10/05/2026
This was my first Marauders jersey I got 4 years ago.
After action report (warning, long post!): My leg did not actually bruise up, so that's a good thing. But our battle call, shouted repeatedly, loudly and with great vigor and pride, has made my throat pretty sore. Ciel suggests sandpaper to smoothe my rough throat, but I don't think that'll be my plan, lol
It's a great feeling to be part of a champion team. This makes our third great victory. We won the 2025 Dry Heat Tournament in Arizona, though we wouldn't have had the chance without the Desert Wolves making a sacrifice to give us the opportunity. We dominated the 2025 Colorado Jugger League season bracket, and yesterday, though we were firmly in second place and the Goats were the ones dominating the bracket, we fought like hell and came back up to win the final game and keep our title and trophy for 2026.
But now things are changing. I've been putting together my new team, the Skullraptors. We plan to play the next season together, and we're going to have to build up to being championship contenders. We have a good long way to go. The other large part of the Marauders as they are will become The Omens. They'll probably still contend, but be a much sleeker team with less backup and support. I'll be rooting for them! The Marauders legacy will likely be passed on to a young upstart who showed incredible growth and made some amazing chain kills in yesterday's matches. That kid has come so far... I remember having to tell him not to casually walk on the shields and weapons just a few years ago, lol.
Is going to be very different to not be able to rely on the skill of the Marauders to cover my n own lacks. To start with new players sometimes, build them up from day 1, and then find our rhythm on the field. To find my own place as a coach, and as a captain on the field. It's a different, but still exciting process. Like making a new character in an RPG after you've been playing a high level.
As for my own skill, it meant a lot to me when one of our top guns saw my combat at the Skullraptors debut tournament, even though we scored dead last and he said: "Charles... your there." I've been taking that to heart. I've been more effective, more competitive, and at the games yesterday I could pick up nearly any weapon in the game and fight with equal proficiency. At one point I picked up dual swords and was going toe-to-toe with a decent sword and shield user, and I didn't feel more vulnerable for having no shield. It just felt natural, and when he mentioned that it was doing great with dual shorts, I looked down in surprise, because I had literally forgotten that I didn't have a shield.
I'm doing better in the scrum, in reacting faster, getting more cross-shots (hitting folks in engagements next to mine) and regularly winning duels, even sometimes against other top-guns. I'm also getting faster, my endurance is way better than when I started.
People are seeing me live up to my chosen name: Bastion. I don't move as fast but I can hold down the fort. I lock people up, slow them down, and even outside observers have been taking note of that.
However, I do still have one thing that messed me up at least 5 times yesterday that I really need to work on. I kept getting run up on and backstabbed when I had someone pinned. Like... it's hard to fight one person while keeping another pinned, especially if the pinned player can strike like a cobra the second you let up, but you still have to be aware of your surroundings, and fight to hold it. Giving it up without any delay or even an attempt to hold it is definitely NOT where I want to be.
One was really bad, where I was in a pretty valuable cluster of pins. We were holding their quick, and another really good player. I got backstabbed, pinned, the one I had been pinning hit the other Marauder who was pinning another good player, and we both were pinned while the high value targets got back onto the field. That full reversi might have determined the outcome of that point.
So that's going to be my focus in training. That ones a bit hard to train without a full game, but luckily we can usually practice full games on Sundays. I also want to practice taking on multiple opponents at a time. The more I can build that, the more I can prove the Bastion name.
While I'll be working hard to train up my Skullraptors to high combat skill levels, I also need to be the pillar they can count on to turn things around on the field. Working with the Marauders, I could lean on those pillars, I could afford to make more mistakes and it wouldn't necessarily cost us the point. I can't do that anymore. I'll have to be a versatile fighter they can rely on in a pinch. I still have plenty to work on, but you know what? I'm ready.
