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Two Bosses Enter: Anub, Eregos meet in finale; search for judges
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. We're moving from the quarter-finals into the semi-finals of the Original Five-Man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! Anub'Arak scuttled King Ymiron and his longboats last week, 60.8% to 35.9%, to advance to this week's season finale of the Original Wrath Five-Man season of Two Bosses Enter. In the highly anticipated finals, Anub'Arak will burrow into the Thunderdome to face the dreaded Ley-Guardian Eregos. If you've never participated in a Two Boss Enters match before, please be sure to read the Thunderdome ground rules before casting your vote. Visit the comments first to get as broad a view of the match as possible before deciding whose pennant you'll be waving in the stands. But first: We're taking a new angle inside the Thunderdome for upcoming seasons of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves. Each match will be decided by a distinguished panel of judges -- and you're invited to sit on the panel! Details after the break.
Two Bosses Enter: Eregos a finalist; Anub'Arak faces Ymiron
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. We're moving from the quarter-finals into the semi-finals of the Original Five-Man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! Welcome, one and all, to the last semi-final match of this season of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves! This week, we'll pit semi-finalists Anub'Arak (Azjol-Nerub) against King Ymiron (Utgarde Pinnacle). Both bosses enter on the wings of strong victories. Anub'Arak comes to the Thunderdome with a 64.5% approval rating from his last match, while King Ymiron brings a 64.1% rating from his own supporters. But first, a big upset from last week's Thunderdome. In a spectacular reversal of their July deathmatch, Ley-Guardian Eregos pulled out a decisive victory over Loken. After being voted back in to the Thunderdome despite his earlier loss, Eregos showed new confidence to claim a position in this season's finals. A solid 56.5% of spectators gave Eregos the upper hand this time around, compared to only 36.9% the last time he faced off against Loken. We'll recap the battle as well as opening up voting for Anub'Arak versus King Ymiron, after the break.
Two Bosses Enter: Ymiron moves on; Eregos and Loken rematch
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. We're moving from the quarter-finals into the semi-finals of the Original Five-Man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! This week, the Original Five-Man Wrath of the Lich King season of Two Bosses Enter moves into the semi-finals with a repeat match: Ley-Guardian Eregos versus Loken. If you believe voters cheated Loken out of his last victory against the Ley-Guardian based on their distaste for Eregos and The Oculus, now's your chance to set things right! In last week's final quarter-finals battle, King Ymiron demonstrated the power behind his throne with a decisive Thunderdome victory over Krik'thir the Gatewatcher. More than 64 percent of the crowd roared its support for the King, while just shy of one-third believed Krik'thir could hold his own. Here's a sampling of the debate from the stands: Dreamstorm: This is one complicated fight. I'm going to wait with voting until I read what others think and why. Qot: Two Bosses Enter is sort of like the NBA All-Star voting. The people decide, but they usually decide based on reputation or history rather than actual skill. Xevozz was perfectly tuned to kill Loken, but Loken's a BAMF in the lore, so he wins the match. Dreamstorm: If the king wins, we'll have ourselves a Nerubian, a Vrykul, a blue dragon and a creation of the Titans ... PIT FIGHT!! :D Eddy: I was kind of thinking that. I feel like I'm biased towards King because then the fights would just seem so balanced -- the end bosses from a number of lore-intensive instances. I feel like the lore supports the king's victory.
Two Bosses Enter: Loken slips past Xevozz, Ymiron battles Krik'thir
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to the quarter-finals of the Original Five-Man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! When the magical energies had died down, it was indeed Loken who remained standing in last week's Thunderdome matchup against Xevozz. The Dark Titan fought for every vote, claiming his victory with 52% spectator approval. We'll review how things went down after the break, plus you'll get a chance to vote in the last quarter-finals match of the season: Ymiron versus Krik'thir. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
One Boss Leaves: King Ymiron proves the bane of Mal'ganis
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. This season's combatants come from the original five-man instances of Wrath of the Lich King. King Ymiron raised his weary head long enough this week to send Mal'ganis packing, with a 60% to 36% defeat of the dreadlord in the Two Bosses Thunderdome. The spectators seemed somewhat restless ("This would have to be one of the most boring fights to watch," muttered t0xic. "Sorta like a resto druid duel."), although we suppose that could have been some pre-patch malaise creeping in. A conversation in the stands between Nazgûl and Danarok draws attention to a rule we've only recently begun clarifying in each fight's setup: All of the competitors' abilities, including crowd control and other effects to which bosses are usually immune, work on their opponents. In this case, we think Nazgûl's gotten it right. In the spirit of the Two Bosses Thunderdome, the king's undead racial immunities should probably be overlooked ... But we could probably be convinced by a strong case to the contrary, presented with confidence in the comments. What do you think?
Arthas on the air this weekend
Our friend Medievaldragon let us know that actor Michael McConnohie will be live on the Internet this weekend -- he's going on air over at Blogtalkradio Sunday at 7pm PDT, and apparently he'll also be talking to fans. McConnohie has done film and television voicework and acting for a while, but for our purposes, he's probably best known as quite a few of the characters wandering around Northrend and Outland: King Ymiron, Commander Kolurg, Uther the Lightbringer, the Epoc Hunter, and Kel'thuzad. Oh, and he does one more voice in the game: The Lich King (remember that guy?). I don't know how much this guy wants to talk about Warcraft, but then again, the group hosting him seems to be pretty geeky (they've had folks from Star Trek and Stargate on before), so maybe it'll be all about McConnohie's work for Blizzard (and not, say, his stint on General Hospital). If you want to talk to the Lich King himself, you can call in Sunday night at (914) 338-0314. I bet it'll be quite an experience.
Two Bosses Enter: King Ymiron vs. Mal'Ganis
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to Round Two of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! Lorehounds should have plenty of material to root through in the playbills of this week's Two Bosses Thunderdome matchup, as King Ymiron (Utgarde Pinnacle) takes on Mal'Ganis (The Culling of Stratholme). King Ymiron enters the ring after a close battle against King Dred, while Mal'ganis is undoubtedly still riding high after an easy defeat of Omorok the Tree-Shaper earlier this season. Listen up for the ground rules: All of the competitors' abilities, including crowd control and other effects to which bosses are usually immune, work on their opponents. Assume that the opponents share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output. This deathmatch takes place in neutral territory, which shall in no way hinder either opponent from using his usual resources. Get creative in your scenario, if necessary, but make it work in spirit. Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter. Don't neglect style, story and scale. Let the Thunderdome gates open, and let the contestants come forward. As Dr. Dealgood would say: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
One Boss Leaves: King Ymiron dethrones King Dred
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to Round Two of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! Despite King Ymiron's cavalier dismissal from the cage by the dino-fanboys ("On the one hand, Ymiron is a Viking. On the other hand, Dred is a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The part of my brain that is still 5 years old has decided this is no contest. If Ymiron is not allowed to use Dred as a mount, then he must die so that Dred may live. – DeathPaladin), the Vrykul king ruled King Dred in last week's Two Bosses Thunderdome, 51% to 44%. Comments from the stands were lively in what one fan called "one of the most deadly and greatest match-ups so far."Reader Pollux contributed not one but two viewpoints on the matchup.Pollux: The recounting of this clash begins with King Ymiron, who is in his throne room, rubbing the last few smatterings of blood off his face and armor. He's just finished hacking and blasting his way through a ragtag crew of miscreants who, like so many others, believed they could stand against him, even in his own hall. He's slightly weary after this latest confrontation and is forced to admit to himself that he is not quite as quick on his feet as he once was ... nor as resilient. The cuts from his enemies' blades seem to pierce deeper; the residual sting of their spells doesn't seem to fade as speedily as it used to. With downcast features, King Ymiron is momentarily lost in thought, but he is soon awakened by a distant rumbling.
Two Bosses Enter: King Dred vs. King Ymiron
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to Round Two of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! It's Battle Royale among the royals this week, as King Dred of Drak'tharon Keep squares off against King Ymiron of Utgarde Pinnacle. Both contenders enter the Thunderdome on the heels of impressive first-round victories. King Dred crunched the doomed, fanatical Jedoga Shadowseeker in less than two chomps of his great jaws, while King Ymiron practically ushered Drakkari Colossus out of the Thunderdome with a wave of one finger. Will a battle between the King of the Beasts and the King of the Vrykul prove more challenging to both?Here are the ground rules for this week's royal melee: Assume that the opponents along with their minions share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output. This deathmatch takes place in King Ymiron's throne room, but this shall not hinder King Dred from being able to summon raptors during battle. All the usual minions will be available to each boss. Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter. Don't neglect style, story and scale. And now, the weekly Thunderdome call-out: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
The Queue: Acronymification, FWIW
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.The last few editions of The Queue had a lot about tanking, and deciding which Heroic is the best Heroic to tank your first time around. Adam said Utgarde Pinnacle was a good training ground, and his opinion was thoroughly stomped upon for being wrong. I have to say, though... Utgarde Pinnacle was my first Wrath heroic as a tank and it worked pretty well. I did a lot of tanking in The Burning Crusade so maybe I'm a little different since I already knew what I was doing, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. Mobs in Utgarde Pinnacle hit really hard, and it taught me to get back into the habit of using my cooldowns properly and not relying completely on my healer to keep me standing.I won't say Adam was right, but I also won't say he was wrong. Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle and Heroic CoT: Stratholme are the two dungeons that taught me the most about tanking. Teaching myself to remember to use my own cooldowns and mitigation abilities, learning how to pace a group and keep them moving, relearning how to handle different types of mobs. They were a challenge, oh yes, but that's why I learned so much from them. Easier heroics like Violet Hold didn't teach me to do much because you basically nap through the thing. Then again, I am sort of a 'trial by fire' kind of guy. I need to die a few times to figure out whether I'm capable of something or not.CallMeIrd asked.."Are they going to change or remove the School of Hard Knocks achievements? It's pretty much impossible for a lot of players to achieve."
Two Bosses Enter: King Ymiron vs. Drakkari Colossus
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW Insider's series of fantasy death matches. This season's bosses come from the five-man instances of Wrath of the Lich King.Close of the heels of this past week's Keristrasza's clawing of Cyanigosa, we offer up fresh meat to the denizens of WoW Insider: King Ymiron of Utgarde Pinnacle versus Drakkari Colossus from Gundrak. Last season, we instructed readers to ignore the adds that come along with each fight. Here, we're going to allow Drakkari Colossus his elemental, so consider both Drakkari Colossus' golem form and the elemental form. Beyond that, assume that the bosses are of approximately the same level and health and that they're fighting in neutral territory. It's fighting abilities and scale that we're debating here, so don't get caught up in actual game mechanics. Consider the flavor each villainous gladiator brings to bear, and cast your vote for who you think would come out on top.Load up your longboats with mojo and let's see where this goes!
Breakfast Topic: The new 5-mans
5-mans are still my favorite part of the game. Guild runs, PuG-runs, something in between...doesn't matter. And I've had a fabulous time in Northrend 5-mans so far. Yes, Herald Volazj is pretty much the clear winner of the early 5-man bosses (gotta love that Insanity debuff), but Azjol Nerub's been very popular, and the questline leading to the cutscene at the end of Drak'tharon Keep is getting a lot of good press. Not enough people are in the late '70's or at 80 to have had a good crack at Halls of Stone, Halls of Lightning, Utgarde Pinnacle, or Culling of Stratholme, so I'm not sure how those are going to go over, but I think players in general have really enjoyed the new dungeons.That there's markedly less emphasis on soul-crushing trash (I'm looking at you, Shattered Halls) and more emphasis on cool boss mechanics and gorgeous scenery is also pretty awesome. And then there's that giant drop in Azjol Nerub taking you past several levels of the ancient city that never fails to kill someone. I shouldn't find it funny, but I do, even when it's me.How far along are you on the new Northrend 5-mans? Have you picked a favorite yet? And how many people have you seen die on the Azjol Nerub drop?
