Two Bosses Enter: Ymiron moves on; Eregos and Loken rematch
by Lisa Poisso 
Jan 27th 2010 at 9:00AM
This week, the Original Five-Man Wrath of the Lich King season of Two Bosses Enter moves into the semi-finals with a repeat match: Ley-Guardian Eregos versus Loken. If you believe voters cheated Loken out of his last victory against the Ley-Guardian based on their distaste for Eregos and The Oculus, now's your chance to set things right!
In last week's final quarter-finals battle, King Ymiron demonstrated the power behind his throne with a decisive Thunderdome victory over Krik'thir the Gatewatcher. More than 64 percent of the crowd roared its support for the King, while just shy of one-third believed Krik'thir could hold his own. Here's a sampling of the debate from the stands:
Dreamstorm: This is one complicated fight. I'm going to wait with voting until I read what others think and why.
Qot: Two Bosses Enter is sort of like the NBA All-Star voting. The people decide, but they usually decide based on reputation or history rather than actual skill. Xevozz was perfectly tuned to kill Loken, but Loken's a BAMF in the lore, so he wins the match.
Dreamstorm: If the king wins, we'll have ourselves a Nerubian, a Vrykul, a blue dragon and a creation of the Titans ... PIT FIGHT!! :D
Eddy: I was kind of thinking that. I feel like I'm biased towards King because then the fights would just seem so balanced -- the end bosses from a number of lore-intensive instances. I feel like the lore supports the king's victory.
Salomas: The rowdy Thunderdome crowd is roiling with anticipation. Krik'thir is the heavy favourite and many are eager to cash in on a sure thing, clutching Goblin betting slips in their sweaty mitts. The king, however, is unfazed and as the bell rings, he hesitates for only a moment to consider his kill order before he gets to work.
He wades into the first clot of giant spiders and start hewing limbs. At eight legs a pop, he doesn't waste time aiming for the vulnerable joints and puts all his strength into cracking the ancient carapaces. With that deadly blade trailing death like a comet, the spiders can't get close enough to use their venomous bite. With his minions shedding legs at an alarming rate, Watcher Silthik attempts to trap the giant in webbing, but the king is twice the size of the usual prey. The sticky strands cling to his limbs but do nothing to stop the fatal blow that pierces the spider's brain.
The other two watchers do not wait for Ymiron to come to them and attack in unison. They hope to pin him down under a press of clattering monsters, but instead fall into one of the King's deadliest traps. Each blow from the spiders sends a torrent of dark Bane through their midst, and with so many attacking at once, their onslaught is startlingly brief. The screaming crowd is shocked into silence.
Alone with the king, Krik'thir's odds no longer look so good. Many had counted on Ymiron to be suffering the effects of many deadly bites before facing Krik'thir himself, and seeing him nearly unscathed strikes dread into their hearts. The King allows himself a moment of quiet satisfaction and readies himself for the desperate frenzy that Krik'thir is known for. Sidestepping the initial frantic lunge, Ymiron carries the momentum into a tree felling strike of textbook form. With a master's natural ease, he channels the power from his stance, through his core and shoulders, down his arms and into the grim blade in his hands. Moving with unstoppable force, the blow cleaves Krik'thir in two, his top half toppling to the ground while his lower parts carry on under their own momentum and topple in a heap in the dust.
ORIGINAL WRATH FIVE-MAN SEASON: SEMI-FINALS
We've come full circle: For the second time this season, Ley-Guardian Eregos finds himself facing off against Loken. In our second semi-final deathmatch, King Ymiron will battle Anub'Arak.
SEMI-FINALS MATCH 1
Ley-Guardian Eregos (seeded at 75.3%)
Loken (seeded at 52%)
SEMI-FINALS MATCH 2
Anub'Arak (seeded at 64.5%)
King Ymiron (seeded at 64.1%)
- The Two Bosses Thunderdome is considered neutral territory, where both combatants are able to access their usual encounter mechanics and abilities. Yes, we realize that Eregos flies and Loken does not; if you can't imagine it inside the Thunderdome, imagine it someplace else -- but you must take into consideration all of each bosses' abilities and mechanics.
- All of the competitors' abilities, including crowd control and other effects to which bosses are usually immune, work on their opponents (with apologies to considerations of lore on this point).
- Assume that the opponents share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output.
- Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter.
- Don't neglect style, story and scale. Everything is a factor; only you can decide how it balances out.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
In Corner One: Ley-Guardian Eregos (The Oculus)Simpletons! You cannot comprehend the forces you have set in motion. The ley line conduit will not be disrupted! Your defeat shall be absolute!
Ley-Guardian Eregos, the great Blue Dragon boss, flies at the pinnacle of The Oculus. Players normally battle him astride drake mounts with various abilities.
Inside the Two Bosses Thunderdome, there will be no player drake mechanic. Judge the battle on the basis of the abilities of Eregos and Loken themselves. Eregos may engage in battle in the air and/or on the ground -- your choice, neither is mandatory -- without the player drake mechanic.
- Arcane Barrage
- Arcane Volley
- Enraged Assault
- Planar Anomalies
- Planar Shift
- Whelps Two to three spawn at a time; heavy DPS can push Eregos into a Planar Shift before he has a chance to summon
In Corner Two: Loken (Halls of Lightning)My master has shown me the future, and you have no place in it. Azeroth will be reborn in darkness. Yogg-Saron shall be released! The Pantheon shall fall!
Loken, the Dark Titan who resides in the Halls of Lightning, has an extensive history with links to none other than Yogg-Saron. From wowwiki.com: "According to the Tribunal of Ages in Ulduar's Halls of Stone, Loken -- also known by various sources as "Keeper Loken," "Sentinel Loken," "Kronus" and "prime designate" -- was named the supreme protector of Azeroth by the Pantheon, leading the Aesir (Storm Giants) and Vanir (Earth Giants) following the containment of the Old Gods. Along with his brother Thorim, the Stormlord, as well as Watchers Hodir, Freya, Mimir and Tyr, Loken was designated as a guardian to watch over the prison of Yogg-Saron, deep within Ulduar. Over time, however, Loken succumbed to the whispers of the Old God and turned on his allies, taking control of Ulduar and seeking to unravel the plans of his former masters. At some point, he provoked a global war between the Storm Giants and Earth Giants, which was ended by Loken's 'neutralizing' them. After the conclusion of that war, Loken placed the Earthen, Giants and Vrykul into stasis at designated holding facilities (presumably, facilities like Uldaman or Ulduar)."
Learn more about Loken's battle abilities, and review comments from players who've battled him.
Inside the Thunderdome
Two Boss matchups are about substance and style, not game play and mechanics. Don't base your strategies on player tactics, which opponent has been easiest or most difficult for you personally, or the difficulty of each opponent relative to instance progression. Vote for the spirit of the battle as set forth above. Set aside differences in opponents' health pools, game level and actual damage output. Absolutely no game-mechanic nitpicking!
Before you cast your vote, join the debate in the comments. Who wins, and why? Style points go to spectators who use the comments to sway other readers to their point of view!
| Ley-Guardian Eregos wins (Loken dies) | |
|---|---|
| Loken wins (Eregos dies) | |
| Tie (something else happens) |
Who rocks Wrath's five-man world? Add your own narrative on what would happen when these mighty opponents meet up inside the Two Bosses Thunderdome. Anything's possible in the semi-finals of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves: The Original Wrath Five-Man Season.Filed under: Add-Ons, Lore, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
daan.leijen Jan 27th 2010 9:10AM
Seeing how Eregos can easily stay out of melee range from Loken, and rain arcane death on the Keeper, this will be quite a boring fight to watch indeed. That is, if you don't enjoy seeing Loken getting burned, blasted and ripped to shreds.
emperorshishire Jan 27th 2010 9:15AM
Don't forget Loken's Pulsing Shockwave. If Eregos stays far away from Loken, he'll be the first to die.
daan.leijen Jan 27th 2010 9:20AM
That would be employing magic against one of the most powerful of the blue dragonflight, the keepers of magic. Somehow i think whatever Loken does for magic, Eregos will return it ten times harder.
PoorKarma Jan 27th 2010 12:22PM
Why is it people think blue dragons are immune to magic? Just because they're really really good at using it, that doesn't mean they cant be hurt by it.
Marolas Jan 27th 2010 12:57PM
If Pokémon has taught me anything, it's that Electric attacks decimate Flying types. I can only assume the same will work here.
Conrose Jan 27th 2010 1:50PM
Eregos waits impatiently at the thunderdrome. "Where could that damned Loken be? The match starts in 5 minutes!"
Tapping his claw as he waits, he ponders on the possibility that Loken was too frightened to fight him. "This could be much more boring than all the rest of the fights... but could save me some time."
Suddenly a goblin seemed to materialize at his feet. "Um... sir... phone call for you from Shattrath."
"Who could possibly be in Shattrath to call me?" he pondered. "It's a ghost town these days... never mind that, hand over to me."
Taking up the phone, struggling to get it in a useful grip, first cursing Blizzard for not giving him a humanoid form, he speaks into it. "Ley-Guardian Eregos, who's speaking."
"Loken here, just called to tell..."
"Hahaha have you called to submit your surrender?"
"Far from it, I called to tell you the match is still on."
"Such insolence... such arrogance... must be PUN... wait..." Turning suddenly to the Goblin, he asks "where is the call was coming from again?"
"Shattrath... um Outlands?"
"Oh... can't get much farther away from here than to be there."
Suddenly the bell rings, an announcer commands that the match begins.
Eregos glances up at his debuff bar to see if Pulsing Shockwave was on him.
It was. "Oh shi-" then suddenly crumpled and died, dropping the phone.
The Goblin scrambled over to pick up the phone. "Um, Loken sir... you do understand you forfeited the match by not being in the Thunderdrome at the start of the match, right?"
Silence at first, perhaps as Loken was thinking of something, but then "No no no... according to the post, Eregos wins if I die, and I win if Eregos dies. I'm not Mal'Ganis so Eregos doesn't get a victory if I 'Flee' "
Unable to dispute the logic, the goblin announces to everyone that Loken is the victor.
Dreamstorm Jan 27th 2010 9:11AM
Can someone explain to me WHY there is a re-match? I thought it worked like a knock-out tournament.
Mynarc Jan 27th 2010 9:21AM
Because in order to balance out the number of bosses or something we were allowed to vote 5 defeated bosses back into the competition.
It was just luck that we get a rematch between these two.
Dreamstorm Jan 27th 2010 9:25AM
Right, thanks
awwjwah Jan 27th 2010 9:21AM
Guardian of magic VS a magic using God wanna be? Seems to me Eregos laughs at his silly lightening attempts and vaporizes him as easily as players do.
Hell, players have to ride Dragons to take down Eregos, pretty sure two drakes could take out Loken.
Daethar Jan 27th 2010 9:45AM
If you know what you're doing, you can pretty much use 2 drakes on Eregos
dcisko Jan 27th 2010 10:19AM
Here's the tough thing about this fight. I'm not a lore expert, but as I understand it, Loken is one of the Titans. The Titans raised the dragon aspects... who in turn created lieutenants like Eregos. So it would seem like there's a hint of "who's your daddy!" going on here, and that Loken should be able to take apart Eregos.
Mechanic-wise, Loken should be able to use Pulsing Shockwave to force Eregos down to the ground for a claw vs. fist battle. Then, their abilities are fairly similar. Loken's Arc Lightning and Lightning Nova should be able to deal with the whelps quite easily, and that leaves them zapping each other, lightning against arcane. Eregos may gain advantage from Planar Shift + Planar Anomalies, but I'll credit Loken with enough mobility to dodge those. In the end, I see a closely balanced matchup, but I am going to assume that Titans > Aspects > other dragons, and give Loken the victory.
Josin Jan 27th 2010 10:39AM
Loken isn't a Titan. He's a Keeper, put on Azeroth BY the Titans to keep Yogg-Saron on lockdown.
clundgren Jan 27th 2010 12:38PM
And job well done!
Oh, wait...
Marolas Jan 27th 2010 4:49PM
"Hell, players have to ride Dragons to take down Eregos, pretty sure two drakes could take out Loken."
How did everyone manage to forget that, if we're thinking game MECHANICS instead of story, that Loken manage to imprison both Thorim and his drake, transforming it into Razorscale.
I doubt two drakes from The Oculus could take down two Ulduar RAID bosses, if we're looking at it from a perspective of what does more damage in game, like you seem to be doing.
In reality, Loken would probably zap the impudent adolescent drakes out of the sky and then snap their frail, fleshy necks just as a precaution.
Panda040 Jan 27th 2010 9:31AM
Eregos is a fucking DRAGON of course he will win.
Prinnygod Jan 27th 2010 10:39AM
Onyxia is a dragon, and every week she dies a multitude of times against 10 random level 80s. I see no logic in your statement.
clundgren Jan 27th 2010 12:40PM
I have a variety of dragons that I keep in my backpack. It's important to be able to accessorize properly, depending on the gear I decide to wear each day!
Elunr Jan 27th 2010 2:06PM
This ought to be an easy win for eregos, he is a giant dragon, don't think Loken could do much to harm him.
Chipster Jan 27th 2010 9:35AM
Loken's Arc Lightning and Lightning Nova could easily take out the whelps as they spawn. While Eregos would naturally want to stay far away from Loken, this would be deadly due to Loken's lightning aura.
Loken could also easily dodge the Planar Anomolies while Eregos is invulnerable.
Eregos would give Loken a run for his money, the Loken's aura would make the deciding difference in this fight.