Hey-ya Minecrafters,

You may have noticed the mysterious NPC in the Duels lobby for some time now. We’re thrilled to announce today that this NPC will now play a central role in the expansion of Duels.

With our Skill Training update—featuring Bridge, StickFight, and MLGRush—we’re bringing back three classic 1.8 game modes in a modern version, where you can work on specific skills and set personal records. Each mode has a different focus and offers unique challenges, ensuring that both experienced and new players will get their money’s worth.

New SkillTraning-NPC

In the Duels lobby, you'll find the new Skill Training NPC among the NPCs. 

There, you can choose between the three new training modes and get started right away. Why not give them a try right now? In the following sections, we'll take a closer look at each game mode.

MLG-Rush

In this returning game mode, you’ll face off against each other on a OneLine Bridge. The goal is simple: Destroy your opponent’s bed a total of 10 times before they manage to do the same to yours. To help you focus fully on the match, the map resets automatically after each bed is destroyed.

All placed blocks disappear, and both players are restored to 64 Sandstone. Even after a death, your blocks are automatically refilled to 64.

Stickfight

In this mode, only one thing matters: Knock your opponent off the bridge a total of 30 times before they manage to do the same to you. The game is played with basic equipment consisting of a knockback stick and 5 sandstone. After each death, your blocks are automatically refilled to five.

Depending on which side of the map you fell off, you’ll respawn on the opposite side after each point. This keeps the game balanced and allows both players to quickly get back into the action. If no one has reached 30 kills after 10 minutes, the player with the most points wins. If the match ends in a tie, it’s considered a draw.

Bridge

Bridge is a training mode that focuses entirely on improving your building skills. Instead of competing against other players, you can perfect your technique here and challenge your own best times. Each player is assigned their own starting and finishing islands. As soon as you place the first block, your attempt begins and the timer starts. Your goal is to reach the finishing island as quickly as possible. 

If you make it to the finish, your time is recorded, and if you’ve beaten your previous best time, it’s saved right away. You’ll then be teleported back to the start, and the blocks you placed will be automatically removed so you can start your next attempt immediately.

To keep things interesting, there are four different Bridge variants available:

• Normal
• Long
• OneStack
• ThreeStack

Each variant offers new challenges and has its own leaderboard as well as personal best times.

You can customize your Bridge however you like through the settings menu. In addition to selecting your preferred variant, you can also choose from various island skins. Plus, you can set the block you want to use for building as a cosmetic option. 

Depending on your rank, you'll have access to additional block variations that add even more variety. You can find a more detailed overview here:

On each island, you'll find a Top 5 leaderboard for the currently selected variant. In addition, the scoreboard lets you keep track of your key statistics at all times, including your personal best time, the number of successful attempts, and your average time.

Settings

You can now customize your inventory for SkillTraining right in the lobby. Using the new menu option in Settings, you can set your inventory sorting order and prioritize or block maps.

Note that currently, both the inventory settings and map prioritization are available exclusively for MLGRush. These features will be expanded further with future updates and additional maps.

Thanks to you and your feedback, we’ve been able to continuously develop Duels and tailor it to your preferences.

We hope you have a lot of fun with the new modes, and we look forward to seeing your high scores, feedback, and suggestions on the forum and on our Discord. The release of SkillTraining is just the beginning, so keep an eye on Duels. Who knows what else awaits you in the future. ;)

Best regards,
your GommeHD.net-Team