Fantasy Character Death Match - Round 2

[Steerpike]

Round 1 has come to an end and it's time for Round 2. But first, let's take a look at some of the close or surprising matches from Round 1.

The upset of the Round goes to Puss In Boots, everyone's favorite sword-wielding cat, for his upset of the fearsome Gotrek Gurnisson, dwarven Slayer and wielder of Grimnir. We can't feel too bad for Gotrek, though, He finally met his doom after all this time, which is exactly what he wanted.

Rand and Quick Ben were deadlocked for much of their battle, but in the end Rand came out on top. Quick Ben's many souls and his power to draw from a variety of warrens were not enough to give him the edge.

Also close to the end, Elric of Melnibone, the Eternal Champion, wielder of Stormbringer, drinker of souls, had to fight until the end to take out the White Witch. In the end, his sorcery was too much for her. No word on whether he had to call on the aid of a god.

The biggest beating of the night was taken by Edward Cullen, who was made short work of by Percy Jackson.

And now, go here to vote in Round 2: Fantasy Character Death Match - CHALLONGE!

 

[Steerpike]

I like talking about my votes and lobbying for my fighters, so here goes.

Wow...Drizz't v. Waylander. Tough, tough, tough. Waylander is virtually unkillable. That said, I think in a toe-to-toe match, Drizz't takes him. Problem is, there will never be a toe-to-toe matchip. Waylander will always be ten steps ahead of Drizz't, and Drizz't will be dead just as it is dawning on him something is wrong.

Elric v. Gandalf. Another tough one. Elric is not only a powerful sorceror who is aided by the gods themselves, a single cut from Stormbringer can drink the soul of the enemy. All he's got to do is get that one good shot in. Gandalf's would have to kill him fast to have much of a chance, and I don't see that happening

I voted Dustfinger over Percy. I mean..."Percy."

I also voted Rand over River. I love River, and she's badass...but the kind of world-shattering stuff Rand can do will be hard to keep up with.

Dresden v. Dumbledore. Another tough one. Dresden has a lot of power to draw on, and in the end, while I think would be an epic showdown, I think Dresden pulls it out.

The Lady versus Beowulf. Sure, he's an epic figure from mythology, but she's the Lady. The one who imprisoned the near-gods of her time and made them into her minions, the Taken. I don't see Beowulf getting within a mile of her unless she wants to toy with him.

Buffy v. Conan. I love some Conan stories, but Buffy has taken out more than her share of cunning brutes. I picked Buffy.

Anakin versus Puss. I would have discounted Puss out of hand except that he got past Gotrek. But I don't see him defeating Anakin.

 

[Philip Overby]

Here are my votes:

Drizzt, because he looks cool.

Harry Dresden because I like his sense of humor and he is a pretty awesome wizard to boot.

Elric because I love an underdog.

Beowulf because he's Beowulf.

Dustfinger because I like his name.

Conan because he's Conan. If Buffy beats him then this whole thing is rigged.

River Tam simply because having Rand in this tournament is pointless. He won the Suvudu tournament because he has god power or something. If he wins this one, then ditto.

Anakin shouldn't lose to Puss in Boots. But it would be funny if he did.

Those are my thoughts. I wish Rand wasn't in this because he'll end up winning by default.

 

[Chilari]

But River Tam can kill people with her mind (or so she told Jayne anyway) and also tricked that bounty hunter (not to mention the whole crew of Serenity) into thinking she'd become the ship. Then there was the time she killed three guys without even looking.

Dustfinger is awesome. One of my favourite charatcers ever.

And Phil, if Conan beats Buffy then I'd call it rigged. Buffy is badass and has some great one-liners to boot.

And yes Waylander could outsmart and outmanouver anyone else on the board except possibly River.

 

[Philip Overby]

And Phil, if Conan beats Buffy then I'd call it rigged. Buffy is badass and has some great one-liners to boot.

.

Ditto Conan. He's always underrated in these kind of things. Somebody with supernatural powers or the ability to make people explode always beat him. He is pure, brute strength with no frills, bells, or whistles.

Buffy'll win anyway. Most people probably only think of the movies when they think of Conan anyway. Which is a shame.

Rand will win the whole thing. Though I hope not. I know it seems like I hate on Rand a lot, but in these kind of fantasy tournaments, I always prefer to have balanced characters going at it. Rand is not balanced. If he doesn't win, I'll...do something.

 

[Steerpike]

I don't know that I'd hand it to Rand, Phil. I had Quick Ben beating him in Round 1.

I think a lot of this comes down to what people have read. For example, Elric is far from an underdog. He's probably the number one seed in the top bracket (in my opinion). Not only is he an ultra-powerful non-human sorceror, but he can travel between the worlds and he can call on gods to aid him. And to top it off, he's even killed gods with the horrific sword of his, so I don't think Rand's near-god status automatically puts him above Elric.

As for the lower bracket, I think The Lady from the Black Company series is probably the strongest. She was an actual demi-goddess at the height of her power. I don't know how many others contend with her.

But fewer people have read the Black Company books, or the Elric series, so those two probably aren't going to get as many votes even though they are arguably the two most powerful characters in the contest.

I did vote Buffy over Conan, though, and I've read all the Conan stories

 

[Sheilawisz]

The White Witch should have won, because she has the Deplorable Word and that is a weapon capable of destroying entire worlds with a single hit!! I am curious, someone please answer my question:

What exactly defines a character as a god, a demigod or having a near-god status??

I watched that Avengers movie yesterday where they say that some characters were gods, and some people here at MS have told me that my Mages are not mages at all but goddesses of some kind- How are these matters defined? =)

 

[Steerpike]

The White Witch should have won, because she has the Deplorable Word and that is a weapon capable of destroying entire worlds with a single hit!! I am curious, someone please answer my question:

What exactly defines a character as a god, a demigod or having a near-god status??

I watched that Avengers movie yesterday where they say that some characters were gods, and some people here at MS have told me that my Mages are not mages at all but goddesses of some kind- How are these matters defined? =)

No, she shouldn't have won Have you read the Elric stories? I don't think anyone on the list would be able to beat him, honestly. The Lady from the Black Company would come closest, and he might take her out as well.

I suppose the definition of the 'god' will vary according to the world. Read the Black Company book and see what the Taken can do, then see that the Lady actually bent the Taken to her will. She's incredibly powerful.

Characters from a low-magic setting, like Middle Earth, are at a disadvantage, I suppose. Gandalf is a very powerful, long-lived non-human Wizard. But if you take the powers he demonstrates in the books and put them up against Elric or the Lady, he seems to come out well below them.

 

[Ankari]

Conan over Buffy: If I recall, Conan killed a vampire. Also he has slain numerous necromancers and sorcerers. Buffy in a valley girl that can sharper wood and kick stuff.

The Lady over Beowulf: The Lady is pretty bad ass. And apparently its hard to kill their kind. Her sister lived even after her head was separated from her body. The Lady is just as powerful if not more powerful than her sister.

Rand over River Tam: Does it really have to be explained?

Anakin over Puss: This was harder than it looked. Puss uses subterfuge to slay powerful foes. But he would have had one shot. In the end, I have to give it to Anakin.

The rest I voted for who I knew. Drizz't and Gandalf. This fact worked against Percy Jackson and Dumbledore.

 

[Steerpike]

Yes, it looks like Gandalf is winning now, though honestly the more I think about the Elric stories I don't think it would be that close. I was flipping through my books and I think Elric would win it pretty handily

Gods like Arioch and the gods of the elementals, bound to him because of his position as King of Melnibone, are at his disposal, even though even the gods fear his sword and he has taken some of them down.

 

[Elder the Dwarf]

Waylander and drizz't are tied. I'm telling you, I would pay to read that fight. Unfortunately, I think it ends with a crossbow bolt through Drizz't's chest. Still, in a Deadliest Warrior match, the simulations would be split about 55-45.

 

[Philip Overby]

I hope Elric wins. I had the honor of being in an anthology with Michael Moorcock and it felt surreal to be listed amongst such a legend.

In any case, as long as Rand doesn't win, I'm happy. I'm a Rand hater, I know....

 

[Steerpike]

Going to wrap up Round 2.

Elric should win. I think he's the strongest in that bracket, and The Lady in the lower. But we'll see. Like I said, not as many people have read those

 

[Steerpike]

Ah...too many ties. I'll check in a little later and close it out once some of those are resolved.

And yes, Moorcock is excellent. Congratulations, Phil.

 

[Elder the Dwarf]

Maybe at some point we should do a pure fighter bracket. To me it is much more fun to debate whether Drizz't, Waylander, or Ninefingers would win in a head to head fight than to argue over which magic is better/more powerful. This is fun, but it is much easier to compare fighters.

 

[Steerpike]

That's a good idea, Elder. We should definitely do that. Drizz't, Wulfgar, Waylander, Druss, Logen Ninefingers, Caul Shivers, Karsa Oolong (if it is fair to include him), Conan, Jayme Grymauch, Huntsekker, and others who are just pure fighters.

 

[Elder the Dwarf]

Jaime Lannister probably as well... if we wanted to expand the tournament, we could allow for multiple within the same series. I would love to see how people thought a Skilganon vs. Drizz't matchup would go. I'm leaning towards Drizz't.

 

[Ankari]

Lan mandragoran better be in that bracket!

 

[Steerpike]

Yeah, Lan will be there. Jaime too, and others. We will get a good mix.

But first people have to start voting in the current death match so we can move on to the next round!

 

[Sheilawisz]

You must include Link from the Zelda Ocarina of Time, with all his magical powers and arsenal of cool weapons!! I already voted in the second round =)