LSSH's Tournament Round 2: Esquire vs Diredrill (Voting!)

Team Esquire

• Ultimate Spider-Man w/ Symbiote
• Ravager w/ Terror Titans Gear
• Psylocke w/ Twin Katanas
• Clock King w/ Drones and Twin Knives
• Amadeus Cho w/ Mace and Pocket Computer (No Force Field)
• 4 Equalists

Team Diredrill

• Wolverine (Gorgon)
• Hawkeye (Bullseye)
• Nick Fury (Phobos)
• Elektra (Siri)
• Batman (Jason Todd)
• 5 Metalbenders

Rules:

• - Each team gets 3 hours of prep.
• - As always, you must use feats to back up your character.
• - If characters chosen have any feuds with other characters on the team it will be taken into account. Besides this it will be assumed they've known and worked with their team for years.
• - They will not have stuff they can't access from wherever they are. Such as having something built into a home, they will not have access to it. This is even if they would have a way to access it remotely.
• - Everyone will be in character, if you bring in something that a character would only use a last resort or against morals, it will not be counted.
• - Battles will be to death or incapacitation. There will be no BFR wins allowed.
• - All battle areas will be considered void of beings with the exception of the teams. Any other object that would normally be there will be there and can be used if acquired.

Battlemap:Republic City(Legend of Korra)

Each team will start on opposite ends of the city as soon as the fight begins.

• 10 days will be given to debate for this section.
• No 'post within a certain time' limit.

Extra Units:(the previous units are cleared) you can only choose one of the options.

• 4 standard equalists(the ones that usually go after pressure points)
• 5 of Lin Beifongs metal-bending police with standard equip
• 5 standard fire benders from the original Avatar series
• 5 standard water-benders from the Northern Water Tribe from the original Avatar series

This should be good

@esquire:

I'll take the Metal Benders.

@esquire: @diredrill: bump

@diredrill: We have been given three days reprieve for a debate. I'll try to get an opener up by tonight!

@diredrill My team has a few advantages here. The first one is Psylocke's telepathic superiority over Gorgon. She can protect my team from his mindreading, mind-link us giving better teamwork, and read your teams' minds. Clock King and Ravager both have teleporters capable of 'porting multiple people. With the Equalists' penchant for ambushes, combined with Clock King's and Cho's combined planning brilliance, my team can use the teleporters to get the drop on your team. With the three hours of prep, the Equalists can retrieve their motorcycles and an airship, giving me even more options for flanking and attacking from confusing and surprising positions.

As far as an actual fight, I also have a few advantages. Ultimate Parker is far and away the most physically impressive combatant here, and the symbiote adds durability and a healing factor. Cho's mace gives him the striking power to put down any of your team, and Ravager's swords slice through anything non-organic, instead stunning any organic tissue they hit. This gives her the ability to oneshot your metal benders. My Equalists can do the same with their electro-gloves. Psylocke's TK is yet another advantage, letting her throw things and people around, restrain them, or even amp her stats and striking power.

@esquire: We will start by using our prep to secure an airship and take to the skies. Your team lacks much in the way of offensive blasting power so they'll be unable to take it down without getting on board. Siri has Ghost Rider's hellfire manipulation which means that when she takes command of the Airship, it becomes a Ghost Rider Airship brimming with Hellfire and the increased durability that grants. She'll leave only the areas we want you to access devoid of the soul burning flame. You'll have to teleport into one of the killzones that are devoid of hellfire because otherwise your team's souls burn. The Gorgon hopes your team knows this so that they don't come aboard my ship. As you have elected to take an airship as well, Bullseye will knock it out of the sky with his explosive arrows. Your team will be forced to teleport to the ground giving my team the high ground. Using Jason's Bat Suit's infrared lenses and Phobos' LMD sensors, our team will find yours in a city devoid of life. Bullseye can then fire with impunity. Your team can continually predict him and continually avoid but how long till they tire? All of your people, with the exception of maybe Spider-man all have peak human stamina at best. Eventually, they'll be too tired to continue running and they will be caught. Attrition favors the ones with the flaming airship.

Your telepathy would actually be far more of a hindrance here as the second you try and enter Phobos' mind you get hit by his godly Fear projection. His power KOed Osborne who had recently taken down X-man in a telepathic battle. Gorgon and Siri would have outright immunity from telepathy as the Skrull Infiltration tech makes you immune to telepathic intrusion and the Hand's resurrection likewise leaves you immune to telepathy. If she manages to escape Phobos' fear powers, she'd only be able to really read the Metal Benders and Bullseye. Jason has the Joker's Craziness with the Bat's Will, his mind will not be easy to read.

My airship will have Psylocke on board, a telekinetic with the reflexes to deflect bullets. She can simply grab Bullseye's first arrow out of the air and return it to your airship, sending it crashing down, hellfire and all. Peter can also defend my airship using nets of webbing to catch arrows out of the air.

Won't your team have to be in a hellfire-free zone, as well? What's stopping my team from teleporting into the same place and engaging in hand-to-hand?

Your team will be forced to teleport to the ground giving my team the high ground. Using Jason's Bat Suit's infrared lenses and Phobos' LMD sensors, our team will find yours in a city devoid of life. Bullseye can then fire with impunity. Your team can continually predict him and continually avoid but how long till they tire? All of your people, with the exception of maybe Spider-man all have peak human stamina at best. Eventually, they'll be too tired to continue running and they will be caught. Attrition favors the ones with the flaming airship.

Even if Bullseye gets unlimited explosive arrows, my team can hide in buildings that will take Lester a long time to bring down. And once he gets close to taking one out, they can teleport to the other side of the city to buy breathing room. Bullseye will get tired of shooting long before he can raze the whole city.

Your telepathy would actually be far more of a hindrance here as the second you try and enter Phobos' mind you get hit by his godly Fear projection. His power KOed Osborne who had recently taken down X-man in a telepathic battle.

What's the range on his fear powers? I can only remember him using them in pretty close proximity. Will they be effective in airship-to-airship combat?

Gorgon and Siri would have outright immunity from telepathy as the Skrull Infiltration tech makes you immune to telepathic intrusion and the Hand's resurrection likewise leaves you immune to telepathy. If she manages to escape Phobos' fear powers, she'd only be able to really read the Metal Benders and Bullseye. Jason has the Joker's Craziness with the Bat's Will, his mind will not be easy to read.

Does Jason actually have any TP resistance feats? Either way, the metal benders and Bullseye should provide plenty of information regarding your team's strategy and capabilities.

So my strategy is to use Psylocke's TK and Bullseye's explosive to take down your airship. Your team has no teleporters or fliers, so you should be pretty shaken up in the crash, giving my team the advantage. My Equalists' shock gloves let them oneshot your metal benders, as do Rose's blades, and Spider-Man can stop them from using their bending via webbing incapacitation. This gives me a quick numbers advantage, which is amplified by Clock King's razor drones. Ultimate Spidey gives me the best strength and agility, and webbing spam can incapacitate anyone who can't cut through it. Psylocke's TP and TK give her movereading and enhanced striking power, and she's already a skilled combatant with excellent reflexes. Rose has tangled with Cassandra Cain and even Deathstroke (although he's her superior), and has precognitive movereading and swords that cut through most anything. Cho's calculations let him dodge bullets and find weakpoints, and his Mace gives him the striking power to take down huge monsters and even hit Thor with basically zero effect.

If for some reason Psylocke's TK isn't effective, my team will teleport into the same hellfire-free place your team is camped out and engage them in h2h there.

Also, last time Phobos and Gorgon met, Tomi killed Alex. I would imagine that counts as a 'feud,' which should mess up your team's chemistry pretty well.

@esquire: How is she going to know where the arrows are going? Bullseye is an improbable marksmen he could have the shots ricochet off of a thousands things before blowing up. She would have to have Daredevil level senses to pick up where they are going. Webs would be useless, Bullseye could put an arrow through them and he has also tagged 616 Spidey with ease and 616 Spidey is faster than Ultimate Spidey. Bullseye is an improbable marksmen with skill well above anything that anyone on your team has dealt with. Even then, I have Metal Benders who can grab it back and toss it at you. The Airship is a Ghost Rider Airship, his explosive arrow won't do any damage to it even if you manage to catch it.

Ever notice how Ghost Rider can save people on his burning motorcycle and they don't die? It is because he controls who gets burnt and who does not. Siri will allow my team to walk through the flames untouched. Any place that is devoid of hellfire will be a trap for your team.

He doesn't need unlimited explosive arrows as I have Metal Benders who are also Earth Benders who can shred the buildings in twain and give me the shots I need. I thought you might try hiding in buildings, which is why I picked them. Bullseye never gets tired of shooting. He kept up with Deadpool with no problem and was still fighting at the top of his game. Deadpool only ends up winning because he can't die but not because Bullseye tires of trying. He lives to kill, only taking a pay check to deal with expenses.

When Psylocke inevitably tries to get into Phobos' mind, he can use his fear powers to take her out. His fear powers can be used in airship to airship combat as they only require eye contact at range.

Like before, in a straight up battle, Gorgon will shred your team under the cover of Phobos' fear projection. Gorgon is easily the most skilled combatant here and his speed and strength and healing make him more dangerous than everyone on your team. With Phobos' fear projection, he will slaughter your team in seconds. Then you have Siri's hellfire projection burning your entire team's souls. You do not want to engage my team in a straight up battle they will slaughter your team. Your only chance is catching my team unaware and that won't happen.

Tomi and Alex' fight was pre-ordained. There was no animosity between them. They both welcomed the fight and whatever its results were. There was no feud between them beyond the classic good versus evil that also plagues your inclusion of two bad guys.

It doesn't matter if you know my team's strategy, there is still nothing your team can do to stop it. My team has superior skill, superior damage, and superior strategy.

Psylocke is a mind reader, and Bullseye has no telepathic resistance. She can see the ricochets as he plans them in his mind. Or she can pick them out of the air before they even hit something to ricochet.

Webs would be useless, Bullseye could put an arrow through them and he has also tagged 616 Spidey with ease and 616 Spidey is faster than Ultimate Spidey.

The only time I know of that Bullseye has tagged Spidey was when Parker had multiple bullet wounds and was barely conscious. But either way, I'm not saying Parker will dodge, I'm saying he'll use a glob or net of webbing to knock the arrows away from my airship. His webbing is bulletproof, so I'm skeptical of an arrow going through it.

And if you want yet another counter, Cho's calculations let him ricochet things much like Bulleye, and even react to and change the trajectory of midair projectiles. So he can throw miscellaneous objects to knock the arrows away or even return them to your airship.

Bullseye is an improbable marksmen with skill well above anything that anyone on your team has dealt with.

Spidey has faced off against Ultimate Hawkeye, and Ravager has gone up against Deathstroke. Psylocke has been around the likes of Domino and Amadeus spends time with himself a lot. Bullseye is very, very good, but 'well above anyone they've dealt with' is an exaggeration.

He doesn't need unlimited explosive arrows as I have Metal Benders who are also Earth Benders who can shred the buildings in twain and give me the shots I need. I thought you might try hiding in buildings, which is why I picked them.

I haven't watched Legend of Korra, but in Avatar TLA, I don't remember the Earthbenders showing anywhere near the range to destroy things from an airborne vehicle. Toph wasn't able to damage Combustion Man, for example, even though he was surrounded by stones that she could have bended were she closer. So I'm skeptical that this is a workable strategy without placing your benders on the ground, where my team can take them down.

When Psylocke inevitably tries to get into Phobos' mind, he can use his fear powers to take her out. His fear powers can be used in airship to airship combat as they only require eye contact at range.

The thing is, I have Amadeus Cho and we get basic knowledge on our enemies. Cho has a lot of experience with Phobos, so he can just tell Psylocke to stay away from Alex's mind.

Like before, in a straight up battle, Gorgon will shred your team under the cover of Phobos' fear projection. Gorgon is easily the most skilled combatant here and his speed and strength and healing make him more dangerous than everyone on your team. With Phobos' fear projection, he will slaughter your team in seconds. Then you have Siri's hellfire projection burning your entire team's souls. You do not want to engage my team in a straight up battle they will slaughter your team. Your only chance is catching my team unaware and that won't happen.

My solution to this is the fact that I have a team made up of precogs. Clock King, Ravager, and Cho all have examples of using their precog to turn opponents' attacks against other enemies. Phobos' attempts at causing fear will be directed at Jason, Gorgon will be roasted by Siri's hellfire, Bulleye's arrows will skewer your metalbenders, etc.

Gorgon's strength isn't particularly great, he can still be incapacitated by webbing, and Rose's precog should let her tangle with him, especially when backed up by heavily geared Equalists, Spidey's comparable speed, or the precog abilities of Clock King or Cho. Since she has her Terror Titans gear, this also means that Rose's precog is amped by her adrenaline inhalers, making her even more effective. Cho's mace is very shiny, as well, and his hypermind should easily allow him to replicate Wolverine's maneuver of turning Gorgon to stone.

When does voting start?

@esquire

I will be back, I have to go to a family thing now but I will post when I get back.

@diredrill: Actually the time is already up, sorry i:

voting is now o. o

@diredrill: @the_legendary_supersaiyan_hulk: Would it be possible to let Diredrill make a final post when he gets back later this afternoon? I checked the thread and you opened voting while I was still composing my post, so if he can't respond then I'll delete mine.

@esquire: Very well lol.

@diredrill you get one last post :p

@esquire:

Seeing what someone has planned and what actually happens are 2 different things. Psylocke also has very few feats catching small projectiles in the air through TP. Even if she does manage to do so, Bullseye uses metal shafts. My Metal benders will just make sure that they hit. Is her TK better than all 5 of their bending powers? Just to let you know, arrows bypass bulletproof vests without a problem so him shooting through webs is not a problem. Bullseye commonly faces off against Daredevil on a regular basis. Daredevil is far superior to everyone you have on your team in terms of dodging, deflection, and catching feats and even he has difficulty with Bullseye. Deathstroke and Ultimate Hawkeye are good but like Bullseye says in the awful Daredevil movie, he's Magic!

You get basic Knowledge on my team not full knowledge. Your team only knows that they are facing off against Wolverine, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Elektra, and Batman. They won't know that they are facing off against Phobos until after she goes into his mind and is taken out.

Most modern buildings, like the ones in Republic City, are a combination of Metal and Stone. Your team is also inside the building, right? How are my Metal Bender's vulnerable? We drop them in Hellfire Enhanced Metal Armor and your team can't touch them. Ravager's swords have no feats against magical constructs.

You literally can't use Siri or Phobos' powers on anyone but who they choose to use them on. Siri's hellfire only burns who she wants it to burn. Phobos' Fear Projection only hits who he wants. There is no way to redirect them as they are both immune to mental manipulation and their powers are controlled mentally.

Hold on, are you giving me license to use Gorgon's Stone Gaze? Because I was under the impression that I could not.

Gorgon's strength and speed are not really a problem as any failings will be shored up by Phobos' fear projection. Your team won't be operating with any level of efficiency because they will be cowering in fear. When Psylocke gets hit by it, her TP shielding will go down and Gorgon will be able to see into your entire team's mind and use that to eviscerate them.

@esquire: @the_legendary_supersaiyan_hulk: You can start voting now. Thanks for letting me get one last post in.

@diredrill: Nice post, thanks for a solid debate.

@the_legendary_supersaiyan_hulk Apologies for the delay, we can open for voting now.

@diredrill: @esquire: @thatguywithheadphones@betatesthighlander1

You may vote now.

@dondave: Voting is open!

Hmm It's A Hard One but @esquire

HEY!

HOES!

HEY!

HO!

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO!

1) I have no idea whatsoever why Diredrill's team is disguised as a bunch of different people. And, as it wasn't explained...

~Bullseye vs Psylocke~

This is easy. Diredrill doesn't respond to Spidey's webs, only says that arrows go through bulletproof vests. While I don't know about that A quick google search proves that he's right! These explosive arrows will probably make things easier. Less points for not putting hellfire on your arrows, though. More points for using the metalbenders, though that...kind of takes the bullseye out of things. Not sure how Bullseye bounces things off of things, but he is relatively omnipotent with throwing things, so yeah.

~Gorgon vs Psylocke~

Dunno about the basic knowledge thing, or why Phobos is apparently Nick Fury. Less points to Diredrill for not explaining it, more points to Esquire for not considering it if it was pre-established (which it seems to be as lssh put it in the op). But if it is indeed basic knowledge, Psylocke would as Diredrill correctly stated have no reason not to look at Phobos. Unsure whether or not Psylocke could read the mind of Phobos, as he is a god of fear and kind of op for this setting but hey. It seems as though Amadeus Cho knows about Phobos, meaning that as soon as Phobos gets to work, Cho will tell Psylocke to step away from the door. This, however, means that she can't do anything about Bullseye's explosive arrows, which will down the ship. Of course they could look through windows though...

~H2H~

Esquire's team would win.

So here's how it goes:

1) Phobos and Psylocke engage

2) Cho recognizes Phobos' effects and tells Psylocke to step away

3) Phobos stops working, Bullseye fires tons of explosive arrows

4) Psylocke can't see the arrows

5) Your airship gets blown up

Vote goes to @diredrill. Not as fleshed-out as I would hve liked.

@thedarklordpandamonium: Just a quick note, LSSH's tourney required a theme. I chose "People Who Are Not Who They Say They Are."

Gorgon was "Wolverine" on Osborn's second team of Dark Avengers.

Bullseye was "Hawkeye" on Osborn's first team of Dark Avengers.

Phobos was "Nick Fury" when he was piloting a specially modified LMD so that he could talk to his dad and scare the crap out of Norman Osborn.

Siri was going to be Elektra during Secret Invasion but Elektra managed to kill her because they needed Elektra alive and Elektra exploited that.

Jason Todd was "Batman" during Batman's "Death."