Magneto vs. Shane Walsh! Snake vs. Rorschach! Darth Sidious vs. Marth! Link vs. Catwoman! It’s Day Three of the Hogwarts region. Who will join Voldemort and Pikachu in the sweet sixteen? MaristPlayBoy is there to break down all the match-ups.
New to the action? Check out the introduction to the Tournament of Champions here.
It looks like another day of epic action here at the Tournament of Champions. Let’s head to Hogwarts and check out the action!
2. Magneto vs. 31. Shane Walsh
Shane Walsh is one of the protagonists of the Walking Dead franchise, and he knows how to shoot zombies in the face. That’s about all I can say, since I haven’t actually read the comics or seen the show. I know, I know; I need to get on that. I’ve been too busy watching Misfits (awesome) and The Office U.K. (also awesome, for completely different reasons) to get into any other shows on Hulu, and I wasn’t really blown away by the pilot episode, to be honest. I think I’d rather read the comics than watch the show, but I’ll let you know…
…Oh yeah, I’m supposed to be breaking down the Tournament. I’m sorry, but it’s pretty clear Magneto, arguably the strongest mutant in the Marvel Universe and IGN’s #1 comic book villain of all time, Magneto has the power of magnetism, able to control all kinds of metal, levitate, and generate electromagnetic pulses to short circuit any electronic opponent he may come across. He has force fields that selectively decide what can and cannot cross, and if necessary, he can channel his powers into his physical strength and durability to make him a terrific hand-to-hand fighter as well. Once you take into consideration his helmet that gives him incredible psychic resistance, he becomes the most overpowered character in the tournament (and as a two seed no less). He undoubtedly laughs as he uses the bullets Shane Walsh fires to hit Shane square in the forehead, ensuring his advancement to the next round.
Before we continue, I do feel a need to give Magneto a slight nerf; otherwise, he becomes unbeatable. I know that nerfing characters doesn’t seem right, but Superman, Professor X, and the Hulk were kept out of this tournament for the same reasons: they all have no practical weaknesses. No one is going to catch Magneto sleeping and rip off his helmet, nor will he allow anyone to get close enough to do so in a tournament-style situation. As such, I’m removing his ability to control metal on a molecular level (which he was barely able to accomplish in the comics anyway). This still ensures he’s the master of metal but takes away a cheap, insta-kill ability. Also, I chatted with Spoon while preparing to write this article, and she explained to me that the version of the shield listed on Wikipedia is the most overpowered version, and most writers don’t give it quite as much strength. I’m going with the version of his shield that doesn’t make him essentially invincible. Okay? Okay.
15. Snake vs. 18. Rorschach
Rorschach is another hero from the Watchmen universe. Like the other Watchmen heroes before him, he doesn’t have any super powers, but he does go above and beyond the average individual with his other qualities. Rorschach is incredibly resourceful, able to use everything around him to his advantage. He doesn’t let anything go to waste, and his mental instability ensures that he’s unpredictable while still being a brilliant tactician.
That unpredictability is what I believe gives him the edge over Solid Snake, the hero of the Metal Gear franchise. Snake is an expert spy, a solid marksman, and simply a great utility man in any operation. He’s a very experienced special ops soldier, but none of his experiences will prepare him for the sheer crazy that is Rorschach. They’ll match each other shot for shot until Rorschach pulls out a pepper gun or his gas-powered grappling gun, and Snake won’t be able to counter. Rorschach barely pulls out a victory.
Rorschach is another hero from the Watchmen universe. Like the other Watchmen heroes before him, he doesn’t have any super powers, but he does go above and beyond the average individual with his other qualities. Rorschach is incredibly resourceful, able to use everything around him to his advantage. He doesn’t let anything go to waste, and his mental instability ensures that he’s unpredictable while still being a brilliant tactician.
That unpredictability is what I believe gives him the edge over Solid Snake, the hero of the Metal Gear franchise. Snake is an expert spy, a solid marksman, and simply a great utility man in any operation. He’s a very experienced special ops soldier, but none of his experiences will prepare him for the sheer crazy that is Rorschach. They’ll match each other shot for shot until Rorschach pulls out a pepper gun or his gas-powered grappling gun, and Snake won’t be able to counter. Rorschach barely pulls out a victory.
2. Magneto vs. 18. Rorschach
While Rorschach may be incredibly resourceful, its hard to imagine him being able to come up with a ranged weapon that doesn’t involve any metallic objects. His best bet in this case would be hand-to-hand combat. Like I said earlier, though, Magneto can channel his powers into physical strength and endurance. Even if he has no weapon to use in this fight, his superhuman strength will be enough to take Rorschach out. Also, his levitation will make it much harder for Rorschach to hit him than vice versa. The match is closer than most would expect, but Magneto still has this one in the bag, and he advances to the next round.
While Rorschach may be incredibly resourceful, its hard to imagine him being able to come up with a ranged weapon that doesn’t involve any metallic objects. His best bet in this case would be hand-to-hand combat. Like I said earlier, though, Magneto can channel his powers into physical strength and endurance. Even if he has no weapon to use in this fight, his superhuman strength will be enough to take Rorschach out. Also, his levitation will make it much harder for Rorschach to hit him than vice versa. The match is closer than most would expect, but Magneto still has this one in the bag, and he advances to the next round.
7. Darth Sidious vs. 26. Marth
Moment of honesty: I love Marth. One of my favorite characters in anything ever. Most of you reading this probably know Marth from the Super Smash Bros. series of fighting games. In fact, it was his popularity in Super Smash Bros. Melee that convinced Nintendo to release Fire Emblem games outside of Japan (albeit a rather limited one). Turn-based strategy fans like myself, however, know Marth from his Fire Emblem games, in which he is an expert swordsman (he’s slain Dark Dragons) while wielding the Divine Blade of Legends, and an excellent strategist, leading the armies of his kingdom, Altea, to victory on numerous occasions with his brilliant campaigns. I would take him over Link, the ten seed, any day of the week, and he’s incredibly undervalued here.
But much like Ike (who I think was equally undervalued), it’s not going to matter because of his opponent. Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine, is a Sith master capable of Force lightning strikes. I’d use my “Sith and Jedi must prove themselves as capable swordsmen as well” clause, but he did that in Episode Three, successfully defending himself against Yoda’s onslaught of sword slices. As a swordsman, I give Marth a slight edge, but I cannot give him any sort of defense against that force lightning (and no, I didn’t take that away like I took out force chokes because it’s not a one hit kill. It’s counterable if the opponent is skilled, and that’s all I wanted to do with my nerfs). Sorry Marth, but Darth Sidious advances.
(Hold on; need a moment to mourn the loss of one of my favorite characters…)
(…Almost ready…)
(Ok, I’m all right. Next match)
10. Link vs. 23. Catwoman
Catwoman is a master thief, capable of sneaking in and out of rooms, safes, and just about anything else you can imagine without being seen or heard. She is very good at hand-to-hand combat, keeping up with Batman on several occasions, and her whip gives her an added level of both range and damage dealing potential. She’s not a heavy hitter by any means, but she can hold her own.
Link (who should have had Marth’s seed and vice versa; No, I’m not bitter, why do you ask?) is another master swordsman. He’s the savior of the Hyrulian kingdom, saving Princess Zelda on countless occasions. He’s a great swordsman, archer, and bomb maker, which is really what gives him the edge here. He’s got a lot more versatility in his fighting style than Catwoman. Long range, he can shoot her with arrows, any one of which could be deadly if given enough accuracy. Midrange, he has bombs that should affect a large enough area to ensure she’s hit by the explosion. And if she somehow got into short range, it’s become a battle of whip vs. Master Sword. Link has the edge from every distance, and as such, he gets the victory.
7. Darth Sidious vs. 10. Link
Remember how I said Link’s versatility was his greatest asset (you should, given it was only four sentences ago)? That has now become a weakness thanks to Darth Sidious’s force powers. Arrows will be deflected away harmlessly, or at least sensed quickly enough that he can dodge out of the way. Bombs will be thrown back at Link, hindering Link far more than it could help. And in the short range, Darth Sidious is the better swordsman, and that’s before you factor the force lightning into the equation. Darth Sidious takes out the Hyrulian hero.
Time for our final battle:
2. Magneto vs. 7. Darth Sidious
When I started looking at this battle, I asked the same question that you all are probably asking right now: Do light sabers have metal handles? It’s a futuristic universe; it’s possible that the hilt of the light saber could be made of a number of different things that we don’t even know exist. Well, after doing extensive research (ie. looking at the wikipedia page), I’ve discovered that the hilt is, in fact, metal, which means Magneto can easily turn it to stab Darth Sidious before he can even muster much of a defense. Even if Darth Sidious could dodge out of the way, it’s hard to imagine him being able to dodge a light saber and Magneto’s onslaught of attacks. And as long as he has that helmet on, I can’t imagine Darth Sidious doing much damage with his force attacks. It’s a rather one sided affair, but I’m sure Magneto doesn’t mind as he saunters in to the Sweet Sixteen.
When I started looking at this battle, I asked the same question that you all are probably asking right now: Do light sabers have metal handles? It’s a futuristic universe; it’s possible that the hilt of the light saber could be made of a number of different things that we don’t even know exist. Well, after doing extensive research (ie. looking at the wikipedia page), I’ve discovered that the hilt is, in fact, metal, which means Magneto can easily turn it to stab Darth Sidious before he can even muster much of a defense. Even if Darth Sidious could dodge out of the way, it’s hard to imagine him being able to dodge a light saber and Magneto’s onslaught of attacks. And as long as he has that helmet on, I can’t imagine Darth Sidious doing much damage with his force attacks. It’s a rather one sided affair, but I’m sure Magneto doesn’t mind as he saunters in to the Sweet Sixteen.
Agree with my decisions? Wish you could rip the iron out of my bloodstream? Let me know in the comments, or on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew. And be sure to come back tomorrow for Day Four of analysis for the Hogwarts region of the Tournament of Champions. Until then, this is MaristPlayBoy, signing out.
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From what I've read, lightsaber handles can be made of almost anything. I think one was made from a sarlac tooth. Sidious's saber however was made of Electrum, a rare and precious metal.
Personally, I think Sidious would have lasted a bit longer than you give him credit, after all, Magneto had trouble keeping up with Phoenix's telekinetic powers, and I would say a sith lord would probably have comparable ability. Still, if he were dealing with keeping his own lightsaber from bisecting him, he still couldn't have matched Magneto in hand to hand.
As a sidenote, yes the actual pommel and hilt can be made from anything. However, there are certain pieces IN the lightsaber that are made of metals.
My greatest regret in writing Day 1-4 of these articles is that I never have enough time to fully explain how a fight would go down because I have so many to go through. Yes, Sidious would have stood in there for a while and been a decent opponent, but I don't see a win condition for him once he loses his light saber and has defend himself from it and Magneto's attacks. That's why I wrapped it up so quickly; I just didn't see much need to expand on what he'd try to do in his losing effort. You are correct, though, and I do acknowledge he'd hang in there for a while before being cut down.