Fight @ the W.O.T. colosseum...who will win?

[Luckers]

I agree on all fronts.

[cloglord]

I put Tam and Mat in the top two.  Certainly Mat beat two swordsmen with a quarterstaff, but who has won all the bel tine quarterstaff competitions that Abel Cauthon hasn't?  Tam is a blademaster and is the best among the quarterstaffers, I'd say that puts him in leauge with Mat's luck and quickness.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Tam is a blademaster and is the best among the quarterstaffers, I'd say that puts him in leauge with Mat's luck and quickness.

 

Thats a good point, and certainly puts paid to the "rusty" argument.

 

Still, I'm not sure that winning the Bel Tine competition matches up to Lan's resume ... so I guess I'd put Tam on his own special "1.5" level ... above the "regular" super-dangerous guys (Gawyn, Galad, and Rhuarc), but not quite with Lan and Mat.

 

But all of this is very, very subjective, so -shrug-

[Vambram]

I voted for Lan because his strength, speed, experience, and supreme skill will be enough to defeat Mat in a one on one melee match. However, Tam al`Thor would also show that he is one of the very best among this group. BUT, if in this arena battle, the combatants are able to use ranged weapons, then we all know who the very BEST archer is here, correct? Yes, that is none other than Tam al`Thor.

[Xeonicus]

Nynaeve would box all of their ears.  lol.  Oh, and the aiel wisewomen too.  Scary womenfolk there.

[Razor]

Mat beat Couladin, who was very good, maybe Ruarc good.  Mat beat 2 very good swordsman at once.  Mat has held his own with the golam (just realized how similar this name is to gollum, smeagle in lotr).  Mat has the quickest hands someone said they had ever seen, was it LAN?  And Matt has a lot more experience with fighting recently.  He would beat anyone but one of the women's circle, who would box his ears while he cowered in the corner, crying like a school girl, LOL.

[Vambram]

We really don't know how Mat did manage to beat Couladin, for the books don't give us hardly details about that. However, I strongly suspect Couladin was defeated by Mat within the chaos of an extended battle scene; instead of something as relatively much more direct of a conflict which would happen in a arena, gladitorial style combat.

I still am keeping my vote for al`Lan Mandraggoran because of what I see as not only a supreme level of skill that very very few can match; but also because his strength and his experiences with the sword, and melee combat is something that will tip the scales in his favor against this supposed bout against Mattrim Cauthon.

 

[bjclinton]

I hate giving the match to Matt just because of his "Ta'Verin - ness" as the point that tips the scales, so i'm really going to have to go with my gut on this one. While the two that would clearly rise to the top would be Lan and Matt, Lan would come out the victor. He was born with a sword in his hands, almost quite literally, and is noted as the deadliest Warder alive. That makes him the best of the best. Additionally, he spent his whole life learning how to turn his body into a human weapon, and has had many years on perfecting that art before he met Moiraine in the Waste and after acting as her protector. We've been lead to believe that he has mastered every weapon, including the Aiel art of fighting with hands and feet, and he also has superior survivor skills because he is bonded, giving him more stamina, endurance, etc.

 

I dont like to give Matt too much credit for thumping Galad and Gawayn in Tar Valon, because lets face it- while they were certainly trying to beat him once they realized he was the real deal, its a different part of you that wakes up when you're using real weapons and fighting to the death. Had they been fighting him for real, in a life or death duel, we would have certainly seen a different outcome from that fight. The sword hands that are responsible for slaying Culin, Hammar and Jachim Carridin could have taken on an exhausted Matrim Cauthon with a quarter staff! I have to suspect even a healthy one at that.

 

While the fight would truly be epic- certainly better than any i think we've seen, Lan takes this one home....even if his only way of assuring victory would be by "sheathing the sword"  ;D

[Vidarr]

Well if we are going to talk experience, I would say Mat still has Lan beat. most of the lives Mat remembers were at least as dangerous as anything Lan has done. Mat remembers the Trolloc wars, that was at least as bad as the fall of Malkier. Plus Lan hasn't died before that has to be an enlightening experience.

 

I don't think sheathing the sword would work against Mat, his weapon is to long, sheathing the sword doesn't work if your still 6 feet from your opponent with a blade through your middle bits. The whole point of it is that you are face to face with your enemy and he can't raise his sword to defend himself.  But thats just my opinion.

[Vambram]

Mat's memories won't do much to help him in a one-on-one melee combat. Those whom have either been in or witnessed combat matches such as being discussed do realize that there is often not enough time to think about past memories or plan out detailed strategies.

[Vidarr]

Thats the thing about Mat's memories, it seems they are so seamlessly mixed in with his own they he wouldn't have to think about it. At that point it becomes subconscious reaction, which is the same way that Lan fights (otherwise he would need to think back and remember the sword forms he is using). Thats what the fight would come down to, subconscious reaction, and I think that Mat would have the upper hand. Not by much mind you, but enough.

[irondan]

    1st-Lan (life of fighting and enhanced warder ablities)

    2nd Mat(very close to first. whooped the bros, lucky, and memorys)

    3rd Rhuarc (aiel)

    3.5 Rand with both hands (trained by Lan & Rhuarc, much devoted bractice, tall)

    4th Galad (studly killer of blademaster)

    5th Gawyn (well trained and young)

    6th Ingtar (trained warrior)

    7th Perrin (mostly untrained, some battle experience and strong)

    8th Tam (older, but was blademaster)(also, i believe it was Mat's dad who was the quarter  staff master not Tam)

 

This is assuming all have their weapon of choice. Hand to hand would be a bit differnt.

 

 

[The Dragon Champion]

ok, mat has got luck and shit, but gawyn and galad weren't blademasters at the time, they'd been there for a couple months? (not sure how long) lan is clearly the winner, or maybe rhuarc. Lan is (i can't remember who said it) the best of the warders, which is to say the best of the best. it was agelmar by the way, my bad. thats just saying armed, lan, and unarmed, probly rhuarc.

[Baldar]

ok, mat has got luck and shit, but gawyn and galad weren't blademasters at the time, they'd been there for a couple months? (not sure how long) lan is clearly the winner, or maybe rhuarc. Lan is (i can't remember who said it) the best of the warders, which is to say the best of the best. it was agelmar by the way, my bad. thats just saying armed, lan, and unarmed, probly rhuarc.

Mat was also sick as a dog.

[Littel me]

Mat was also sick as a dog.

 

Mat was not sick, the AS had don the healing, but he was exstramly weak.

 

[Baldar]

Mat was also sick as a dog.

 

Mat was not sick, the AS had don the healing, but he was exstramly weak.

 

Sick, weak, whatever. He wasn't 100%, not even close.

[Vambram]

Something to remember in that sparring match that Mat had against Galad and Gawyn are these facts. Mat was struck at least a couple of times by the blunt practice swords that his opponents were using. If those swords were real swords with lethal blades, then Mat would not have been able to continue on in the fight as good as he did. Also, at first, they did not take Mat's skills seriously, therefore although Mat was not close to feeling 100%, he was still able to defeat one of them before the other brother finally starting sparring much more earnestly than before.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Mat was struck at least a couple of times by the blunt practice swords that his opponents were using

 

Nope.  The rules were, if they hit him at all, he loses, but he had to whack them until they quit.  And before they quit, Galad at least took him very seriously.