by Hunter Allison

The crossguarded Ren Saber has been competition legal for over a year. Yet, adoption has been limited. Many duelists continue to use the standard Rey Saber exclusively. Why is this? Perhaps, like in the movies, Rey is just better than Ren. Lightsaber combat needs agility and grace. The Ren Saber's heft makes it suboptimal. In addition, the crossguard isn't as necessary in Star Wars. The blades lock on contact. Yet, for Lightspeed and real-world swordsmanship, a crossguard is an essential tool. You need a way to keep the blade from sliding down and hitting your hands. Why then is the Ren Saber slow to gather traction in Lightspeed? Well, the answer is multifaceted. 

In Belegarth— the team-based foam weapon system from which I gained much of my experience— the basic weapon is the blue-foam-boffer. It's the one that everyone starts with. The loaner-bag overflows with the things. If you enjoy Belegarth and want to own your own weapon, it's likely to be the first one you buy. Greatsword, shield, and spear are super cool. But, they're more expensive and a bigger investment.

The Rey Saber satisfies this same niche; it's the "basic weapon" of lightspeed. It's also the "classic" lightsaber. It's iconic and synonymous with Star Wars. It makes you feel like a Jedi (or Sith). The standard Ultrasabers dueling sword is sixty or seventy dollars. And, it's the sword that will be your friend for a long time. Mine was given to me four years ago and it still works! The original owner's homemade electronics need occasional resoldering. But, the sword itself is the Durandel of lightsabers. The thing has been dropped, clanged, and beaten. It just lasts!

The thing about the Ren Saber is this: even if you abide the cost, there's more than a few lemons. My first crossguard-saber had a terrible design. It was made out of three pieces held together by pan-head bolts. The aluminum body was thin and warped under contact. Inner AND outer threading caused poor contact and stripping. Awful! It was falling apart after just a few practices. To my knowledge, there's only one good retailer of Ren Sabers. They offer warranty, but the trouble is the limited stock. They'll be sold out for the next year. So, any aspiring Ren Saberist will have to wait.

If the league offered some loaner Rens, it might warm people up. Cost is a barrier and people are likely to stick with what they know. The crossguarded lightsaber isn't represented very widely in Star Wars lore or dueling clubs. It was the standard weapon of the old republic Jedi, but not many know that. My own attraction to the Ren Saber came from my study of longsword and montante. I wanted a way to use those techniques and arts in Lightspeed: binding, winding, countercuts. My Belegarth and Kendo background makes that sort of swordsmanship my craft.

However, Lightspeed's speed and lethality means that Ren isn't a "lightsaber-longsword". Binding is difficult. Your opponent's blade is nimble and difficult to control.  Attacks also don't require momentum to be lethal. So, you can't just counterattack immediately after blocking. The sword blade you just blocked is still live, superhot, and dangerous. The slightest tap from that bad boy means death. Master-cut mastery is a must. You need to be able to defend while simultaneously attacking. This can't do this on reaction due to Lightspeed's speed. So, it requires a careful read of your opponent.

On the flipside, Ren isn't just Rey Saber+. It's heavier and slower and weighs at least twice as much as Rey. In an exchange, Rey is more likely to score the first hit. So, Ren's attacks have to be measured and precise. Speed is traded for defense and the Ren needs to wait for an opening. Most of the common kill shots for Rey Saber are now far less effective. In fact, they're riskier for the Rey-user. A counter following a failed attack on the hands would net the Ren Saberist 3 points! The defensive strategies from Rey carry over. But, Ren permits a passive defense contrary to the Rey-ethos. Normally, the Rey user wants to funnel attacks away from the hands. Hence, use of hanging guards with the blade pointing down is preferred. For Ren, a wider range of guard stances can be used, blade up or blade down. If thrusts were permitted, some of these stances could prime some deadly ripostes!

More academy resources could highlight the above described differences. (Currently, there are none.) They're more useful to see in-application. If students and duelists saw the different tech in action, it may garner interest. In addition, resources on where to purchase good Ren Sabers would help. ("The Excelsior" from silver-sabers academy is reputable for example. They're just going to be sold out for a while.)

After wider adoption, the Ren won't dominate the metagame. Rather, it'll add an extra dimension. In RPG language, Ren is the tank-class and Rey is DPS. One isn't better than the other. They each occupy different niches. The interplay between the two promises some captivating future match-ups. As more people use Ren, it'll be interesting to see how the weapon adapts to the format. This more traditional swordsman has much to learn from the lightspeed-natives.

HUNTER ALLISON
Women’s Rank 7th
Lightspeed Saber Irvine