The Vaduz Duelling Stadium in Liechtenstein Conflux was filled yesterday as hardcore fans gathered to watch the match of the century. After constant pressure from both fans and sponsors, a special showcase match was arranged between Rowan “Fireburst” Latimer and Evanora “Wyvern” Blakeley. As everyone surely knows, both are beloved veterans with multiple championships as well as long-time rivals. They have clashed repeatedly in the European Duelling League, and their score against each other has remained painstakingly even. They’re said to be like day and night: Latimer is known for their aggressive, even explosive style, while Blakeley favours a more cunning approach with lots of tricks. The tickets to the event sold out in minutes.
As an opening act, the tournament featured several up-and-coming duellists, each probably thrilled to duel on the same arena with their idols. These matches were a colourful display of talent: some of the most exciting performances were served by the French junior champion Dominique Allais, reprising his championship win over Thierry Dumont, and a relative newbie Carla Rey unexpectedly beating the much more experienced Luca Minardi. Both winners are certainly names to keep an eye on in the future.
When the audience was sufficiently fired up, it was time for the main course. Duelling enthusiasts will certainly be analyzing this match for a long time, as both Latimer and Blakeley brought their A game and delighted the audience with an endless variety of attacks and defences. There were many narrow misses, and neither seemed willing to budge an inch. Several times it seemed like Blakeley managed to surprise Latimer, but each time they answered with a fiercer attack. The unexpected twist came when it was suddenly Latimer firing a silencing spell, catching Blakeley off guard and landing a direct hit. This completely turned the flow of the match, and Blakeley conceded soon after. Afterwards both shook hands in good spirits, with the audience roaring loudly around them.
We managed to catch Latimer for a comment after the match. “It’s not like I have to stick with certain spells just because it’s considered my style”, they say with a confident smirk. “Sometimes it’s the element of surprise you need to grab that win.”