1v1 duels the guide
How to win a 1v1 duel on Minecraft Bedrock: the classic and Stick kits in detail, when to eat, when to throw potions, and how to play sudden death.
Published 23 October 2026 by the PaffMC team
The Stick kit
Stick duels use the classic kit (diamond armour with Protection IV, 64 golden apples, 3 Strength II and 3 Speed II potions), but the sword is replaced by a stick with Sharpness IV and Knockback II. It has its own ranked queue, /ranked stick, and its own Elo.
What changes compared to classic duels
With Knockback II, every hit pushes your opponent much further than usual. The first hit is a huge advantage: the other player has to come back from far away before answering, and meanwhile you can position, eat or heal.
Positioning first
- Do not fight with your back to a wall or a drop: a knockback hit pins you against it or makes you fall.
- Take the centre: from the middle of the arena you have room to back off in every direction.
- Come back diagonally after being knocked back: you are harder to hit than in a straight line.
Chaining hits
The W-tap (releasing then pressing forward again right after a hit) matters even more than in classic duels: it lets you catch your opponent exactly when their invulnerability ends. Without it, they are too far away for the next hit.
Healing
Knockback works for you when you are low: after being pushed far away, you often have time to eat a golden apple before your opponent comes back. Sudden death applies too: at 1:30, no more healing and 5 hearts each; at 2:30, whoever has more health wins. Details are in the duel guide.
Common Stick mistakes
- Chasing your opponent in a straight line after knocking them back: they come back from the side and hit you first.
- Saving Speed for later: in Stick, getting back into range quickly after knockback is what matters most.
- Fighting at the edge of the arena to "finish" an opponent: one hit taken and you are the one stuck.
- Forgetting the stick deals damage too: Sharpness IV hurts, do not treat it as a mere knockback tool.
Practise without risk
Stick duels have their own Elo: your Stick losses do not affect your classic duel Elo. To practise with nothing at stake, challenge a friend with /duel name: invite duels are never ranked.