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Two Bosses Enter: ToC champs edge out Devourer, Black Knight wrangles Paletress

Lisa Poisso
Updated ·7 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.

It took hard work from all five ToC PvP champs to take down the Devourer of Souls in this week's Thunderdome pit fight -- but take him down they did. Three of our four judges gave the champs the nod, while tournament spectators saw them just squeaking by.

Join us after the break for the judges' decisions and final results of ToC PvP champs vs. Devourer of Souls, and then cast your own vote for the next Thunderdome deathmatch: The Black Knight vs. Argent Confessor Paletress. Dr. Dealgood's got the right idea: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.



In the stands
Victory: ToC champs

  • ToC PvP Champs 50.1%

  • Devourer of Souls 47.5%

  • Tie/Something else happens 2.4%


Reader-Judge John "Zapperz" Zakour
Victory: ToC champs

This is probably the toughest call so far. I am going to make a couple of assumptions here. First off, the ToC Champs are champs, so I am going to assume they (unlike many PUGS I've seen) will be smart enough to stay out of the AoE damage. I am also assuming the champs will be intelligent enough not to kill one of their own who has Mirrored Soul on them (though lately we've been just blasting through Mirrored Soul ...). And thirdly, I am assuming the warrior can tank.

Making those three assumptions this turns into a tank and spank with the champs against a big, overly melodramatic boss with an extra face instead of a body. Tank rushes in with an Intercept, and it's on. The mage casts Haste, then pounds away with Fireball. The hunter lights up the bodiless wonder with scores of Lightning Arrows. Meanwhile, the rogue sneaks into position and does what rogues do best -- deal damage. Sure, there will be a Phantom Blast or two. But the champs will be smart enough to avoid the AoE attacks so the shammy can heal through most of the damage.

WoW.com Judge Michael Gray
Victory: Devourer of Souls

This is going to be a very tight fight. The ToC champions are a well-oiled fighting machine. They're the best at what they do, and what they do ain't pretty. But the three-faced Devourer specializes in redirecting damage and uses techniques that actually benefit from having more opponents -- not to mention, the Devourer has that super-creep advantage going on. Have you heard that thing's voice?

While I know the ToC champs will probably be a fan favorite, the logistical nightmare of organizing five PvPers into a cohesive unit long enough to not get blown up by Mirrored Soul could be a nightmare. If Devourer knows what's good for him, he'll turn that puppy on and leave it on, giving the Champs ample opportunity to kill themselves.

Two Bosses Enter Representative and Judge Sky Paladin
Victory: ToC champs

I hand this fight to the faction champions. They've got everything they need to take out the Devourer: a tank, a healer and some quality DPS. Even without their usual tricks, the faction champions should be able to take out the Devourer nearly without a scratch. The Devourer can give out some quite hefty damage, but almost all of these attacks can be avoided as long as the group remains on their toes. Conversely, the faction champion damage isn't that large, but it can't be avoided. A smart faction champ would beat an equally intelligent Devourer. (That said, stupid faction champions would lose to a stupid Devourer ...)

WoW.com Judge Matthew Rossi
Victory: ToC champs

I'd give it to the PvP champs, especially with all five of them up. Five champs versus Devourer is basically what happens every time someone runs the place. Phantom Blast is Spell Reflectable and interruptable, but if we go with the strict definition of these guys only using the abilities they do in the fight (and not the abilities their classes actually possess), that won't happen. However, it should be possible to soak the damage and heal through it. I have yet to see Unleashed Souls be more than an annoyance. Mirrored Soul is the only ability here that could really kill these guys, in my opinion, unless we assume they're not going to get out of the Well of Souls/Wailing Souls, which I'm not going to do here. In the end I think the Champs have enough variety that all five of them can stomp Devourer.

In Corner One: The Black Knight

Did you honestly think that an agent of the Lich King would be bested on the field of your pathetic little tournament? I've come to finish my task.

The Black Knight is the final boss of the Trial of the Champion in the Crusaders' Coliseum. Opponents must face him in three sequential forms: corporeal form, skeleton form and ghost form.


Study more of The Black Knight's battle tactics, or review the observations of those who've faced him in the past.

In Corner Two: Argent Confessor Paletress

Thank you, good herald. Your words are too kind. May the Light give me strength to provide a worthy challenge.

Argent Confessor Paletress is a human priest combatant in the Trial of the Champion. She can be heard periodically speaking to the various faction champions and receiving their confessions behind the confession screen.

  • Confess/Reflective Shield

  • Holy Fire

  • Holy Nova

  • Holy Smite

  • Renew

  • Summon Memory Summons one of the memories of Algalon the Observer, Archimonde, Chromaggus, Cyanigosa, Priestess Delrissa, Eck the Ferocious, Entropius, Gruul the Dragonkiller, Hakkar the Soulflayer, Heigan the Unclean, Herod, Hogger, Ignis the Furnace Master, Illidan Stormrage, Ingvar the Plunderer, Warlord Kalithresh, Lucifron, Prince Malchezaar, Mutanus the Devourer, Onyxia, Prince Thunderaan, Edwin VanCleef, Lady Vashj, Vek'nilash, General Vezax, which all use the same abilities: Waking Nightmare, Shadows of the Past or Old Wounds (inflicts 1,875 physical damage to an enemy every 1 sec. for 12 sec.)


Before facing Paletress, opponents must deal with three groups of three fighters. Inside the Two Bosses Thunderdome, we will consider Paletress' three waves of three fighters to be roughly equivalent in strength and tenacity to her opponent's four waves of monsters.


Read more about battling Argent Confessor Paletress, and review reports from gladiators who've faced her in the tournament.

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 work on their opponents, including crowd control and other effects to which bosses are usually immune (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.


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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 vs. Devourer of Souls
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.