Two Bosses Enter: Anub, Eregos meet in finale; search for judges
by Lisa Poisso 
Feb 10th 2010 at 5:00PM
Anub'Arak scuttled King Ymiron and his longboats last week, 60.8% to 35.9%, to advance to this week's season finale of the Original Wrath Five-Man season of Two Bosses Enter. In the highly anticipated finals, Anub'Arak will burrow into the Thunderdome to face the dreaded Ley-Guardian Eregos. If you've never participated in a Two Boss Enters match before, please be sure to read the Thunderdome ground rules before casting your vote. Visit the comments first to get as broad a view of the match as possible before deciding whose pennant you'll be waving in the stands.
But first: We're taking a new angle inside the Thunderdome for upcoming seasons of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves. Each match will be decided by a distinguished panel of judges -- and you're invited to sit on the panel! Details after the break.
Become a Thunderdome judge
The Thunderdome takes a more critical yet community-minded approach for future seasons with the addition of a panel of judges who will decide the outcome of our matches. The panel will feature five judges: two permanent WoW.com panelists (the esteemed Messieurs Michael Gray and Matthew Rossi have graciously accepted panel seats); one "celebrity" guest judge from the WoW community at large, who will serve from one to a handful of matches; and two reader judges -- that's you! -- who will serve for an entire Thunderdome season (from two to 16 weeks, depending on the season's lineup).
Think you have what it takes to make the Thunderdome calls? Let us know you're interested in the comments below. We'll base our selections off your Two Bosses comments, so a mind-blowing accounting of this week's final fight to the death will work in your favor!
Pyromelter: Anub'Arak is basically the Lich King's second lieutenant after KT. He also does massive damage with Pound, Ymiron is too slow to move from Impale, and all his minions will eat Ymiron alive. I think Ymiron would get a shot or two in, but Anub'Arak is just too darn epic for a minor boss like Ymiron to handle.
(Tossing my vote in for Anub over Eregos, too. Don't be lame and vote for Eregos next week just 'cuz his stupid gameplay mechanic makes people fail so much.)
Clydtsdk-Rivendare: I'm calling a win for Ymiron this time; Dark Slash is overpowered against bosses. More specifically, the fight goes like this: Ymiron runs in and Dark Slashes Anub. Anub goes "OH CARP" and burrows. Adds take Ymiron down a good bit. Ymiron stuns the adds and burns a boat, doing sufficient damage to down the adds. Anub comes out again. Ymiron Dark Slashes again. Anub burrows again. Adds take Ymiron down a few more notches; another boat-burning or two and Ymiron's basically got it. Anub might not even have time to Pound.
- It is the five-man version of Anub'Arak who's fighting today. Please review his abilities with care.
- The Two Bosses Thunderdome is considered neutral territory, where both combatants are able to access their usual encounter mechanics and abilities. 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.
In Corner One: Anub'Arak (Azjol-Nerub) I was king of this empire once, long ago. In life I stood as champion. In death I returned as conqueror. Now I protect the kingdom once more. Ironic, yes?
Anub'Arak, the former king of Azjol-Nerub, was among the Nerubians slaughtered in the War of the Spider and later raised as Undead by Ner'zhul the Lich King to do his bidding. Read the extensive lore page on Anub'Arak to learn more about his background.
Anub'Arak's battle strategy includes truly relentless tactics. Besides wreaking havoc with vicious attacks and environmental damage, he swarms opponents with protective Locusts and nettling Carrion Beetles. He periodically burrows underground, besieging opponents with packs of summoned minions.
Take note: This is the five-man version of Anub'Arak from Azjol-Nerub.
- Carrion Beetles
- Locust Swarm
- Impale
- Pound
- Anub'ar Assassin
- Anub'ar Darter
- Anub'ar Guardian
- Anub'ar Venomancers
In Corner Two: 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 Anub'Arak 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
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!
| Anub'Arak (five-man/Azjol-Nerub version) wins; Eregos dies | |
|---|---|
| Ley-Guardian Eregos wins (Anub'Arak dies) | |
| Tie (something else happens) |
Who rocks Wrath's five-man world? Come back next week to find out who is the Champion of the Original Wrath Five-Mans in the Two Bosses Thunderdome. Anything's possible in the finals of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves: The Original Wrath Five-Man Season.Filed under: Lore, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Tremelizzer Feb 10th 2010 5:04PM
So battle between bug stuck in ground and flying firepowered dragon? The dragon is winner here :/
Wulfkin Feb 11th 2010 4:50AM
If anythign the Dragon is at a disadvantage. His attacks are rendered useless by the fact that Anub can be underground, and yet still launch adds and spikes that can get up into the air. Conversely, Eregos can't get at Anub at all unless he equips his whelps with little spades and orders them to start digging.
Not an easy fight certainly, but Anub can wear Eregos down whilst taking no damage of his own. Either a draw or a narrow win for Anub.
heroman12121 Feb 10th 2010 5:10PM
UH OH.
UH OH.
BIG BATTLE.
Hmm. I vote...not sure. Ill see what comments say..But for right now, I think im leaning towards Eregos..
charles.a.sutter Feb 12th 2010 11:42AM
Nothing happens, Anub burrows Eregos goes into planer shift... and they both don't come out until we die of boredom.
poggg Feb 10th 2010 5:19PM
Eregos flies into the air, outranging all of Anub'arak's attacks. Seeing that he can no longer do a thing, Anub'arak retreats underground, rendering Eregos' attacks useless as well. They just kind of sit there for a while, then just say "Screw it" and leave.
So it's a draw.
wutsconflag Feb 10th 2010 5:31PM
This.
Or Eregos wins for the simple fact that air power > ground power.
"He who controls the gravity well, controls the planet."
Galanis Feb 10th 2010 10:54PM
I'm assuming this battle takes place on ground, but with Eregos in the air. Anub'arak has no means of permanently grounding Eregos, but likewise, Eregos cannot prevent Anub'arak from burrowing to defend himself.
Anub'arak wins because of his adds. Anub is capable of completely nullifying the attacks of his enemy, he is no dimwitted bug. Upon confronting a dragon that is content to attack from range, Anub'arak would retreat underground, sending in hordes of Anub'ar Darters and Anub'ar Venomancers to harass Eregos and pull him in close.
During Planar Shifts Anub'arak can emerge with relative safety to damage more adds and reposition his own forces, retreating back underground if threatened. Given the wide-open battlefield I'm picturing, which is more akin to the wide-open plains of Borean Tundra than Azjol-Nerub or Coldarra, Anub'arak can move freely underground, use terrain to his advantage, perhaps finding ways to force Eregos closer. Even so, it doesn't really matter as Anub'arak can ride out the entire fight underground and use flying and ranged Nerubian minions to kill Eregos with a thousand cuts.
Anub'arak counters Eregos' adds very effectively with Carrion Swarm, which he also uses to shield his own adds from counterattack and draw Eregos in deeper. Anub'arak is patient, he will send wave after wave of adds at Eregos until the dragon falls, or moves to strike Anub'arak on the ground, which quickly turns to disaster as Impale is followed quickly by emerge and pound. Even if Eregos makes it to safety, he is badly wounded and potentially . Either way, Anub'arak's superior defenses and limitless army of disposable, effective adds make this a win for the Traitor King.
toxicrwk Feb 10th 2010 5:21PM
Ok let me tell you how this is gonna be:
Anubs adds can easily handle Eregos' adds.
Eregos enrages.
Anub burrows and does a /giggle, while the remaining adds give a little pewpew to the dragon.
Just because Anub is on the ground and Eregos is flying around, doesnt mean he autowins guys. Anub is an assassin. And all his badass attacks will roflstomp Eregos.
taristo Feb 10th 2010 5:52PM
yeah sure, becuase it really sucks when things that fly are throwing up in the air...
Mr. Tastix Feb 10th 2010 6:04PM
All his "badass attacks" require you to be ON THE GROUND. Eregos CAN BREATHE FIRE, he doesn't have to be on the ground to attack. So when Mr. Buggy comes to check for Eregos' corpse, Eregos can lie in wait and burn the sunuva bitch TO HELL.
Pyromelter Feb 10th 2010 7:03PM
"Eregos CAN BREATHE FIRE"
It's idiots like this that are likely voting for eregos. He doesn't breath fire. He spouts out bits of arcane magic.
Anub'arak's leeching swarm itself would tear eregos apart. Any other attacks would just hasten eregos' demise.
Andrew Feb 10th 2010 11:06PM
This is the only fight in which the adds are, in my mind the deciding factor, not the bosses and their individual abilities. Anub'arak and Eregos balance each others' abilities out perfectly, Eregos cannot be hit by Anub'arak's close-range killing blows and Anub'arak can burrow to avoid Eregos' aerial bombardment.
This is a fight between great generals with vast forces at their commands, not individuals, and as with all conflicts between armies, the most versatile and adaptive army will win out.
Consider Anub'arak. In a one-on-one with Eregos he would have no chance, unless Eregos was in a confined space and could not take flight. Anub'arak does, however have a veritable joint strike force of adds. They have ranged abilities, vast numbers, the ability to engage multiple targets at once, and most importantly: Flight. Eregos' adds are considerably more limited. The battle would be a very long one, fittingly enough it would be the longest battle of TBE. This is because Anub'arak and Eregos would be forced into a war of attrition.
Eregos' best option for the fight is to quit the field, despite being very resilient to the relative "pinprick" attacks of Anub'arak's forces. Given the legendary tunneling abilities of the Nerubians, though, retreat to Coldarra and heights would only grant Eregos a brief reprieve before a renewed assault. Anub'arak would additionally be able to emerge from the ground to personally coordinate the attack, with Eregos flying out of range to cut Anub'arak's advantage, removing venomancers from the fray.
Anub still wins by attrition.
m.arnold84 Feb 10th 2010 5:23PM
Well I personally think that Eregos will win, and here are my reason why.
First of all, he has the massive advantage of being in the air, whereas Anub is a ground creature as well as his hard hitting moves. Pound would have no effect on Eregos, neither would the majority of his adds that spawn when he burrows underground, except for maybe those gargoyles. The only thing in his favour could possibly be burying himself underground when Eregos goes in to the astral plane.
Therefore Eregos has to be the winner.
And yes I would be interested in the readers judge job in the two bosses enter column.
Mike Feb 10th 2010 5:25PM
Anub goes underground until Eregos gets tired. Anub had a little carrion beetle as a scout and when Eregos lands for a bit, Impale! Fatality! Round 2 START!
alexurface1 Feb 10th 2010 5:26PM
DRAGON FTW
reswab Feb 10th 2010 5:27PM
I will write one epic story.
Just give me a couple hours or so. I'll be back later tonight.
reswab Feb 11th 2010 3:07AM
Ley-Guardian Eregos banked hard left around the top of the Occulus. Around him, dozen of blue dragonflight drakes screeched as they flew around him and into the portal to Dragonblight. Eregos turned, starting his final pass, envisioned the dragonshrine, and blinked.
But where he ended up was known as. . .The Thunderdome.
__________
Eregos roared as pain shot through his hind leg. He struggled for freedom but his leg bound him to the floor. Something went wrong during his Malygos predicted portal travel would begin to haywire as a result of the ley conduit but Eregos never thought it could happen this quickly. Giving all the strength Eregos could to his leg, he managed to break a chunk away from the ground, however his leg was still encased in rock. Then he smelled the dead bug.
It wreaked of death, pestilence, and worst of all, insect. Lights began to glow faintly and a single spotlight appeared on the gigantic Crypt Lord. It quivered, clicked, and spoke.
"The Master has let your Nexus war fester long enough. Eternal agony awaits you Ley-Guardian Eregos, for it is on this day you begin your service for the Lich King."
"I have heard of you bug! You are Anub'arak the treacherous. Such insolence... such arrogance..." Eregos' chest swelled, " must be PUNISHED!" He extended his wings and prepared to take flight. Sharp pain shot through Eregos' wing tips as they collided directly with the sides and ceiling of the dome. Without room to spread his wings, Eregos plunged back toward the floor.
"You are too big for this room," Anub'arak yelled. " Haughty dragon, you are out of your element. Uunak-hissss tik-k-k-k-k!" The ground crumbled open as hordes of carrion beetles burst from below. They flew, crawled, and clung everywhere and pinched, gnawed, and clawed away at the struggling blue dragon.
Still enraged from before, Eregos let out one arcane barrage after another on the masses of insects. As soon as one died, two more replaced it, doubling their effort and fervor. Eregos desperately scanned the battlefield for Anub'arak, but the squirming floor distorted his vision. The beginning of his wings began to burn, quickly followed by the rest of his body. The bugs, it seemed, were tearing off his scales individually.
"Auum na-l ak-k-k-k, isshhh, " Cried Anub'arak. "Your armor is useless against my locusts!" Spikes shot from the ground beneath Eregos and he was pinned between the side of the dome and the floor.
Half conscious, Eregos howled and phased partially out of existence. Scarabs fell through his ethereal form as he unleashed planar anomalies around himself. He tried to collect his bearings and asses his state. Pain constantly burned all over his body despite removed removed from this reality. He couldn't feel his left wing and he saw most of the limb had been severed off by the bugs. Blood oozed everywhere from open wounds, one wing crippled and another severed, Eregos began to lose his focus and return back to the reality.
During the Ley-gaurdian's planar shift, Anub'arak burrowed safely underground, until the moment the dragon returned. Anub'arak resurfaced in time to see the horde of scarabs pounce on the freshly exposed flesh. They covered ever stretch of Eregos' flesh, swarming, squirming, tearing and gnawing away. The dragon desperately heaved itself up but quickly buckled from the additional weight. It was not long until the shape of the dragon was lost underneath the blanket of frenzied scarabs.
"Now dragon, Now you shall serve the Lich king! Now you shall experience my torment first-hand!
_____
btw, I'd like to be a future judge.
jonahb Feb 10th 2010 5:28PM
Anub goes in for the pound fients then burrows in while egros flies up
anub jumps out of his burrow grbs egros mid air and starts pounding him into the dust
but o wait egros goes into planear shift
and then evrything explodes
Daestrum Feb 10th 2010 5:29PM
Anub'arak wouldn't simply attack Eregos straight on. He's no fool. He earned his place as a lieutenant to The Lich King for a reason. The way I see it, he'd erupt from the frozen continent at the perfect opportunity to cripple the Ley Guardian. Like a spider trapping a fly in its web, he'd shred the dragon's wings and then rip him apart in the name of the Lich King.
Dragons are cunning, yes, but they are arrogant. Eregos is a perfect example of this arrogance. Anub'arak is malicious and intelligent enough to use that to his advantage and tear apart the fool on his own terms.
Mr. Tastix Feb 10th 2010 10:37PM
Anub'arak is just as arrogant. He's already tried killing us twice, thinking he shall succeed (and his quotes prove this). He's failed both times. It's any wonder the Lich King even bothers.