Two Bosses Enter: Vanessa VanCleef vs. Cardboard Assassin
In Two Bosses Enter, WoW Insider's series of fantasy death matches, the bosses of World of Warcraft face off in the squared circle. Your vote determines who wins and claims the season title.
The shadows part, and this week's contestants are revealed! Vanessa VanCleef, kingpin of the reborn Defias Brotherhood, will go head-to-head with the Cardboard Assassin, the finest tank Azeroth has ever seen.
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In last week's matchup, Baron Ashbury and the Construct of Life Ammunae fought each other to a near stalemate, thanks to their equally impressive healing capabilities. However, a winner did pull through ... eventually.
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Follow along for the details of this week's matchup, as well as discussion on last week's match.
The rules of the ring
The WoW Insider Ring 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 squared circle, 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.
In Corner One: Vanessa VanCleef
My fate is my own!
Vanessa VanCleef accomplished what her father couldn't: She makes you feel genuinely bad for her and sympathetic to the Defias Brotherhood. She isn't just a pity party, of course. Vanessa watched us murder and decapitate her father with her own eyes and used it as inspiration for vengeance. She has become one of the most dangerous assassins in the world and a major pain in Stormwind's side.
Vanessa VanCleef's toolkit includes:
An assortment of poisons of the mind rendered useless by the Cardboard Assassin's cardboardiness.
Want to learn more about Vanessa? Read what other adventurers had to say about her, or learn more of her story!
In Corner Two: Cardboard Assassin
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The Cardboard Assassin took Cataclysm by storm, trivializing countless raid bosses with his mere presence. The developers themselves had to step in and put a stop to the cardboard terror.
The Cardbord Assassin's powers include:
Immunity to mind-altering substances
Being awesome
Assassin versus assassin. Could this be our bloodiest matchup yet?
Last Week's Winner: Baron Ashbury
It turns out a death match between two entities with extremely powerful healing capabilities isn't "epic" so much as it is "hella freaking boring." Baron Ashbury's biggest supporter was reader Tyllis, who gave the fight to Ashbury on the grounds of the Baron's being intelligent enough to avoid Ammunae altogther:
As the elevator finishes its climb to the highest and final hall, the Baron takes a brief scornful look south at Ammunae and her pesky entourage of plants and nature spirits. He immediately realizes that she holds nothing of value to him and is not worth the time of a second glance. He instead turns north in search of his valorous prize.
He and Rajh engage and the situation initially looks very balanced, but soon enough Baron Ashbury's relentless healing completely exhaust's Rajh's energy, forcing him to recharge with the Blessing of the Sun. Feeling the surge of power tear at his undead flesh, the Baron assumes the form of the Dark Angel and unleashes terrible devastation. Rajh is unable to withstand the enslaught and falls, yielding his Valor. Baron Ashbury claims his prize and leaves without a second thought of Ammunae or her two peers and vowing to never return to this awful desert land.
Perhaps this week's assassin showdown will prove to be more exciting than healer combat?
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The battle begins!
Remember, Two Bosses Enter matchups are all about substance and style, not gameplay, mechanics, and numbers. Don't base your strategies on player tactics, which opponent has been easiest or most difficult for you personally, or the difficulty of each opponent relative to instance progression. Vote for the spirit of the battle as set forth above. Set aside differences in opponents' health pools, game level, and actual damage output. Absolutely no game mechanics nitpicking!
Set aside the world order -- let the WoW Insider Ring determine who's the champion! Your votes determine the outcome in WoW Insider's series of fantasy deathmatches, Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves.
