Two Bosses Enter: Erudax vs. Lady Naz'jar
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.
Week 3 of this season of Two Bosses Enter kicks off today with a matchup between Grim Batol's Erudax and Throne of Tides' Lady Naz'jar. Can the Duke of the Below handle the Lady of the Depths? Let's find out!
%Poll-62377%
In last week's matchup, we saw Shadowfang Keep's Lord Godfrey up against the winner of the previous season of Two Bosses Enter, Scourgelord Tyrannus. The two competitors very nearly split the vote 50/50, with the winner walking away with 50.7% of the vote.
%Gallery-119335%
Follow along for the details of this week's matchup, as well as discussion on last week's matchup.
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: Erudax
Come, suffering... Enter chaos!
Erudax is the bane of countless adventurers who have delved into Grim Batol, hoping to get their hands on some lost treasure or trinket. For the purpose of this competition, we will assume Erudax has access to his pet Corruptors ... and their ability to spawn nether whelps. Lady Naz'jar has no shortage of adds herself, remember!
The Duke of Below's abilities include:
Erudax's Corruptor minions can cast:
Maybe you've been lucky enough to avoid Erudax entirely in your travels -- you might now know his battle style at all. In that case, you should read what other adventurers have to say about this encounter.
In Corner Two: Lady Naz'jar
Take arms, minions! Rise from the icy depths!
Erudax calls himself the Duke of Below, but will the title hold against She Who Lurks Below? Lady Naz'jar's brutal magic and command over her faithful minions has brought endless adventurers to their knees as well -- and she has snakes for hair, which is way cooler than looking like a glutted tick.
Lady Naz'jar's bag of tricks includes:
While protected by her Waterspout, Lady Naz'jar is reinforced by the following naga:
Not a fan of water? Haven't had the pleasure of encountering Lady Naz'jar? You should learn more about her and read what others have had to say about her.
Last Week's Winner: Lord Godfrey
Ozruk's victory over Asaad in week one was a complete massacre. Week 2's battle between Godfrey and Tyrannus was a much closer fight -- just look at the numbers.
%Poll-62171%
It's highly unlikely we'll see a closer fight throughout this entire season, but time will tell!
Reader Rai was a key supporter of Godfrey, as you can read for yourself:
A tremendous roar pierced the skies above Shadowfang Keep. "What now?!" Godfrey proclaimed, leaving the lab and walking out onto the walkway, a clear look of irritation on his undead face. At first he saw nothing, shortly before hes potted something round and blue dropping towards him at an alarming rate. Thinking rashly, Godfrey ran and jumped off the walkway, rolling in the courtyard as the walkway is covered with frost.
"It would appear I have guests," Godfrey sighed, gazing up in the direction of Rimefang, the mighty frostwyrm. A figure leapt to the ground behind him. He turned and spotted Tyrannus, clad in heavy saronite armour and weilding his blade.
"This is who the icy winds of Northrend speak highly of? YOU were the one to eliminate the Banshee Queen, where thousands failed?" Tyrannus roared.
"I hope you're not disappointed," Godfrey cackled, reaching for his pistols.
"I cannot promise you a clean death," Tyrannus said, advancing towards Godfrey.
"Nobody ever does."
Godfrey began channeling a spell, as ghouls began appearing from the tainted ground. Tyrannus swung for Godfrey, cleaving at the ghouls who made their way between the two, as Godfrey moved back across the courtyard and created some space.
"Foolish Forsaken scum! Rimefang, GET HIM!"
Rimefang let out a cry of loyalty, before blasting the courtyard with his Icy Blasts. As Tyrannus finished off the last of the ghouls, he advanced on Godfrey. The former Gilnean lord raised his pistols but Tyrannus countered with his Overlord's Brand, marking Godfrey from afar.
"There's nowhere to run. In the name of the Lich King you WILL DIE!" Tyrannus roared, swelling with dark might.
"Somebody didn't recieve the memo..." Godfrey snickered, moving around the edge of the courtyard. Due to the dark empowerment he was faster, but could not yet attack Tyrannus, but...
He pointed his pistols up in the air at Rimefang, who continued to try and catch him with hoarfrost. Godfrey fired cursed bullets at the frostwyrm, before opening up with a pistol barrage. Rimefang roared in pain as the brand faded.
"How dare you!" Tyrannus exclaimed, reaching Godfrey and striking him with a Forceful Smash. Godfrey went flying backwards onto the stairs of the courtyard, horribly injured.
"Is that all you're good for?" Godfrey taunted, summoning more ghouls and firing a pistol barrage at Tyrannus, who had the disadvantage of distance after knocking Godfrey back.
"Rimefang! On me!" the Scourgelord ordered, as Rimefang blasted his frost breath towards the ghouls, Tyrannus immune to the attack from his own companion. Through the ice and the haze obscuring his vision of Godfrey, he could hear the former Gilnean lord casting something. Charging through the frost, he was struck in the chest with cursed bullets, which sapped at his health and began to do serious damage. The pistol barrage came next, with Tyrannus being too slow to outmaneuver it. He grabbed Godfrey by the throat, before smashing him again, sending him flying across the courtyard. Godfrey was on his last legs, for certain.
"Not bad for a...failure..." Godfrey coughed, more out of habit than necessity as a Forsaken. Rimefang landed on the rooftop opposite, awaiting his master's orders.
"I was going to let Rimefang finish you off, but you've been a pain. A foolish pain. You could have accomplished so much."
Tyrannus swelled with dark might once more, advancing on Godfrey. Godfrey began to cackle menacingly.
"I cast two spells through the frost" he admitted, letting out a sinister grin. Tyrannus peered at him before there was a horrid shriek from the rooftop. Rimefang took off, ghouls clinging onto his body, having ran around while Tyrannus was distracted by the earlier haze.
"Wha-"
Godfrey sprung into action as Rimefang fired off a desperate icy blast, running around Tyrannus, who cast the Overlord's Brand on him once more, swinging with his blade and narrowly missing. The Forsaken pointed his pistols at the weakened frostwyrm, before firing off more cursed bullets and another pistol barrage. There was a moment of agonizing shrieking before the mighty frostwyrm fell to the ground, defeated. Tyrannus, outraged and having earnt an achievement for this, charged for Godfrey. Godfrey continued his assault, except directed at the Scourgelord as the Brand faded.
"NOBODY kills my frostwyrm and gets away with it. NOBODY!" Tyrannus roared, swelling a third time with dark might and raising his blade above Godfrey's head.
"It was already dead." Godfrey smirked, firing off one final shot at Tyrannus's head. Full of arrogance at his own power, Tyrannus lost the last of his health, dropping to his knees and abandoning his runeblade at his feet.
"Rimefang...war-"
"No," Godfrey said, blowing his head completely off his shoulders. Tyrannus was dead. The Forsaken brushed himself off, walking across the courtyard. "A pity. He was this close to earning another drake."
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.
