With only THREE DAYS LEFT (can’t believe we’re here already), HP has a single point lead over SW by a score of 11-10. Can SW complete the comeback and even the score, setting us up for a dramatic finish, or will HP clinch at least a seasonal tie? Let’s find out on a critical Day 22:

Harry Potter- Day 22

Matt: Oh HP, the up and down roller coaster continues until the end. With only 3 days left, HP needs a single point to clinch a tie, and two for the win. Can they pull it off? Behind Door #22 is none other than Hermione Granger! It wasn’t a stretch to imagine that she’d show up at some point, given her presence in last year’s calendar and the fact that both Harry and Ron have shown up so far in 2020. Furthermore, the Yule Ball is where the star Gryffindor student really shines and cleans up well (to say the least). Her dashing appearance at the ball was the salt in the wounds of one Ronald Weasley on that night, and it’s no wonder he was so sour. At least she enjoyed the evening with Bulgarian Quidditch prodigy Viktor Krum. But alas, back to the fig. This variant of Hermione appears only once before in a $120 dollar set, making her presence here that much more welcoming. Her Yule Ball attire looks fantastic, with superb printing adorning her light pink torso and dark pink/magenta leg piece (1×2 brick). I also like how the fuchsia 1×2 plate looks to cap off the fig. The hair piece is true to her appearance in this scene, and there is a small hole on the top of her head to place an accessory, if desired (although none are included here). She carries her typical dark tan wand and again, we’re treated to an extra sprue. Apart from the exclusive figs we received in this year’s calendar, I think this one is the next best offering in the minifig category. Once again and true to form, Hermione shows up to save the day for the HP calendar assuring that it can do no worse than a tie this holiday season. Clutch.

Star Wars- Day 22

Steve: Minifig vs. minifig battle! Against a very nice Hermione, Star Wars puts up…. an Imperial Stormtrooper. It’s the new dual-molded helmet outside, but the old “angry clone face” inside. I’m not a huge fan of the newest helmet mold for Stormtroopers, as it limits the ability to rotate the head for posing. There’s nothing wrong with this figure, it’s just not particularly exciting. Harry Potter wins the day and secures at least a tie – Star Wars needs to sweep the last 2 days just to even it up.

Verdict

Hermione takes a commanding point today over the stormtrooper. With the win, the Harry Potter Advent Calendar is the first to reach the magic number of 12 points- meaning it can do no worse than a tie this holiday season. Although it struggled to find consistency throughout, it managed to secure enough head to head victories to get it this far so it should be commended for that. The final question is, can HP grab any of the remaining two points or can SW take back to back days deep in the calendar to tie the battle up? We will find out tomorrow. For now, the score is:

HP- 12

SW- 10

To be continued…