCHE THE OTHER OUT AS THE SHOW GOES TO AN ADBREAK. The match itself is a fun multi-man with Los Ingobernables acting as the crowd favourites. The match concludes, as Rush, Andrade and Naito go into three separate corners, AND LAND BULLS HORNS, RUNNING KNEE STOMP AND DESTINO ON PAC, ISIAH AND KENTA RESPECTIVELY. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Los Ingobernables def. Bullet Club and Mogul Empire
Once the match concludes, Naito cuts an address in Japanese for the fans. Shouting out all the men in the ring, the fans here tonight, and across the globe. “We may shout for LIJ tonight, but this message is for Los Ingobernales in this building tonight. SO, SHOUT WITH ME WHEN I END IT. PENTA, PRESTON, HIROMU, SHINGO, BUSHI, RUSH, ANDRADE AND NAITO. NOSOTROS! LOS INGOBERNABLES…DE JAPON.” All of the men raise their fist in LI solidarity, even Penta opting to join in, now integrated as one.
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado and Ren Narita (Strong Style) Vs Facción de Sangre Derramada
AEW Trios Title
Strong Style returns to Forbidden Door, after securing a huge win in last years show. This is a very different challenge for Facción de Sangre Derramada, as String Style cut off their wings and force em on the mat, and in striking exchanges. Them boys more than hold their own, as the fight devolves into CHOP and Springboard KICKS. In the end, Despie goes for a PINCHE LOCO, BUT FENIX COUNTERS IT INTO A HURICURANA PIN. ONE…TWO…THREE…
Facción de Sangre Derramada def. Strong Style
Facción de Sangre Derramada make their first defence of the title, as Despie puts his hand forth, shaking it with Fenix. Says he wants to see him again in the future. “Super Juniors.”, says Fenix as Despie gives him a shrug.
AEW Dynamite (August, 2024)
Penta Vs PAC Vs Fenix
Ladder Match
As the weeks led up, Penta, PAC and Fenix, all laid their eyes on the TNT title. None of the men have won the title yet, and all men want to prove their worth as singles competitors in the eyes of their Death Triangle counterparts. This results in the brawls getting even more rampant between the three factions, until the destruction of the set and arena has reached a boiling point, and a triple threat ladder match is decided upon, to crown the next challenger for the TNT title, at Double or Nothing. All three men make promises off their own, wanting to beat the rest fair and square. All three men ask their respective factions to stand back, they must deal with themselves. The match itself is more brutal than flippy. None of these men are friends anymore. Blood has already been split, and they’re willing to spill more. In the final moments of the match, Penta is almost at the top, the brass ring finger tips away, UNTIL FENIX RUNS UP ANOTHER LADDER WEDGED INTO THIS ONE, AND LEAPS OVER PENTA, CATCHING HIM TO LAND A CANDIAN DESTROYER OFF THE LADDER ONTO THE TABLE BELOW. The crowd goes insane as brothers lie in a heap of dust and blood. Half a minute later, PAC starts climbing the ladder himself, almost at the top, before Fenix climbs up to. He won’t quit, he won’t lose to either man. He lands a SPINNING HEEL KICK on PAC, staggering him, and he’s almost reached the ring, BEFORE PAC GRABS FENIX BY HIS MASK, AND SHOVES HIM OFF THE TOP ONTO THE LADDER WEDGED BELOW. The ladder PAC’s on almost buckles, but he regains himself and unhooks the brass ring, WINNING THE WHOLE DAMN THING.
PAC def. Penta and Rey
PAC celebrates with Mogul Empire who come down to show their appreciation. Both the La Faccion come down to check on their men. Penta is livid at Fenix, because of whom he lost them match, so they launch on attack, AS THE TWO FACTIONS FIGHT OUT YET AGAIN TO CLOSE OUT THR SHOW, WITH SWERVE JUST LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF.
AEW All Out (September, 2024)
Rush and Andrade (La Faccion de Ingobernable) Vs Private Party Vs Dragon Lee and Bandido (Facción de Sangre Derramada) Vs FTR Vs Best Friends Vs Young Bucks
AEW World Tag titles
Gauntlet match
Yes, we’re doing this. It’s a lot, I know, but it’s good. All these factions and teams duel it out, showcasing the best of AEW’s tag division, but in the end, IT’S THE BEST FRIENDS WHO REGAIN THEIR TAG TITLES. 2 TIME CHAMPS. This isn’t super relevant to the story, but Swerve ends up winning the Casino Ladder match later in the night, guaranteeing a World title shot for himself whenever he wants one.
PAC Vs Keith Lee
TNT Title
Keith Lee has been having a healthy reign with the TNT title, far and away from Swerve, but it seems Swerve comes knocking yet again, as this match concludes with a distracted ref and a SMACK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD, WITH THE POKER CHIP SWERVE JUST WON. PAC CLIMBS THE TOP ROPE, LINES IT UP, AND LANDS THE BLACK ARROW. ONE…TWO…THRE, HE LETS IT GO, NOT SATISFIED, AND PROCEEDS TO LOCK IN THE BRUTALIZER. LEE IS ALREADY KNOCKED OUT, SO REF CALLS FOR THE BELL.
PAC def. Keith Lee
PAC wins the TNT title, as the white guys in Mogul Empire, lift PAC over their shoulders. Pac raises the TNT title, as Swerve says, “Just as promised.”
Rey Fenix Vs Penta
First Blood
The blood might be blocked by the masks, so you’re just gonna have to make em bleed more. These brother have fought several times before, but something has fundamentally changed now. This time, it feels like there’s no going back. All the weapons are brought out, as they throw them one another. Charis are hurled, barbed wire bats, through tables etc., but no blood visible yet. That is until Fenix places a BARBED WIRE BOARD ON A TABLE IN THE RING. With Penta sitting on the top rope, Fenix climbs to the top tope, AND GOES FOR A SUPER HURRICURANA. PENTA POWERS THROUGH HOWEVER, BLOCKING IT. IT LOKS LIKE PENTA WILL LIFT FENIX UP FOR A POWERBOMB, BUT INSTEAD HE CHANGES GRIPS TO LAND A SUPER PILEDRIVER THROUGH THE BARBED WIRE TABLE. The crowd goes insane as the ref check up on Fenix, declaring that he indeed is gushing blood.
Penta def. Rey Fenix
The medics rush to the ring, as Penta looks down on his brother. There’s no celebration, Penta just walks away. Penta has fear in his eyes, but before he leaves, he shouts one last time, CERO MIEDO.

Death Triangle: a name that strikes fear into an opponent’s heart. That could just be because of the individual having a childhood fear of shapes and geometry, but in all likelihood, the main reason is because that name represents three of the best pure wrestling talents on the entire planet. You’ve got the Lucha Brothers Penta and Fenix, two men that have excelled in both tag team and individual settings throughout the various promotions they’ve competed in. And of course you have Pac, a man who’s not only been described as both a king and a bastard, but who also has quite the affinity to hammers.
But unfortunately for the trio, the past few months haven't treated them too kindly. They failed to beat the Elite in the hard-fought Best Of Seven series, losing their Trios Titles in the process, and within that time frame, Pac’s bastard-like tendencies have seemingly increased relative to that of the Lucha Brothers. But that begs the question: how will the next several months go for them after such a rocky start to the year? Let’s find out…
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Dynamite (6/14/23): Pac vs. Action Andretti
After having only been seen sporadically since being a part of the losing Best of 7 series team, Pac would look to make an example out of a poor younger talent. As soon as the bell rings, Pac immediately just starts brutalizing Andretti, getting him downed in the corner and repeatedly stomping on his face until the ref has to physically back him off. Unfortunately for the man dubbed Action, he can’t stop Pac’s action for the remainder of the relatively short contest either, eventually having his ribs crushed with a Black Arrow and then being forced to submit to the vicious Brutalizer.
Pac def. Action Andretti via submission tap-out (4:19)
After the match, Pac grabs a mic, pacing around the ring like a madman before he finally begins to speak:
“I’ve gone through moments of isolation before…back in 2020, I was left with nothing but my own thoughts…and now it feels as though it’s happening again. There’s a spark that’s missing…something isn’t right about this year. I need to find somebody new, somebody different… an opponent worth fighting. I want someone who brings meaning to this ring…”
Suddenly, Pac gets cut off, as a very notable theme begins echoing throughout the arena…KAZE NI NARE! IT’S MINORU SUZUKI! Followed closely by Strong Style stablemates El Desperado and Ren Narita, the King slowly walks to the ring, staring a hole through Pac as he does so. However, when Suzuki enters through the ropes, Pac shows no fear, immediately walking towards him and getting right up against his face. The two stare each other down, before Suzuki just uses his shoulder to push him away. In response, Pac moves back and slaps Suzuki in the face! El Desperado looks ready to attack Pac for this, but Suzuki holds him back, smirking at Pac’s blow. When the two move back towards one another, Pac goes for a punch this time, but Suzuki blocks it, before proceeding to chop the soul out of the Bastard’s chest. Pac falls to a knee, Suzuki laughing this time, before a new theme plays throughout the arena…
It’s the Lucha Bros! Penta and Fenix have seen enough of Pac trying to take down Strong Style on his own, coming to the ring to even things at three men apiece. Suzuki looks at the pair, somewhat intrigued, before turning to Desperado and Narita. He motions for them to face Penta and Fenix respectively, and with the stage now set…LET THE ALL OUT BRAWL BEGIN! The six men just start going off on each other, but unfortunately for Death Triangle, Strong Style stands tall after Fenix accidentally hits Penta with a superkick intended for Narita, giving the NJPW trio the chance to take them out individually.
Later in the show, we get the official announcement that this match has been added to the Forbidden Door card, but there’s still so much that can happen in eleven days, and just as it would happen…
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Dynamite (6/21/23): Ren Narita vs. Bandido
While Suzuki and Desperado would leave back to Japan until the time of Forbidden Door II, Ren Narita would decide to stay in the United States, traveling to multiple indie promotions to compete in addition to wanting a one-off AEW singles match. And he would get himself a rematch against a man he competed against a few years ago, squaring off against the outlaw known as Bandido. They’re having a strong match, but unfortunately, Pac isn’t one to let go of a grudge too easily. As Narita is recuperating momentarily on the outside, the ref checking on Bandido in the ring, the Bastard comes from the crowd and smashes his hand with a hammer! This clearly weakens Narita, but he tries to fight off the pain, getting back into the ring and squaring up to Bandido. Unfortunately, he can’t quite match the earlier precision he showcased, eventually falling to Bandido’s crazy rope-rebounded German Suplex.
Bandido def. Ren Narita via pinfall (13:43)
After the match, Pac storms the ring, adding more punishment to Narita from what he already incurred during the match. However, Bandido doesn’t look too enthused about Pac’s actions, and he pulls him off Narita. Pac is initially in shock, but as Bandido looks to help Narita up out of respect, the Bastard snaps, attacking Bandido too! He gets in some vicious shots before climbing to the top rope, looking to hit a Black Arrow, but out runs Rey Fenix! He runs to Bandido’s side, looking up at Pac and yelling at him to stop: this is an innocent man! Pac looks angry at the prospect of doing so initially, but after a tense few moments, he climbs down, exiting the ring but having done what he thought was necessary and more.
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Forbidden Door II (6/25/23): Death Triangle vs. Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Ren Narita)
After a solid start of matches to that point, the fans in Toronto now get to see what’s sure to be an intense battle given the previous two interactions involving members of these stables. It initially looks like El Desperado will start the match for Strong Style, but after Pac gets in the ring on Death Triangle’s end, Narita enters the ring. Though Desperado is initially confused, once he sees the look in Narita’s eyes, the look of pure, intense anger, he steps out of the ring, giving him the chance to start. Once the bell rings, Pac mockingly yells at Narita, asking him how the hand he shattered is doing. In response, Narita runs at Pac, doing what the Bastard did to Action Andretti a couple weeks prior and immediately getting him downed in the corner. Narita backs up, and Pac, looking up in shock, tags out to Penta, needing an unexpected breather.
After Penta and Narita go at it for a bit, the latter tags out to El Desperado, and after a staredown involving two great wrestlers with absolutely elite-looking masks, they have a rapid back-and-forth sequence, neither quite able to permanently capture momentum. However, with Pac itching to get back in the ring, Penta tags out, and Desperado follows suit, allowing Suzuki to get in the match. Pac and Suzuki move towards each other, Suzuki basically offering Pac to make the first move. The Bastard responds by doing what his opponent did to him a couple weeks ago: chop the living hell out of his chest! Suzuki, expecting a punch, is caught off-guard, looking at Pac with a mix of surprise but also the look of a man who wants to destroy the nearest thing in sight. Suzuki tries to respond with a chop of his own, but Pac dodges it, moving behind Suzuki and picking him up by the waist, leveling him with a German Suplex! Pac starts stomping on the NJPW legend, looking to keep him grounded, but after one kick too many, Suzuki grabs a hold of Pac’s leg. He slowly rises to his feet, Pac trying to punch him down, but once the King has risen, he drops Pac’s leg only to immediately hit him with a vicious chop to the chest thereafter.
As the match continuously progresses, the key looks to be the status of Rey Fenix, as more than ten minutes into the contest, he still hadn’t tagged in. But finally, after Penta manages to gain some separation from Suzuki, he tags in his brother, and Fenix brings a spark of life to Death Triangle. He springboards into the ring, taking out Suzuki with a crossbody and forcing him to tag out to El Desperado. Despite Desperado’s ability, Fenix is able to get the better of him too, getting him grounded with a superkick, and a follow-up moonsault gives him a solid nearfall. Unfortunately, Narita is able to take him down once he comes back in, although after a desperation cutter, Fenix starts crawling back towards his corner. He looks at Penta and Pac, needing to make a decision in the moment about who to tag, and he ends up picking his brother. Pac, however, is enraged, immediately tagging himself in and yelling at Fenix that it’ll be him who brings an end to this match. Unfortunately for Pac, Ren Narita blindsides him, hitting him with a lariat to the back of the neck and causing Pac to send both Penta and Fenix tumbling to the outside. And from there, Narita takes a page out of his stablemate Suzuki’s playbook, locking a Rear Naked Choke on the Bastard! Pac tries to claw, to bite, to kick his way free, but Narita isn’t letting go until Pac taps or passes out…AND HE TAPS OUT!
Strong Style def. Death Triangle (17:09)
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After coming up unsuccessful at Forbidden Door II, Death Triangle is left with more questions than answers regarding what’s next for them. And while the Lucha Bros. look primed to move back to the tag division, a tag team gauntlet match being announced for Dynamite with the winner earning a future opportunity at the tag championships that they’ve held once before, Pac’s future appears to be more murky. He found the challenge he was looking for, and yet he came up short…he tapped out…maybe he needs to re-evaluate other things…
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Dynamite (7/5/23): Tag Team Gauntlet Match
After a solid opening match to the gauntlet between Top Flight and the Acclaimed, the Martin brothers able to successfully do enough damage to pin Caster and avenge our ears from his raps, the Lucha Brothers are the next team up. While Dante and Darius still turn to their athletic profiles, trying to match Penta and Fenix’s high-flying moves with their own, it’s clear their stamina is drained from competing in two matches in immediate succession. And ultimately, a Fenix superkick to Dante followed by a tag-out to Penta and a Package Piledriver allows the Lucha Bros. to advance.
Lucha Bros def. Top Flight via pinfall to advance in the gauntlet
Next up in the gauntlet is the Gunn Club, and they storm the ring with a purpose. They lost the tag titles to FTR, and they would love it if they could earn their shot at redemption. Despite having the freshness advantage though, Penta does well to fend off Colten, managing to keep the tides in their favor. And although the Gunns manage to get in some solid offense over the middle portion of the matchup, the ending sees Fenix find a hot streak, hitting the always ridiculous Black Fire Driver on Austin to keep their gauntlet goals alive.
Lucha Bros def. Gunn Club via pinfall to advance in the gauntlet
But for the final team in the gauntlet, it’s going to be quite an interesting test, with Aussie Open making a surprise appearance! They look to represent United Empire well, and they start the match off hot, quickly taking Fenix off his feet and keeping him isolated. However, the Lucha Brothers just refuse to die, and near the end, Penta goes on an absolute tear, eventually managing to secure him and Fenix the win with a Package Piledriver on Mark Davis.
Lucha Bros def. Aussie Open via pinfall and survive the gauntlet to earn a future Tag Team Championship match
After the match, the AEW Tag Team Champions FTR make their way to the ring, and they extend a handshake offering towards their next challengers. Fenix is quick to shake Harwood’s hand, but Penta hesitates momentarily before shaking Wheeler’s. And shortly thereafter, the scene pans to Pac watching the interaction on a backstage TV, looking perturbed at what transpired.
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Fyter Fest Night Two (7/19/23): Lucha Bros. vs. FTR (c) - AEW Tag Team Championships
With the stage having been set for these two teams to do battle, we now finally get to what’s sure to be a classic of a match. It wasn’t incredibly long ago that these duos battled for the AEW Tag Team Titles, having tested each other at Full Gear of 2021, but now the roles are reversed, with FTR as the fighting champions and the Lucha Brothers as the challenging contenders. And with both teams arguably only getting better since that point, the fans in attendance are hyped to see arguably AEW’s two most talented in-ring teams do battle.
The match starts off slowly, both teams trying to get a feel for each other with more technical, ground-and-pound based offense. However, as the match progresses, like any good musical composition, the dynamics slowly begin to rise. Penta and Fenix begin incorporating increasingly impressive, high risk-high reward maneuvers. Some of these pay off, such as a beautiful Canadian Destroyer by Penta to Dax on the outside, but others give the momentum right back to FTR, like a missed Phoenix Splash by Fenix. And for every minute the match reaches without a finish in sight, the commentators remark on just how wild it really is:
Half an hour with no finish? Ok, this is getting up there with some of AEW’s best tag team matches ever.
45 minutes with no finish? How are these men still fighting? Where are they getting this energy?
59 minutes with no finish? AHHHH, ONLY A MINUTE LEFT!
60 minutes with no finish? THE MATCH HAS ENDED IN A TIME-LIMIT DRAW! WHAT A CRAZY MOMENT!
Despite both team’s best efforts to put the other team down, both have just too much resiliency for their own good, fighting through the attrition and drained stamina en route to neither team coming out victorious. And it’s especially disappointing for the Lucha Brothers, as after a Fenix Driver on Harwood, Rey fell away from Dax, unable to get the cover on him in time and possibly costing them the titles. After the match, Pac comes out, helping Penta and Fenix up. FTR tries to extend another sign of respect towards the Lucha Brothers, but Pac pushes his partners back, not letting them even think about it.
Lucha Bros. and FTR fight to a time-limit draw (60:00)
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Fight For The Fallen (7/26/23): Pac vs. Rush
In his first singles match since tapping out to Ren Narita at Forbidden Door II, Pac looks to make a statement that he isn’t growing weaker or too overconfident for his own good. His shots are noticeably more stiff than usual, but unfortunately for AEW’s resident Bastard, he has to go up against Rush. After the singles loss to Bryan Danielson, Rush goes on a tear, becoming increasingly violent and harder to take down. He was notoriously hard to inflict damage upon before, but now all of his opponents have to dig even deeper. And while Pac puts up a strong effort, Rush proves himself superior, hitting his signature Double Underhook Piledriver and continuing the downward spiral of the Bastard.
Rush def. Pac via pinfall (15:31)
After the match, Fenix and Penta come out to help Pac, but he shoves Fenix specifically back, telling them that he doesn’t need their pity and he can get to the back just fine on his own.
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The following week, FTR gives a proposition to the Lucha Brothers: why don’t they run it back? The fans deserve a proper ending to their classic match at Fyter Fest, and with All Out around the corner, they have a huge stage to put on the finale. Penta and Fenix of course accept, and things are looking up for them…until…
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Dynamite (8/30/23):
With mere days until the PPV, an unfortunate series of events occur. In a backstage segment, FTR are speaking with Renee Paquette when we suddenly hear a brief scream nearby. FTR looks to investigate, and they’re horrified to discover a laid out Rey Fenix! Fenix is clutching his arm, which he appears to think is broken, and can barely even sit-up. FTR calls for doctors, and after they arrive, so does Penta. He looks incensed, questioning FTR as to what they did. Even when they say they didn’t attack him, Penta shoves Dax, who shoves Penta right back, forcing a swarm of officials to have to break up a potential brawl.
Later in the show, Renee finds Penta and Alex Abrahantes, asking for an update on the former’s brother. Abrahantes says that Fenix suffered nerve damage and a broken arm from damage inflicted by a blunt object, and can’t be medically cleared to compete for some time. When asked as to how this will affect the Tag Title match, Pac suddenly shows up in frame, saying he’ll fight alongside Penta and make FTR pay for what they did. Renee points out how it couldn’t have been them, she was talking to FTR at the time of the attack, and Pac retorts by saying it was probably someone like Rush then. Either way, he and Penta are winning the tag team titles at All Out.
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All Out (9/3/23): Penta El Zero Miedo and Pac vs. FTR (c) - AEW Tag Team Championships
And this match proves to be quite a physical one, with Penta and Pac operating on more emotion than usual to try and avenge Fenix and get the titles back in Death Triangle’s grips for him. FTR stay calm and collected throughout, making good use of their established tag team chemistry to match up against the more physically talented but less-experienced tag match duo standing across the ring from them. However, with Pac’s recent failures, his aggression continues to escalate, and eventually, he hits a Black Arrow on Wheeler before securing the Brutalizer on him, passing him out and earning a hard-fought victory.
Penta and Pac def. FTR via submission pass-out to win the AEW Tag Team Championships (21:38)
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Following the successful title win at All Out, Pac and Penta continue to thrive over the coming months. They have multiple successful title defenses, including against the Acclaimed and the Young Bucks. However, a new challenger soon approaches in the form of Best Friends. It’s no secret as to how much Pac detests Orange Cassidy, and therefore by extension, Chuck Taylor and Trent as well. However, with the pair of Taylor and Trent earning a tag title shot, Pac and Penta have no choice but to face (and hopefully destroy) them once and for all.
With that, Rey Fenix would also appear more regularly leading up to Full Gear, arm in a sling but in mostly good health and saying that he’ll be supporting Pac and Penta on the sidelines while also looking for the man who tried to shorten his career.
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Full Gear (11/18/23): Best Friends vs. Pac and Penta (c) - AEW Tag Team Championship
Despite Pac especially not viewing Taylor nor Trent as being viable enough to take him and Penta down, those Best Friends prove that tag team cohesion can make up for less explosiveness, doing well to both stay resilient towards Pac’s vicious onslaught and Penta’s aerial abilities while also managing to get in some effective offense as well. Unfortunately, Pac has control over Taylor near the end of the match-up, and after a ref bump, Pac calls for Fenix (who was sitting at ringside) to pass him the hammer. He wants to end things…
But Fenix refuses! He wants his stablemates to win in the morally right way, and doesn’t want Pac to use his signature weapon. Pac briefly yells at Fenix, but as he turns around, he’s met with a piledriver from Chuck Taylor! 1-2-3!
Best Friends def. Pac and Penta via pinfall (16:39)
And just like that, Penta and Pac have lost their tag titles, and Pac is clearly pissed, not looking at Fenix in order to keep himself in check. Even Penta is seemingly off and a little annoyed at his brother for what happened, but he’s able to get himself composed, eventually walking out with Fenix while Pac stays further ahead.
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Dynamite (11/22/23): Death Triangle Backstage Interview
Despite having lost their tag team championships just a few days prior, Death Triangle are seemingly not intent on living in the past, but rather on focusing on the future. And with that, Alex Abrantes has some news: Rey Fenix is back! After taking some time away to both recover from injury and gather information surrounding who put him out of action in the first place, Fenix is ready to come back. And he’s on the cusp of finding this mystery attacker: he’s found a trail of evidence, and next week, he’ll be ready to finally find out who blindsided him. As he speaks, Penta looks calm, but Pac looks as though he’s seen a ghost, growing pale and an expression of nervousness that wasn’t there at the beginning of the interview.
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Dynamite (11/29/23): Rey Fenix Promo
And upon next week finally arriving, Fenix would make his way to the ring, alongside Penta and Alex Abrahantes. However, instead of the latter speaking on his behalf, he grabs a mic, speaking himself:
RF: “These past few months have been challenging for me. I’ve wanted nothing more than to compete for all of you, to fight with my brother as tag team champions. But somebody wanted me out of the picture. Somebody injured my arm, the same one that kept me on the shelf once before. And now, I’m going to expose them for the coward they are.”
On cue, Fenix motions towards the titantron, where two videos appear side-by-side on the split screen. The first video shows a masked figure hitting Fenix’s arm with a blunt object, and the second video shows what appears to be the same masked individual taking off their disguise before heading into a locker room. However, this security camera footage is blurry, and we can’t make out who the assailant is. That is, until Fenix makes an announcement:
RF: “The key to finding out who attacked me is behind this footage. And though it may be hard to see, I know a man who can help clear things up.”
And with that, out comes the man, the myth, the legend…DANHAUSEN! The very nice and very evil individual comes to the ring quickly, and Fenix asks if he can help enhance the images…reverse the curse if you will. Before Danhausen can respond however…out comes Pac! The Bastard marches to the ring, a pissed off look on his face, and he asks Fenix why he brought this clown out. Danhausen is an idiot, he can’t do anything with that footage. Fenix looks at Pac questioningly, but before he can say anything, Danhausen chimes in, claiming he actually can. And with that, he holds his hands up towards the titantron, harnessing his supernatural energy…
AND THE VIDEOS ARE ALL OF A SUDDEN PERFECT QUALITY! Pac’s expression turns to that of shock, and soon enough, the videos begin playing again. The first clip shows the masked man hitting Fenix, but soon we can see what the foreign object was…a hammer. And as the second video reaches its conclusion, everyone sees who the man with the mask was…IT WAS PAC!
Before Fenix can fully accept this outcome however, Pac turns towards Danhausen, belting him with a boot and knocking him out of the ring. It’s upon hearing this physical shot that Fenix finally turns around, moving towards Pac. Rey looks hurt, but by this point, Pac has a cold look on his face. The two stare each other down, the crowd anxiously awaiting who’s going to make the first move. And after a moment, it’s neither of them, as Penta moves towards the tension-filled confrontation. Initially, it looks like Penta is just trying to separate the two, but after Fenix sort of pushes him aside…PENTA SUPERKICKS HIS OWN BROTHER!
A malicious smirk comes across the face of Pac, Penta having made his decision on who to align with. The Bastard starts stomping away on Fenix’s skull, before quickly dragging his weakened body to the corner, climbing to the top rope and nailing the Black Arrow. He initially looks primed to transition the move into the signature Brutalizer submission hold, but upon turning back towards Penta, he changes his mind. He moves out of the ring, grabbing a steel chair and placing it in the center of the ring. He then drags Fenix to Penta, yelling at him to destroy him. Penta responds by picking his brother up, getting him in position for his signature Package Piledriver…
BUT OUT COMES BANDIDO! Several months ago, it was Fenix who saved Bandido from Pac assaulting him after the match with Narita, and now Bandido is here to return the favor. Upon getting in the ring, he immediately jumps at Pac, getting him on the ground and getting in stiff shots to the head. Penta pulls him off, but Bandido is perfectly willing to fight him as well, eventually forcing Pac and Penta (with Abrahantes) to retreat. And while Bandido helps Fenix to his feet, the physical and emotional damage was already done…
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And just like that, Death Triangle has officially exploded, Rey Fenix being left to rot by his brothers while Pac and Penta El Zero Miedo seemingly continue to move forward together. But how do the remaining months play out for these three men? Find out in Part II…

The pair watched the class being led away by Bak Stah’Ber and just stood in silence. A silence that lasted far longer than anyone would find comfortable till Alex finally broke it.
“Was the dance show really necessary?”
“Human, I think you will find it was very necessary. I have a reputation to keep up, and while the news may not be the best, I have a way to give it.”
“Best?” Alex echoed. “You told her her parents are dead and dying, and you did so with pyrotechnics and a dance number.”
“Well, when you put it like that, it makes me seem a bit heartless. Regardless what is done is done. Now human, I kept you back for a specific reason.”
“Lady Plutarchie, I know you know my name.”
“That I do, but you are a debtor to me. Till you repay it, your name will never leave my lips.”
“Yet the debt I have can never be repaid.”
“Yes, that very much is what it seems. You are too much like my one true love. How is he, by the way?”
“Sloth?”
“Yes, he is the only one I would abandon my ways for. The heart yearns, as they say.”
“He is his usual self. Focusing on random research.”
“Still up to mischief?”
“Not nearly as much as you’d think,” Lust seemed to slump at Alex’s reply.
“He has always been an odd duck. But he was meant to be my odd duck… you know you remind me of him when he was young.”
“I’ve been told I am very much like he was.”
“Yes, too much. Had he not still existed in this realm, I would’ve assumed you to be his reincarnation. Human… I can already see the divergence; you achieved what we could not.”
“What’s that?”
“You were able to become one with your love… Yes, I am Lady Lust, but that sexy beast of a man that is Sloth is… well, I won’t say more.” Alex decidedly held his tongue about the phrase sexy beast. His master was the source for the image of a mad researcher. Beast is probably the only word that could ever be attributed by anyone else.
“Why don’t you go ahead and marry him?”
“Oh, that ship has long sailed. Way back when my grandfather founded this domain and joined forces with Lord Hades… I hoped to bond with Victor's domain. But it was forbidden by my father, and I was bound by a soul contract never to do such a thing. It is a tragedy to lose one's love. It is why I don’t go after those whose hearts are already claimed.”
“Regardless, I take it you didn’t ask me to remain just to talk about my master?”
“Yes… I assume you can tell why I asked you to remain?”
“To not pursue this?” Lust nodded.
“Yes, I am at this moment giving you an order as a debtor. You are not to pursue this situation yourself. If you proceed to do so, you will be in breach of contract.”
“That seems fair.”
“I am aware it is fair… I need you to confirm you accept the order human. You will not hide yourself behind wordplay with me. Any loophole in an agreement is only there because I left it there. Now confirm you accept my order.”
“I accept your order.”
“To?”
“I accept your order not to pursue this situation regarding Daisy’s parents myself.” As Alex finished saying these words, his entire being glowed faintly for a few seconds.
“Good, the agreement is set… now human, read these,” Lust said as she took a bundle of documents from a servant and handed them to him.
“These are?”
“Reports of the investigation.”
“But you just ordered-?”
“Human, I ordered you not to pursue it yourself. I am commissioning you to study these. The orders may overlap, but there is no contradiction. I cannot have one with your power running free to seek revenge. We are on the brink of war. We cannot leave openings. Now read through the documents and accounts. I know you ‘researchers’ are good at picking up on information between the lines. Now begone, I have a ‘party’ with several lords from Greed’s domain to see to.”
Accepting the bundle of documents, Alex followed a now-returned Bak Stah’Ber out of the throne room towards the bedrooms where the class had been taken.
“How are they?” Alex asked.
“They are currently stressing over how to approach the young lady. The young lady herself is currently in her room with a strangely small dragon wearing what looks like a metallic slime for armour.” As with many royal estates, this one had an array built into the structure that would allow the head servant to be aware of the status of its guests. The moment they wanted food, it would already be on its way.
Alex, however, momentarily paused midstep upon hearing that. He had suspected one of them had ‘adopted’ a duck-sized dragon. It was a bit hard not to hear the little yaps when the baggage was being loaded. But he had suspected either Bea or maybe Tasha. Daisy would’ve been one of his last guesses.
“Here is your room, sir. The young lady is in that room there,” Bak Stah’Ber said, gesturing to a pair of doors slightly further down the hallway. Thanking the butler, Alex settled into his room and began reading the investigation documents.
The documents were quite a read in of themselves. He could already identify a near dozen people embezzling funds. But of the names he had identified, nine were already listed as identified. Scribbling the extra names onto the list, Alex continued through the provided documents and ledgers.
Of all the criminal activity contained within the documents provided, the vast majority were within what was considered acceptable corruption. The thing is that there was always someone going to skim something. Sometimes graft was needed to enable the smooth running of the system. It was unfortunate, but despite his eccentricity, Alex was a pragmatist.
It was as he went further into the documents he began to see four names stick out more and more. There was Stephano, a merchant from Greed's domain. He was one of the merchant guild's wealthiest members, and with a new Greed transfer upcoming, he would need that final push to put him into the spot of richest.
Despite the hidden trap of the seat of Greed, it was still a seat of incredible power and influence. The ability to help govern the trade of the entire continent was such that even the relative poverty of the position would not stop someone ambitious enough.
The next name that popped out to him was Septus. The man held considerable authority over the military of the royal domain. He held command over the city's entire military forces and was someone gunning for the seat of Envy. A seat that only respected military ability, something he had little chance to display. But with all his actions, there was the chance of a criminal gang war starting out in the capital. Something he would benefit significantly from.
The next name was Lux Lightbringer. Someone Alex had only heard rumours about, but none of the rumours were pleasant. Most worryingly for this one was payments linked to the Bertolini Trade company. A company that had come under recent suspicion after he had destroyed a fortress of slavers and documents discovered showed they had links.
The last name was a woman named Gabriella. In his recollection, she was a minor functionary within the court of Crozonia. But she had leveraged every benefit to give herself a lavish lifestyle. However, her abilities were lacking, and she was on the verge of having her nobility revoked.
Four names and four possibilities as to who was responsible for the Haemont assault. The merchant desperately scrambling for the seat of greed, the commander without any accolades, A merchant and possible slave trader or a noble on the verge of losing everything.
He had to admit even with these possibilities laid out before him; he couldn’t identify who had been behind it. Septus seemed likely as the guard were behind the attack. But he would be the obvious suspect, and the guard wasn’t exactly hard to bribe.
The best he could do for now would be to pass on what his analysis had discovered and pass it back to Lust. But part of him hesitated; he had seen the fiery rage that had taken hold of Daisy’s heart. It was a flame he recognised all too well.
Even now, with all his power and influence, he couldn’t lie to himself. He knew he was still that scared and angry eight-year-old that ran away from the burning remains of his village. It was why he so desperately held onto everyone he made bonds with.
“I’d like some cleaning alcohol, please,” he said aloud.
As he waited for the product to arrive, he was left with his own thoughts. He could so easily hunt these people down and be done with it. But he was now bound by an agreement he had made with lust. Before he could get lost in his thoughts, a knock at the door came.
“I have the cleaning alcohol, sir, and a tankard as was requested.” Alex smiled as he took the bottle and mug from Bak Stah’Ber. He hadn’t even mentioned a tankard, but the butler had intuited his desire.
“Is everything ok, sir? You seem troubled.”
“It’s this whole situation.”
“Yes, nasty business that. Shame that you yourself cannot pursue it without mine lady's order.”
“Yes…” Alex agreed as he sipped his drink. To anyone else, this would’ve felt like burning, but to him and Yuu it was a light tickle. But as the drink trickled down his throat, a thought struck him.
“Thank you, Bak Stah’Ber,” the butler nodded and left the room.
He now could see how it could proceed forwards… but it would be tricky, and he was loathe to put the kids into a truly dangerous situation. But he supposed that protecting his charges would take precedence over not pursuing. Especially if it wasn’t him himself pursuing the situation.
“Sir?” a voice from the door asked.
“Come in, Bea,” The door opened, and Bea walked in and settled into the seat across from him.
“How can I help?”
“We want to get revenge for Daisy.”
“I can’t,” Alex replied with a shake of his head.
“But sir, we have seen you-”
“I am bound not to pursue this,” Alex said as he gestured to the documents still on the table.
“I cannot go rampaging around Hades Seat killing without cause or reason. Especially as we don’t know which of these four did it,” Alex explained as he moved a few pages around to make sure she could see the names he had circled.
“They’re a dangerous bunch, and someone like me who draws a lot of attention would be a hindrance in finding the real culprit,” Bea nodded in response to this observation. Alex was grateful it was Bea who had come.
Tasha would’ve taken his words at face value. Maxwell was already dealing with a lot of family stuff, so he would’ve been too distracted to read the subtext. While likely reading the subtext, Kline and Gunter would’ve hesitated to act on it. Daisy was the only one he wouldn’t have even attempted this with. He knew that fire needed friends to keep it controlled. He couldn’t let Daisy become a monster.
“I hope you understand, Bea. I will not pursue anything to do with this and will pass these names on to Lady Lust this evening. But we still have some time to stay in the capital, so I hope you can try your best to cheer up Daisy while the real culprit is found out.”
“Understood, sir… Have a good evening; sorry for intruding,” Bea rose from her seat, pausing only to glance one more time at the circled names while Alex very conspicuously tilted his head back to drink.
“Have a good evening, Bea… also could you get the guys to check up on Daisy… I’m sure she could really use friends right about now.”
“Message is loud and clear, sir. I’ll see if we can get a load of booze and get her so drunk she doesn’t care.”
“That’s… That’s a plan, I suppose.” With a final goodbye, the door closed behind Bea, leaving Alex all alone once more.
“I hope I’ve done the right thing,” he muttered, thinking about what Lust had said. That any loophole there is because she left it there.
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Start of Alex Series
Start of Teacher Series: Lesson 1
Previous: Meet the Parents: Lady Lust and the fire of vengeance
Next: Coming Soon
Royal Road
Alex and Freki Artwork // Class Picture
Sub: Random3X (lore and more)

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i hope this post is allowed 🤞 i reviewed the rules i promise
last season i was able to soloq up to plat 2 with just sona/nami but now i'm hardstuck gold 2.
i've asked some of my friends (plat-diamond) for tips and they all say "your teammates are just inting" but i can't tell if they actually think that or they're just dismissing me.
i main sona, nami, and zyra, but i play sona 90% of the time. i switch the champions i play according to what's best for lane.
during laning phase on sona, i just wait to scale. i try to stay active but i'm not extremely aggressive or else i get outpoked. i rarely roam. i go common moonstone/shurelya runes when appropriate and alter my build path depending on my team and the enemy team.
on zyra, i'm much more aggressive to achieve that early lead and because of that i often roam to help mid/jg make plays. i often take Comet-cloak-celerity-GS+ToB-ultimate hunter but i'll sometimes go basic elec runes.
on nami, im more active during laning phase though i don't play her as much anymore because i honestly just suck at her (except those nami-ADC synergies where i can just afk and press E). controversial, but i often lose when i lane with lucian bc we never secure the lead we need. i usually pick her as a safe pick/when requested by my team.
any advice would help, im just trying to improve :)
my op.gg is (cinthxx) if that helps:
https://www.op.gg/summoners/na/cinthxx

As the months raged by on Kamino, Vader received word that another clone had survived. When Vader returned to the cell of the newest clone, he repeated the similar script he gave to the other clones that had failed him.
Vader: You survived.
Starkiller38: How much time has passed?
Vader: 13 days in Isolation. Impressive.
Starkiller38: The Force gives me all I need.
Vader: From what source?
Starkiller38: The Dark side, my master.
Vader then began to raise the platform restraining the clone out of the cell and he handed him two lightsabers that were similar to the ones the successful clone carried.
Vader: Starkiller's Jedi mentor has been captured.
Starkiller38: General Rahm Kota?
Vader: Yes. When your training is complete, you will go to Cato Neimoidia and execute him.
When the clone hears it, he begins to recoil from a memory aching in his head about when the original Starkiller dueled him above Nar Shaddaa. When the flash ended, Vader took notice.
Vader: You are still haunted by visions?
Starkiller38: Yes, Master. I… sometimes smell a forest on fire, I see the General falling, I feel the ground shake as a starship crashes around me,... and I hear… a woman's voice when I try to sleep.
Vader: They ate memories of a dead man. A side effect of the cloning process and the memory flashes used to train you. They. Will. Fade.
Starkiller38: And if they don't?
Vader: Then you will be of no use to me. Starkiller's emotions made him weak. You must destroy what he created, and you must learn to hate what he loved.
As Vader explained this to him, training droids similar to Proxy appeared taking the forms of Rebel soldiers and Juno Eclipse. His shackles were removed by the Force and the clone activated his two crimson blades. As he had tuned his powers and saber techniques, Vader was impressed, but only knew it would be a true success if the Juno projection was killed.
When the training droid that projected the image of Juno spoke, the clone hesitated and started to give into his memories.
Vader: Strike her down!
Starkiller38: I… can't!
Vader: You WILL! You were created to do. MY. Bidding!
After trying to absorb Vader's orders to strike down the image of Juno, his memories won out and he deactivated the blades and holstered them to his robes.
Vader was disappointed in this clone and began to strike down the image himself. The clone was about to check on it when the visage disappeared.
Vader: Then… it is as I feared.
Starkiller38: Why is this happening to me?!
Vader: The accelerated cloning process is still… imperfect. Your predecessors had succumbed to madness within months. I had high hopes that you would be the first success, but now you must suffer the same fate, like the rest.
Starkiller38: What will you do with me?
As Vader's saber activated, a memory flash had gone off in the clone's head, just as Vader had hoped for. Vader then slowly moved to execute the clone, he was forced to block a surprise torrent of Force lightning before he saw the clone escape the facility with sabers in tow, ready to rampage his way off of Kamino.
This turn of events, for Vader, had been going as he had planned. He then put together a double bounty for the escaped clone and Juno Eclipse. The quickest response to those bounties was from the bounty hunter that Vader, although refusing to admit to himself, has considered his favorite; Boba Fett.
Boba: From the looks of this, he has a very healthy head start.
Vader: Find the woman and bring her to me. That clone will follow.
Boba: I'm gonna need a squadron or two of stormtroopers. They won't be coming back alive.
Vader: The Empire will provide whatever you believe is required.
Vader then reveals what he had done with the failed clones of Starkiller to the bounty hunter. Most have been subject to unimaginable pain until the only ability they have is short range teleportation, small burst stun lightning, and cloaking. These are equipped with wrist blasters, metallic claws embedded into their skin, and a breathing mechanism embedded in their lungs. Other failed clones were hidden among the gold-armored saber guards who were able to block the clone's force abilities. The closest successes were made into unarmed combatants that are proficient with the Force to reinforce Imperial rule on former Separatist worlds. Even fewer have only their brains preserved and used for large droid bodies that looked as if it was a droideka with a gorilla-like body. One brain that Vader had in particular which was a failed experiment of merging two types of DNA was moved to a large Mantis like droid capable of handling larger threats such as walkers, turbolaser emplacements, and even groups of Jedi. What he did with the remainder of the clone corpse parts he used for smaller and more numerous spider-like droids.
Boba Fett saw these machinations and secretly turned pale. While the bounty hunter composed himself, he accepted the use of these types of troops.
When the clone took down a couple of AT-STs with ease, he made his way to Vader's starfighter with Vader on his heels. As the Dark Lord saw his fighter take off, he knew that he was going to save Kota. He then orders the successful clone to Mustafar until ordered back. When X1 arrived in the shuttle, the two boarded and X1 gave him a few lessons on commanding a ship. This destroyer that X1 has been rewarded with was known as the Avarice.
After two years of fighting in a gladiatorial arena on Cato Neimoidia, Kota still maintains his will and taunts the Imperial at the head of Cato Neimoidia's arena. This baron ordered his Neimoidian aides to send another beast to execute the captured Jedi. Seconds later, the baron hears that Vader's TIE was coming in for a landing.
Baron: Secure the landing platform and have the Acolytes ready for any threat that comes our way!
When the bridge extended to the floating landing platform the Baron walked between the ivory formations of troopers with his best posture and eagerness to impress the dark lord. When he saw another being in his place wearing a TIE pilot uniform, he then began to draw his personal blaster, concealing it behind his back, while maintaining his look of confusion and inquisitiveness.
Baron: I… was expecting Lord Vader.
Starkiller38: The Jedi; Where is he?
Baron: No need to worry. He is alive… for the moment.
He then suspected that this individual was going to rescue his most entertaining combatant in his arena, and that was not going to happen on his watch.
Baron: What are the security codes in this sector?
The clone knew that he had no knowledge of the codes and stood ready to activate his blades. After the Baron pressed the clone for the security codes again, he drew his blaster, followed by the Stormtrooper escorts and the clone activated his crimson sabers. As blasters rang out, shots were deflected and troopers were cut down. In the firefight, the Baron had alerted Imperial troops all over the city that another force user was invading and attempting to rescue the Jedi. As the clone fought his way through the city, the Baron had an idea about replacing Kota with him.
Baron: This city lives for the sport of gladiatorial combat. General Rahm Kota is the finest combatant we have had yet. His two-year winning streak has become a fan favorite story, but also a source of dried up profits of gamblers. In my opinion, I see more potential in you as a combatant. If you fight and kill him in the arena, I will forgive your destructive warpath throughout my city.
After fighting many Imperial forces, Sith acolytes, and even taking down walkers and a couple Imperial Gunships, he made his way to the arena, and saw the familiar, yet tattered, Jedi that stood exhausted.
The baron saw the clone enter the arena from the view of his box and hoped that the clone would see reason, but as the clone stood at his side, his anger began to surface. He ordered his aides to send out his most fearsome combatant yet; the Gorog.
Back in the arena, Kota felt as though his body was screaming to relax, but when he heard a familiar voice, those mental screams began to quiet.
Kota: By the Force, I knew you were alive.
Starkiller38: I just hope that I stay that way.
As the arena doors opened, a rancor emerged and the clone thought that it was gonna be an easy fight, and only activated one of his blades. All of that changed when a hand about the same size as the rancor, dragged the creature back into the depths of the arena. The sense of ease quickly faded from the clone as he activated his second blade. Starkiller got his comlink on and began to assess the very large and monstrous threat.
Kota: Please tell me you kept the same comm channel.
Starkiller38: Loud and clear, Kota.
Kota: About time, I didn't know if I could take any more.
Starkiller38: Speaking of time and being out of it, what is this damn thing?
Kota: All I know is that it's huge.
Starkiller: I can definitely see that, but what the hell can I do?!
Kota: I'm not sure on that front.
As the clone dodges every single massive strike from the massive gorilla like beast, he then attacks the restraints and forces them to move into place. Every time he did this, the arena rocked with every smash making the excitement of the spectators blend with concern with every blow the giant delivered. After stabbing his sabers into the head of the massive beast, the restraints began to fail against the Gorog's rage. With the evacuation of the arena underway, Starkiller had no choice but to jump to the highest points in the arena due to the Gorog breaking free and destroying the structure.
Kota: Since those restraints are destroyed, we need to take that beast out of commission!
Starkiller38: Isn't this perceptive? How?!
Kota: Since this place is a hanging city, see what you can do about the supports.
Starkiller38: Blast that, the whole structure will come down!
Kota: You got any ideas?
Starkiller38: Not so much, no.
Kota: I'm going after the Baron if you need anything else.
As the Imperials tried to restrain or kill the gorog, they also had to contend with the clone slashing them apart while the gorog destroyed the supports to the city.
As the Gorog destroyed the last auxiliary support, the clone joined Kota in taking down the Imperial Moff, but the Gorog grabbed the Baron like a toy signaling to the two Force users that they had to get out of there now. As they jump out the window Kota hits a remote as they fall and the Rogue Shadow flies below them to catch the two Jedi. As he did so, Starkiller then threw his sabers to cut down the last support of the arena, sending the structure, and the massive gorog plummeting to the planet sized abyss below with the metal, transparisteel, wiring, and electrical systems stabbing into the thick flesh of the beast. When the Rogue Shadow left Cato Neimoidia, the pair began to calm down from the adrenaline rush they had as the pair brought down an entire structure in a city with no explosives, ships, or massive Force feats.
When the ISD Avarice was ordered to jump to Dantooine, the dark clone and commander meet up with X1's second in command as they covertly deploy the terror troops within the rebel forces heading to the fleet soon to arrive. Many troops have snuck aboard the rebel vessels that stopped for refueling. When Crosshair finished overseeing the infiltration, he regrouped with his Commander. As the shuttle reboarded the Avarice, Vader's plan was set in motion.
On Coruscant, the chaos is absent, but the politicians who have become sycophants to the Emperor all held verbal and documented daggers behind their backs. One of these politicians who had continuously fought for the rights of Clones was Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora. With her was her protégé, Omega. When Clones were almost completely phased out, the select few who remained were part of the 501st Legion, part of the Royal Guard, or served as bodies needed for the Dark Trooper project. When the attack on Kamino was brought before the Senate, Rampart had disclosed the mission that the holorecording had showed the vast hall of hovering pods. As Senator Chuchi displayed the information, she cast blame for the loss of Imperial Resources on Rampart's personal agenda.
Chuchi: Tipoca City was destroyed on your orders, Admiral! This recording was from your Venator!
Rampart: This recording shows the after effects of the battle that was won and we had to make sure that the Kaminoans never rebelled again. The Kaminoans had promised us that they would refrain from cloning a military to rival the Empire, but they have done so by taking DNA as part of their "medical treatment." Here is the evidence from one of my trooper's helmets of the supposedly cordoned off facilities.
Rampart then displayed Crosshair's view of the active cloning chambers. When a trooper sat in the pod, it was one of the clone of a trooper who died on Naboo.
Rampart: I also have with me one result of the Kaminoans' treachery. This trooper if you look upon their face has a distinct set of markings under their right eye. These are not medical scars or medical wrappings. The real Imperial trooper has died while being treated and this was the result to appease us.
The trooper rose up and revealed his face, showong the markings of the kaminoan cloning of Imperial conscripts.
Chuchi: An entire city was destroyed on your orders, Rampart! If it is wiped from the galactic maps, that would be cause for your court martial and charged with genocide!
Just as the words exit the Pantoran's lips, the central podium rose from the floor to reveal the Grand Vizier, Mas Amedda, and the Emperor himself. The Senate gradually fell quiet and Palpatine began to speak.
Palpatine: In light of the allegations made by both parties, the loss of Imperial resources will take years to replenish. The destruction of Tipoca City as depicted in the evidence provided by the Senator from Pantora, is ruled as a battle, not a slaughter of innocents. The insurrection has been dealt with, but the response to such an insurrection was unjustified destruction ordered by a rogue Imperial Agent serving his own agenda instead of the Empire. As for the evidence in the cloned conscripts, there is another dilemma present for you, Senator Chuchi. Since you are an advocate for the rights of clones, are those created to replace the dead conscripts included with the veterans of the Clone Wars, as well, or is your advocacy only through words alone?
Chuchi: This is the first time I have been made aware of any clones outside of the last war, My Emperor. Nevertheless, whether the clone is a recruit, or a veteran, I will be their voice in the Imperial Senate.
Emperor: I admire your dedication, Senator, but a new challenge has approached you. I hereby rule that any conscript who is discovered as a Kaminoan clone will no longer be able to serve in the Imperial military. If they do not seek other forms of employment outside of our military complex within 30 days, they will be culled.
Many Senators had cheered for the ruling from the Emperor, and others were silent on the matter so as to not lose their seats. Chuchi realized she had lots of work ahead of her. Omega offered to assist her and the pair began to work on the employment forms. Rampart had been arrested by the Coruscant Guard and sent to a military Tribunal due to his actions. After a few days of hard work, the tired and stressed out senator decided to head to 79's; the bar designated for clones when they were relieved of their posts for the night, or even throughout their long campaigns away from base. When the clones saw her, they knew to make sure she was served right away.
Back with the Rogue Shadow, the Starkiller clone had just picked up Kota from Malastare and was about to jump to hyperspace towards Dantooine when new memories played in his head. When he looked at his memories, he began smelling a very fungal odor, he felt the ground shake as massive footsteps ran towards him, he saw a Jedi fall from a force choke by Vader, and he heard a female voice, but this time, it wasn't Juno. The voice came from a woman with gray skin, red horns, black hair, and yellow eyes.
Kota: What did you see?
Starkiller38: I remember a planet full of fungal trees, I felt as if a rancor was chasing me, and I heard a different voice than Juno's.
Kota: Don't you remember Felucia?
Starkiller38: If that's what I'm seeing, maybe I do, but that other woman, I think I fought her.
Kota: You rescued Senator Organa from that mess of a planet.
Starkiller38: The thing is, Kota, I have never been to Felucia myself. I have memories of that planet, but I haven't ever set foot in that system.
Kota: We'll figure it out later. Anyway, we're coming up on the fleet. I'll do the talking.
Starkiller38: That's fine, General. I have to meditate, maybe I'll see if I can reach Juno.
As Starkiller sat down in what used to be the training facility, he meditated and changed out the crystals of his lightsabers. When they continued talking about Starkiller being back, Kota was updating him on the rebellion's current capability in terms of fighting Imperial Forces. Even though Kota still refused to believe it, he then heard the clone say something that triggered a memory of his own.
Starkiller38: You have no idea what I went through on Kamino.
Kota: Kamino? What city did you escape from? We can put your power to use now that you’re back, and launch a full scale…
Starkiller38: NO! I… just want… Look, I need a place to think everything through, to meditate.
Kota: To hide?!
Starkiller38: Until I find Juno.
Kota: We’re at war and you want a quiet place to think?! Wasn’t your trip before you picked me up specifically for that?! The Alliance will be destroyed, all because you had to continue… finding yourself?
Starkiller38: So now you believe that I’m a clone?
Kota: Yeah, cause you aren’t the first clone of a Jedi I met. After I lost my sight above Nar Shaddaa, I fell into a deep depression and recieved a call from an old friend, he told me about a clone he fought alongside and his exceptional skill. I found him on Dantooine and he looked almost the spitting image of his father, my old padawan.
Starkiller38: What happened to him? Resulting in the clone?
Kota: When he was injured after a battle before the clone wars, we brought him to Kamino to get him some medical attention. When the Kaminoans were finished with thim, they took some of his DNA as payment for the work they did.
Starkiller38: How did he die? I’m assuming it was on Dantooine, right?
Kota: Yes. When the Empire attacked Dantooine, my old padawan was the target. The clone I found was there along with other clones who defected. After a noble defense, he was killed by the other clone produced from his DNA and the clone that I found, had survivor’s guilt and stayed there for about 15 years before I got there and pulled him out of his funk.
The starkiller clone then reached into his pocket and gave the blind Jedi general a pen like item that he snagged from his escape, showing the jedi general how resourceful he was under stress.
Kota: An encrypted code cylinder?
Starkiller38: Everything about the schematics and cloning facilities on… Kamino.
Kota: Oh, and for the belief if you are a clone or not, I don’t think that it matters.
An explosion rings out throughout the bridge and the Jedi make theri way to the bridge, fighting Imperial forces along the way. In the ensuing Chaos, Boba fett infiltrated the ship and snuck his way through the cruiser to the bridge. He ordered different squads of troops throughout the ship to eliminate the rebels and find the Captain for Vader. When Kota encountered some Imperial troops, a lot of them were the basic stormtroopers, and other specialized troops that had no enhancements. When Kota reached the bridge, he briefly reunited with Proxy and took control of the bridge. When starkiller saw the hall that was near the bridge, Boba Fett had captured her already. All the clone and Captain could do was share a glance before Boba dragged her away to the Slave I. After Kota managed every thing from the bridge, and Starkiller fought through vader’s troops and Experiments, he tried stopping Boba fett from taking her to no avail.
Starkiller38: Kota, They’re gone. Send the order to attack Kamino or I WILL GO WITHOUT YOU!!!
Kota: Already done. We’re fixing to jump out of Hyperspace in a couple minutes. Switch channels, there’s something you need to hear.
Both had switched channels and Kota gave the clone a bit of warning.
Kota: You know that Vader is luring you back to him.
Starkiller38: Yes, I KNOW, but he won't be expecting the entire rebel fleet!
Kota: I know. Let's hope we're right. We just got out of hyperspace and are nearing Kamino.
The clone then heard some creaks and groans of metal being moved and bent only to see a huge insect-like walker about to attack the reactor of the entire ship.
Back with Kota, he knew he had to send for help if his fleet was to last against the Empire. He told Proxy to get into contact with any of the rebel leadership so he can call for aid.
Kota: Proxy, we need to get in touch with the Alliance leadership. Our fleet is falling apart.
Proxy: Patching you through to Yavin.
Proxy then changed his form to that of Princess Leia Organa and Kota began to speak.
Kota: Princess, our fleet is near Kamino and our fleet is falling apart. My apprentice is back but he's occupied with Vader's experimental troops! What reinforcements can you send?
Leia: We can send only 1 transport ship to bolster the forces on your capital ships. It may take a while for the transport to get there.
Kota: Anything you can send! We'll hold out for as long as they can!
When the transmission cut out, Starkiller had recovered the reactor and destroyed the insect walker and made his way to the main cannon.
With the Imperial defenses, there were two star destroyers blockading the planet; The Avarice and The Ambition. Each of them have sent TIE Fighters to destroy any rebels attempting to take off. When the rebels' main cannon was fired by the escaped clone, the Ambition took the lethal hit and was split in half. X1 realized that on that ship was his special Unit. X1 then fell to his rage, another ISD, the Desolate jumped out of hyperspace and reinforced the Imperial blockade.
Back with the clone, The appearance of the Desolate made Kota realize that their chances of success have significantly dropped. He made announcements to the hangar bays about sending the Y-wing bombers to attack the new destroyer. When the Imperial boarding parties attempted to go into the hangar bays, the X-wings and A-wings intercepted them and blew them into the vacuum of space.
Kota: We can't hold out much longer! Reroute all power to the forward deflector shields.
Proxy: This ship is also going to pieces. We already lost decks 8 through 12.
Starkiller38: Head to the Rogue Shadow. I don't think those planetary shields can withstand a direct hit from a cruiser.
Kota was almost dumbfounded at the idea, but figured that since their options were limited, he had to give the order he dreaded for the longest time.
Kota: Abandon ship! ABANDON SHIP!!! Are we even gonna survive?
Starkiller38: We'll see when we make it to the ground. Just get to the ship.
When the rebels got in their ships and escape pods, the Starkiller clone began moving debris out of the way of the crashing cruiser. When the cruiser broke through, the ship began to burn up due to reentry. As the cruiser continued burning up, he jumped out of the cruiser and removed all the barriers to prevent any drag in the ship's descent.
When Starkiller landed in a familiar yard-like structure in the facility he had escaped, he began searching for Juno and Vader. When he encountered multiple types of Imperial troops, he merely regarded them as nuisances and turned them upon each other in every room he entered. When it came to the war droids, he used their fire and carbonite shots against them and destroyed them using their shields as cover and a massive projectile against other Imperial forces. When he finally reunited with Kota, they saw that fighters and bombers were flying about and Starkiller used the war droid shields to take out the fighters and bomber squads. As the two continued to fight the Empire, the clone made his way towards the cloning chambers, against the behest of Kota.
Kota: You don't know what else is in there!
Starkiller38: Juno is close, General!
Kota: So is Vader, boy, just stop! Don't go in there alone!
Starkiller38: I know Vader's there, but I'm not stopping.
Kota: We need you on the front lines!
Starkiller38: I told you a hundred times that I'm going after Juno!
Kota: Damn it, Starkiller! I'm coming after you when we finish up here!
Starkiller walked through the cloning facility surrounded by suspended animation pods filled with clones of him. Throughout his walk through the chambers, he had begun hearing Juno’s voice rejecting him, Kota’s voice belittling him, and Vader’s ominous and iconic breathing sending chills throughout his spine and stoking the flames of his anger.
Starkiller38: VADER!!! COME OUT!! FACE ME, YOU COWARD!!!!
At random moments, Vader would surprise Starkiller with attacks using the Force, or using his saber. When Vader attacked with his blade, Starkiller began to press Vader on Juno. Every time he broke the clash or his grip of the Force, memories of him past, present, and future flashed in his mind, giving Vader time to hide and prepare for his next strike. When the clone exited the dark cloning room, he saw Vader atop one of the stasis pod platforms looking down at the clone who had escaped his grip, according to his plan, unbeknownst to the rest of the Empire.
Vader: I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned. Now you will surrender to me, or you will die here, where you were created.
This had further enraged the clone as he met Vader on that platform and ignited his twin sapphire blades ready to butcher the being who saw him as nothing but a weapon, an experiment, and a being with no identity. Vader had continued jumping from platform to platform releasing more unfinished clones towards the one that opposed him, but the clone continued to use them against him and keep him distracted.
Throughout the fight between the creator and his creation, Kota had managed to find the Kaminoan doctors who he tried to help 3 years ago. The kaminoans were about to display their gratitude for their rescuers, but a rain of blaster shots came in from a jetpack wearing bounty hunter, the same one Kota had fought on this planet during the Kamino uprising 3 years ago.
Boba: Now I’ve got you Jedi!
Kota: You again? You’ll never take me to Jabba alive!
Boba: Don’t have to. Your corpse is also acceptable.
When more Saber guards, Jump troopers, and Terror spider droids showed up behind him, the rebels had to steel themselves and fight for their lives. As the bounty hunter and Jedi fought, the transport entered Kamino’s atmosphere and 6 X-wings came out to blast the Imperials away.
X2: General, this is Grey Leader! We arrive just in time?
Kota: Barely, Grey Leader! Make sure that the Kaminoans are secured on your transport before you go! I gotta get to Vader.
Grey 4: Roger that, General. Grey 5, There’s 8 TIEs on your left flank!!
Grey 6: We’re gonna have to wait on that, General! Air support just came in!
Kota: Copy that, Grey 6!
Kota had chased the bounty hunter with every attack he could throw whe it was throwing the bounty hunter with the Force, dodging his flame thrower, redirecting his rockets towards the Imperial troops, and even using Mind triks on the Imperial troops to fight the bounty hunter. When Boba fled the scene, the Rebels brought the Kaminoans to their transport vessel on one of the far platforms.
When vader lured the clone to an office like room with a large transparisteel pane window, Vader had no saber ignited and faced the clone knowing that his use of Dun Moc was working wonders on him, perhaps too well.
Starkiller38: WHERE IS SHE??!!!!
Vader then stepped aside to reveal Juno Eclipse ound in the same shackles he was in when he began the penultimate test of his training. As the clone was about to embrace the blonde captain, Vader lifted her into a choke with the Force.
Vader: Bow before me, or she dies.
Vader was inching closer and closer to cracking her neck when Starkiller gave in and deactivated his blades.
Starkiller38: Wait, wait! I… will do your bidding. Just let her go.
Starkiller got on his knees and hung his head as if he was about to lose the single most important thing in his life. As Vader attemtped to control the clone once again, Juno crawled on the ground beneath the focus of both Force users and snag one of the clone’s blades.
Vader: You will find and kill General Kota. If you refuse, the woman dies. You will return to me and give yourself to the Dark side. If you resist, she dies. And when your training is complete, you will hunt down and execute the rebel leaders. If you fail, she dies!
A saber ignited and Juno began swinging at Vader, and the dark lord treated it like it was child’s play and threw her out the window with the Force, knocking her unconscious, unbeknownst to both Force users. Starkiller began to scream as he attempted to slash Vader to ribbons, but Vader prepared for it and threw him out the same window to the adjacent platform where the weather and rain had gotten worse throughout the battle. Vader leapt onto the same platform and Starkiller had begun radiating energy from the force as he began to barrage Vader with many quick dual bladed attacks. In the moments where the sabers clashed, Vader had continued using Dun Moc on the clone, stoking his fear and anger. As the fight progressed to even greater displays of the Force Kota and the rebel troops were coming up on the platform and saw the clone use the lightning from the electricity in the light poles and the storm Kota and the rebels stayed back until the dangerous displays of the Force subsided. Vader was taking a huge surge of lightning from the combined voltage of the storm, the electricity powering the poles and Starkiller’s raw potential with Force lightning. As Vader knelt in defeat with his dueling hand severed and his breathing apparatus malfunctioning, he goaded the clone to finish him.
Starkiller38: You’ve taken everything from me!
Vader: Your feelings for her are not real.
Starkiller38: They are real to me!
Kota: Wait!
Starkiller38: You want him dead as much as I do.
Kota: Yes, but not yet. Not until he’s told us the Empire’s secrets!
Starkiller38: You want to take him prisoner?
Kota: To a hidden rebel base where we can interrogate him, put him on trial for crimes against the true republic, and then we’ll execute him to show the galaxy that we don’t need to fear him any longer!
Starkiller38: If I let him live, he’ll haunt me forever.
Kota: He’s the only one who knows if Starkiller really survived. He can’t tell you if he’s dead.
The clone now had a choice to make, execute Vader for the trauma he has put him through, or let him live to serve the alliance’s purposes that had no benefit for him. The perfected clone had been hiding in an Imperial shuttle above the planet waiting for the go ahead from his master to attack the rebels and execute Kota and complete his final test. Boba Fett, meanwhile, was on and adjacent platform in a sniping position, ready to execute Kota and the clone on Vader’s orders. When Starkiller deactivated his blades and walked away, Kota began ordering his men to restrain Vader. In the midst of loading Vader onto the Rogue Shadow, the apprentice had acquired his master’s mechanical hand, and told the pilot to reboard the Avarice and set course for Dantooine after overhearing the conversation on the platform above.
When the clone saw a droid tending to Juno, he recognized it and started running to the pair.
Starkiller38: Proxy?
Proxy: Master?
Both: I thought you were dead!
Proxy: It’s quite a long story, possibly for a later time and place, but right now, I can’t revive her, she’s….
The clone then almost began regretting making all the moves he did throughout the galaxyand held the body of Juno Eclipse and began to pull her into an embrace just as the flashes had reminded him of such a moment.
Starkiller38: I should’ve stayed here.
As a tear flowed from is face and landed on Juno’s cheek, the clone began to kiss her, and when she began moving to reciprocate, the clone was almost overjoyed. When the kiss was broken, it was a surprise both of them.
Juno: We’re alive.
Starkiller38: I’ll explain my part later.
The two had shared a moment in each other’s arms before Juno had Proxy take the form of Princess Leia.
Leia: What’s your status?
Juno: We’re alive and we have captured Vader.
Kota: We also got another jedi back in the fight.
Leia: What’s your plan for moving him?
Juno: We’ll send a dozen small freighters in all directions. Even if the Empire knows we have him, they won’t know which ship to follow.
Leia: Excellent. The security detail?
Kota: We will have it covered, Your highness.
Juno: We’ll keep you informed en route to Dantooine.
Leia: Great. This will definitely be a turning point for the alliance. May the force be with you.
As Leia’s visage disappeared, Juno and Proxy were about to board the Rogue Shadow, but the clone was walking over to the restrained sith lord. Starkiller had a few words for the man/machine that took almost every bit of humanity from him in hopes to deliver the pain that his sabers could not.
Starkiller38: I let you live. You tell me that I’m just a clone, but I chose to spare you the pain you have inflicted on my predecessors. Maybe Kota is right. This might be just some ruse to make me forget who I am and make me your weapon again, but despite what you have done to me, I. Let. You. Live. You no longer have and sway over my actions or control over me.
Vader: As long as she lives, you will always be my slave to control, manipulate, and sway any way I please.
With that, Starkiller had left the dark room that housed the restrained dark lord. He then went to the cockpit where the love of his life was at the controls.
Juno: Prepare for lightspeed.
When the hyperdrives kicked in, the Rogue Shadow made is way to Dantooine, and one ship that had appeared from the debris in orbit emerged and followed them.
On Yavin, a Group of rebels had stolen an Imperial shuttle and were going after the Death Star plans, and they knew that they needed the reinforcements, so Chirrut Imwe lead the strike team due to the squadron’s belief in the Jedi as capable leaders, and Rogue Squadron’s ability to sneak into the Imperial base on Scariff As soon as their cover was blown, the rebels had fought every Imperial wave that came their way. These rebels knew that they were in for a fight.
Back on Dantooine, Kota volunteered to stay with the garrison and keep watch over Vader. Outside the prison, Crosshair activated the beacon and saw an Imperial light cruiser launch a TIE Advanced fighter and when it landed a good distance away from the rebel prison, the perfected clone climbed out and had Vader’s severed had with him. During the night, he snuck to a rendezvous point where he met another Imperial trooper, clad in all black armor with a green lens. Both of them stopped when the clone had his blaster raised. Crosshair: Show yourself.
The perfected clone then raised himself up and removed his hood.
StarkillerC: I have a gift for my master who is imprisoned here.
Crosshair: I see, thank you.
StarkillerC: Good luck trooper. Against the jedi, you’ll need it.
Crosshair: I’ll be on my guard.
As the apprentice reembarked on the TIE, he reboarded Vader’s flagship and began to search for a ship to take him to Malachor.
Boba Fett had found the clone and the captain moving Vader to the deepest and most reinforced cell in the prison. Before he can take the shot, the clone gets the sense that they were followed.
Juno: What’s wrong?
Starkiller38: Juno, get back to the ship. We’ve been followed.
Juno: I’ll pick you up after you deall with our tail.
When Boba Fett finds that his target was running, he begins to slowly hunt the jedi clone and just as he was about to find the Jedi’s thermal signature, he becomes engulfed in Force lightning to the point where the jetpack sends him on an uncontrolled flight path and knocked him into a nearby tree. As Boba recovers, he sees the figure approach him with twin sapphire blades, and just as the clone was about to deliver a lethal stab, Boba rolled out of the way and retreated back to his ship, then felt himself get lifted off the ground with a look of fear beneath his helmet and the Jedi spared the bounty hunter by throwing him back to his ship. This defeat against a Force user then burned a rule, almost literally, into his mind for any future bounties, that he will put to the forefront upon any contract he takes.
Starkiller38: Juno, I’m at the landing platforms.
Juno: Copy that, Starkiller. Vader is secure and Kota’s volunteered to guard him.
Later the following night, Crosshair began getting a holocall. This was coming from his direct superior, X1. he then found a spot away from the Prison where the beacon had been activated beneath the surface.
Crosshair: Yes, Commander?
X1: We have responded to your beacon and are ready for an assault. Did you receive the package?
Crosshair: I did, Commander. I’m going to sneak into Lord Vader’s cell and repair his hand. When he is freed and slicing his way through the rebels, block any that exit. There is also a jedi that may occupy him. As teh rebels retreat from Lord Vader, attack them, and leave the jedi for him.
X1: Excellent plan, Captain. We’ll send a company to free Lord Vader.
As Crosshair had finished repairing Vader’s hand, Vader then ordered Crosshair to inform him of what the escape plan is.
Vader: CT-9904, what is the escape plan?
Crosshair: Commander X1 is sending a company of stormtroopers to your rescue and the rebels will be flanked in the firefight.
Vader went along with the plan and remained restrained until the following day when Kota would report to Vader’s cell.The night before, after Kota was relieved of duty, he recorded a holomessage reserved for a bounty hunter friend who had joined the alliance because of Kota.
Kota: Shara, if you are seeing this I’ve left the rebellion. I need to focus on myself as a Jedi and how my life will be affected if the Empire succeeds. There is a clone I want you to fight alongside. He fought in the clone wars and has his own squadron. If you met my padawan, he is the spitting image of him, he is a clone after all, hehe. Anyway, I’m assigning you to Grey Squadron and as an advisor to the unit. May the Force be with you. Always.
Back on Coruscant, Senator Chuchi and Omega had given many clones the occupations outside the empire, but not all of them survived. Some have abandoned life within the Empire and joined the Rebellion, others were given work in service industries, manufacturing, and retail, as well as trade, and the few that couldn't be reached were culled by the Empire. Chuchi and Omega were both haunted when the cullings began. They used it to fuel the passion to fuel clone rights initiatives in the Empire. One night after a session, the two colleagues had said their goodbyes for what would be the final time unbeknownst to them.

Is it just me, or has sealed been terrible for this set?
I usually enjoy playing Sealed the first week or so of a new set, going mostly 4-7 wins. However, SIR I'm sitting at barely over 50% and it already feels like it has some glaring issues, ones that I can't seem to remember happening in a sealed set since at least Ixalan (though sealed Kaldheim was significantly worse than draft Kaldheim). Specifically I feel like there are two major issues:
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1. Synergies are too strong / too important. Several of the color pairs have extremely strong synergies, which are worse this week thanks to the weekly rotation. [[Drogskol Captain]], [[Stormkirk Captain]], and to a lesser extent [[Immerwolf]] are all obscenely good, and while they are plenty frequent at uncommon you need to open both them and the other commons/uncommons of that creature type to build a solid deck. Investigating / Delirium are also strong archetypes that need both payoffs and enablers in the same pool. Often, your colors with the highest card quality (bombs/removal, generally) aren't the ones that make the most synergistic deck. For example, you might have some great green Human cards, and some great white Spirits, but no blue spirits or white humans, or your red vampire cards don't mesh well with your green werewolf cards. It can make it pretty hard to determine the best deck, since just mashing the best cards in your best two colors isn't likely to work out very well.
2. While the removal is bad in this set, they have printed MORE bombs thanks to only taking the flashiest cards from the two sets and the Shadows of the Past. This week in particular has three kill on site bombs ([[Bloodline Keeper]], [[Mayor of Avabruck]], and [[Angel of Flight Alabaster]]) in addition to the three lords. There are very few unconditional removal spells, and some of them are bad ([[Imprisoned in the Moon]] and [[Certain Death]]) while others don't deal with passive effects ([[Bound by Moonsilver]]). Not only is Avacyn probably going to wreck your shit, there's also basically only one card in each color that deals with her. God forbid your opponent flip an early [[Lone Rider]] or [[Neglected Heirloom]] and you have to use your only good removal on it.

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I'm usually a pretty big Sealed fan, and I hope that some of these problems are fixed with the Fatal Flashback cards for the Arena Open next weekend, as those are less flashy bombs and more just value cards, which are more interesting to play in a slow format.

So, I want to write a book (or at least make an attempt), and I think I've figured out a decent premise, but I'm worried that the actual plot is too complicated, or maybe it lacks somethings. I also don't know what part of the plot to focus on in the first chapter that will captivate people.
The plot (sorry it's so long): Alaric, prince of Valoria, (1/2 of the main characters) is born at the exact same time that the magic source and gods within the world disappear. The magic source is essentially big lakes of Arcana (liquidated Arcanum) (Arcanum Wells). Some people, Arcanists, are able to use Arcanum without tapping into the magic source externally, but Arc Mages rely on that external source of Arcanum. The entire world runs off of it. Luckily, some Arcanum was stored as a solid, but there is a limited supply and it is immediately monopolized when the Arcana disappears. The world delves into chaos and Alaric and the rest of the royal family deal with that for the first 13 years of Alaric's life. When Alaric turns 13, he is tested for Arc abilities, to which he fails. For years, his entire lineage has been a family of powerful Arc Mages, and Alaric is the first one to be incompatible with the Arcanum. His family decides that it's best for this to be kept a secret, as it wouldn't affect anything because Alaric would likely not be taking the throne because he's the 2nd eldest. A few days before Alaric's 18th birthday, his brother unexpectedly dies, leaving Alaric as the next in line. In addition, his father has been deathly ill for the past few months and is now on his death bed, meaning Alaric would need to take up the throne as soon as possible. Word gets out to the general public that Alaric is arcless, and the kingdom, who is very magic-centered and relatively discriminatory towards people without arc abilities, riots against him and protests him as the next king. The second Alaric turns 18, he decides to run away, as he can't take the pressure of leading his kingdom when they despise him so greatly.
Jump to the other side of things, Jelio Eryndor was born a minute after Alaric to a middle-class family on the other side of the kingdom. She is born an Arcanist, someone who can intrinsically use Arcanum, and shows great power throughout her childhood. Her entire life since she was born revolves around her being a prodigy and dedicating herself to her studies of her Arc (Astralarc - manipulation of time and space stuff). When she turns 18, she displays magic so powerful that it is comparable to god magic. The "old gods" have been extinct for many years prior, and it shocks Jelio that she's suddenly displaying magic like that. Everyone around her recognizes this as well and starts to refer to Jelio as a god, which leads to Jelio running away as well.
Somehow, Alaric and Jelio meet each other and immediately form a bond. They eventually open up to each other about their past, and they find out that they were born at almost the same time. This strikes curiosity and suspicion in them, and they decide to figure out whether or not they have anything to do with the disappearance of the Arcanum Wells. They travel around for a while, trying to find clues about why all of this is happening, but they are continuously met with brick walls. One day Jelio's life is put at risk, as a long-standing group of people who despise the old gods catches wind of Jelio's power. Alaric attempts to stop them, and in a brief moment of absolute desperation, Alaric unleashes a very ancient arc called Voidarc. From there, they quickly deduce that Alaric might also be a god. When Alaric's magic is unlocked, it starts corrupting him. Jelio eventually notices and confronts him, which leads to a massive fight and they split up. Jelio goes on her own quest to figure out a way to stop Alaric and eventually finds something after she stumbles upon a journal from one of the old gods. Alaric and Jelio end up meeting back up, and Jelio defeats Alaric.
Not 100% of the ending details, but I at least have the main stuff down.

So, I just watched Treantmonk's recent video on the best multiclass options for Moon Druids. He went into depth a bit about different options and one of them was Paladin saying that it would mostly be for Divine Smite while wildshaped. It got me thinking, how could this actually be optimized. This is what I came up with. I don't necessarily think it's better than a standard Moon Druid but it's definitely interesting and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Race: Gem Dragonborn
Ability Scores: 13/9/14/8/13(+1)/15(+2)
Background: Custom Paleontologist (Perception, Insight, Thieves' Tools, Mason's Tools)
Level 1: Paladin
Level 2-3: Moon Druid. Form= Deinonychus. Spells= Guidance, Mold Earth, Goodberry, Detect Magic, Absorb Elements, Longstrider
Level 4-8: Devotion Paladin. Feat= Resilient Con. Fighting Style= Mariner if allowed, Blessed Warrior if not. Form= Rocktopus after Extra Attack if DM allows it. Spells= Bless, Protection from Evil and Good, Shield of Faith, Sanctuary, Command, Lesser Restoration, Zone of Truth, Aid, Find Steed, Protection from Poison.
Level 9-16: Lore Bard. ASI= +1 Con/+1 Cha and +2 Cha. Magical Secrets= Armor of Agathys, Spirit Guardians. Spells= Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Vicious Mockery, Healing Word, Silvery Barbs, Aid, See Invisibility, Motivational Speech, Tongues, Slow, Plant Growth, Tiny Hut, Freedom of Movement, Dimension Door.
Level 17: Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer. Spells= Fire Bolt, Mind Sliver, Prestidigitation, Message, Shield, Feather Fall
Level 18-20: Battle Master Figher. Superior Technique. Trip Attack, Precision Attack, Riposte,
Before combat, cast Find Steed. Before entering the dungeon, get on your steed, cast Aid and Armor of Agathys at 5th and 6th level then cast Longstrider on yourself and Freedom of Movement. Get off your horse and give it to someone else. Before combat, cast Spirit Guardians on yourself at 7th level. When combat breaks out, use your action to cast Plant Growth and then Wild Shape into a Rocktopus. Action Surge to use Channel Divinity Sacred Weapon on our Tentacles. On subsequent turns, hit creatures twice with your tentacle attack. You have a +10 to hit for 2d6+3 magical bludgeoning damage on a hit and the target becomes restrained. Apply Divine Smite to each hit for additional 5d8 radiant damage. You can use your bonus action to hand out bardic inspirations. Move around the battlefield at 30 ft movement speed until you've restrained 4 targets and knocked them prone with Trip Attack. You have a 14 AC and if anyone tries to hit you, they take 30 cold damage from Armor of Agathys. If they miss, you can hit them back with Riposte. Essentially you're a self contained Evard's Black Tentacles completely locking down the battlefield and dealing Spirit Guardians damage to all of your restrained targets.

Basically I hear rumors that WotC might have a Bral book aaaaaaanyday now (for years though) - Storm King's Thunder had a decomissioned spelljammer ship, Dungeon of the Mad Mage had a helm with barebones 5e rules in the treasure list and Giff were added in Mordenkainen's, buuuut
Well that's not much, so after trying to do a 5e Planescape game that required heavy amounts of on the fly house ruling to keep a feel closer to old school planescape (with magic tokens, regional impact of various planes on magic and all that jazz), which often fucked with the pacing, I'm concerned that a Spelljammer campaign would probably have the same heavy requirements.
So while I'm willing to drag my players kicking and screaming towards 2e (I have house rules to ease the pain tbh, plus I'm overstating how much those I talked to would reject the idea), is there conversion material worth bothering with, or is sticking to the more complete 2e stuff and the fair amount of house rules on the old SJ fansite still the best bet?

So pretty much anyone within the Minecraft community knows that in the upcoming 1.20 update, also known as the Trails & Tales update, armor trims are getting added to the game as a cosmetic feature which objective is to encourage exploration and self-expression. The trims can be obtained using new items called smithing templates, a trimming material and of course the armor pieces themselves; even though the idea sounds extremely good on paper, I believe its execution is not going to be that great because of one glaring issue: Minecraft’s notion of challenge, rewards, and the most effective gameplay loop to obtain resources.
Getting the smithing templates
Each of the smithing templates is associated with one specific structure in the game, if you want to get a specific template, you’ll have to explore a particular structure (e.g., jungle temples to get the wild armor trim). This is done to promote exploration which is great but there are a few issues with this:

1. This DOES NOT make some structures immediately more interesting (for example the aforementioned jungle temples); they just add another thing to their loot tables, the gameplay pretty much stays the same and the excitement comes from opening a chest and finding out if the template is there. I think the incentive to explore a structure shouldn’t only be what reward it is holding but the structure itself, getting through the structure should be fun too; not just what is waiting at the end of it.
2. Most of these templates are not guaranteed to appear in the structures they’re supposed to be found, this is done so the player must explore multiple structures to get them but, in some cases, instead of being difficult or challenging, it becomes annoying and time consuming. The biggest offender here is the Silence trim which only has a 1% of appearing in chests from the Ancient Cities which are already a quite rare structure; according to @Kingbdogz this is supposed to be challenging but it’s just time consuming and annoying: exploring the whole structure (which is quite big) to not find anything just to spend a lot of time getting to another one and repeating the process until you get the template.
3. There’s also the option of duplicating the templates if the player doesn’t want to go through the trouble of exploring repeatedly the same structures over and over again but the crafting recipe requires 7 diamonds to do this, meaning that if the player wants to get a full trimmed armor without looking for more than one template, they will require 21 diamonds which to some players may not sound like a lot but for others it is, which leads to the next two points.

Getting the ores
The armors are trimmed using minerals found in ores. The most effective way to get these ores is strip-mining, which is a monotonous task (I know some people find this to be relaxing but I personally can’t), this includes the diamonds required for duplicating the templates. I usually get my minerals exploring caves because it’s more fun, even better now thanks to the Caves & Cliffs update; however, the number of exposed ores appearing in the caves was reduced in this update too making gathering resources in a fun way more time consuming. I’ve seen comments from many players saying they’re glad about the crafting recipe for the templates since now they have something to sink their diamonds (since apparently there’s a huge playerbase with tons of diamonds to spare) but surely most of these obtained resources were obtained through trading halls, strip mining and farms. All these methods of getting resources usually require the player to go through monotonous tasks or being AFK, meaning that the best way to play the game is grinding or to NOT PLAY the game at all which leads to these issues:

1. (Just as an example) why would I spend the diamonds I got to trim my iron armor instead of using them for something more useful? Wouldn’t it make more sense that I get to enjoy customizing my iron armor while working to get the diamond one? (The people who say that is just to flex how much diamonds you have that you can use them like this… I don’t get the point and honestly is not impressive, just dumb)
2. If the best way to get the templates is through grinding, I think many casual players wouldn’t even bother getting them (I know I wouldn’t) because it is not fun for them or it just requires too much time from them. Please hardcore Minecraft players keep in mind not everybody plays Minecraft daily, people play other games, have other hobbies, or just don’t have time for these things because of their responsibilities. Not everyone built a farm or a trading hall and went to gather resources for the sake of it. I believe there must be something rewarding for the hardcore players, but I think this feature isn’t it

If these methods of getting the templates remain the same when the 1.20 update finally arrives, the armor trims will ultimately fail their purpose: self-expression for everyone. Not everybody is going to go through all this trouble to get something purely cosmetic that most of the time they wouldn’t even see, it seems like the armor trims are not a “challenging reward” for how skillful you’re at the game but instead how much time you’re willing to put in this game even if it means doing something boring or monotonous, which is something that happens with many features of Minecraft: many things are not hard to get, some of them are just annoying to get or involve repetition over and over again; the notion of challenge in Minecraft is the grind, the RNG, not an actual challenge that engages the player and the armor trims might be the best (or worst) example yet of this gameplay issue.

Me and my friends started playing the game a couple of days ago and i ve got some questions and stuff that we couldnt figure out .
1 - i ve been focusing on the main story quest . Now i found myself at level 36 , and ly quest is level 50+ . What s the best way to level up fast ? I did some faction quests but not sure how good they are or how they work
2 - since this is ly first characer i tried many weapons , i only liked the mage but i felt sooo useless even with EVERY single point i got put in intelligence i still deal very little damage . So at level 33 i decided to go full heal and let my friends do the dps , which led me to have a very low weapon level . Is there a way to level ur weapon faster ?
3 - this is general but , we all feel kinda useless . We understand what stats we need etc but we re not sure what actually makes us strong/weak ? What matters the most ? Is the weapon level important ? Should i focus on leveling the weapon ir leveling myself ? Or crafting weapons with better stats and gems etc ?
So far i ve only done main quests. As i m only interested in dungeons gameplay . I dont really want to focus much time on crafting , harvesting , alcheme , what have you ... . Will i need those or is the main story enough to get me to max level or at least to a level high enough where i actually find people that play in the dungeons etc .

Before I begin I'd like to preface this post by noting that this will be a bit of a long one. However, for those of you who appreciate theory and content creators such as LS who brings novel thoughts and challenges players to thinking more critically about this game we all play and (maybe) enjoy, I hope it'll be worth a read.
To those of you somewhat familiar with Dopa and his YouTube content probably know what I mean when I say he's got 2 primary types of videos he posts. One being gameplay videos and the other being these videos where on a blank MS Paint file he'll just talk about the game, writing and drawing along as he shares his thoughts. Though I certainly appreciate his high level gameplay videos it is the the latter that really piqued my interests and had me coming for more before I eventually moved on.
Despite the large variety of topics he discussed is his "Talk" type videos, the one thing that stuck in my head the longest was the so-called "EU Meta." (Couldn't find the video unfortunately).
Though this was years back and my memory is a little hazy on this, the EU Meta refers to the Top, Jgl, Mid, Bot, and Sup lineup/roles the 5 players of a team will assume. As I first started playing Season 8 I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but this Meta dates back all the way to the very first Worlds Championship where Fnatic, an EU team would go on win in part by using this distribution of roles hence giving it its name. Though I can't really speak for the first 8 years of Leagues existence, I'd assume given it's Season 1 start and its still exclusive use, this makes the EU Meta League's longest standing Meta.
As I understand it, the whole reason behind this lineup lies in the importance of Dragon as well Rift Herald back then having been a lot weaker (Also the difference in lane length between Mid and Side Lanes). However, since then with the addition of Turret Plates and other Buffs, Rift Herald has become a lot more valuable. Although realistically Dragons are certainly still more important, if Herald were buffed to the point where it were more valuable than Dragon I wonder whether players would even consider allocating two players Top rather than Bot
Since my Season 8 start I've only really seen 2 Instances of this Meta being distributed. One being the Funnel Meta and the other (maybe somewhat of a pseudo-example) being the Janna/Support Top Meta (To note, something like the Mages Bot Meta back when ADCs got heavily nerfed I wouldn't count as two players were still allocated to the Bottom Lane). The Funnel Meta in particular I personally greatly enjoyed watching as not only did it bring something different but also saw great success and presented itself as a genuine alternative as how to lineup.
A couple years ago I remember watching a video from the OpenAI Team who had created an AI capable of beating the best team in the world in a different very popular MOBA Title. Ever since then I'd hoped to see someone do something similar for league. Not necessarily to see an AI mechanically outplay Pro Players but rather see how the game of league would be played when played "perfectly." As I understand it, many AIs trained to play games such as Chess, Go, or even perhaps League one day do so by first drawing data from millions of games played by actual players and improves from there on out learning with each additional game played against itself or humans. If however there was a way to train an AI with no such pre-existing games (as it will likely lead the AI to adopt the EU Meta) and it got to the point where we could unanimously agree it was playing at an extremely high level, would said AI implement the EU Meta? Though not fully-relevant to the point it would also be highly fascinating to see how a "perfect" AI would then approach draft as well.
Somewhat like in Football, I consider the EU Meta too potentially be somewhat similar to the 442. To anyone unfamiliar with Football, perhaps the most logical way of lining up with many successful teams using it back then yet nowadays it's certainly seen much less than it used to. Despite what I've said thus far, it is not as though I believe the EU Meta is a non-sensical way of lining up. Far from it. There's certainly reason why its been almost exclusively been the way players line up ever since Leagues inception. Yet what I ask is whether it is the only way of lining up and playing the game as it has been thus far. Going back to the example of Football there are a variety of formation and the one you choose may be decided not on the strength of a formation itself but how well a formation suits the players you have and the strength/weaknesses they exhibit.
Assuming for a second that in League there are multiple genuinely viable formations you can play with 5 players on the rift, imagine the implication this would have. Despite being Korean, seeing a Pro-Play environment where Asian-Teams seem to simply "be better" isn't necessarily always fun to see nor lends itself well to viewership (I'd assume). Something 2019 G2 for example did to to overcome this (apart from just being really good) were weird and untraditional picks. I still to this day vividly remember the horrors of the Pyke Top that would eliminate SKT in what was probably that MSI's "real" Final. When you simply can't beat them "traditionally" why continue trying? It is human instinct to try and change the approach/methodology of something that continually fails and a lineup change would represent one such way of doing so. Below is one example of a simple lane swap that net TL a nice early game lead against DWG in Worlds 2019 though everything after that would go sour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZwpgWLRfU8
Additionally, something LS always mentions in draft would also see major implications. Recently in his Draft Kingdom video reviewing the FNC vs VIT matchup he mentioned that the only way of deceiving your opponent in draft would be the use of flex picks. Now imagine a world where you are able to flex your formation. Suddenly the already high level of intricacy to draft has shot up even higher. Though formations may vary, fundamentally you would still want all your champions to synergize meaning this might further encourage teams to pick champions of similar "Themes" that lend well to each other and counter those of the opponents.
I guess probably important to mention in the end is that I am someone who barely ever really even played the game and much rather prefers watching it. One big complaint I saw with the aforementioned Funnel Meta was that it was not fun to play against. Suffering greatly from the smurfs and Duo Queuers that would abuse this strategy. Taking a case-study from the game Overwatch, it is one example of how a change in the meta in the from of a formation change (2 Damage, 2 Tanks, 2 Support to 3 Tanks and 3 Supports) can lead to un-fun gameplay which can basically kill a game. Regardless how much innovation and novelty a formation change may bring to league, if it comes at the expense of enjoyment of the overall player base then it is something to be avoided as was the case with the funneling meta.
Shortly after the discovery of funneling and widespread use, Riot would eventually change Smite and Jungle Item so that funneling would no longer be possible. It seems Riot is pretty dead set on the EU Meta being the way how league should be played and if that's something Riot decides, no matter what innovations are thought up of there won't be any way of them being long lasting if Riot nerfs it immediately. Just the removal of Funneling in my opinion largely removes some of the potential formations one might use such as a double funnel comp where blue side jungle and lane funnels a AP Carry and red side jungle and lane funnels an AD Carry with Mid being whatever necessary for example. The longer lanes of side-lanes might have facilitated funneling better as well when compared to the mid lane funneling meta with minions often dying to tower. Also only having one side of the jungle to clear would further have lead to less minions being missed and double smite would have its advantages too.
TL;DR: Questioning whether or not the formation of TOP, JGL, MID, BOT, SUP is the only way of "lining up" and playing the game.
Just to mention it once more, I first starting playing around Season 8. There's a lot I certainly don't know about and perhaps there have been genuine attempts at revolutionizing how the game is played with the end conclusion being that the EU Meta stands on top. For me personally it seems as though players have become so accustomed to TOP, JGL, MID, BOT, SUP that no-one has taken time to consider whether or not this is the best or only way of playing. I don't by any means consider myself some genius at the game and lack the high-elo experience to make any great insightful comments on how different formation pitted against each other will likely turn out. If anything I hope this post leads to some interesting discussion and if someone is certain that the EU Meta is indeed the only way of playing the game as it is now (given the outright removal of strategies such as funneling) I'd love to hear the arguments as to why.

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation, friendship or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I probably would never have found MtG, if it were not for my best friend. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation, friendship or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I probably would never have found MtG, if it were not for my best friend. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation, friendship or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I probably would never have found MtG, if it were not for my best friend. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation, friendship or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I probably would never have found MtG, if it were not for my best friend. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

Who do you think are the best candidates for Enchanter and Mage Cannoneer? Based on personal skills alone, I think Citrinne and Amber are good choices respectively.
Enchanter's whole gimmick is being able to access the convoy and use/trade items, which works in tandem with Citrinne's personal skill—Generosity heals adjacent units upon her using a healing item. Enchanter can also use something called "Item Surge," which provides boons to allies based on the item used. For example, if an Enchanter uses Item Surge with an Elixir, then the Enchanter and adjacent allies' engage meter fills up by 2 (according to this datamine). With Citrinne's personal skill, not only will adjacent allies get a free heal, but they'll also get free engage meter recharges.
Mage Cannoneer is simply a glorified ballista with added effects. The main issue at present with this class is the way Hit Rate works with long-distance attacks work (i.e., Hit Rate = Dex + Str + Bld + Lck/2 + Hit + Support bonus - (if range greater than or = 4, (combat distance -3) x 10). Amber's personal skill helps rectify this: Aspiring Hero grants Hit+20 at a cost of Avo-10 during combat if no other units are within 1 space of the unit or foe. Since Mage Cannoneer won't be hitting anything below a range of 3 (Blast weapons all have a range of 3-8 spaces), if no units are adjacent to Amber or the foe, then his personal skill will always proc. Of course, Amber's abysmal 0 Mag growth is a problem for this class, but time spent as a Sage (30 Mag growth) with Tiki's Starsphere skill should fix his Mag stat before reclassing into Mage Cannoneer.