Two Bosses Enter: Spectators break tie for Tyrannus; PvP champs face Devourer
by Lisa Poisso 
Apr 14th 2010 at 9:00AM
It took a boost from Thunderdome spectators last week to push the Lich King up enough to catch Eadric the Pure, but even his fans weren't enough this time. The crowd turned away from Arthas this week to swing a split decision in the judges' box in favor of Scourgelord Tyrannus. The DK-on-DK battle ended up sending Tyrannus on as the first victor of the ICC-5/ToC quarter-finals.
Join us after the break for the judges' decisions and final results of Lich King vs. Scourgelord Tyrannus, then cast your vote in the next Thunderdome mix-up: ToC PvP Champs versus Devourer of Souls. You know how Dr. Dealgood calls it: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... Dyin' time's here.
- Scourgelord Tyrannus 60.7%
- Lich King (Halls of Reflection) 36.1%
- Tie (something else happens) 3.2%
Reader-Judge John "Zapperz" Zakour -- Victory: Scourgelord Tyrannus
Okay, we're finally into the second round, the juicier matches. This one pits Tyrannus, a DK, against a slimmed-down version of Arthas, Lich King and eventually the ultimate DK. Once again, if this is punch and slug-it-out , you gotta give it the LK; after all, he is the game's title character, the ultimate big bad. You have to assume even this stripped-down version of him could win a slugfest. But this, this is a run-and-don't-let-'em-catch-you event -- an entirely different ball of wax.
Last week, I went on record as saying Eadric would outrun the Lich King. Eadric is one of the wimpiest bosses out there, but he is good at running. Tyrannus is no wimp; wimps don't get to ride a big, bad-ass drake like Rimefang. Actually, it's Tyrannus' lack of wimpiness that could hurt him here. The only way Tyrannus could lose this is if he tried to tangle with the Lich King one on one, mano e mano. Sure, Tyrannus and Rimefang could handle the ghouls, abominations and witch doctors (oh, my!) easily enough. An Unholy Power followed by a Forceful Smash here and an Icy Blast there makes quick work of the LK's trio of minions.
Yet if the LK himself catches up with Tyrannus, a Fury of Frostmourne or two and it's time for the fat dwarf lady to sing -- it's over. Tyrannus has a bit of ego but he's no dummy, he knows he can't match the Lich King's muscle. Therefore, he wins this one of two ways. The easy way, he gets on Rimefang and shouts, "Run away," and they fly off into round three. Or if the armor is feeling a little snug and he needs some exercise, he and Rimefang take on the adds while the wall is up and then hustle on down the road once the wall is down. Either way, Tyrannus "wins" this and gets to fight another day.
Judge Matthew Rossi -- Victory: Scourgelord Tyrannus
If we assume that for whatever reason Tyrannus can defy the Lich King (maybe he just got snapped out of his control like Mograine and the other DKs did), then yeah, Tyrannus can escape. He's got Rimefang, he hits like a truck and he can knock back, throw debuffs and share damage around. The various adds go down before him like wheat before a very sharp scythe, and Jaina/Sylvanas gets away.
Judge Michael Gray -- Victory: Lich King
Once again, the Lich King will dominate. I'm not quite sure who's going to topple the master of Icecrown, but until someone can stop the Fury of Frostmourne, these are going to be some one-sided battles.
I suspect Tyrannus might find a little help with Rimefang and thus will definitely put up a greater fight than the Lich King's previous opponents. But ultimately, Tyrannus is a hand-to-hand fighter. And as we know, anyone who tries to go toe-to-toe with Frostmourne is gonna get their soul sucked out.
Now, granted, I'm ignoring the easy interpretation of "Arthas just takes his powers away," because once our bosses are in the arena together, we're assuming those rules won't apply. But it's got to come down to Frostmourne.
Reader-Judge Sky Paladin -- Victory: Lich King
I give this one to the Lich King. Tyrannus does hit very hard, but he lacks good area of effect or cleave attacks. He doesn't have any interrupts, no ranged attacks and one of his abilities (Unholy Power) is counter-effective. Conversely, his mount, Rimefang, is the real threat, with a number of (weak) area of effect spells.
Tyrannus doesn't have any way to gather the groups up, so they're just going to run straight past and kill the person he is trying to protect. The trouble is, as experienced players will point out, that not having a way to deal with the Vrykul means wading into the Lich King's chill of doom, and that will be what ends Tyrannus. He just doesn't have the tools to do the job -- he's a broadsword, when a scalpel was needed.
Things are about to get crazy in the Two Bosses Thunderdome.
- To square off against the Devourer of Souls, we're going to pull out all five of the Trial of the Champions grand champions at once. (Players face only three of the champs during a given encounter.)
- We won't force Devourer to become a giant head astride Argent Warhorse or equipping a lance; everyone will be on foot for the duration of this deathmatch.
- Consider the balance of these opponents carefully before making your decision on this fight. In order to create any sort of fair fight, the strength of the team of five as a whole must be roughly equivalent to that of the Devourer of Souls. Think of it something like a normal group encounter.
Consider the balance of these opponents carefully before making your decision on this fight. In order to create any sort of fair fight, the strength of the team of five as a whole must be roughly equivalent to that of the Devourer of Souls. Think of it something like a normal group encounter.
- Lana Stouthammer/Deathstalker Visceri Eviscerate, Fan of Knives, Poison Bottle
- Colosos/Runok Wildmane Chain Lightning, Earth Shield, Healing Wave, Hex of Mending
- Marshal Jacob Alerius/Mokra the Skullcrusher Bladestorm, Intercept, Mortal Strike, Rolling Throw, Whirlwind
- Jaelyne Evensong/Zul'tore Disengage, Lightning Arrows, Multi-Shot, Shoot
- Ambrose Boltspark/Eressea Dawnsinger Blast Wave, Fireball, Haste, Polymorph
Read more about the Grand Champions encounter.
In Corner Two: The Devourer of Souls
You dare look upon the host of souls?! I shall devour you whole!
The Devourer of Souls is the second and final boss of the Forge of Souls in Icecrown Citadel. He resembles the similarly-named Reliquary of Souls from the Black Temple.
Read more about how the Devourer of Souls goes about his gruesome feast of souls, and review reports from the hardy adventurers who've faced him in battle.
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.
| ToC PvP Champs win (Devourer dies) | |
|---|---|
| Devourer of Souls wins (PvP Champs die) | |
| Tie (something else happens) |
The Five-Man Bosses of Icecrown Citadel and Trial of the Champion
Round One
Match 1: Bronjahm vs. The Black Knight
Match 2: Devourer of Souls vs. Forgemaster Garfrost
Match 3: Krick and Ick vs. Scourgelord Tyrannus
Match 4: Falric vs. Argent Confessor Paletress
Match 5: Marwyn vs. ToC PvP champions
Match 6: Eadric the Pure vs. The Lich King
Round Two
Match 1: Scourgelord Tyrannus vs. Lich King (5-man, HoR version)
Match 2: ToC PvP champions (68.2%) vs. Devourer of Souls (55.5%)
Match 3: The Black Knight (61.7%) vs. Argent Confessor Paletress (58.8%)
Match 4: Reader vote to bring back any ICC-5/ToC season loser
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.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Lore, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jack Miles Apr 14th 2010 9:25AM
YOU DARE LOOK UPON THE HOST OF SOULS!?
Soulink Apr 14th 2010 9:37AM
I SHALL DEVOUR YOU W.... oooh, horsie! Weeeee!
ScorchHellfire Apr 14th 2010 10:50AM
STARE INTO THE ABYSS AND SEE YOUR END!
Ravasha Apr 14th 2010 9:39AM
There is no tank. Devourer wins.
j4ykworks Apr 14th 2010 2:31PM
this fight comes down to the same as a pug. can they stay out of the beam? they don't have any interrupts, so if at least 2 of them cant then i think they wont have enough time to finish devourer before the 17k lolbolt finishes them.
Garnlok Apr 14th 2010 6:12PM
The Devourer of Souls is the ICC 5 man boss that causes the most wipes. Everyone must know his abilities and the proper reactions to them in order to win. Even knowledgable groups often have 1 or 2 people screw up on Wailing Souls. The ToC champoins have obviously never faced it before, or they wouldn't still be at the tournament grounds instead of storming Icecrown, so they have no chance whatsoever.
Boydboyd Apr 14th 2010 9:50AM
It will be a close match until the OMGWTFBBQcrazyfacebeamofdeath from the Devourer.
Then the champs die.
ScorchHellfire Apr 14th 2010 10:58AM
O o
/¯________________________
| IMMA FIRIN' MAH LAZOR!!!
\_¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
brian Apr 14th 2010 6:21PM
And that's without even considering Mirrored Soul or Phantom Blast.
Zeprimus Apr 14th 2010 9:55AM
I've seen the ToC champs do some pretty stupid stuff. For example, the resto shaman will often cast Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning right before he's going to die. Yeah, great healer. Don't forget their amazing ability to run away if you start the fight with them. My vote goes to the Devourer.
Razortooth Apr 14th 2010 6:16PM
This ^
Establishes a basis for the intelligence (or lack thereof) of the faction champions. Since they aren't very skilled (or situationally aware) they will likely die from the laser, which we can assume (based on story) is still an instant death.
vandenhamster Apr 14th 2010 10:11AM
I wouldn't be surprised if the Shaman gets Mirrored Soul, and the Hunter/Mage/Warrior/Rogue just continue pounding on him. The champions are capable in theory, but in reality they're pretty likely to fuck up.
NeoPhobos Apr 14th 2010 10:12AM
I'm looking at the ToC Champs with quite a few AoE damage abilities: FoK, Chain Lightning, Multi-Shot, etc.
This is all well and good when designed to take out groups (i.e. less damage per enemy, overall damage is spread out). However, there's only one enemy here, hence those AoE attacks hit for very little, and thus it is counter-productive to even use them.
With the Devourer able to use its full range of attacks, this battle isn't close.
Da muro Apr 14th 2010 10:19AM
HoR is quite a bit more difficult than PoS amirite? Lich king shoulda one.
Pyromelter Apr 14th 2010 12:48PM
I bet you voted for malygos 800 times in the previous season. Because oculus is hard.
amirite?
Josin Apr 14th 2010 10:48AM
Well, since I've never seen any indication that the Champions are from the same guild, or even know each other, I'm going to assume that they're a PuG, and all the DPSers will fall to Wailing Souls, just like any other PuG.
This leaves the healer and tank to finish off the fight, which, while it will take a while, eventually happens.
clundgren Apr 14th 2010 1:13PM
Well, we have to assume that our gladiators fight intelligently. The only reason anyone ever loses the Devourer is when they fight stupidly. Given that regular 5 man groups find the Devourer to be a pushover, I see no reason why this group won't, also.
ToC Champions ftw.
Jeremy Apr 14th 2010 1:21PM
With no true tank in the group, the mage or hunter will immediately pull aggro and get themselves killed. As it stands, the hunter is the only one who could use all their abilities in the fight. You could argue that Mortal Strike isn't 100% useless in this fight, but the entire point to the ability is to reduce healing..which DoS isn't getting anyhow. Poison Bottle could backfire if/when DoS is standing in it and Mirrored Souls is cast upon someone.
Hex is worthless for the same reason reason Mortal Strike could be, but more so.
This is sort of how I see it playing out.
The warrior goes in pretending to be a tank. Mage and hunter open up with their hardest hitting shots before the warrior can do MS followed by WW/Bladestorm to get DoS' attention. So in desperation, the warrior intercepts DoS before he can kill said hunter and mage and uses his Rolling Throw. That just makes DoS mad (I hate knockbacks, why wouldn't it) and insta laser beam of death is released in the warrior's face as he tries again to to establish aggro. The shaman, was too busy pew pewing during this time and can't save the warrior. The rogue after seeing this throws a poison bottle to the ground and giggles while FoKing DoS. DoS casts mirrored souls on the shaman who desperately tries to save himself with a Phantom Blast incoming on him as well from grabbing healing aggro. Too bad no one knows how to interrupt =( and no one remembered to call out to stop dpsing. Mage dies to Well of Souls (clothies are so so soft). A few more Phantom Blasts to the hunter who decided that when the mage was pew pewing all out to its demise, it was wise to do the same and likewise meets its own demise. Leaving the rogue. Who at this point is cursing the day they didn't bother to train for vanish all those levels ago. How the rogue dies? Doesn't really matter now does it. Its party was wiped out pretty fast kinda like that nightmarish pug we all experienced when FoS/H.FoS was brand new.
If only the group had a real tank. Maybe they'd have not met such a swift demise.
Angus Apr 14th 2010 2:55PM
They all start pewpew.
Devourer starts to cast Mirrored Soul. Is a sheep before done.
They smack it and it starts to do mirrored Soul again. Is now grabbed by the face and thrown around room.
It gets up, calls up some ghosts hoping they will distract the champs. Mirrored soul starts. Now is a frog and is quite unhappy. Eats a few hits before breaking. It jumps at the hunter and slams her into the ground. She politely disengages and now the devourer is wondering if it has anything that won't be ignored.
At this point the poor devourer decides to fire the laser beam. Gets turned into a sheep. The sheep realizes that against these guys, having all the spells be channeled or cast times means that it can't do anything as long as they time their responses.
The devourer of souls politely requests the opportunity to be made into a little green ball and sent into space.
Beuvers Apr 14th 2010 4:26PM
This would be true except DoS is undead, and polymorph won't work.