Westerosi Warrior in the Playground

[Finn Solomon]

Ladies and gentlemen! We welcome you to the biggest event of the tourney season! We welcome you to the showcase of the immortals! Welcome to the first ever Westeros All-Open tournament, right here in King's Landing! Millions of fans, dozens of participants, only one winner. My name is Lord Finn, and alongside me is Lord Mathis providing commentary. Here are the rules as follows.

Through dark and devious magic, we have laboured to bring you each man and woman as fighting fit as they were in their prime. That's right Ser Jaime, for one night only, you get your hand back! And Loras Tyrell, skin grafts all round! Barristan the Bold doesn't look quite so old now, eh? Smile for the ladies Ser Selmy! And for the grand prize....the winner shall receive no less than IMMORTALITY FROM DEATH at the hands of the evil dark creator known only as GRRM. He is a cruel and harsh lord, and demands much blood and suffering from his followers.

The match-ups will be completely random, and will utilise a knock-out system. Each fight will consist of a one-on-one duel, followed by a jousting round with horse, and finally an unarmed and unarmoured fight if a tie-breaker is so needed. In this way, vote for the character whom you think will triumph over the other in such a fight.

For example: Jaime Lannister vs Victarion Greyjoy. If you think Jaime could beat the squid in armed combat and mounted combat while Vic only wins in unarmed combat, then vote for Jaime to advance to the next round.

In the name of the Seven and the King, I give you...your combatants! (List subject to change)

1. Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning.

"Arthur Dayne could have taken a piss with his right hand and slaughtered all of you with his left."

"I want that white sword of yours."
"Then you shall have it, Ser."

2. Ser Lyn Corbray of the Vale.

"Lyonel received his father's title, lands, incomes and keeps, but Lyn received Lady Forlorn."

3. Syrio Forel, Water Dancing Master and First Sword to the Sealord of Braavos.

"The First Sword of Braavos does not run."

4. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone.

"You must train me, Ser. It seems I must be a knight."

5. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

"The name of Barristan the Bold still holds great meaning in Westeros."

6. Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer.

"Did you know that Aemon the Dragonknight was made a sworn brother at seventeen?"

"I do, ser."

"And did you know I was knighted and received my white cloak two years earlier?"

7. Prince Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne.

"Her name was Elia of Dorne. You raped her. You murdered her. Say her name before you die."

8. Ser Bronn of the Blackwater.

"I'll stand for the dwarf."

9. King Robert Baratheon, First of His Name.

"Oh there was some talk of Baratheons marrying Targaryens, but Robert won the throne with his warhammer."

10. Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain that Rides.

"He's near eight feet tall, wields a two handed greatsword in one hand, and doesn't seem to feel pain like normal men."

11. Sandor Clegane, the Hound.

"You think it's all winning favours from highborn ladies and playing in tournaments? Knights are for killing."

"Strong arms and sharp steel rule the world, and don't let anyone else tell you different."

12. Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers.

"This what comes of being too good too young."

13. Brienne the Blue, the Maid of Tarth.

"She's stronger than I am." The realisation was chilling.

14. Areo Hotah, personal guard to the Prince of Dorne.

15. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber, Lord of the Last Hearth.

"Grey Wind bit off two of his fingers, and he was still laughing about it hours later!"

16. Victarion Greyjoy.

17. Shagga son of Dolf.

"I'll cut off your manhood and feed it to the goats!

18. Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch.

"I remember Father once said he would have died if not for Howland Reed."

19. Ser Gerold Hightower the White Bull, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

20. Prince Aemon the Dragonknight.

"Aegon the Unworthy would never dare harm his wife as long as their brother the Dragonknight was around."

21. Qhorin Halfhand, Ranger of the Night's Watch.

Every man knew the story well, of how he lost half his right hand catching a wildling axe and taught himself how to fight even better with the left.

22. Donal Noye, Armourer of the Night's Watch.

What he saw there made him wish he was as blind as Master Aemon. Donal Noye's sword had thrust through the throat of the giant, killing him as it crushed his spine.

23. Khal Drogo.

"For the Stallion who Mounts the World, I swear I will give him this Iron Throne where his mother's father used to sit."

24. Ser Jorah Mormont, first of the Queensguard of Daenerys Targaryen.

He was her great bear, strong, loyal, deadly when need be.

25. Strong Belwas, champion of the fighting slave pits.

"Strong Belwas lets each man cut him once before he kills him! Count the number of scars and see how many men Strong Belwas has killed!"

26. Ser Garlan Tyrell, the Gallant.

"In truth my brother is the better sword, though I am the better horse."

27. Ser Duncan the Tall, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

"Prince Aerion might have been able to outjoust Ser Duncan the Tall...but not outwrestle Dunk of Flea Bottom."

28. Tormund Giantsbane, Wildling beyond the Wall.

"Half me member's still thrice as long as any man!"

29. Daemon Blackfyre

"Daeron was stoop shouldered, took to reading and his belly wobbled when he walked. But with the sword...Daemon was the Warrior himself."

30. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers, Hand of the King.

"The war was lost that day with a muttered spell and a speeding arrow from the great white weirwood bow of the Bloodraven."

31. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers, Great Bastard.

Beneath the gold, the bitter steel.

32. King Aegon the Conqueror, the Dragon of Valyria.

"A king should never sit comfortably. Uneasy is the head that wears the crown."

Anyone have any more suggestions to add to the list before I pair them up into fights?

[TheFallenOne]

so, when we say they're in their prime, do we mean the strongest they've ever been, no matter how long they kept that form? Jorah Mormont would be declassed by a lot on this list, but on the day he fought in the tourney for Lynesse I doubt any man could have unhorsed him

Special equipment(burning swords, Valyrian Steel) included?

[Finn Solomon]

so, when we say they're in their prime, do we mean the strongest they've ever been, no matter how long they kept that form? Jorah Mormont would be declassed by a lot on this list, but on the day he fought in the tourney for Lynesse I doubt any man could have unhorsed him

Special equipment(burning swords, Valyrian Steel) included?

In their prime, as in the best they've ever been. Jorah did beat better and stronger men, but I doubt his best efforts could overcome some of the names on this list. Special equipment are allowed.

[TheFallenOne]

Probably not, even if he manages to ride Barristan the Bold or Arthur Dayne to a standstill he'd still lose in melee and unarmed, but the Lynesse-bonus makes him a wildcard and should improve his final ranking considerably(lower end of the Top 10 would be my guess)

[Dienekes]

GRRM is on record saying Ned was only competent with his sword, and shouldn't be put on the list.

Euron, I don't think he's done anything fightingwise yet. I was under the impression Victarion was the warrior, Euron was the sneaky pirate king.

[Finn Solomon]

Edited forthwith.

[warty goblin]

If we include mounts Aegon gets a goddamned Dragon, which ya gotta admit is a bit of an advantage.

Thermodynamics violating lizards aside, if we restrict mountedness to horses, my money's still on Drogo. Guy's hardcore, a better rider than anybody else in the field, and I'll bet is a trained horseback archer.

[Dienekes]

If we include mounts Aegon gets a goddamned Dragon, which ya gotta admit is a bit of an advantage.

Thermodynamics violating lizards aside, if we restrict mountedness to horses, my money's still on Drogo. Guy's hardcore, a better rider than anybody else in the field, and I'll bet is a trained horseback archer.

Drogo's a bit of a problem, while he's a great choice I think he's too swingy. If you get him far enough away that his archery (which I wasn't sure if he was stated as being, though with the obvious mongol/hun influence of the dothraki I'd let pass) then everyone else has an unfair disadvantage, except for the few who can afford the best of plate armor (like Gregor who uses massive thick plate as well as a gargantuan shield). However get him up close where everyone else would be used to fighting and his lack of armor would get him butchered.

On Aegon and the dragon we are in complete agreement however.

Also, as a guy who probably shouldn't win or even be considered but is just too awesome not to put forward, I nominate Shagga, son of Dolf.

[Knaight]

Lets pair 'em off. However, you need 1 more guy, spot number 2 is vacant, it skips from 1 to 3. I can't think of anyone else on par with these guys, but Brom would make a decent addition in that spot, even if he doesn't stand a chance.

[TheFallenOne]

Bronn is already included

I nominate Mag the Mighty, no one said human only

Though if we allow him to ride a mammoth, the "jousting" could get a bit unfair... Unless we also allow dragons, which I doubt

[Finn Solomon]

Alright I've decided to add Lyn Corbray and Shagga son of Dolf to replace Eddard Stark and Euron Crow's Eye. Now for the pairings!

1. Tormund Giantsbane vs. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers

2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo.

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane

6. King Aegon the Conqueror vs Daemon Blackfyre

7. Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy

10. Areo Hotah vs Ser Garlan Tyrell

11. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister

13. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne

15. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight

16. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth


Some brilliant matchups the list randomizer has seen fit to give us, including an awesome clash between Syrio Forel and the Hound, Aegon the Dragon and Daemon Blackfyre, and a rematch between the Mountain and the Red Viper of Dorne.

Please vote for who you think will win. Voting closes in five days.

[Dienekes]

Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers= The Warrior himself's second in command and surviving one of the best traps in Westerosi history. Sorry, Tormund. If it helps I think you're funnier than Bittersteel ever would have been.

Ser Gerold Hightower= the swinginess I mentioned earlier. I'm going to give it to the Hightower, grudgingly.

Strong Belwas= Took down a mounted knight while unarmored and letting himself get hit. If he was facing Oberyn, well he'd be toast. Bronn is great, and definitely a more intelligent combatant (studying potential opponents to see their flaws for instance) but Belwas has got a very potent raw talent.

Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga= You can't ask me to vote off Shagga, manhood cutter and goat feeder extraordinaire.

Sandor Clegane= Armor, is too big an advantage. They're fighting talents I'd even say are comparably awesome if different. But the First Sword of Braavos is past his prime and the equipment is too weighted on one side.

Daemon Blackfyre= Considered possibly the best warrior in Westerosi history, mastering every weapon known to Westeros at the time. He can probably beat everyone on this list. Well, unless we give Aegon a dragon, but then it's not Aegon's skill we're talking about, it's a dragon.

Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell= No comment, not enough information.

Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand= From what we've seen of Dunk, I'd give it to Qhorin. However, I think the implication is that he gets better before his time in the KG. Again, I don't think I can make a decision. Though it takes a very skilled fighter to teach himself to fight with his off hand.

Victarion Greyjoy= Victarion is renown as a warrior among the Ironborn, one of the most violent cultures we've seen so far. Jorah won a tournament once.

Ser Garlan Tyrell= He practices fighting 3 knights at the same time, and tends to win. His sword skills are possibly the best in the series, he is a worse lance though. Hotah, while in my opinion the most interesting character in Dorne right now, hasn't shown us much. Just that in his opinion he can beat a girl.

Donal Noye= Fought a giant with only one arm.

Ser Jaime Lannister= As much as it pains me, Jaime with both arms is a highly skilled combatant. While Greatjon in my opinion pulled the most amazing martial feat in the books so far, Lannister is repeatedly acknowledged as one of, if not the best.

Ser Gregor Clegane= We've already seen this fight. Oberyn may be a more competent fighter, however he lets his emotions get the best of him in certain situations, like this one. It's a pity that someone with as much potential got paired against his the one where his big flaw plays up.

Ser Arthur Dayne= Paragon of knighthood and all that.

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight= Legendary sword verses above average archer and sword. Bloodraven's true talent lies in intrigue, though no slouch when it comes to fighting as well. Still, I have to give it to the legend.

King Robert Baratheon= In his prime, all accounts indicate this man was a beast, swinging a warhammer normal people couldn't even lift like it was nothing. Brienne's main advantage is that she is surprisingly strong, but I doubt that she was stronger than a young Robert. When he got older though, phew this would go to Brienne.

[TheFallenOne]

alright, I'll cover only the fights where I can make a good case for the outcome for now


2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo.

While Drogo is a fearsome warrior, he has no jousting experience(Hell, we haven't even seen a Dothraki with a lance I think) and Hightower has the advantage of armor and I'd say superior swordmanship as well, the White Bull was a beast
Winner: Gerold Hightower

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas

Both have no jousting experience, so this is a fair matchup. Bronn is a down-to-earth and practical fighter and has advantage of armor. Belwas schtick of letting every enemy cut him once will be a big disadvantage(and it always annoyed me that he's still alive with a stupid move like that in a world where injuries have lasting consequences and named characters die left and right)
Winner: Bronn

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga

This will be hilarious. While Shagga son of Dolf is quite intimidating, Barristand Selmy has so much advantage in pure skill it's not even funny and he won't be intimidated by Shaggas size or his preference for monkey-gripped weapons
Winner: Barristan the Bold

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane

Now this is interesting. While Sandor is skilled with the sword, he has to compete against a way more skillful fighter with size, brute strength and armor. No idea who'd win the single combat, but at jousting the Hound wins, as well as in the unarmed combat due to size, mass and reach, even though I suspect Syrio has some nice hand to hand tricks up his sleeve
Winner: The Hound

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy

Jorah easily wins the joust, the Ironmen just don't seem to be immersed in this type of knightly combat at all.
If it comes to unarmed I expect Victarion to win, though the melee could go either way. Haven't decided yet

11. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

Rhaegar takes this, I don't think much explanation is needed
Winner: Rhaegar Targaryen

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister

Greatjon would win the unarmed combat, but unfortunately he won't get the chance because Jaime wins both the melee and the joust thanks to superior skill
Winner: The Kingslayer(yes, it always comes back to Aerys)

13. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell

Well, best they've ever been, so Oberyn will be more calm and not get careless once Gregor is on the ground, so he wins the melee. But I can't see him winning either the joust or the unarmed against the insane size and mass advantage of the Mountain
Winner: The Mountain that rides

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne

Well, a fight of Lyn Corbray would be hard to call for me if he were up against a non-epic character because I can't remember much about his skill level, but whatever it is, it's definitely way below Daynes
Winner: The Sword in the Morning

16. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth

Ow, nice match :smallbiggrin: Robert in his younger years was a force to behold, he'll take the melee. He may lose the joust since AFAIR that was never his thing, but the unarmed will be his again
Winner: Robert Baratheon

[Knaight]

1. Tormund Giantsbane vs. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers
Ser Aegor is an impressive warrior, but Tormund killed a giant. Furthermore, Tormund has been hardened from his time north of the wall, which alone makes him very impressive.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo.
Khal Drogo is among the most powerful in his nation, having been in fight after fight and never lost (the hair), he could probably take Ser Gerold in melee, and is a better rider.

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas
Strong Belwas is ultimately a gladiatorial fighter, sure he took down a knight, sure he is very impressive, and yes, Bronn isn't that great. But surviving as a mercenary is just as impressive as as a gladiator, and Bronn took down an armored knight while in far less armor despite an attack coming out of nowhere. He isn't that good, but could probably manage this.

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga
Shagga really isn't that great, and had the bad luck to be put up against Ser Barristan. It doesn't matter how the fight starts, Shagga goes down hard and quickly.

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane
Syrio Forel has an arrogance issue, and while very quick, is no match for the Hound. Sandor has held off Gregor in single combat while only Gregor was trying to hurt anyone, and he is smart and ruthless. Syrio Forel is one of the people standing a decent chance, but Clegane could take him out, because Forel would underestimate him.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror vs Daemon Blackfyre
King Aegon is a mythic hero. Daemon Blackfyre, while an incredible swordsman, has a reputation inflated by how intimidating he looks and how he looks like he would be helpless and isn't. Neither of these are enough.

7. Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell
Ser Loras Tyrell is a cocky, overconfident, and altogether careless knight. While among the best jousters, Reed has the experience to take him anywhere else. That said, had Loras not been killed he probably would have become his equal or superior eventually, the kid had potiential.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand
Qhorin Halfhand is a legend even among the people who go north of the wall, and has the kind of guts it takes to block an axe strike with your hand knowing full well you are going to lose it. Ser Duncan is quite possibly better than most of the people on this list, but Qhorin has him beat.

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy
So Jorah can fight an unarmored man who is pretty decent with a weapon Jorah isn't used to much. Big deal.

10. Areo Hotah vs Ser Garlan Tyrell
Garlan fights multiple people simultaneously and wins, for practice. And he isn't the arrogant stuck up his brother is, and is less likely to completely underestimate his opponent and get taken by surprise. Although the events of the next novel might well make me reevaluate Hotah.

11. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Rhaegar is incredibly good, Donal really isn't up to that level. Though this isn't quite at the level of the Shagga fight.

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Ser Jaime is pretty much the best swordsman around, and not bad with a lance, and this is after reaching his peak in the Kingsguard. Back then he was even better.

13. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell
Ser Gregor is big and intimidating, but not actually all that good. Oberyn is calm and collected in most circumstances, as well as prone to using poison. He isn't a great jouster, and would probably lose there (of course, if it isn't point jousting but is actually spear on horse combat he would probably just stab the horse and win), but he could take the mountain down easily in the melee. As for unarmed, the mountain is the one likely to make a stupid mistake, and Oberyn can stay out of his range and is cautious enough to do so. The only time Oberyn let his emotions get beyond him was when he had already taken Gregor down, and its questionable how much he cared about living through the fight given who he had killed anyways.

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne
And Lyn gets stuck with this guy. Ouch.

15. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
Edit: Minor character mixup, sorry. No change of votes however, Brynden still wins by virtue of being a very good archer. It is much closer now, and Aemon would probably win the unarmed if it got that far.

16. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth
Brienne is very good, but Baratheon is better. Before he got fat he was one of the best warriors around, and while Brienne is talented, she hasn't gone through as much and lived.

A reminder to everyone that we are looking at the people in their prime. We are not looking at fat Robert, Prince Oberyn at the time he is most likely to let his emotions take control, or Ser Jaime with only one hand. Diekenes, that probably means that we can safely ignore the specific situation that made Oberyn get taken down, so you might want to rethink that one.

[Finn Solomon]

1. Tormund Giantsbane vs. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers

I don't know if we can believe everything Tormund boasts of, but Bittersteel was one of the best warriors in his day. He'd make short work of any wildling.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo

Khal Drogo might win the mounted combat round easily, but the White Bull is a fearsome fighter, and should come out on top.

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas

Belwas is loud and strong and arrogant, but Bronn has wits, and intelligence triumphs arrogance every time. He should survive to the next round.

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga

No contest.

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane

It's an extremely close fight, but I'm giving this one to the Dancing Master. Sandor might win the jousting round, but Syrio Forel completely owned five soldiers with nothing more than a wooden sword. With a proper blade he should come out on top in the armed combat, although it won't be easy. As for the unarmed combat round, it seems to me he'd know a few more martial arts tricks than the Hound, who's big and angry but has little else going for him.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror vs Daemon Blackfyre

Aegon's big trump card were his dragons. We haven't really heard much about his actual fighting skills, although they must have been impressive. Daemon on the other hand was renowned as the master of every single melee weapon, plus the best warrior ever with a sword. Interesting to note that each combatant will be wielding the same weapon, the Valyrian blade Blackfyre. Daemon should take it in an intense match.

7. Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell

Very tough matchup, and the one that makes me think the most. The Knight of Flowers is a good joust, but Howland Reed's no slouch either, judging by his daughter Meera's story. Also has the distinction of surviving the Tower of Joy. He prevailed in a fight against the White Bull and the Sword of the Morning, he should come out on top against one Kingsguard member this time round.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand

I really like Duncan, and his stories are great, but the Halfhand is in a different league completely. The Ranger should advance here.

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy

Jorah's a knight, and would completely own Vic at the joust, but the Viking kills people for fun and will win this round.

10. Areo Hotah vs Ser Garlan Tyrell

Hotah is a great character, but Ser Garlan was declared as the better swordsman by one of the finest knights in the realm, regularly fights three men on his own and was a key part of the Blackwater victory.

11. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

Noye gave a great account of himself during the wildling siege, but Rhaegar's simply better armed, trained and skilled.

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister

The Greatjon is another one of my favourite characters, being a homage to Little John and all. But the Kingslayer will easily win the armed and mounted combat rounds.

13. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell

Setting to right an injustice. The Red Viper knows how to fight big men, and he won't be so emotional and make such a crucial mistake this time around. Even without using manticore venom Gregor Clegane will bleed to death in the armed combat. The Mountain will crush the Prince easily in the unarmed combat simply because he's the Mountain, but Oberyn Martell is a renowned jouster whereas Gregor's a bad one.

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne

Lyn is one of the best fighters in Westeros in the present day, but the Sword of the Morning is the Sword of the Morning.

15. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight

Knaight I think you're confusing Prince Aemon with someone else, I don't recall him ever owning a dragon. Nevertheless, while Bloodraven is the better bow and I suspect GRRM's homage to Nick Fury what with his one eye and his position as the head intelligence agent of the kingdom, the Dragonknight was still being sung centuries after he'd died killing two knights trying to murder his brother. Aemon will take this.

16. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth

Brienne has speed, skill, and stamina, and good training, and strong to boot, but Robert had all that in his prime plus greater reach with that warhammer of his. While his chivalrous instincts might act up facing a woman, he'll still win this easily.

[Sneak]

A lot of these matchups are difficult because a lot of what we know of some of the characters you listed comes solely from rumor and legend.

I say only use characters who we have actually seen in action.

[Knaight]

Too late now, and it would be difficult getting 32 of them. Plus, dealing with rumors and speculation is half the fun anyways.

[Mathis]

I figure it about time I offer my opinion on these matches, though I wouldve paired some people up with others.

1. Tormund Giantsbane vs. Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers.

No wildling is a true match for a master swordsman armored in the best armor Westeros can offer. Never underestimate the importance of armor in one on one combat. Tormund can slay giants yes, but apparently only in his own stories. Some claim that living Beyond the Wall is enough to make you a good warrior, this is just untrue. In truth, the cold will make your joints stiffer with age, and your sword-arm slow.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo

On foot Ser Gerold would make quick work of the near-naked Khal. On horse this would make an interesting fight indeed, but Im still going to give Ser Gerold the victory on cause of the armor. Though a fearsome warrior, Khal Drogo will have trouble against an armored knight of Westeros.

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas

One of the better match-ups. Bronn prefers to fight with less armor than the knights of Westeros, and Strong Belwas prefers to fight in a gladiatorial style. Both have fought hundred of fights to the death, and still live; Belwas in the pits, and Bronn as a mercenary. Bronn also duelled every single person in Tyrion's personal guard. This fight will be very, very close but I think Strong Belwas' habit of letting someone cut him once will be his downfall.

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga.

Poor Shagga.

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane

Another close fight. No'one has the advantage, not even with armor in this fight. The heavy armor Sandor prefers will wear him out when Syrio can dance around him. Syrio knows how to read his opponents, he knows how to pull his punches and he knows how to see. If anything Sandor might underestimate this aging, unarmored man. I have a feeling these two will fight to a draw several times, but in the end Syrio will come out on top.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror vs Daemon Blackfyre.

King Aegon was a Conqueror, a tactician not a warrior like Daemon. Daemon wins.

7. Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell.

Howland Reed is a better fighter than we think I believe, though Loras is good I'm going to say Howland wins, just because he has this x-factor we can not do anything about but speculate.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand

The Ranger seems to be a top-notch swordsman, and with both his hands intact I believe he will best Ser Duncan.

9. Areo Hotah vs Ser Garlan Tyrell.

Areo Hotah's axe is long, very long and will give him an upper-hand. Garlan Tyrell however is a better fighter than he, and should adapt quite easily to the range of the axe. Garlan walks away with the victory.

10. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.

Donal Noye is good against giants and an utter badass, but the dragon is going to get the better of him.

11. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister.

Jon Umber is large, angry and take alot of beating as witnessed in the Red Wedding. But Jaime is simply too good in his prime to be beaten by this Northman.

12. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell

Gregor is deadly on a battlefield with hundreds and thousand of lesser men who are scared of him. But in a duel against a smarter, calmer and quicker opponent he will eventually fall. Prince Oberyn walks away with the victory.

13. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne

The Sword of the Morning has every advantage.

14. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight

Hard to tell, but I've already put my golden dragons on the Dragonknight so Im going to say he walks away. Fighters beat schemers.

15. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth

Brienne is good because she is smart, and because people underestimate her. Robert might underestimate this woman until he realizes she is actually close to him in skill, then he brings the hammer down.

[Finn Solomon]

I figure it about time I offer my opinion on these matches, though I wouldve paired some people up with others.


All men fear the list randomizer, Mathis.

[DraPrime]

1. Tormund Giantsbane vs. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers
Tormund is generally a huge bag of wind. While he is a funny man, I think that Ser Aegor's discipline and superior training would win him this one.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo.
While Drogo was one hell of a warrior, he was not made to face Ser Gerold. He lacks the advantage of armor, and the reach of a lance. He might win an unarmored fight, but he still loses in the other two categories.

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas
In a joust neither of them would be any good, so I'll leave that category alone. But with the other two categories, I think Bronn would win. Strong Belwas is used to fighting in a way that puts on a show for the crowd. Bronn doesn't care about making it look extravagant. He will simply murder Strong Belwas with brutal determination.

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga
While Ser Barriston could out-joust Shagga with his eyes closed, I think he would lose in armed combat. Certainly, he is very good with his weapons, but so is Shagga, and Ser Barriston does not have the advantage of being as ferocious as Shagga is. For the same reasons, Shagga would win unarmed combat.

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane
In the joust, Syrio of course loses. In armed combat...I'm not so sure. I think he could give Sandor one hell of a fight, but in the end Sandor's insane determination would keep him alive long enough to beat him both armed and unarmed.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror vs Daemon Blackfyre
Aegon was really more of a leader than a warrior. He led men into battle and won those battles, but he wasn't really made for single combat. He used his dragons and good strategy to win, and some intimidation. Didn't the king of the North simply surrender because Aegon had a huge army and dragons? Now Daemon on the other hand, is incredibly good with all sorts of weaponry. Unless Aegon gets his dragons, he loses.

7. Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell
In the joust, Howland obviously loses. However, in the other two categories I think he would win. He's definitely good in armed combat, since he was the only one other than Ned to survive the fight with the Kingsguard. And with unarmed combat...well it seems like something the crannogmen would be good at.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand
Qhorin, with almost no contest. The man was able to terrify the wildlings, who are ferocious and merciless warriors. While he'd lose the joust, he would easily defeat Ser Duncan in the other categories.

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy
Poor Ser Jorah. While he may win the joust, Victarion will simply get up, walk over to Jorah, rip his horse's head off, and beat him to death with it. Then, in the unarmed combat Victarion will simply rip Jorah to shreds and dump the remains into the sea.

10. Areo Hotah vs Ser Garlan Tyrell
Hmmmm, I think Hotah will get this. While neither fighters are great at jousting, Ser Garlan is still a night, so he can win this. But in the other categories, Hotah easily wins. That huge axe of his has some serious reach. Ser Garlan's limbs will be promptly removed from him before he could ever get close enough to Hotah to stab him. And in the unarmed...well it's pretty even, but I still think it's Hotah.

11. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Of course, Rhaegar wins the joust. But Donal can easily win the other two categories. Remember, this man could beat a giant when he only had one arm. Imagine him with both arms, in armor, with good weaponry. Rhaegar would put up a good fight, but he would in the end die. Same goes for unarmed.

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Obviously, Jamie wins the joust. I think he would also win the armed duel. He's just an incredibly swordsman. Greatjon is good, but not that good.

13. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell
Well, we've already seen this fight, but only the armed combat bit. And this time, I think Oberyn would be a bit more calm and rational. He could beat Gregor there. And in the duel, I think he could also win by using the same trick that Ser Loras used. It seems like the sort of thing that Oberyn would do.

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne
Ser Arthur Dayne is Ser Arthur Dayne. End of story.

15. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
I would honestly give this to the Bloodraven. Prince Aemon is really rememberd more for the romance story that he was involved in. Singers love that sort of thing, and through time probably exaggerated his skills a lot. Bloodraven however, was less loved, but still managed to maintain a reputation as a very good fighter.

16. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth
King Robert without a doubt. He might lose in the joust, but that big warhammer of his would decimate Brienne. And as huge and strong as Brienne may be, Robert was stronger.

[Weezer]

1. Tormund Giantsbane vs. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers

Rivers definitely takes this fight, his advantages in training, skill, armor and arms outweigh the practical and harsh lessons learned north of the wall.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower vs. Khal Drogo.
I think that a combination of the skill that a true kingsguard knight holds and Gerold's armor will make all the difference in this fight against someone used to fighting lightly armored mongolesque opponents. Also Gerold's skill was demonstrated at the Tower of Joy where him and 2 companions almost defeated Eddarded and his 6 champions.

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas
This is a very good matchup, both fighters are highly experienced, brutal fighters. I give the fight to Bronn however because he will have armor and has a level of intelligence to his fighting that Belwas just cannot match.

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy vs Shagga
However much I'd like Shagga to win he just has no chance at all against the legendary skill of Selmy.

5. Syrio Forel vs Sandor Clegane
I think that Clegane has the advantage here. He is much more than the angry fighter that others here have characterized him as. He was able to match his brother blow for blow using pure skill. He also made it to the final of the Hand's Tourney another sign of his great skill. Mounted there is no contest, waterdancing would give Syrio no mounted skill at all. On the ground I think that there is no way for Syrio's thin rapier to pierce Sandor's full-plate. It is there is no way for it to have the force behind it to pierce armor.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror vs Daemon Blackfyre
Both legendary figures so I'll have to go for the Warrior himself, assuming that Aegon has no dragon.

7. Howland Reed vs Ser Loras Tyrell

This one is somewhat strange because we have so much evidence of Loras's prowess and almost no information about Reed. All we know of Reed is that he was one of the two survivors of the Tower of Joy and was purported to have saved Ned from Dayne. Also there is evidence that he was a tourney champion as a mystery knight dubbed "the Knight of the Laughing Tree" at the Tourney of Harrenhall. Assuming that he was the mystery knight and in view of his survival of the Tower I think that I'd give this fight to Reed which goes against my fist instinct but there it is.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand
As Dunk is portrayed so far I would have to give this to Qhorin. Qhorin is known as the best fighter and ranger of the watch while what we've seen of Dunk is that he is a halfway decent sellsword but nothing special.

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy
I think I'd give this to Victarion. Jorah would hands down win the joust seeing that the Ironmen are poor horsemen. But on the ground Victarions brutal and agressive style would overpower Jorah's skills. Especially since it seems that Jorah is a mediocre knight baring flukes of passion which cannot be factored into his skill.

10. Areo Hotah vs Ser Garlan Tyrell
Not alot of information to go on here. A highly skilled bodyguard against the reputably most skilled swordsman in Westeros. I think I'll give it to Garlan because he would probably win the joust seeing that Hotah doesn't seem to come from a land of knights. The ground is more of a toss up but Garlan's ability to beat 3 men at once at training and his displayed prowess on the Blackwater lead me to think he would win.

11. Donal Noye vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
While Noye's feat of killing a giant is very admirable don't forget that the giant was crawling through a tunnel that it barely fit through, making it vulnerable and practically crippled. Rhaegar on the other hand was demonstratively one of the best knights of Westeros, he won many tourneys and almost killed Robert. When it comes down to it Noye is a blacksmith at heart, no match for a trained knight of Rhaegar's caliber.

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister

Jaime wins this hands down, he is in the top 3, arguably the best, knight living (ignoring his lost hand) while Greatjon is very big but displayed no special skill at fighting.


13. Ser Gregor Clegane vs Prince Oberyn Martell
Martell wins this, it was shown that he could beat Gregor and only fell because he made a misstep out of passionate anger, something that cannot be counted on happening again.

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne

While Lyn is a feared and redoubtable fighter who killed a member of the kingsguard he cannot hold a candle to the prowess of the Sword of the Morning.

15. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight

Of these two figures Bloodraven is more known for his archery and his intrigue while Aemon is remembered as a great knight.

16. King Robert Baratheon vs Brienne of Tarth
Baratheon wins this hands down. While Brienne is the match for any normal man she has no chance against the strength of Roberts hammer.

[BRC]

Here's one, the Battle of the Big
Greatjon Umber versus Gregor Clegane, The Roaring Giant versus the Mountain that Rides.
Let's make them both Unarmed and unarmored.

[TheFallenOne]

well, if we're discussing other matchups I throw in Hodor with Bran Control vs anyone on this list, unarmed combat. How many does he beat?

[Knaight]

3. Ser Bronn vs Strong Belwas
In a joust neither of them would be any good, so I'll leave that category alone. But with the other two categories, I think Bronn would win. Strong Belwas is used to fighting in a way that puts on a show for the crowd. Bronn doesn't care about making it look extravagant. He will simply murder Strong Belwas with brutal determination.


Bronn wins, but Belwas gets highlighted?

Battle of the big: Gregor Clegane. Sure, he's not hugely impressive, but he is very tough, very hard to kill, and less inclined towards honor. This is the sort of guy who permanently injures his brother over a toy knight.

Hodor Unarmed:
1. Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. Loss, Hodor isn't a great fighter, Dayne is.

2. Ser Lyn Corbray of the Vale. Victory, he's pretty tough, but so is Hodor.

3. Syrio Forel, Water Dancing Master and First Sword to the Sealord of Braavos. Victory, Syrio is pretty quick but needs a sword, and eventually will get unlucky.

4. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone. Loss. Its Rhaegar.

5. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Loss. It is ser Barristan.

6. Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. Victory. Jaime needs his sword, or lance, or really any weapon.

7. Prince Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne. Loss. No imtimidation, and Oberyn will simply take Bran down.

8. Ser Bronn of the Blackwater. Victory. Bronn also needs his weaponry.

9. King Robert Baratheon, First of His Name. Loss. Robert is comparably strong to Hodor, if not stronger, and a real warrior.

10. Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain that Rides. Loss. Gregor is bigger and stronger than Hodor, and a vicious brute of a warrior.

11. Sandor Clegane, the Hound. Loss. This guy could take Gregor.

12. Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers. Victory. All that honor, he couldn't hit Bran, and isn't too tough.

13. Brienne the Blue, the Maid of Tarth. Loss. Again, big and tough.

14. Areo Hotah. Loss, this guy is pretty good.

15. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber, Lord of the Last Hearth. Loss. Bigger and stronger.

16. Victarion Greyjoy. Loss. Victarion is scary.

17. Shagga son of Dolf. Loss. He'll cut off their manhoods and feet them to the goats.

18. Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch. Loss. Very mighty guy here.

19. Ser Gerold Hightower the White Bull, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Loss. Hightower is big and tough.

20. Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. Victory. Aemon was a strategist.

21. Qhorin Halfhand, Ranger of the Night's Watch. Loss. Because its Qhorin Halfhand, and Qhorin can take down near anyone.

22. Donal Noye, Armourer of the Night's Watch. Victory. Donal needs his sword.

23. Khal Drogo. Loss. Drogo is pretty big.

24. Ser Jorah Mormont, first of the Queensguard of Daenerys Targaryen. Victory. Jorah is a pansy.

25. Strong Belwas, champion of the fighting slave pits. Loss. He lets himself get decked once, and proceeds to toss them around.

26. Ser Garlan Tyrell, the Gallant. Victory, Garlan will be too careful avoiding Bran.

27. Ser Duncan the Tall, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Loss. Dunk of Flea Bottom is a wrestler.

28. Tormund Giantsbane, Wildling beyond the Wall. Loss. He kills bigger people all the time.

29. Daemon Blackfyre. Loss. Much like Qhorin, this guy just wins.

30. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers, Hand of the King. Victory. This guy is too much of an archer.

31. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers, Great Bastard. Loss. Aegor is a tough one.

32. King Aegon the Conqueror, the Dragon of Valyria. Victory. Aegon is a strategist.

11 wins, not bad.

[Mathis]

Im going to butt in here on this Bran Control fantasy. Brandon is a child with little sword-training. Even with a strong body like Hodor's Brandon will not stand a chance against adult, well-trained and used-to-killing knights.

[Dienekes]

Im going to butt in here on this Bran Control fantasy. Brandon is a child with little sword-training. Even with a strong body like Hodor's Brandon will not stand a chance against adult, well-trained and used-to-killing knights.

I agree mostly, though having murderous intent and being really big can be enough in unarmed combat sometimes. That said, I only think he really has a good chance against Bloodraven, Aegon, Donal Noye, and Syrio Forel. Because in order, one was considered more of an archer than a warrior, one was a strategist, one was missing an armor which would be extremely detrimental in a grapple, and while I would hope Syrio had some super sleek super fast fighting unarmed style there has been zero proof of this in the stories. He may have a chance against Loras and Bronn, since we've already seen Loras isn't that good in a grapple (or at least lost to Brienne) and Bronn is on the small side, but again I think what training Loras has had would step in and Bronn, of course, would cheat.

Also at Knaight, Prince Aemon wasn't a strategist, he was considered one of the legendary warriors of westeros.


Here's one, the Battle of the Big
Greatjon Umber versus Gregor Clegane, The Roaring Giant versus the Mountain that Rides.
Let's make them both Unarmed and unarmored.

Hmm, armed I would have given it to Umber actually, but unarmed Gregor crushed a man's skull, in his hand. I'm giving this to the Mountain.

[Knaight]

Way too many characters, and way too long since I read the book. That said, most of the Hodor-Bran wins were due to people being too honorable.

And really, take someone like Ser Jorah. That guy was pathetic, and could barely hold off one opponent with next to no armor, and no armor that mattered, using a sword and no shield. Nobody that special either, and Ser Jorah is not an unarmed fighter. He would go down hard.

[Dienekes]

Way too many characters, and way too long since I read the book. That said, most of the Hodor-Bran wins were due to people being too honorable.

And really, take someone like Ser Jorah. That guy was pathetic, and could barely hold off one opponent with next to no armor, and no armor that mattered, using a sword and no shield. Nobody that special either, and Ser Jorah is not an unarmed fighter. He would go down hard.

Oh, I understand. The only reason I keep them all straight is because I cheat and look up each name on google to refresh my memory on them.

As for Jorah, he even admits he wasn't the best fighter, fairly average actually. Though in the fight I think you're talking about (when Drogo died and the fight to kill Dany erupted right?) Jorah was also unarmored (at least I remember it this way, because I don't think he had time to put on his armor before it started), so it makes sense that he would have some trouble. I can definitely see you're reasoning for being beaten by Hodor though.

[TheFallenOne]

Im going to butt in here on this Bran Control fantasy. Brandon is a child with little sword-training. Even with a strong body like Hodor's Brandon will not stand a chance against adult, well-trained and used-to-killing knights.

Sure, never claimed that Bran would be able to outwrestle many people with actual fighting experience when he takes over Hodor. It's just a question of how Hodors raw strength fares once you remove his mental non-aggression blocks by Bran warging into him

Regarding Jorah, he is a rather good fighter in my book and would defeat many a knight in a duel. It's just that he's past his prime and even in his best day he never could've messed in swordplay with anybody worthy of the Kingsguard. The fight after Drogos collapse though was against one of the bloodriders who was really skilled with his blade, so that it ended up being a close call for Jorah doesn't mean he's a bad fighter. That dothraki was one of the very best warriors Drogo had, and his army was huge

[warty goblin]

Oh, I understand. The only reason I keep them all straight is because I cheat and look up each name on google to refresh my memory on them.

As for Jorah, he even admits he wasn't the best fighter, fairly average actually. Though in the fight I think you're talking about (when Drogo died and the fight to kill Dany erupted right?) Jorah was also unarmored (at least I remember it this way, because I don't think he had time to put on his armor before it started), so it makes sense that he would have some trouble. I can definitely see you're reasoning for being beaten by Hodor though.

He was in chain and some plate, but didn't have a helmet, and Arahks are always described as moving ridiculously fast

[Knaight]

Still, he pretty much only had to defend his head, and the bloodriders don't really have any practice dealing with armor anyways. And he still barely managed it. He is, at most, an above average knight, he would fall hard against, say Ser Loras, let alone someone like Ser Jaime. He is at most a decent swordsman who had a lucky day, and if that is all he can claim then he gets the pansy title, at least when being compared to the rest of the people on this list.

[warty goblin]

Still, he pretty much only had to defend his head, and the bloodriders don't really have any practice dealing with armor anyways. And he still barely managed it. He is, at most, an above average knight, he would fall hard against, say Ser Loras, let alone someone like Ser Jaime. He is at most a decent swordsman who had a lucky day, and if that is all he can claim then he gets the pansy title, at least when being compared to the rest of the people on this list.

Err, no. He had to defend his head more, but Aggo's (IRRC) arrahk was more than capable of cutting through his mail- that's how he won the fight actually. The arahk penetrated his chain at the hip, and the blade lodged in the bone for a moment, giving him the time to nearly sever its wielder's arm, and then the top of his head.

I always found the bit where the blade cut through the chainmail a little unbelievable, but the things are described as being half a scythe, and I have a healthy appreciation for the cutting power of scythes. I accidentally jumped on the blade of one a couple years ago; damn thing cut through my inch thick rubber boot like it wasn't there, and then made it halfway through my big toe. Probably would have made it the rest of the way, but by that time my other foot, and the rest of the damaged one, was on the ground.

[Mauther]

1. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers – Not a lot of detail about their actual ability, but one has shown he can fight and win despite the odds, and one’s shown he can fight and lose despite the odds.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower – The rules work against Drogo, there no indication he can joust, and his lack of armor make it insane for him to try. Both have reputations for being fearsome melee fighters, so I give the edge to the Whiter Bull

3. Strong Belwas – I’d like to think that Bronn would be smart enough to pick apart Belwas, but as written Belwas is just as clever. So Bronn wins the joust, Belwas the melee, with Belwas easily taking the tie breaker.

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy – One of the elite kingsguard vs a jumpedup hill bandit. Selmy never breaks a sweat.

5. Sandor Clegane – I love Syrio, but this fight does him no favors. He can’t joust, and in melee he faces one of the most heavily armored fighters in the field. While I think Syrio will draw blood, Sandor will sacrifice a wound for the kill shot.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror – with or without the dragon mount, I’d give this to Aegon.

7. Howland Reed – This one is probably too close to call, both are apparently outstanding warriors. Too much of Reeds history is only related as legend, so I’d give the Knight of Flowers the joust. But Reed did defeat Dayne, which is a larger coupe than anything listed for Tyrell. Judging by the skills taught his children, I’d give Reed the edge on the tie breaker.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall

9. Ser Jorah Mormont – Pirate vs knight, pirate loses

10. Ser Garlan Tyrell – Possibly the most under rated of the series bad asses.

11. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen – the Dragon does not lose to a one armed blacksmith.

12. Ser Jaime Lannister – I’d love to see Greatjon destroy pre-reformed Jaime, but its not gonna happen

13. Ser Gregor Clegane – Gregor wins joust, Martell repeats the duel win on their feat. The hand-hand round goes to the Mountain.

14. Ser Arthur Dayne – Sword of the Morning and legendary warrior

15. Prince Aemon the Dragonknight – Anybody named Bloodraven deserves to lose.

16. King Robert Baratheon – Robert in his prime makes short work of the maiden

[TheFallenOne]

Still, he pretty much only had to defend his head, .

Yeah, that's why the hip wound is still troubling him

Nobody claimed he could even compete at swordplay against Jaime in his prime, but I think he could have a chance against people like Bronn, Belwas, Shagga, Tormund, Noye, maybe even Loras(we don't know much about his swordskill, but he's a bit too sure of himself which could be his downfall against a more experienced knight), though even with lack of knowledge on Loras' swordskill I think he'd still beat Mormont in his prime fairly square.
Jorahs big advantage is that with the form he was in when he won the tourney, he'd unhorse more than half the people on the list, there are less than 5 I'd give the jousting victory against him, some others he'd ride to a standstill like Jaime. So most people have to beat him at melee and unarmed, which gives Jorah a distinct advantage

[Knaight]

Yeah, that's why the hip wound is still troubling him.

Nobody claimed he could even compete at swordplay against Jaime in his prime, but I think he could have a chance against people like Bronn, Belwas, Shagga, Tormund, Noye, maybe even Loras(we don't know much about his swordskill, but he's a bit too sure of himself which could be his downfall against a more experienced knight), though even with lack of knowledge on Loras' swordskill I think he'd still beat Mormont in his prime fairly square.
Jorahs big advantage is that with the form he was in when he won the tourney, he'd unhorse more than half the people on the list, there are less than 5 I'd give the jousting victory against him, some others he'd ride to a standstill like Jaime. So most people have to beat him at melee and unarmed, which gives Jorah a distinct advantage

The hip wound would have killed anyone without armor, it was low priority as far as defense was concerned, and the armor let him take the hit. He had a massive advantage in that fight and barely won, that doesn't bode well for his sword skill.

Incidentally, who would the 5 superior jousters be? And is The Mountain That Rides one of them?

[Dienekes]

He was in chain and some plate, but didn't have a helmet, and Arahks are always described as moving ridiculously fast

Ahh, thank you for correcting me.


Incidentally, who would the 5 superior jousters be? And is The Mountain That Rides one of them?

I'd go the final 4 in the books joust at least: Gregor, Loras, Sandor, and Jaime.

[TheFallenOne]

The hip wound would have killed anyone without armor, it was low priority as far as defense was concerned, and the armor let him take the hit. He had a massive advantage in that fight and barely won, that doesn't bode well for his sword skill.

Incidentally, who would the 5 superior jousters be? And is The Mountain That Rides one of them?

Sure, the armor made him sirvive the hit, but your claim was that he only had to defend his head, and that's just not true. Also, as I pointed out, he was past his prime at that point and Qotho was an elite warrior in a khalasar of 40.000, just to put it in perspective. Barely winning under these circumstances doesn't mean that much

As for the 5, that was just a raw estimate. I can't really pin down who it would be since we haven't seen many of the characters actually at a joust, including Jorah himself. His retelling of the event doesn't really say how he defeated all those others as a fresh knightling, could have been raw strength, skill(well, since he could draw with Jaime that one's out), determination or pure luck

[Knaight]

Sure, the armor made him sirvive the hit, but your claim was that he only had to defend his head, and that's just not true. Also, as I pointed out, he was past his prime at that point and Qotho was an elite warrior in a khalasar of 40.000, just to put it in perspective. Barely winning under these circumstances doesn't mean that much

My claim was that he pretty much only had to defend his head. Given that failing to defend his hip gave him the opening he needed to win, it remains true.

As for being one of the best warriors among 40,000, he only has to be one of the best that Khal Drogo has actually seen fight, and trusts particularly well. Unless Drogo has seen everyone fight enough to gauge their ability, the absolute troop strength is irrelevant, this guy just needs to be among the best seen, or make an impression. That might make him best of 100, maybe even best of 1,000, but not best of 40,000. Furthermore, he only had to be the best at one point, the bloodriders aren't messed with as much as normals anyways, so he could have easily lost his touch. It leaves him as a good warrior, maybe even a very good one, but not some legend.

Plus, we don't know the accuracy of any recounts of valor from Jorah anyways, though he hasn't shown any tendency towards arrogance and bragging.

On the joust. I would assume Brienne could beat him, she proved very adept.

[Mathis]

My claim was that he pretty much only had to defend his head.

You should have rephrased that then, and made your point clearer to avoid misunderstandings.


As for being one of the best warriors among 40,000, he only has to be one of the best that Khal Drogo has actually seen fight, and trusts particularly well.

Any Dothraki can be challenged to a duel at any time. Remember the recounts of the feasts in the book? The fact that the bloodrider is still alive and still in his position is evidence enough to show that he is of exceptional skill. Im going to assume that Khal Drogo knows his army well. Atleast the warriors of notable skill since he has afterall been dragging it with him for close to a decade.

It is also important to remember that during this fight Jorah was middle-aged and way past his prime. Also, fighting without a shield is not his prefered style and should make up for Qotho not being accustomed to fighting an armored opponent.

[Knaight]

Any Dothraki can be challenged to a duel at any time. Remember the recounts of the feasts in the book? The fact that the bloodrider is still alive and still in his position is evidence enough to show that he is of exceptional skill. Im going to assume that Khal Drogo knows his army well. Atleast the warriors of notable skill since he has afterall been dragging it with him for close to a decade..

He couldn't know every man in the army, particularly considering the high turnover, and the bloodrider just has to be significantly better than average at combating 1 particular style to stay alive. Jorah would have had some sword training without a shield, given that he had Knight training, and yet he still had trouble despite exceptional advantages. Sure, the dothraki are always killing eachother (particularly at feasts and weddings), but if said bloodrider is skilled and lucky enough to deal with a few scrapes against average warriors, that doesn't make him hugely impressive.

The shield matter is far less than the armor, and while Jorah is past his prime, this still establishes him as average.

[warty goblin]

He couldn't know every man in the army, particularly considering the high turnover, and the bloodrider just has to be significantly better than average at combating 1 particular style to stay alive. Jorah would have had some sword training without a shield, given that he had Knight training, and yet he still had trouble despite exceptional advantages. Sure, the dothraki are always killing eachother (particularly at feasts and weddings), but if said bloodrider is skilled and lucky enough to deal with a few scrapes against average warriors, that doesn't make him hugely impressive.

The shield matter is far less than the armor, and while Jorah is past his prime, this still establishes him as average.

He doesn't need to know every man in his army to know who the best are, just like you don't need to know every basketball or football player in the country to know who the best are. It's of course possible that there's somebody better and undiscovered out there, but I consider that fairly improbable. A Dothraki man's worth is determined by his prowess at arms and bravery in battle. It strikes me as pretty unlikely there's a significant number of Dothraki who could rise high through skill with a blade who don't.

Anyway, my understanding is that bloodriders are chosen at the birth of the Khalaka to protect him for the rest of the life, and then die with him. Drogo's father would have chosen his better warriors for the honor certainly, but I always got the impression (based on very little) that Drogo grew his Khalassar significantly, so his father's probably wasn't 40,000 Screamers strong.

[Dienekes]

He couldn't know every man in the army, particularly considering the high turnover, and the bloodrider just has to be significantly better than average at combating 1 particular style to stay alive. Jorah would have had some sword training without a shield, given that he had Knight training, and yet he still had trouble despite exceptional advantages. Sure, the dothraki are always killing eachother (particularly at feasts and weddings), but if said bloodrider is skilled and lucky enough to deal with a few scrapes against average warriors, that doesn't make him hugely impressive.

The shield matter is far less than the armor, and while Jorah is past his prime, this still establishes him as average.

You see, here's the flaw there. The Ko's were supposed to be hand picked among the best warriors. Sure, Drogo did not see everyone. However, to stay on top of the dothraki society it was shown that you needed to be always vigilant against showing any kind of martial weakness. Hell, when Drogo fell off a horse once he was almost thrown from command for good. He could have just been sick, or drunk, or anything. But one slip up in front of his comrades was enough to nearly get him cast out. That same logic, if someone saw weakness in a ko, they could challenge him for the opportunity to take his position and gain the honor of cutting his hair. These sort of challenges seemed to take place quite a lot in the khalasar, as well as Khal Drogo was described as a great warrior, who in all likelihood be able to recognize skill when he saw it.

So with this in mind we can either accept that the ko Jorah killed was the rather skilled warrior that he was presented as being throughout the novel without a single word or justification on the contrary, or possibly they greatest faker and liar to ever appear in the books so far, without one sentence of proof for it.

Now, he could easily not have been the best of khalasar, and only one that Khal Drogo noticed was viscous enough to gain his respect, but he in all likelihood was damn good.

[BRC]

He doesn't need to know every man in his army to know who the best are, just like you don't need to know every basketball or football player in the country to know who the best are. It's of course possible that there's somebody better and undiscovered out there, but I consider that fairly improbable. A Dothraki man's worth is determined by his prowess at arms and bravery in battle. It strikes me as pretty unlikely there's a significant number of Dothraki who could rise high through skill with a blade who don't.

Anyway, my understanding is that bloodriders are chosen at the birth of the Khalaka to protect him for the rest of the life, and then die with him. Drogo's father would have chosen his better warriors for the honor certainly, but I always got the impression (based on very little) that Drogo grew his Khalassar significantly, so his father's probably wasn't 40,000 Screamers strong.
Huh, I thought Bloodriders were simply hand-picked Bodyguards for the Khal who died with him. I don't think they're chosen at birth (Even assuming a Khal can lead his horde at the age of 16, that's still alot of time for which warriors are your best to switch). It's likely his father gave him some Bloodriders at birth, but at this point I think all Drogo's bloodriders were selected personally.

And presumably good warriors would be brought to his attention, so while the Bloodriders probably arn't neccessarily the best warriors in the Khalassar, most of them would be.
In fact, Bloodriders are probably better (For what they're coming from) than Kingsguard, since the Kingsguard are, in some ways, a political appointment. Not to say the Kingsguard aren't good, but (especially with Ceseri's habit of handing out white cloaks as rewards for favors), there are a wide variety of factors that play into who becomes a Kingsguard. Bloodriders are picked entierly on their ability to kick ass and take names.
The way I see it, if there are 10 bloodriders, they probably include at least the best 8 warriors in the Khalhassar.


Also, these contests are rather skewed towards Westerosi Knights, what with the Jousting thing. It would be one thing if it was straight up mounted combat, but a Joust is too specific to be up there as a measurement of skill with standard Melee and unarmed fighting.

[Mathis]

He couldn't know every man in the army, particularly considering the high turnover, and the bloodrider just has to be significantly better than average at combating 1 particular style to stay alive. Jorah would have had some sword training without a shield, given that he had Knight training, and yet he still had trouble despite exceptional advantages. Sure, the dothraki are always killing eachother (particularly at feasts and weddings), but if said bloodrider is skilled and lucky enough to deal with a few scrapes against average warriors, that doesn't make him hugely impressive.

The shield matter is far less than the armor, and while Jorah is past his prime, this still establishes him as average.

I'm beginning to repeat myself, but it's needed. He doesn't need to know every single man in his army. Only those of exceptional skill. Exceptional skill always stands out in a crowd, especially in a culture that values said skill as much as the Dothraki. A Khal is not going to allow a mediocre or just slightly above average fighter into his personal guard. This is why Jorah struggled so much as he did in the fight, not just because he was getting old and slow.

Onto Jorah Mormont. It's been fairly established by now that he is not an average fighter, this is fact and not speculation. He has won a tourney. You do not win tourney's if you are an average fighter. Walking out as the champion of a tourney with several hundred competitors serves as a mark of exceptional skill.

[Knaight]

And he has been noted as having been well above his normal performance the day he won said tourney. Its a day he remembers clearly and knows full well is fluke beyond his normal capabilities, and thus means very little. Its not that he wins tourneys, its not that he is good enough to win tourneys, it is that he won a tourney once.

And exceptional skill takes time to assess. To claim that exceptional skill always stands out is absurd, look at how hard modern systems (particularly modern educational systems) search for it, and we find out time and time again that they have failed, that people with exceptional skill are not noted. Khal Drogo isn't spending all his time looking for bloodriders, he isn't always searching for exceptional skill, and his task is not to find the best people in his army. He is a leader with all the duties of leadership, who spends his time using his army, not training it, and getting it to grow.

My point is not that a mediocre or slightly above average fighter made it into the bloodriders. My point is the fact that he has 40,000 is irrelevant, the guy doesn't have to be the best among them. If he is in the top 5%, which mark very talented fighters, there may still be 2,000 people who are better than him. There is no reason to assume that Khal Drogo's bloodriders would be any better than that of say, some guy with 400 people, though instead of being among the top 2,000 soldiers they would be among the top 20.

[Mathis]

And my point is that if you become the champion of the world in a sport because you had a fantastic day, you're still the champion of the world until someone else strips you of that title. Jorah did not perform as good as he did that day ever again, so no he isn't among the best. But to claim that he is average like you did is to me absurd. Agreed?

[Knaight]

No. There is no reason to assume he is any better than any other knight, the case where he did well is specifically noted as a fluke. Yes, he is probably well above most standard soldiers, but as a well trained knight he doesn't have to be exceptional, he needs one exceptional day, and the ability to beat someone in an extremely uneven fight who has no idea on how to fight him anyways. I would consider claiming Jorah to be significantly above average to be absurd.

[Mathis]

So he is
well above most standard soldiersbut not
significantly above average

Are we discussing semantics or facts? Also, take a second look at your statement here:
...and the ability to beat someone in an extremely uneven fight who has no idea on how to fight him anyways. A bloodrider has no idea how to fight Jorah? Please, we are dangerously close to going around in circles as it is. Let's not go back to you claiming Qotho the Bloodrider is not a good fighter and does not know how to adapt to fighting an armored opponent.

Whether he winning the tourney was luck or not doesn't matter when you look at all the knights who has not won a tourney. Winning Tournaments are reserved for the best of the current fighters available, and yes luck is a part of it, but you can't survive on luck alone.

There, I've given you my points and you have given me yours. I see no point in taking this further as we clearly disagree on what the facts themselves mean. Let's move on?

I present Syrio Forel vs Strong Belwas. They meet in an open field, both are prepared to the point where they have chosen their favourite weapons. None are wearing armor.

[Knaight]

Armed and Unarmored? Sounds like Syrio's idea of a good time. My moneys on him, for obvious reasons.

[Dienekes]

Armed and Unarmored? Sounds like Syrio's idea of a good time. My moneys on him, for obvious reasons.

Really? I think Syrio is awesome, and my favorite mentor figure in fiction currently. But I think you're giving Strong Belwas an injustice. Yes the man is a drunken obese lout, but he appears to be damn good at fighting. He uses an arakh which has been described in canon as an incredibly fast weapon, just as the pseudo-rapiers the water dancers use. Of the two of them, Belwas has survived as successfully in harsher conditions. Hell, Syrio even admits that he did not gain the title of First Sword through swordsmanship.

I'm not saying I fully support that Belwas or Syrio would win against the other, however implying that Syrio's victory is assured I find faulty.

[Mathis]

Really? I think Syrio is awesome, and my favorite mentor figure in fiction currently. But I think you're giving Strong Belwas an injustice. Yes the man is a drunken obese lout, but he appears to be damn good at fighting. He uses an arakh which has been described in canon as an incredibly fast weapon, just as the pseudo-rapiers the water dancers use. Of the two of them, Belwas has survived as successfully in harsher conditions. Hell, Syrio even admits that he did not gain the title of First Sword through swordsmanship.

I'm not saying I fully support that Belwas or Syrio would win against the other, however implying that Syrio's victory is assured I find faulty.

I agree. I think this is one of the most even fights you can pair up in a fantasy match-up. The guards we've seen Syrio fight were poorly armored and incredibly unprepared for the amount of skill Syrio possessed. They underestimated the old man and paid the price. Belwas won't make that mistake. He has fought many fights in the pits and chances are good he has met a water dancer before and are familiar with their style. I like this match because I just can't make up my mind between who would win, I can't find any convincing arguments to support either side winning.

[warty goblin]

I agree. I think this is one of the most even fights you can pair up in a fantasy match-up. The guards we've seen Syrio fight were poorly armored and incredibly unprepared for the amount of skill Syrio possessed. They underestimated the old man and paid the price. Belwas won't make that mistake. He has fought many fights in the pits and chances are good he has met a water dancer before and are familiar with their style. I like this match because I just can't make up my mind between who would win, I can't find any convincing arguments to support either side winning.

My guess is they kill each other. Belwas is fatally poked somewhere, and then takes off Syrio's head.

[BRC]

It could go either way easily enough, but if I had to bet, my money would be on Syrio.

With unarmored combat and skilled combatants, the first blow can decide the fight, it won't kill the person, but it will greatly hamper their ability to fight.

Now, Belwas is good, but I think his loss here might be when he lets Syrio get the first hit. Syrio will be using his pseudo-rapier thing, which means he'll certainly be stabbing, which is much better for piercing vital organs. He'll aim well, and get Belwas somewhere vital, then dance back.

okay, I lied, the fight isn't going to be decided by the first blow, it's going to be decided by the seconds after that blow.

Syrio dances in, Belwas lets him hit (Syrio could probably get a hit in anyway), Syrio would get him somewhere vital, then try to dance back out of his reach, Belwas would, after Syrio got his hit in, try to take him out.

If Syrio manages to dodge Belwas's counterattack, he could lead him around the arena, dancing out of his reach and letting the wound do most of the work, wearing Belwas down by attrition, letting blood loss and whatever nasty side effects of getting your vital organs punctured do the trick of wearing Belwas down until he's an easy target. Syrio is certainly fast enough to protect himself in an open field when all he has to do is wait.

If, however, Belwas's counterattack hits, Syrio is pretty much out of the fight. Syrio's quick and skilled, but he doesn't strike me as particularly durable, and Belwas hits like a truck. If Belwas gets that counterattack, Syrio is dead meat. Depending on where and how badly he got hit, Belwas may survive with immediate medical attention, but he'd win the fight either way.

If they both go all-out on each other, that is Belwas dosn't let Syrio get the first hit in, I'd throw my money to Belwas. In that case Syrio's tactic would be the same, try to get a good hit, then keep back and let blood loss do the trick, but it would be significantly more difficult, and, once again, a single hit from Belwas would take him out of the fight.

Edit: Which isn't to say Belwas would just stand there. The impression I got is that he does avoid the blow, enough to turn a killing stroke into a flesh wound that gives him another scar. However, it's not like Syrio isn't used to fighting people trying to defend themselves, he'd take that advantage and milk it for all it's worth.

[Finn Solomon]

Here are your results!

1. Tormund Giantsbane (1) vs. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers (5)

Bittersteel wipes wildling brains off his sword.

2. Ser Gerold Hightower (6) vs. Khal Drogo (1)

The Khal of Khals is no match for the White Bull.

3. Ser Bronn (5) vs Strong Belwas (2)

Ser Bronn advances to the next round!

4. Ser Barristan 'the Bold' Selmy (5) vs Shagga (1)

Barristan the Bold decimates Shagga son of Dolf.

5. Syrio Forel (2) vs Sandor Clegane (5)

The Hound kills the Dancing Master.

6. King Aegon the Conqueror (1) vs Daemon Blackfyre (5)

The battle of the legends ends in Blackfyre's favour.

7. Howland Reed (5) vs Ser Loras Tyrell

The Lord of Greywater Watch wins a surprisingly one-sided contest.

8. Ser Duncan the Tall vs Qhorin Halfhand (5)

The Night's Watch prevails this time.

9. Ser Jorah Mormont vs Victarion Greyjoy (5)

Vic Greyjoy wins easily despite being outhorsed.

10. Areo Hotah (1) vs Ser Garlan Tyrell (5)

Ser Garlan the Gallant advances to the next round.

11. Donal Noye (2) vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (5)

The Prince of Dragonstone beats a worthy opponent.

12. Lord 'Greatjon' Umber vs Ser Jaime Lannister (7)

The Kingslayer makes short work of the Greatjon.

13. Ser Gregor Clegane (2) vs Prince Oberyn Martell (5)

After a close fought battle, this rematch ends in the favour of the Red Viper of Dorne!

14. Ser Lyn Corbray vs Ser Arthur Dayne (7)

The Sword of the Morning is a hot favourite, and easily defeats Lyn Corbray.

15. Lord Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers (2) vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight (4)

The Dragonknight slays his brother's bastard.

16. King Robert Baratheon (7) vs Brienne of Tarth

King Robert wins easily here, although I'm sure he won't crow about it.

Many have fallen, and the victors advance. I give you...the second round!

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy

7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre

The Sword of the Morning versus the Red Viper of Dorne! King Robert faces the Lord Commander of his own Kingsguard! Will the White Bull or the Dragonknight prevail? Only your votes decide!

[Grimlock]

1) Nooooooo! How can my dream final match up be happening here? This IS the final bout...or should be anyway gumble grumble! *sigh* Oh well, I say Ser Arthur Dayne.
2) Jaime Lannister
3) Prince Rhaegar
4) Aemon
5) The Halfhand
6) Sandor Clegane
7) King Robert
8) Daemon Blackfyre
That's my votes cast

[Dienekes]

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne
Martell shouldn't have even got passed the last round. Ser Dayne, while possibly not the greatest fighter on the list, was the greatest fighter around the time of the books. I'd give it to him, sure he may die of poisoning after he slays Martell, but that hardly counts now.

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Not enough data to properly say. Personally I think Howland Reed stabbed an already wounded Dayne in the back. Some think he's a sneaky fighter who makes Syrio look slow.

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Bittersteel was a near legendary and voracious fighter. Rhaegar was good, but Selmy shies away from calling him great. I'll give this to the royal bastard.

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
Legendary sword. Pity though, I liked Hightower or at least the idea of him.

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand
Qhorin's better, Bronn cheats. In joust, Bronn kills Qhorin's horse and takes the victory. In armed and unarmed, it depends entirely on what terrain Bronn can use to take advantage of. I'm going to edge to give this to Bronn, simply because I'm impressed by his dedication to staying alive. However, if I see someone with a very good reasoning behind Qhorin I may switch.

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy
Sandor's bigger, a better jouster, and most likely an even to better fighter.

7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold
The young war king could take unarmed with simple ease, while Barristan would likely unhorse Robert. This leads us with armed to decide, armor they're even, skill I don't want to pick a winner because they both seem very awesome. However, Robert has strength and reach advantage, so I'm giving it to him.

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre
The master of all weapons, sadly defeats the one I was pulling to make it into round 3. Garlan's simply understated-ly great, acting as an untouchable ghost, practicing against extremely unfair conditions, he's not Loras. He's veritably awesome. The Warrior himself is generally considered the best fighter Westeros produced. Well, so long Garlan.

[Weezer]

Well it appears that the majority agrees with all my guesses, again the intelligence of the playground is displayed. :smalltongue:

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne
While the Red Vyper is formidable he cannot stand against the Sword of the Mornings legendary skill.

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Again a very close match for Reed, especially seeing that I had counted on him winning against Loras who did unseat the Kingslayer in a tourney. I think that Jaimie would win however, his jousting is superb, he is the best (arguably) sword in the Seven Kingdoms and is all around seen as the best knight. It would be very close however but it goes to Jaimie on points.

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Hmm a match between two unknowns. I think I'll give this to Rhaegar, we've heard much more about his prowess with both sword and lance.

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
I think the Dragonknight would defeat the White Bull, while Gerold is renowned Aemon's skill is legendary. There really isn't a lot of information to go on so it's kind of a toss up.


5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand
Bronn's ruthlessness, cunning and skill would overpower the champion of the Watch. While Qhorin was the best the Watch could offer Bronn is much more used to knightly combat so would win the joust. Armed is a bit closer but I think Bronn would take it, he was shown to have great skill in fighting Lysa's champion and the mountain clans.

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy
This goes to Clegane. He'd win the joust, and since he is described as being only beaten in size/strength by his brother would win the unarmed. I also think that he would win the armed but that is much closer.

7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold
A very nice match up, the King against the head of his bodyguard. I think I'll give this to Barristan, he would hands down win the joust, seeing that Robert was mentioned as being an adequate jouster at best. Next in the armed combat I think that Barristan would have the edge seeing that even when he was old he was able to maintain his edge so that stands to reason that he was better to begin with. Though I am sad to call it this way, I really wanted Robert to be match up with Rhaegar, oh well nothing I can do.

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre
I think this goes to the Warrior. He was only taken down through archery and while Garlan is known as a superb swordsman he cannot match the skill that Blackfyre is known for having.

[Grimlock]

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand
Qhorin's better, Bronn cheats. In joust, Bronn kills Qhorin's horse and takes the victory. In armed and unarmed, it depends entirely on what terrain Bronn can use to take advantage of. I'm going to edge to give this to Bronn, simply because I'm impressed by his dedication to staying alive. However, if I see someone with a very good reasoning behind Qhorin I may switch.


I reckon Qhorin would cheat just as much as Bronn, and don't forget, Bronn is no Knight he is no better than Qhorin with jousting, this would turn into a nasty, dirty melee off horse back and I think Qhorin is as nasty as Bronn...actually, maybe it's closer than I thought...still, for personal preference, I still give it Qhorin

[Mathis]

I reckon Qhorin would cheat just as much as Bronn, and don't forget, Bronn is no Knight he is no better than Qhorin with jousting, this would turn into a nasty, dirty melee off horse back and I think Qhorin is as nasty as Bronn...actually, maybe it's closer than I thought...still, for personal preference, I still give it Qhorin

I agree. Qhorin is used to fighting Wildlings. They're a bunch of people who will fight just as dirty as Bronn if not more so, and Im pretty sure Qhorin has adapted. I say fighting dirty instead of cheating because cheating would imply foul play outside of the fight, such as loosening parts of Qhorin's armor to come off during the fight, or applying poison to your blade.

Taking out your opponents horse in a joust isn't a win, if the man you just left horseless is injured so badly in falling off he can't continue the fight you win by default but it's not one of the recognized ways of scoring points towards winning. As for Bronn's self-preservationist streak it's surely impressive. But Qhorin has survived through worse conditions, and worse incidents. Leading assault on assault against wildlings isn't something that should be part of your plan if you want to have a long, healthy life.

[Weezer]

I reckon Qhorin would cheat just as much as Bronn, and don't forget, Bronn is no Knight he is no better than Qhorin with jousting, this would turn into a nasty, dirty melee off horse back and I think Qhorin is as nasty as Bronn...actually, maybe it's closer than I thought...still, for personal preference, I still give it Qhorin

The thing is that Bronn has some displayed skill as a jouster (when he killed that lord Circe sent to murder him). While I wouldn't rank him up with any of the upper tier of knights in the way of jousting he has to know his way around the lance to be an effective sellsword seeing that one of the primary purposes of heavy cavalry is the charge.

[Knaight]

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne
Dayne is kingsguard, which gives him a major expansion in percieved ability, along with a few very impressive tasks, while a very talented warrior, he will win the joust, but may well take a single hit in the melee, as spear and shield dueling is not something he is used to (And Oberyn will use poison). And that is all it takes. As for unarmed, Oberyn is way more likely to figure out a poisoned brass knuckle or something, and pull it off that way. He has nothing against Dayne personally, and will not get emotional and careless. Still, Dayne represents a much bigger threat than Gregor ever did.

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Ser Jaime is among the best swordsmen, and a very good jouster. It never even reaches unarmed, and Howland goes down.

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Rhaegar is known to be incredible, Bittersteel is still a bit of an unknown.

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
Hightower is questionable, certainly above average, but not incredible.

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand
Qhorin is every bit as underhanded as Bronn, carries no delusions of honor, and is a good deal tougher. He caught an axe with his hand when it came to that, and Bronn has the dubius honor of surviving a lot of fights, which Qhorin also did, and taking a shield to the face. He falls hard in armed, leaving unarmed. Again, Qhorin is tougher.

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy
Victarion is done for. Sandor is a better jouster, every bit as ruthless, and probably capable of taking him unarmed.

7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold
This is a very close one, Ser Barristan wins the joust, and Robert probably wins unarmed due to being bigger and stronger, leaving only armed. Robert in his prime seems just a hair better.

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre
Yeah, one of these guys is a better warrior than the other. Garlan is good, Daemon is a legend.

[Mathis]

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne
Dayne is kingsguard, which gives him a major expansion in percieved ability, while a very talented warrior, he will win the joust, but may well take a single hit in the melee, as spear and shield dueling is not something he is used to. And that is all it takes. As for unarmed, Oberyn is way more likely to figure out a poisoned brass knuckle or something, and pull it off that way. He has nothing against Dayne personally, and will not get emotional and careless. Still, Dayne represents a much bigger threat than Gregor ever did.

Oberyn used a spear against Gregor because that was the only way he could be sure to beat him. He will have to think different to beat The Sword of the Morning. Also, Dayne being in the Kingsguard is not what gives him the boost in percieved ability. It's the countless references to him as a legendary fighter and chivalrous knight that gives us that impression of him. This includes the fight against 7 men where Dayne and two other Kingsguards killed all but two before they died ( Eddard Stark and Howland Reed).




2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Ser Jaime is among the best swordsmen, and a very good jouster. It never even reaches unarmed, and Howland goes down.

Howland goes down but gets highlighted?


4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
Aemon is not an exceptional knight in his own regard, he just has a dragon, and it is questionable if he gets to use it. He ends here.

You must confuse Aemon the Dragonknight with someone else. He never had a dragon on his own and does not carry the name Dragonknight because he rode a dragon but because he was renowned as the most noble knight to ever live and so was givent he name Dragonknight because he was a Targaryen. He is also a legendary swordsman. You should check up on these characters on the various Wiki's on the net, it can be difficult to remember who's who.

[Knaight]

Problems fixed. Oberyn may well use a spear again, he is shown to be effective with that style. Though he would be better with a somewhat shorter spear in this case.

[DraPrime]

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne
Oooooh, good one. I think that Dayne will definitely beat him in a joust, being a great knight and all that. However, Oberyn will win the armed combat due to the fact that he is very skilled with a weapon that has a longer reach than the swords that Dayne typically uses. Ser Arthur will never actually get close enough to stay Oberyn. So, as for the unarmored, I must give it to Prince Oberyn Martell largely because I think he would invent some clever trickery to make him win.

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Interesting. In the joust...I dont know. It is hinted that Reed is a great jouster, but Jamie is also great. One of the best. In the armed combat...I dont know. Reed survived the fight to rescue Lyanna, while Jamie is...Jamie. So, we must move on to the unarmed. Here, I think Howland will win. The crannogmen have always seemed like the kind who would know how to be effective without weapons.

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Rhaegar. His 100 times the knight that Aegor ever was.

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight
I gotta give this to the white bull. We know for a fact that Ser Gerold was fantastic, while Prince Aemon lived long ago, and has had his deeds largely inflated by the singers of Westeros, who we know are incredibly unreliable. Besides, Prince Aemon is also largely popular for the romance story that he was involved in. That gave him lots of popularity, and thus great inflation by the singers. Ser Gerold however, we know is great from the memory of Jamie and Ser Barristan. He will beat Prince Aemon, but not easily.

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand
Well Bronn can joust a bit, so I think he beats Qhorin there. Both are ruthless armored fighters, but I think that being toughened by his intense life as a ranger gives Qhorin an edge here. Same with the unarmed combat.

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy
Well in the joust Victarion loses of course. As for armed combat, I think Victarion would win, just barely. While Sandor is a great fighter, I doubt his is as incredibly tough as Victarion, who is confident enough in his fighting skill to wear heavy armor on a ship. And as far as unarmed goes...Victarion. I just think that his toughness due to growing up on the Iron Islands will aid him here enough to make him win.

7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold
In the joust, Robert will no doubt lose. Ser Barristan is legendary at that game. In armed combat that enormous warhammer that Robert has will lay waste to the armor and body of Ser Barristan the bold. And in an unarmed fight, I think the pure strength and ferocity of Robert will make him win.

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre
While Ser Garlan is a great fighter, Daemon is Daemon. He is one of the most skilled warriors ever to walk Westeros. I think this one easily gets handed to the bastard.

[Mathis]

I guess it's time to pass my votes on this aswell. not going to elaborate much as most of the arguments have already been made by better folks.

1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne

A difficult match up, but given what is shown in the book Dayne will walk away the victor of this one.

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister

I still think Howland is better than we believe, but not better than Jaime.

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

Both are worthy of legends in their own rights, but Aegor Rivers seems to be the better fighter of the two.

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight.

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand

Ghorin wins in a bad-ass way, preferably in one such as where he gives Bronn a painful death.

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy


7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold

A difficult one to decide, but Roberts fighting spirit will give him an advantage over the technically superior Barristan.

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre

[Knaight]

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy
Well in the joust Victarion loses of course. As for armed combat, I think Victarion would win, just barely. While Sandor is a great fighter, I doubt his is as incredibly tough as Victarion, who is confident enough in his fighting skill to wear heavy armor on a ship. And as far as unarmed goes...Victarion. I just think that his toughness due to growing up on the Iron Islands will aid him here enough to make him win.


I would think that him being confident enough to wear heavy armor on a ship has more to do with his balance, swimming ability, and most importantly his trust in the ship and its crew than anything else.

[DraPrime]

I would think that him being confident enough to wear heavy armor on a ship has more to do with his balance, swimming ability, and most importantly his trust in the ship and its crew than anything else.

And his massive balls, with which he will stand strong against the fury of Sandor Clegane.

[Knaight]

Well, yes, guts have quite a bit to do with that. Clearly he is a hard man to intimidate. But being hard to intimidate isn't particularly useful against Sandor Clegane, his strategy is based more on actual ability and being calm than being intimidating.

Now Gregor Clegane is a different matter. He is big and intimidating, and neither of those are a huge advantage against Victarion, who is strong and impossible to intimidate. Against Gregor, the difficulty in intimidation that can be learned from the boat actually means something, Victarion would probably take Gregor Clegane down easily. Sandor is a different matter entirely, and only needs to win the armed.

In short, there is no fury of Sandor Clegane. There is the slow calculation of being just a bit better with every swing, and the eventual emergence of victory from managing every action a hair better. While not being intimidated. Victarion on the other hand needs his intimidation. I would argue that it is over for him, or at least the fact that he was on a boat in heavy armor is completely irrelevant in this case.

[Dienekes]

And his massive balls, with which he will stand strong against the fury of Sandor Clegane.

Actually, if memory serves his, erhem, manhood was the one thing that he was joked as being smaller than expected.

In manly fighting prowess, Sandor has been show to use fury definitely, but he is incredibly skilled. Jaime most likely ranks Sandor second to himself (since he compares everyone to Sandor in fighting ability once his arm got chopped off).

While Victarion definitely shows courage with the whole armor thing, Sandor kept fighting while his arm was on fire. The level of concentration for that and sheer discipline of his combat here and when he toyed with the raging Gregor on the tourney, I really have to emphasize that Sandor has proven himself to be a rather superb fighter with quite the massive balls of his own.

[Knaight]

In manly fighting prowess, Sandor has been show to use fury definitely, but he is incredibly skilled.

Consider his fights though. He is a bit faster than the rest, blocks everything easily, the closest he gets to fury is just overwhelming people because he can act faster then they can. Its a skill thing more than intimidation.

[Dienekes]

Consider his fights though. He is a bit faster than the rest, blocks everything easily, the closest he gets to fury is just overwhelming people because he can act faster then they can. Its a skill thing more than intimidation.

You see I don't necessarily equate fury with intimidation, I equate fury with getting very angry. Any benefits to said anger is secondary occurrences from the fury.

Take Gregor, he uses fury. And once he does he goes into kill mode in which he viciously attacks everything in sight for no logical reason (his horse, Loras, his brother, a poor peasant that got in his way of fighting Martell, ect.) this also intimidates people.

Sandor also uses fury, read his fights or just his dialogue and you can tell he's angry the entire time. However instead of going into a berserk like Gregor we don't see what if any effect his fury has. I'd say it definitely also intimidates people.

The major difference between the two is Gregor relies on his strength primarily, then his fury to win fights. Sandor relies on his strength, his speed, his skill, and his anger issues may tip the balance for him every now and then but it's the first three that he is shown to consistently use to fight.

Also on Martell using trickery in grapple to win. The one time we see Martell get in a grapple he gets creamed so bad it made his fans have nightmares. Sure, it was against Gregore Clegane, but he was shown to have little idea what to do in unarmed combat so I think relying on him to come up with some trick is stretching our data fairly thin.

[DraPrime]

Also on Martell using trickery in grapple to win. The one time we see Martell get in a grapple he gets creamed so bad it made his fans have nightmares. Sure, it was against Gregore Clegane, but he was shown to have little idea what to do in unarmed combat so I think relying on him to come up with some trick is stretching our data fairly thin.

Didn't Gregor snap his spine or something when he grabbed him? I imagine that Oberyn would be very impeded by that during any fight.

[Dienekes]

Didn't Gregor snap his spine or something when he grabbed him? I imagine that Oberyn would be very impeded by that during any fight.

I remember it being that he just grabbed Oberyn then crushed his skull. Could be wrong, no books with me, alas.

[Knaight]

Yes, but that is Gregor Clegane, and Oberyn was far from top shape during that fight. And really, I can't think of a single character who would actually beat Gregor Clegane in an unarmed fight, Oberyn was right to panic, and as far as underhanded tactics, I would suspect more poison.

[TheFallenOne]

with everyone talking about intimidation, the most intimidatinh warrior isn't even on our list here. Beric Dondarrion. He was hanged, got his temple smashed in, had a lance go through his chest... And you see these wounds, knowing he should be deader than dead. So Gregors big, yeah, but this is downright scary

Well, my take on the second round


1. Prince Oberyn Martell vs Ser Arthur Dayne

I really wonder how Martell was even supposed to win the first round if you're not biased because you like him more. I gave him the armed, but I see no way he'd win either jousting or unarmed against Gregor.
Well, this is the end of the line for him. Dayne surely knows how to fight against spears and Martell has to watch out not to get the shaft of his weapon torn apart by Dawn. Armed goes to Dayne, as does joust and unarmed. They're one league apart
Winner: The Sword in the Morning

2. Howland Reed vs Ser Jaime Lannister

Only feat of Howland I know of is that he saved Ned from Dayne at the Tower of Joy. But since they were 7 against 3 and only two survived this surely doesn't mean he could win 1 on 1 versus Dayne. Jaime takes this since we have far more evidence for his skill
Winner: The Kingslayer

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

Well, for both me have mostly speculation, my guess would be Rhaegar, but I won't call it for lack of information

4. Ser Gerold Hightower vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight

Tough. Aemon is a legend(but maybe inflated because of that) and had a Valyrian Steel blade, won a tourney... Hightower was Commander of Aerys II kingsguard, and at that time being a member of it, let alone it's leader, really meant something. I give Aemon the melee and Hightower the Unarmed(he's called White Bull for a reason), so it comes down to the joust... Well, Aemon won a tourney as a mistery knight, I may misremember, but I don't think Gerold was ever said to win a big tourney
Winner: The Dragonknight

5. Ser Bronn vs Qhorin Halfhand

This will be vicious. Joust goes to Bronn. While Quorin is very skilled and hard to trick, he'll either lack his vast experience if his prime was before losing half his hand or he'll have a handicap if it is after. That's why I give it to Bronn, narrowly
Winner: Bronn

6. Sandor Clegane vs Victarion Greyjoy

Sandor takes the joust easily, I also see him ahead in raw strength and weapon skill, so he takes the melee too. While Victarion racked up an impressive killcount for a single fight, I doubt he's skilled enough to compete here
Winner: The Hound

7. King Robert Baratheon vs Ser Barristan the Bold

Best matchup so far. While the joust goes to Barristan easily, the melee and unarmed will be the most narrow and awesome until now. I go with Robert; both have a lot of skill, experience and raw strength, but Robert has so much of the latter it overweighs the minimal advantage I give Barristan in the other two. Young Robert was a beast, even when stark drunk and way out of shape he killed a huge boar with a knife, in his prime you could probably have tossed him into the bear pit just with steel gauntlets and he'd have come out alive
Winner: Robert Baratheon

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre

Lack of information. Those two could very well be the two best swordfighters on this list, but Blackfyre should give it's wielder the edge and while we have no evidence for Daemons jousting skill, I expect he'd be better than Garlan
Winner: Daemon Blackfyre

[Finn Solomon]

1. Prince Oberyn Martell (2) vs Ser Arthur Dayne (5)

The Sword of the Morning beats down the Red Viper, and advances to the Quarter Finals.

2. Howland Reed (1) vs Ser Jaime Lannister (6)

Lord Reed survived the Tower of Joy, but not the blade of the Kingslayer.

3. Ser Aegor 'Bittersteel' Rivers (2) vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (4)

The Prince of Dragonstone survives, and moves on to the next round.

4. Ser Gerold Hightower (1) vs Prince Aemon the Dragonknight (6)

The Dragonknight is judged to be the better warrior of the Kingsguard.

5. Ser Bronn (3) vs Qhorin Halfhand (4)

Close fight, but the man of the Night's Watch takes it.

6. Sandor Clegane (6) vs Victarion Greyjoy (1)

Vic Greyjoy may slaughter island lords easily, but he fares less well against the Hound.

7. King Robert Baratheon (6) vs Ser Barristan the Bold (1)

A surprising blowout, as King Robert smashes his Lord Commander into submission. I'd have loved to see this fight.

8. Ser Garlan Tyrell vs Daemon Blackfyre (7)

Ser Garlan is very good, and one of the eminent swordsmen in Westeros today, but Daemon Blackfyre was a legend.

Eight have survived, and will compete fiercely in the Quarter Finals. Consulting the List Randomizer, whom all men fear...

Quarter Final 1

King Robert Baratheon vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

Quarter Final 2

Sandor Clegane vs Qhorin Halfhand

Quarter Final 3

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister

Quarter Final 4

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre

I swear to god I used a randomizer, which appears to be as much a fan of the books as we are. The Hound and the Halfhand. The Dragonknight and the Warrior. Jaime Lannister against the man he worshipped. And the peach of the bunch, the rematch of the Ruby Fords. Four men will survive. Your votes begin now!

[Grimlock]

Your randomizer made some COOL match ups Mr Solomon.
1) The re-match! Epic in every way possible. The only potential fight I was looking forawrd to as much as Martell v Dayne. As to who would win it..I will go with History- King Robert Baratheon- The Stag takes The Dragon. Two mighty warriors- but Robert is just better!
2) As mush as I love the Halfhand, and I do, he is just out classed here. The Hound is as vicious/cunning if not more so than Qhorin and a hell of a lot more experienced in formal knightly combat as well as nasty, dirty brawling. The Hound for the win.
3) Another great fight, but Ser Arthur Dayne has my vote. The Kingslayer is fine fighter...but The Sword of the Morning is a legend!
4) Hmmmm, don't know who'd win this one so I shall toss a coin.....Prince Aemon takes the bout

[Weezer]

Quarter Final 1

King Robert Baratheon vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
I'm going to have to follow history here, Robert would win closely again. He would lose the joust but as shown he is Rhaegar's superior dismounted.

Quarter Final 2

Sandor Clegane vs Qhorin Halfhand
No contest here, Clegane would wipe the floor with the Halfhand in all three combats.

Quarter Final 3

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister
I'm going with Dayne, it would be an absurdly close fight but I think that Dayne's legendary status pushes him over the edge.

Quarter Final 4

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre
The Dragonknight vs. the Warrior, this is a battle of the legendary. I'm going to go with Blackfyre, his skills with weapons are emphasized as being superior to any that came before him while Aemon's fame could be attributed to the romance in his story.

[ShaggyMarco]

Quarter Final 1

King Robert Baratheon vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

We've seen this and know how it ends. Rhaegar was never much of a warrior and was lucky to make it this far!

Quarter Final 2

Sandor Clegane vs Qhorin Halfhand

Sandor is the perfect combination of speed, size, strength, and armor. He's good enough to have Jaime's respect as a warrior!

Quarter Final 3

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister

He's the Sword in the Freakin' Morning. He has a sword FROM SPACE. What has Jaime got?

Quarter Final 4

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre

This one is real hard. Both are legendary and both are blood of the dragon. I give it to Blackfyre due to his willingness to employ more tricks than the honorable Dragonknight. They both wield Valyrian Steel, so gear is a wash.

[Grimlock]

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister

He's the Sword in the Freakin' Morning. He has a sword FROM SPACE. What has Jaime got?


The fact that he slept with his sister...that might weird Dayne out enough to get in a lucky blow!

[ShaggyMarco]

Like Arthur and Ashara never...nevermind.

No wonder Eddard killed him.

[Dienekes]

King Robert Baratheon vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
The battle starts with Robert charging like a madman at Rhaegar screaming his name and vowing vengeance, and ends with Rhaegar's head squashed like a pea beneath the new king's hammer.

Sandor Clegane vs Qhorin
The Hound takes the Joust and the unarmed combat, and I'd say he takes armed as well. An awe inspiring fight though, pity we can't see it.

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister
To use (or paraphrase anyway) Jaime's own words. He could beat everyone above with one hand while using the other to take a piss. Dayne beats Jaime while giving him a stern lecture on how to be an honorable knight for good measure.

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre
Well this is of course pure speculation. These two are the most powerful warriors in the entire tourney, as legend claims anyway. The Dragonknight was the pinnacle of virtue and a legendary swordsman, the Warrior himself mastered all weapons of the battlefield especially the sword. However of the two, Daemon's history is more awesome so I'm giving it to him.

[Finn Solomon]

Like Arthur and Ashara never...nevermind.

No wonder Eddard killed him.

I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Knaight]

King Robert Baratheon vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen: While Robert goes down like a punk in the joust, he is Rhaegar's superior on foot, and bigger and stronger to boot, so he should win unarmed. Close though.

Sandor Clegane vs Qhorin Halfhand: Sandor Clegane wins the joust easily, the other two are closer to long, epic battles. But he has the better armor, and could probably win in the end.

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister: Lannister is good, but Dayne is noted as being exceptional with jousting and armed combat, and is just that much better.

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre: Giving this one to Aemon. Aemon is good, and will win jousting as Daemon isn't actually all that good at it. He loses the melee, but will win the unarmed due to not being twisted and misshapen when it counts most. Still, a close one.

[TheFallenOne]

King Robert Baratheon vs Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
Easy to call. Robert wins the melee - again, goes down in the joust and wins the unarmed. He'll keep beating up Rhagars corpse for about a minute just to be sure
Winner: Robert Baratheon

Sandor Clegane vs Qhorin Halfhand
Quorin is outmatched here in all three disciplines I'd say. He's good, but no match for the Hound
Winner: The Hound

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister
Wow... Jaime versus his idol. Jaime in his prime is very good and he'll give Dayne an epic fight. If Jaime was not only in his prime, but also had Oathkeeper, he might take the melee with a bit of luck(I see Dayne ahead in skill a tiny little bit, but it's so close it could go either way). As it is, they'll either exchange blows with noone breaking the cover of the other until Jaimes sword is ruined, or Jaime, knowing what happened to the Smiling Knight, tries to dodge instead of block, which will make him tire out faster or fail to avoid a blow
Winner: The Sword in the Morning

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre
Both are legends we have no first-hand evidence on. I give it to Daemon because I'm pretty sure if the feats of one of those two are inflated, it's the Dragonknights.
Winner: Daemon Blackfyre

[Dienekes]

Prince Aemon the Dragonknight vs Daemon Blackfyre: Giving this one to Aemon. Aemon is good, and will win jousting as Daemon isn't actually all that good at it. He loses the melee, but will win the unarmed due to not being twisted and misshapen when it counts most. Still, a close one.

I'm pretty sure you're not thinking of Daemon Blackfyre. All we're given about him is that he mastered every weapon of war, and that he was tall, handsome, and every inch a warrior. Not sure where the bad jouster twisted and misshapen is coming from.

You can definitely make a reasonable claim for Aemon winning, since this one is almost completely based on hearsay and accounts of people who didn't know them.

[Knaight]

We know he mastered every weapon, but he looks harmless, according to the 32 descriptions form the beginning. It also says stoop shouldered, though I don't remember that elsewhere.

[Finn Solomon]

We know he mastered every weapon, but he looks harmless, according to the 32 descriptions form the beginning. It also says stoop shouldered, though I don't remember that elsewhere.

That was in reference to Daeron, his brother the King whom he rebelled against. Many men flocked to Daemon's banner because they felt he looked like how Aegon did and how a real king should.

[Finn Solomon]

Anyway, here are my votes.

King Robert
Sandor Clegane
Ser Arthur Dayne
Daemon Blackfyre

[Knaight]

Bump. Is it time for the finals yet?

[Mathis]

Aye, should be. The man with the randomizer must step forward.

[Mr._Blinky]

Quarter Final 3

Ser Arthur Dayne vs Ser Jaime Lannister

He's the Sword in the Freakin' Morning. He has a sword FROM SPACE. What has Jaime got?

This of course leads to the question of who's space sword is better, Ser Arthur Dayne...or Sokka (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitlemxi508a6?from=Main.AvatarTheLastAirbender)?

But in all seriousness, if it came down to between the four that most people seem to be favoring (Robert, The Hound, Dayne, and Blackfyre), I'd have to go with one of the last two. Robert and Sandor are both described as incredible warriors, but Dayne has never been described as anything short of legendary, and Blackfyre is likely an actual legendary figure for a reason.

[Finn Solomon]

Aye, should be. The man with the randomizer must step forward.

Apologies for the delay!

History repeats itself as King Robert Baratheon caves in Rhaegar's skull with his warhammer. When interviewed after the bout, Robert commented "It was still not enough. I need to kill him a thousand more times before it's enough." He then burst into tears and was unable to continue, sobbing something about 'My Lyanna!'

Sandor Clegane, the Hound of Westeros came under some criticism for not only taking off Qhorin's hands and arms, but his feet and legs too. Undaunted, the Ranger attempted to bite Sandor to death, but only managed to bleed a little on him. "F--- off," were Sandor's only words at the conclusion of the bout. His poor sportsmanship aside, the Hound advances to the semi-finals.

Jamie Lannister might have blinded a few spectators while clad entirely in gold and wielding a beautiful golden sword, but the day ultimately went to the Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne. In a match what many critics are calling the Fight of the Century, Arthur Dayne beat down his former Kingsguard protege in a tough and gruelling contest which went on for hours. Calls from the fans prior to the match urging him to fight the Lion of Lannister left handed while taking a piss with his right went sadly unheeded however.

Another battle of the legends ended in a victory for the Blackfyre Bastard, Daemon the Warrior. His uncle Prince Aemon the Dragonknight dedicated the bout beforehand to his sister and rumoured lover Queen Naerys, but he fell to repeated blows from the sword of Aegon the Conqueror. Daemon, a heavy favourite to win the whole tournament, proceeds to the semi-finals.

It looks like modern Westeros and Westeros of antiquity are equally represented in the semis. Consulting the List Randomizer, whom all men fear...

SEMI FINALS

Sandor Clegane vs King Robert Baratheon

Daemon Blackfyre vs Ser Arthur Dayne

And it looks like they'll be equally represented in the Final as well! The Hound versus the King. The Warrior and the Sword of the Morning. One man each to stand for his era of Westerosi warrior tradition. Who will advance? Your votes begin now!

[Knaight]

Sandor Clegane: Robert has not been noted as all that exceptional at the joust, good certainly, but Clegane is known to be among the best. And this is while being not a knight, and ugly to boot, its not as if Sandor is in any danger of his feats being exaggerated all that much. Nobody likes him. Robert was well liked, and his feats still don't line up. Then there is the small matter of the melee. Sandor is strong enough to be able to block the warhammer, and very good with a sword. Consider what he did to Gregor in aGoT, and how Jaime (who has arrogance issues) thinks of him. He might just win unarmed too, he probably has a far higher pain tolerance, post face burning and all.

Ser Arthur Dayne: Sure, he was taken down in a melee, but he has had less time for his reputation to grow unnecessarily, and it was a 3 on 7. Blackfyre eventually fell to archers, but its unclear whether there was anyone like Ser Arthur Dayne that wasn't him at that point anyways, so of course he was among the best. Dayne certainly wins the melee, the unarmed fight is extremely unclear, and this leaves the joust. Considering how remarkable it was when Rhaegar beat him in the joust -and this is with Rhaegar being exceptional himself- this has to go to Dayne.

[TheFallenOne]

Sandor Clegane: Robert has not been noted as all that exceptional at the joust, good certainly

Um, no. It was rather clearly said that Robert never did particularly well at jousting, when Cersei let slip that Tommens father was a good jouster and Margaery called her out on it. I think somewhere in the first book something to a similar effect about Roberts jousting ability was said as well

Robert Baratheon vs Sandor Clegane
Tough. Joust goes to Sandor obviously. Both are strong, but Robert has more raw strength, though Sandor is bigger and has more speed with a sword compared to a hammer. Still, Robert can do more damage and the fight against Rhaegar shows that he can do quite well in hammer vs sword. Sandor kept his strength better over the years, but in his prime I think Robert takes this
Winner: Robert Baratheon

Arthur Dayne vs Daemon Blackfyre
Legend vs legend. Valyrian steel vs Valyrian steel. Impossible to call really. I give it to Dayne, but only because we have a lot of second-hand evidence for his prowess, whereas Daemon is purely legend. He may be the better fighter(and I actually think he is), but legend only gets you this far, so unless prequel books featuring him will be written some day it's the end of the line vs Dayne.
Winner: The Sword in the Morning

I really pitty Robert, the final will be very onesided, and not in his favour

[ShaggyMarco]

SEMI FINALS

Sandor Clegane vs King Robert Baratheon

Robert's strong. No one argues this fact. That said, his skill in warfare doesn't lie in his skill on the battlefield, his skill in warfare lies in the men he can convince to follow him. One-on-One, I give this to The Hound. The Hound WILL win any joust, and with no flaming sword hijinks running around, Sandor keeps his cool in any melee, letting his superior skill (if not size and strength, considering Robert, in his prime, probably matches the Hound) win out. Robert's one big personal victory was against Rhaegar, who was never counted a great warrior in his own right. The Hound can hold his own against his brother, faces his deepest fear and still wins a duel against Dondarrion, and has the respect of Jaime Lannister, and egotistical bad-ass.

Daemon Blackfyre vs Ser Arthur Dayne

These two come from stories and legends. In the songs, the White Knight defeats the dark usurper. Plus, he's the Sword in Freaking the Morning. What does a Sword in the Morning DO but vanquish dark spooky dragon-warriors? This is a CLOSE fight, but, mythologically, it should be Dayne.

[Grimlock]

1) Sandor Clegane takes King Robert.
2) Ser Arthur Dayne takes Blackfyre.

[Weezer]

I'm going to follow the trend here and go with:

Sandor Clegane vs Robert

There would be no contest in the joust and it seems that it is Roberts strength that wins his battles and Sandor has that in spades. This means that the Hound's prodigious skill would spell the end to Robert.

Daemon Blackfyre vs Ser Arthur Dayne

They are both legendary figures, both seen as the epitome of warriors, their names were both synonymous with valor and skill. But Dayne is far closer to the present and his deeds were most likely less embellished so I give this close, impossible to actually call match to the Sword of the Morning.

[Dienekes]

Sandor
Well joust obviously goes to Sandor, which puts him with a decent head start. After that it's really a toss up between melee and unarmed. They're both huge, they're both deadly, they both use the best armor they can get. Robert beat Rheagar and Sandor seems to be the only warrior Jaime considers comparable to himself (interestingly, the match I would have most liked to see). This would be a hell of a fight if both are in their prime and I have no standard to judge by. But Sandor does take joust so I'm giving it to him.

This is intriguing. A lot of folks seem to consider that Daemon has had his story embellished, which may be so. But we are given account of him off of a man who saw him in action during a civil war he lost (Eustace Osgrey). Just as we are given accounts of Dayne based on men who saw him in action during a civil war he lost (Jaime Lannister, Ned Stark, ect.). Well, taking that into account I'm just going to break down what we are told of the men from these accounts.

basic weapons skill
Daemon= learned all weapons of war, mastered the sword
Dayne= considered the greatest knight of his age, and best swordsman
victor= Daemon
equipment
Daemon= used the ancestral Targaryen Valyrian sword Blackfyre
Dayne= used the ancestral Dayne starmetal sword Dawn
victor= Dayne
nickname (you know cool nicknames gives you bonus points)
Daemon= was called the Warrior himself
Dayne= was called the Sword of the Morning
victor= Daemon (hell he was compared to a god)
deaths
Daemon= shot to death with arrows
Dayne= fought a battle 3 vs 7
victor= tie, both deaths are too cool to compare
most impressive martial feat
Deamon= defeated Ser Gwayne Corbray of the Kingsguard
Dayne= killed the Smiling Knight
victor= Daemon (because Gwayne was of the Kingsguard and had a Valyrian sword of his own)

I'm giving this to Daemon Blackfyre, though I seem to be the only one.