Advertisement

Two Bosses Enter: Spectators break tie for Tyrannus; PvP champs face Devourer

Lisa Poisso
Updated ·8 min read

Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Your votes, along with the decisions of our distinguished judges (representing WoW.com staff and readers), determine who makes it out alive. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble!

It took a boost from Thunderdome spectators last week to push the Lich King up enough to catch Eadric the Pure, but even his fans weren't enough this time. The crowd turned away from Arthas this week to swing a split decision in the judges' box in favor of Scourgelord Tyrannus. The DK-on-DK battle ended up sending Tyrannus on as the first victor of the ICC-5/ToC quarter-finals.

Join us after the break for the judges' decisions and final results of Lich King vs. Scourgelord Tyrannus, then cast your vote in the next Thunderdome mix-up: ToC PvP Champs versus Devourer of Souls. You know how Dr. Dealgood calls it: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.



In the stands -- Victory: Scourgelord Tyrannus

  • Scourgelord Tyrannus 60.7%

  • Lich King (Halls of Reflection) 36.1%

  • Tie (something else happens) 3.2%


Reader-Judge John "Zapperz" Zakour -- Victory: Scourgelord Tyrannus

Okay, we're finally into the second round, the juicier matches. This one pits Tyrannus, a DK, against a slimmed-down version of Arthas, Lich King and eventually the ultimate DK. Once again, if this is punch and slug-it-out , you gotta give it the LK; after all, he is the game's title character, the ultimate big bad. You have to assume even this stripped-down version of him could win a slugfest. But this, this is a run-and-don't-let-'em-catch-you event -- an entirely different ball of wax.

Last week, I went on record as saying Eadric would outrun the Lich King. Eadric is one of the wimpiest bosses out there, but he is good at running. Tyrannus is no wimp; wimps don't get to ride a big, bad-ass drake like Rimefang. Actually, it's Tyrannus' lack of wimpiness that could hurt him here. The only way Tyrannus could lose this is if he tried to tangle with the Lich King one on one, mano e mano. Sure, Tyrannus and Rimefang could handle the ghouls, abominations and witch doctors (oh, my!) easily enough. An Unholy Power followed by a Forceful Smash here and an Icy Blast there makes quick work of the LK's trio of minions.

Yet if the LK himself catches up with Tyrannus, a Fury of Frostmourne or two and it's time for the fat dwarf lady to sing -- it's over. Tyrannus has a bit of ego but he's no dummy, he knows he can't match the Lich King's muscle. Therefore, he wins this one of two ways. The easy way, he gets on Rimefang and shouts, "Run away," and they fly off into round three. Or if the armor is feeling a little snug and he needs some exercise, he and Rimefang take on the adds while the wall is up and then hustle on down the road once the wall is down. Either way, Tyrannus "wins" this and gets to fight another day.

Judge Matthew Rossi -- Victory: Scourgelord Tyrannus

If we assume that for whatever reason Tyrannus can defy the Lich King (maybe he just got snapped out of his control like Mograine and the other DKs did), then yeah, Tyrannus can escape. He's got Rimefang, he hits like a truck and he can knock back, throw debuffs and share damage around. The various adds go down before him like wheat before a very sharp scythe, and Jaina/Sylvanas gets away.

Judge Michael Gray -- Victory: Lich King

Once again, the Lich King will dominate. I'm not quite sure who's going to topple the master of Icecrown, but until someone can stop the Fury of Frostmourne, these are going to be some one-sided battles.

I suspect Tyrannus might find a little help with Rimefang and thus will definitely put up a greater fight than the Lich King's previous opponents. But ultimately, Tyrannus is a hand-to-hand fighter. And as we know, anyone who tries to go toe-to-toe with Frostmourne is gonna get their soul sucked out.

Now, granted, I'm ignoring the easy interpretation of "Arthas just takes his powers away," because once our bosses are in the arena together, we're assuming those rules won't apply. But it's got to come down to Frostmourne.

Reader-Judge Sky Paladin -- Victory: Lich King

I give this one to the Lich King. Tyrannus does hit very hard, but he lacks good area of effect or cleave attacks. He doesn't have any interrupts, no ranged attacks and one of his abilities (Unholy Power) is counter-effective. Conversely, his mount, Rimefang, is the real threat, with a number of (weak) area of effect spells.

Tyrannus doesn't have any way to gather the groups up, so they're just going to run straight past and kill the person he is trying to protect. The trouble is, as experienced players will point out, that not having a way to deal with the Vrykul means wading into the Lich King's chill of doom, and that will be what ends Tyrannus. He just doesn't have the tools to do the job -- he's a broadsword, when a scalpel was needed.

In Corner One: ToC PvP Champions

Things are about to get crazy in the Two Bosses Thunderdome.

  • To square off against the Devourer of Souls, we're going to pull out all five of the Trial of the Champions grand champions at once. (Players face only three of the champs during a given encounter.)

  • We won't force Devourer to become a giant head astride Argent Warhorse or equipping a lance; everyone will be on foot for the duration of this deathmatch.

  • Consider the balance of these opponents carefully before making your decision on this fight. In order to create any sort of fair fight, the strength of the team of five as a whole must be roughly equivalent to that of the Devourer of Souls. Think of it something like a normal group encounter.


Consider the balance of these opponents carefully before making your decision on this fight. In order to create any sort of fair fight, the strength of the team of five as a whole must be roughly equivalent to that of the Devourer of Souls. Think of it something like a normal group encounter.


Read more about the Grand Champions encounter.

In Corner Two: The Devourer of Souls

You dare look upon the host of souls?! I shall devour you whole!

The Devourer of Souls is the second and final boss of the Forge of Souls in Icecrown Citadel. He resembles the similarly-named Reliquary of Souls from the Black Temple.


Read more about how the Devourer of Souls goes about his gruesome feast of souls, and review reports from the hardy adventurers who've faced him in battle.

The laws of the Thunderdome

  • The Two Bosses Thunderdome is considered neutral territory, where both combatants are able to access their usual encounter mechanics and abilities. If you can't visualize it inside the Thunderdome, visualize it someplace else -- but you must take into consideration all of each bosses' abilities and mechanics.

  • Assume that each opponent is intelligent and capable of strategic thinking.

  • All of the competitors' abilities, including crowd control and other effects to which bosses are usually immune, work on their opponents (with apologies to considerations of lore on this point).

  • Assume that the opponents share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output.

  • Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter.

  • Don't neglect style, story and scale. Everything is a factor; seeking balance is your goal as a spectator and judge.


%Poll-44422%

The Five-Man Bosses of Icecrown Citadel and Trial of the Champion

Round One

Match 1: Bronjahm vs. The Black Knight
Match 2: Devourer of Souls vs. Forgemaster Garfrost
Match 3: Krick and Ick vs. Scourgelord Tyrannus
Match 4: Falric vs. Argent Confessor Paletress
Match 5: Marwyn vs. ToC PvP champions
Match 6: Eadric the Pure vs. The Lich King

Round Two

Match 1: Scourgelord Tyrannus vs. Lich King (5-man, HoR version)
Match 2: ToC PvP champions (68.2%) vs. Devourer of Souls (55.5%)
Match 3: The Black Knight (61.7%) vs. Argent Confessor Paletress (58.8%)
Match 4: Reader vote to bring back any ICC-5/ToC season loser

Set aside the world order -- let the Thunderdome determine who's the champion of Icecrown! Come back next week to find out who is the victor of the Icecrown/Trial of the Champions season of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves.