I’m actually cool with number 3… now *that* would spawn a very interesting vs. thread, don’t you think?

Dehro, that’s the problem I’m having with transparency. I know what the word means. The problem is that by saying “The systems work on roughly the same rules”, you mean ‘follow LOTR’s rules.’ They’re incapable of adhering to the rules as you’ve phrased them, since LOTR = Everything counterable. But HP = Nothing is counterable. It’s hard to use those rulesets in the same place. Rather, I’ve tried to refine the definition of LOTR a bit to say that ‘Any magic can be countered by an alert caster who chooses to intervene through at battle of wills against the originating caster.’ Since HP has certain magics that relate to a battle of wills, there is an obvious area where these LOTR rules apply and where Sauron will be overpowering, because that’s everything his brand of magic is about. In other areas, however, - most areas, in fact - will has nothing to do magic. There is therefore no contest to be had. The magic is already done. If nothing but total LOTR-style counterspellability is acceptable in your eyes, then the magic battle is at an impasse.

WG, by your logic, can’t there be a subset of {fictional magic} called {completely uncounterable spellcasting}? Might Sauron have trouble with that subset of opponents? HP could be in that subset just as easily as LOTR could be in the {I’ll dispel whatever I bloody well want} group.

The part about ‘an alert caster’ is important because Sauron has to cancel the effect before it takes form, and also it doesn’t make sense that a caster could counter something elsewhere that he doesn’t know is happening. Have there been any examples of sneaky casting in LOTR? All the examples I know of involved direct contests of will where both parties knew what was going on and tried their damnedest to prevent the other’s interference. HP magic is ‘castkthxbai’.

“The form he took was that of a man” is pretty straightforward. It does not imply Sauron-as-a-whole was mortal, but by the same rules as Gandalf in human form, he can die, whatever that means to him. ('I had life in me again' means you didn't have life in you...) If you can die, AK can do it.

Voldemort *did* remain at large for 30 years. He took 13 years to come back. He then effectively neutralized the country's government one year after his presence became known. I wouldn't call that 'rushing forward blindly', I'd call that 'efficient'.
Case. in. Point. He was barely a threat to the secret society of ONE nation.
How is the fact that he hid for so long and took over the government, and forced the Order into deeper hiding evidence that he was barely a threat and easy to catch?

I have not tried to strip him of his magical ability, immortality, of the independence from a physical body (and consequent independence from the concept of mortality), of his god-like status, of his numbing-mindcrushing presence and superiority. I am stripping him of magical immunity, corporeal invulnerability, and insta-mindcrushing powers. (Y’know, the things he doesn’t have.) He’s free to do his own magic and continue being quintessentially immortal and be a clever and depressing SOB.

WG’s analysis time!
Speed: 2+ seconds is dead wrong, of course. And Voldemort can ‘only’ fly via magic… which has. Via broomstick, if you want to say he could dispel whatever makes V fly, and Sauron can’t dispel magic in items. (But I guess he’ll shatter it.) V still has apparition, which is the nigh-incontrovertable when it comes to tactical speed.

Toughness: V will absolutely fold once you hit him with a weapon. Good luck with that, though.

Magical ability: Sauron can do (in theory) almost anything. Voldemort can do lots. Cosmic-level advantage Sauron.
Offensive: Sauron is a melee fighter, and wins a melee fight. V is a ranged fighter, and wins a ranged fight.
Defensive: Sauron’s countering abilities (in (your) theory) negate magic, which is a big win. V’s got Protego (duh?) and apparition. Tie/inconclusive/everyone wins depending on how you look at it.
Territory: As far as holdings, for what it’s worth, Sauron big wins.
Range: Sauron has far greater range for at least some effects (farseeing); V has huge range (hundreds of miles) for Apparating. Tactical range, Sauron is a melee fighter, plus significantly longer range for whatever his counterspelling doohickey is (provided he knows to work on it). V’s is inside 100 feet.
Course of battle: I again think you overestimate both V’s casting time and Sauron’s ground speed (based upon that time). In any event, V gets a spell or two off, and leaves to avoid being charged. He does this again and again. If you look at the battle in the Department of Mysteries, he does this lots and lots. He’s good at tactical movement. Also, if you insist upon charging him, V will fly.

EE, for the last time: BROOMS ARE NOT LIVING CREATURES.
Does his opponents’ stupidity change whether a war was long or short? (Hint: It was long.)
The Battle of Hogwarts was not a rash action, but rather prompted out of dire necessity when he realized the final (stationary) Horcrux was in danger. The Death Eaters were actually winning the beginning part of the battle, until all that plot happened. (And Oliver Wood.)

I’m sorry that you feel it’s merely tiresome, guys, but I think I’ve tried to respond to everything put forth. Other than areas where we completely disagree on the scope or abilities of one side (such as the Black Breath infecting people lethally from across the battlefield, or (it seems) the entire comparative magic situation), I’m pretty okay with how we’ve gone through the points. Things like ‘few wizards hurting armies of orcs’, ‘wizards getting food’, and ‘As Eita says, I’m fine with Sauron winning in the end. I’ve had a few ideas on how to vanquish Sauron, but y’all have disagreed with most and defeated others. (Among others, disagreed with AK and Voldemort knowing so much as how to spell ‘a-r-m-o-r’; defeated digging up lava). I’ve certainly spent more time picking over the ‘Get V’ points than I have drawing up ideas on how to defeat Sauron. As for defeating Voldemort, we’re on the final stage of that now and it depends on V coming to an open battle (in the first place), but more importantly the compatibility and comparability of the magic systems. If we can’t agree on how our opponents are able to battle, then this fight’s ultimately OACA.