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Two Bosses Enter: Eregos dismounts Skadi, Loken takes on Xevozz
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! In a barrage of wings, Ley-Guardian Eregos confronted Skadi the Ruthless in the skies over the Thunderdome last week. Let's just say it was no party for Mr. Skadi. Eregos took the match with a stinging 75.3% of the spectator vote, sending the hapless Frost Vrykul plummeting from the match. We'll get a view of the beat-down after the break, plus we'll set up this week's battle between Loken and Xevozz. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
Two Bosses Enter: Anub'Arak pounds Dred, Eregos faces Skadi
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! Last week's battle was all about size. In the end, being tougher trumped being larger, as Anub'Arak Pounded King Dred with 64% of the spectator vote. We'll get a view of the beat-down after the break -- plus we'll set up the vote for this week's battle between Ley-Guardian Eregos and Skadi the Ruthless. Alert fans will note a different schedule on their weekly Thunderdome tickets. Starting this week, you'll find the past week's roundup and the next week's fight and vote in a single post. Be sure to follow the jump if you'd like to debate and vote on the upcoming battle between Eregos and Skadi. Then starting next week, we'll be hosting the Two Bosses Thunderdome on Wednesdays (moved up from Thursdays). Join us after the break for last week's wrap-up plus next week's battle: Ley-Guardian Eregos (The Oculus) versus Skadi the Ruthless (Utgarde Pinnacle). Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
One Boss Leaves: Skadi crushes Svala
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to the end of the current round of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! It wasn't much of a contest this week, as Skadi the Ruthless swept to a whirlwind victory over Svala Sorrowgrave. Sixty-three percent of the spectators roared their approval of the spear-wielding, undead Frost Vrykul, undoubtedly moving him into a solid position for the upcoming semi-finals. But however one-sided its ultimate conclusion, this matchup offered the opportunity for a number of interesting scenarios. Dominika: Let's review the facts. Skadi doesn't do his own fighting. Skadi throws Vargul at his opponents, slows them down with his Proto-Drake ... It's only when you really piss him off that he jumps down to take you on one on one. Now, what are these Vargul he throws at you? Vargul, of course, are the Vrykul judged as unworthy by the Val'kyr. There's but one reason a Val'kyr would fight a Vrykul: to prove his worth. And he's not going to do that by hiding behind the unworthy. Skadi's hands are tied. He has to take her on one on one. His main advantage then, is his Poisoned Spear. His Whirlwind hurts, but it's difficult to hit someone who can fly. When he finds himself trapped on the altar to be sacrificed, his Vargul brothers know that they can't hold back any longer. They bum rush the stage to free him. The enraged Skadi tells everyone to take Svala (that's what she said), but if there's one thing that hordes of undead do poorly against, it's fire. The flames from the brazier make short work of them all, leaving just the Vrykul and the Val'kyr once more. And when the next ritual comes, Skadi will only have enough time to think of the words he heard echoing down from the keep below long ago ... "Your pathetic failure will serve as a warning to all."
Two Bosses Enter: Skadi the Ruthless vs. Svala Sorrowgrave
Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. Welcome to the last match of the current round of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! Here we are at the end of our current bracket ... And what a fight this last one will be! Bring your earplugs, because we suspect this fight's going to be on the loud side: Skadi the Ruthless versus Svala Sorrowgrave. The two Utgarde Pinnacle residents step into the Two Bosses Thunderdome with nearly identical seeding. Skadi took out the venerable General Bjarngrim with 56% spectator approval, while Svala sacrificed Salramm the Fleshcrafter with 57% of the vote. Let's review the ground rules: Why don't we drag Svala's altar around the corner into Skadi's hall? As always, we'll consider the Two Bosses Thunderdome neutral territory, where both combatants are able to access their usual encounter mechanics and abilities. If you can come up with a stylish way to do that in the comments, you may earn more votes for your chosen victor. 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. Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter. Don't neglect style, story and scale. Welcome to the Two Bosses Thunderdome. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
One Boss Leaves: Skadi spears Bjarngrim
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 originals Wrath of the Lich King season. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble! In a relatively close contest inside the Two Bosses Thunderdome, Skadi the Ruthless rained down a whirlwind of destruction upon General Bjarngrim, 56% to 40%. The general's electric charge proved to be all-too temporary, as Skadi's relentless pressure left the crowds roaring in the stands. A roundup of reader opinion yields several narratives worth a read (check out Baldagrim and Chipperbane's mini-sagas on page two of the comments) along with some solid rationales in support of both sides. bob: Bjarn has no problem on this fight. Between Ironform and Def Stance, he can take Skadi's WW and Poisoned Spear; he doesn't even need to run out of WW. Skadi, on the other hand, has zero defense against Bjarn's WW. Bjarn makes it thru the drake phase fine, as he has lieutenants to heal his party up if they take a little frost cloud damage. Far too often, despite WoW.com's attempts to emphasize this to the voters, these polls come down to which fight annoys players more and has nothing to do with the actual comparisons of abilities between bosses. In that kind of poll, Skadi is def the winner, 'cause his air phase is annoyingly long and there is very little room to maneuver away from his WW on that little platform.
Two Bosses Enter: General Bjarngrim vs. Skadi the Ruthless
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! Before we begin setting up this week's Two Bosses battle, let's dispense with the inevitable. Click this link into the Way-Back Machine, crank up the estimable Mr. Murphy and get your party on. There. All done? Now let's get down to business, because the stakes are high in today's Thunderdome deathmatch as General Bjarngrim (Halls of Lightning) meets Skadi the Ruthless. The general commanded an impressive 66% of the vote in his first-bracket battle against Sjonnir the Ironshaper. He'll need the authority this week. His new opponent, Skadi, carved out an even larger first-round victory with his 82% thrashing of Dalronn and Skarvald. Time for a quick review of the standard Two Bosses Thunderdome ground rules: Assume that the opponents along with their minions share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output. This deathmatch takes place in Skadi's territory (or a Thunderdome facsimile thereof), which shall in no way hinder General Bjarngrim from using his usual resources. 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, more audio love to set the gladiatorial mood: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
One Boss Leaves: Skadi minces Dalronn and Skarvald
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.Aww, come on, you knew this was going to happen ... Yup, Skadi the Ruthless spared nothing for poor Dalronn and Skarvald of Utgarde Keep. It was a landslide victory for the PuG-intimidating boss -- although a few readers did think the matchup could offer a few twists. "I'm going to give it to D/S here," nodded Nizari. "Dalronn would eat it from the adds, being the squishier one, and Skarvald makes it to Skadi. Skar has two stuns to Skadi's one, and remember that even after Dalronn goes down, he still can use all his abilities. So the summoned skellies eat the whirlwind, and more importantly, Debilitate nerfs Skadi's DPS.""I gotta say the duo," agreed Meethan. "If they could get through the harpoons, then Skadi would be cake for them. It seems like he has almighty attacks -- but again, this is on the theory, not on the actual damage. They would go through the adds badly damaged but not dead. When Skadi came down, Skarvald would begin to engage him, while the necromancer began to summon his minions. In the event Skarvald did die, Dalronn would have enough knowledge to outlast Skadi in a battle perspective, because necromancers aren't complete idiots."
Two Bosses Enter: Dalronn and Skarvald vs. Skadi
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. It's an Utgarde mashup in this week's Two Bosses Enter deathmatch, as Dalronn the Controller and Skarvald the Constructor from Utgarde Keep meet up with Skadi the Ruthless in Utgarde Pinnacle. That's right: this week's battle will take place on Skadi's territory in Utgarde Pinnacle.Now before you throw your hands up exclaiming how much of a whip Skadi can be – we're going to balance this fight. This all scales. Assume that the foes share similar levels, health pools and a comparative overall damage output. We'll also assume that there are not so many Frost Vrykul assisting Skadi that his opponents find themselves overwhelmed early in the battle. Let's assume that Dalronn and Skarvald make it about three-quarters of the way through the gauntlet before the first of them gets killed. (It goes without saying that we won't allow Dalronn and Skarvald to run past the gauntlet –- don't try it!)Most important, don't get caught up in actual game mechanics or what full groups of real players might do in each encounter. Focus your debate on the three S's -- style, story and scale -- and the flavor of each villain's battle style. What do you think would happen if these three met in battle? Tell us what goes down in the comments below, and cast your vote for who you think is left standing at the end.
Shifting Perspectives: The Druid of 2008
Every Tuesday, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting Druids and those who group with them. This week, our author is completely spaced out on cold medication, and is somewhat concerned that her raid performance has improved under the circumstances.The time has come (the Allie said)To talk of many things.Of Roots and Bash and Travel Form,And Strength (which scales with Kings).Why Tauren cat form sucks so hard,And whether trees have wings!And, yes, before anyone asks, I'm tripping on too much cough syrup and ibuprofen after receiving a belated viral Christmas gift from a relative. So I'll just put this out there right now; this column's probably on the weird side. I took a long look at all three Druid specs over 2008 and saw a few sad things, a few happy things, a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants, and now I'm channeling the famous Mary Tyler Moore episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust," and that has to stop because I do not believe Mary Tyler Moore ever played a Druid.If you're completely uninterested in reading an account of any spec that's not your own -- although that would make me weep into my little cup of generic label cough syrup -- here's a set of quick links to each: Balance Feral Resto
