Iron Man vs. Venusaur! Ozymandias vs. Wendigo! Samus vs. Leonardo! Ganondorf vs. Pikachu! It’s Day Two of the Hogwarts Region in the Tournament of Champions, and MaristPlayBoy is here to analyze all the action.
New to the action? Check out the introduction to the Tournament of Champions here.
Hogwarts Region: Day 1 (edited from yesterday if you haven’t seen the edits yet)
Another day, another set of epic match-ups. Let’s head to Hogwarts and get right to it!
4. Iron Man vs. 29. Venusaur
Venusaur is yet another underrated Pokemon in this tournament. It has the ability to soak up the sun’s rays and release a Solarbeam capable of knocking out some of the strongest Pokemon in existence. As a grass-type Pokemon, it has control of vines, leaves, and other aspects of nature that make it a formidable opponent.
Iron Man, on the other hand, is a superhero that displays the pinnacle of a machine’s power. Tony Stark first created his robotic power suit to escape his captors, but has since updated on multiple occasions to make himself one of the most formidable heroes in the Marvel Universe. His suit gives him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and an array of energy weapons (including his signature repulsion rays) that make him incredibly powerful, and his ability to create a shield around himself means Venusaur has no chance. In this round of nature vs. machine, Iron Man emerges victorious.
13. Ozymandias vs. 20. Wendigo
A Wendigo is a human that has been transformed by an evil spirit into a mythological creature with insane levels of strength and durability. The Marvel version of this creature displayed enough strength to fight head-to-head with the Incredible Hulk! That’s more than a little impressive. It’s vicious cannibalistic nature makes it an incredibly dangerous opponent.
Unless, of course, you are Ozymandias, a hero from Watchmen known as the “smartest man in the universe”. Unlike most times this phrase is used, Ozymandias may truly be that smart. He can absorb information at an incredible rate, and his ambitious personality ensures that he will do whatever he can to pursue that information.
It’s fair to assume that Ozymandias would have a thorough scouting report of all of his potential opponents, then, thus ensuring he knew the Wendigo’s only weakness: fire. His strength and agility are good enough to ensure he will succeed in his plan, and given the Wendigo is essentially a savage, it will likely fall for it. Therefore, Ozymandias is the victor here, and advances to the next round.
4. Iron Man vs. 13, Ozymandias
As anyone who’s seen the movies or read the comics knows, Tony Stark is a super genius in his own right. He runs the Stark Corporation, which serves as the most prominent technological institution in the Marvel Universe, and is likely its brightest inventor. Most of their successful products stem from his inventions, and his expertise is unmatched in most circles.
All of that essentially means that while Ozymandias may have some idea as to how he can take down Iron Man, Stark is smart enough to know how to counter it. He won’t give Ozymandias the time to prepare some plan, nor will he fall for a trap. That means the fight comes down to pure ability, and Ozymandias doesn’t stand a chance against Iron Man’s energy beams. Iron Man moves on.
5. Samus vs. 28. Leonardo
Leonardo’s seeding makes no sense to me. The rest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles were in the mid-to-late teens range in seeding, yet Leonardo, the leader of the squad and easily one of its best fighters (and easily the best strategist), is a 28-seed? This makes less than no sense, and if Leonardo had the chance, he would probably use this opportunity to use his dual katanas to chop my RA in half for such an insult.
At the end of the day, however, you have to defeat the opponent you’re given, and Samus is too good of an opponent for Leonardo. Samus Aran, the female protagonist of the classic Metroid series, is a space bounty hunter who spends her days fighting giant sentient brains and even larger dragons. She has access to an insane amount of energy beam and missile attacks, and her suit, which operates much like Iron Man’s, gives her durability and sensory data that helps her find her opponent’s weaknesses. If Leonardo could get close enough to land a katana strike, the battle may have ended differently. But Samus will strike him down before he gets there. Samus Aran advances.
12. Ganondorf vs. 21. Pikachu
Ganondorf is the main antagonist of the Legend of Zelda franchise, and a constant terror on the Hyrulian Kingdom. Even though I can’t grant him the Triforce of Power’s immortality (because that would make these fights boring and uninteresting), he does have the superhuman strength, teleportation, and magical powers that the item brings, which makes him a very difficult opponent. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to take him down with a full frontal assault.
This is why Ganondorf must be cursing the day Pikachu was named his opponent. Pikachu, an electric-type Pokemon and the starting Pokemon of the protagonist of the television series Ash Ketchum, is able to employ some trickery to buy him some time. Double team allows him to create multiple copies of himself, meaning Ganondorf will have to keep destroying the copies before he can tell which Pikachu is the real one. Pikachu is incredibly swift and agile, while Ganondorf is rather slow, which leads me to believe this strategy would work. Factor in some consistent thunderbolts raining down on Ganondorf’s head, and suddenly, the outcome of this battle seems clear. Pikachu wins in this mild upset.
5. Samus vs. 21. Pikachu
It really is incredible how much seeding can play a role in this tournament. If Pikachu had been ranked any lower, it likely would have seen its tournament hopes dashed in the first round. Instead, the 21-seed just became a favorite to advance against a five seed.
How, you ask? Well, Samus’s power comes directly from her suit, which means a giant electrical shock would ruin her entire system, making her virtually powerless against this mischievous rodent Pokemon. One might argue that Samus could still win by leaving her suit and using her Zero Suit form (in which she utilizes an electric whip), but I’d argue that such a break down in her power armor would likely leave her trapped inside.
And even if she did use her Zero Suit form, I still give Pikachu the edge. The electric whip would just give Pikachu more power to shock Samus with, and Samus doesn’t have such a resistance to lightning bolts. Pikachu shockingly advance (I’m sorry; that pun was just too good to pass up).
4. Iron Man vs. 21. Pikachu
As I wrote in Samus’s description in her fight against Leonardo, she’s essentially Nintendo’s female counterpart to Iron Man. Everything I wrote in the Samus v. Pikachu fight applies here, except Iron Man doesn’t even have a Zero Suit form with which to defend himself. I know; it’s anti-climactic, but it’s the truth. Pikachu short circuits Iron Man’s power suit and fries him with thunderbolts, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and becoming the first major Cinderella story of the tournament!
Agree with my decisions? Think I need to get some sense shocked into me? Let me know in the comments below, or follow me on twitter at @RedShirtCrew. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Day Three of my analysis of the Hogwarts Region. Until then, this is MaristPlayBoy, signing out.
Another day, another set of epic match-ups. Let’s head to Hogwarts and get right to it!
4. Iron Man vs. 29. Venusaur
Venusaur is yet another underrated Pokemon in this tournament. It has the ability to soak up the sun’s rays and release a Solarbeam capable of knocking out some of the strongest Pokemon in existence. As a grass-type Pokemon, it has control of vines, leaves, and other aspects of nature that make it a formidable opponent.
Iron Man, on the other hand, is a superhero that displays the pinnacle of a machine’s power. Tony Stark first created his robotic power suit to escape his captors, but has since updated on multiple occasions to make himself one of the most formidable heroes in the Marvel Universe. His suit gives him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and an array of energy weapons (including his signature repulsion rays) that make him incredibly powerful, and his ability to create a shield around himself means Venusaur has no chance. In this round of nature vs. machine, Iron Man emerges victorious.
13. Ozymandias vs. 20. Wendigo
A Wendigo is a human that has been transformed by an evil spirit into a mythological creature with insane levels of strength and durability. The Marvel version of this creature displayed enough strength to fight head-to-head with the Incredible Hulk! That’s more than a little impressive. It’s vicious cannibalistic nature makes it an incredibly dangerous opponent.
Unless, of course, you are Ozymandias, a hero from Watchmen known as the “smartest man in the universe”. Unlike most times this phrase is used, Ozymandias may truly be that smart. He can absorb information at an incredible rate, and his ambitious personality ensures that he will do whatever he can to pursue that information.
It’s fair to assume that Ozymandias would have a thorough scouting report of all of his potential opponents, then, thus ensuring he knew the Wendigo’s only weakness: fire. His strength and agility are good enough to ensure he will succeed in his plan, and given the Wendigo is essentially a savage, it will likely fall for it. Therefore, Ozymandias is the victor here, and advances to the next round.
4. Iron Man vs. 13, Ozymandias
As anyone who’s seen the movies or read the comics knows, Tony Stark is a super genius in his own right. He runs the Stark Corporation, which serves as the most prominent technological institution in the Marvel Universe, and is likely its brightest inventor. Most of their successful products stem from his inventions, and his expertise is unmatched in most circles.
All of that essentially means that while Ozymandias may have some idea as to how he can take down Iron Man, Stark is smart enough to know how to counter it. He won’t give Ozymandias the time to prepare some plan, nor will he fall for a trap. That means the fight comes down to pure ability, and Ozymandias doesn’t stand a chance against Iron Man’s energy beams. Iron Man moves on.
5. Samus vs. 28. Leonardo
Leonardo’s seeding makes no sense to me. The rest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles were in the mid-to-late teens range in seeding, yet Leonardo, the leader of the squad and easily one of its best fighters (and easily the best strategist), is a 28-seed? This makes less than no sense, and if Leonardo had the chance, he would probably use this opportunity to use his dual katanas to chop my RA in half for such an insult.
At the end of the day, however, you have to defeat the opponent you’re given, and Samus is too good of an opponent for Leonardo. Samus Aran, the female protagonist of the classic Metroid series, is a space bounty hunter who spends her days fighting giant sentient brains and even larger dragons. She has access to an insane amount of energy beam and missile attacks, and her suit, which operates much like Iron Man’s, gives her durability and sensory data that helps her find her opponent’s weaknesses. If Leonardo could get close enough to land a katana strike, the battle may have ended differently. But Samus will strike him down before he gets there. Samus Aran advances.
12. Ganondorf vs. 21. Pikachu
Ganondorf is the main antagonist of the Legend of Zelda franchise, and a constant terror on the Hyrulian Kingdom. Even though I can’t grant him the Triforce of Power’s immortality (because that would make these fights boring and uninteresting), he does have the superhuman strength, teleportation, and magical powers that the item brings, which makes him a very difficult opponent. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to take him down with a full frontal assault.
This is why Ganondorf must be cursing the day Pikachu was named his opponent. Pikachu, an electric-type Pokemon and the starting Pokemon of the protagonist of the television series Ash Ketchum, is able to employ some trickery to buy him some time. Double team allows him to create multiple copies of himself, meaning Ganondorf will have to keep destroying the copies before he can tell which Pikachu is the real one. Pikachu is incredibly swift and agile, while Ganondorf is rather slow, which leads me to believe this strategy would work. Factor in some consistent thunderbolts raining down on Ganondorf’s head, and suddenly, the outcome of this battle seems clear. Pikachu wins in this mild upset.
5. Samus vs. 21. Pikachu
It really is incredible how much seeding can play a role in this tournament. If Pikachu had been ranked any lower, it likely would have seen its tournament hopes dashed in the first round. Instead, the 21-seed just became a favorite to advance against a five seed.
How, you ask? Well, Samus’s power comes directly from her suit, which means a giant electrical shock would ruin her entire system, making her virtually powerless against this mischievous rodent Pokemon. One might argue that Samus could still win by leaving her suit and using her Zero Suit form (in which she utilizes an electric whip), but I’d argue that such a break down in her power armor would likely leave her trapped inside.
And even if she did use her Zero Suit form, I still give Pikachu the edge. The electric whip would just give Pikachu more power to shock Samus with, and Samus doesn’t have such a resistance to lightning bolts. Pikachu shockingly advance (I’m sorry; that pun was just too good to pass up).
4. Iron Man vs. 21. Pikachu
As I wrote in Samus’s description in her fight against Leonardo, she’s essentially Nintendo’s female counterpart to Iron Man. Everything I wrote in the Samus v. Pikachu fight applies here, except Iron Man doesn’t even have a Zero Suit form with which to defend himself. I know; it’s anti-climactic, but it’s the truth. Pikachu short circuits Iron Man’s power suit and fries him with thunderbolts, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and becoming the first major Cinderella story of the tournament!
Agree with my decisions? Think I need to get some sense shocked into me? Let me know in the comments below, or follow me on twitter at @RedShirtCrew. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Day Three of my analysis of the Hogwarts Region. Until then, this is MaristPlayBoy, signing out.
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I think my biggest problem with these is the Samus/Pikachu fight. A considerable part of Samus' suit is biological, not mechanical. Also the energy tanks in the game are the suits life energy [hence why the metroids can latch on and drain your energy. They suck the life force out of things, not electricity.]
As an addition, you'd probably move on to the fact that Pikachu can still use Double Team or something and trick Samus, who is generally characterized in the Smash Bros. games as a slower mover. Except she has several visors [Thermal and X-Ray to name a couple] that would allow her to identify the real Pikachu, lock on to it and have missiles zooming at it in no time.
At first I was kinda happy with this region, didn't really expect Pikachu to go to the sweet 16 so it was nice that it seemed like you actually played fair this round (unlike the master chief round). I thought Ganandorf vs. Pikachu was pretty bullshit though… Pikachu's really not that strong and Ganandorf is a badass magic user. But anyway, after reading the wiki page on Samus's suit I agree, that's total bullshit and Pikachu SHOULD NOT HAVE WON since Samus's suit is mostly biological.
http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Power_Suit for your references.
Ok, I read the Wiki Page, and I will admit, I was not aware that Samus's suit was mostly biological. But there's a key word in my defense that I believe still makes my argument valid: Mostly. There are electronic elements in there. Something other than pure biological energy keeps that suit going, and I feel confident that Pikachu's electric abilities shut whatever the non-biological parts control down.
I've tried doing some research on what specifically that would be, but I haven't been able to find anything. I'm guessing that it would be the communications part of the suit (ie the part that connects Samus's brain pattern to the biological nature of the suit), which means that, for all intents and purposes, she WOULD lose her suit. You can make a case that she could still use her weapons manually, but she's far less effective that way, and I take Pikachu in that fight. And if she ditches the suit as I suggested, I take Pikachu in that Zero Suit battle as well.
So, if anyone can find an article that discusses WHICH parts of her suit are biological and which aren't, let me know, and I have no problem retroactively editing this article to account for it. Until then, I stand by my decision.
And Anonymous, suggesting I'm somehow biased in my analysis of a tournament that has no real world implications involving characters from all my favorite franchises that don't exist in the real world is laughable. I honestly believe Master Chief wins that fight, and I have yet to see evidence that convinces me otherwise. I read all the comments, so if you have new information to bring, I'll meet you back on that day, and we can continue our conversation. Just know that I ALWAYS play fair; we just may have different opinions.