Two Bosses Enter ... but only One Boss Leaves, in WoW.com's series of fantasy death matches. It's a brand new season and a brand new format, introducing judges from WoW.com and the WoW community at large -- and of course, your votes. Grab a seat, and let's get ready to rumble!

Last week's matchup between Marwyn and the entire ToC PvP Champions team was a good set-up for this week's deathmatch between Eadric the Pure and the Lich King (5-man version). It's all about balance. Yes, lore comes into play. But inside the Thunderdome, lore isn't the only factor. Every point must be balanced against the others.

This week, a group of five adventurers -- the ToC Grand Champions -- made short work of Marwyn (just as your own groups probably do whenever you face Marwyn in a random). Step into the Thunderdome with us after the break, where we'll hear the judges' decisions and consider what many of you have been waiting for: the first of many bouts involving some version of the Lich King himself. Oh yes, it's finally time ... And in the words of Dr. Dealgood: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here."

A solid group takes down Marwyn

Let's face it: the ToC Grand Champions are used to gladiatorial matches. Marwyn got swept aside in his bid inside the Thunderdome, although two judges did hand their decisions to him.

In the stands

• Grand Champions 68.2%
• Marwyn 29.6%
• Tie 2.2%

Judge John "Zapperz" Zakour: Grand Champions

Wow, this is like a real live WoW encounter, five champions versus a big kind of bad DK. (I'm glad there is no jousting in this encounter. I hate the jousting so much I would have given the match to Marwyn out of pure spite. Yes, I am that petty; but I digress.) Marwyn is another one from Hall of Reflection who is made by his adds. He is a true general; without his underlings, he's nothing. Therefore, eliminating both groups of adds makes this another easy first round-call.

Marwyn starts off the brawl with a Well of Corruption. The guy's not stupid; he knows it's his only hope. Marwyn also goes right for Ambrose the gnome mage. A quick Obliterate and Marwyn smiles; he has tasted blood. But gnomes are nothing if not slippery little buggers. Ambro Blinks to safety. Marwyn sighs (rare for a death knight) and decides to take out the healer Colosos, figuring take down the heals and the rest will fall.

Of course, the ToC PvP Champions of acronyms have other ideas. Marshal Jacob Alerius does what warriors do best: He mindlessly leaps into battle, pulling Marwyn's attention from the healer to himself. Sure, MJA will take a bit of a beating, but he's a warrior. They live for that stuff. Taking advantage of the opening, the rogue Lana S. sneaks in from behind and Eviscerates poor Marwyn, while at the same time the hunter Jaelyne bombards him with Lightning Arrows and the little mage tosses in a fire ball or three. It's over before Marwyn can say, "run away!" Bottom line is if five average Joes in decent gear can take Marwyn down, then these elite champs will barely work up a sweat.

Matthew Rossi: Grand Champions

Marywn regularly falls to a group of adventurers. That's exactly what he's up against here. As long as they're smart enough not to stand in his Well of Corruption, he goes down.

Judge Sky Paladin: Marwyn

"Aahahaaa, so the fledglings have left the nest. Too soon, little birds, too soon!"
The champions picked up their weapons, and stood ready.
Runok Wildmane, the Tauren shaman, grunted. "You speak with confidence, death knight. How is it that you have such free will and yet do not join your comrades in the Ebon Blade?"
The figure shook his head and responded.
"Do not mistake me for the same common plebian filth that fills your children's playground. I am Marwyn, Commander of the Scourge. Your short, wretched existences are about to come to a painful and abrupt end."
(Read the rest of this short story in the comments of last week's post.)

Judge Michael Gray: Marwin

Marwin wins. It kind of pains me to admit that, actually, as I find Marwin to be an incredibly bland boss. I kind of want him to get wtfpwned by the PvP-esque Champions, but Marwin's got two abilities that will carry the day for him. Shared Suffering and Well of Corruption are both sweet, capable multi-target attacks that will keep the Champions from coordinating. Just in terms of raw chaos, Marwin will forbid the Champions from aligning their attacks. Considering even the most agile of players can struggle against those two powers, the Champions have never showed the finesse necessary to overcome "don't stand in fire."


In Corner One: Eadric the Pure

Hammer of the Righteous!
Nay! Nay! And I say yet again, NAY! Not good enough!
I yield! I submit. Excellent work. May I run away now?

Eadric the Pure is one of the bosses encountered during the Trial of the Champion in the Crusaders' Coliseum. In this Thunderdome battle, Eadric does not have to defeat the Lich King, merely to escape his grasp at the end of the gauntlet.

• Hammer of Justice
• Hammer of the Righteous If the target is not affected by Hammer of Justice, this Hammer may be caught and thrown back at the caster. This can be accomplished by removing the magic effect Hammer of Justice before Eadric throws the Hammer of the Righteous.
• Radiance
• Vengeance

Read more about Eadric's tactics and reports from adventurers who've faced him in battle.

In Corner Two: The Lich King (5-man version)

There is no escape!
Death's cold embrace awaits.
How long can you fight it?

It is vital to this Thunderdome match to note that this is the five-man, Halls of Reflection version of Arthas. Eadric does not have to defeat the Lich King, merely to stay out of reach long enough to escape his grasp at the end of the gauntlet.

• Remorseless Winter
• Fury of Frostmourne
• Summon Ice Wall
• Summon Raging Ghoul
• Summon Lumbering Abomination
• Summon Risen Witch Doctor

Read about the Halls of Reflection encounter with the Lich King and hear comments from adventurers who've sought him out.

The Laws of the Thunderdome

• 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 visualize it inside the Thunderdome, visualize it someplace else -- but you must take into consideration all of each bosses' abilities and mechanics.
• Assume that each opponent is intelligent and capable of strategic thinking.
• 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; seeking balance is your goal as a spectator and judge.

The Five-Man Bosses of Icecrown Citadel and Trial of the Champion

Match 1: Bronjahm vs. The Black Knight -- THE BLACK KNIGHT
Match 2: Devourer of Souls vs. Forgemaster Garfrost -- DEVOURER OF SOULS
Match 3: Krick and Ick vs. Scourgelord Tyrannus -- SCOURGELORD TYRANNUS
Match 4: Falric vs. Argent Confessor Paletress -- ARGENT CONFESSOR PALETRESS
Match 5: Marwyn vs. ToC PvP champions – ToC PvP champions
Match 6: Eadric the Pure vs. Lich King

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Set aside the world order -- let the Thunderdome determine who's the champion of Icecrown! Come back next week to find out who is the victor of the Icecrown-Trial of the Champions season of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves.

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Tags: arthas, eadric, eadric-the-pure, featured, halls-of-reflection, lich-king, lore, marwyn, ToC, trial-of-the-champion, wow-boss, wow-boss-battle, wow-bosses, wow-lore

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Two Bosses Enter