THE CONTEST: GUARDIAN versus DEFENSOR
It had to happen! The Grandmaster has watched the Secret Wars on
Infinite Earths for many years and now he comes with a challenge: I must
select 12 heroes & villains from the DC Universe to do battle
against his Champions of the Marvel Universe! Grandmaster's team
competed in the first Contest of Champions and set an allowance of 5000pts based on fixed Fight Club Rankings. Each battle will be decided by you in fantasy fight polls held on Twitter, Facebook and Patreon!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 4 (Enhanced)Intelligence: Guardian 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Guardian 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Guardian 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Guardian 4 (Trained)
Energy: Guardian 2 (Projectile)
Total: Guardian 25 (Champion)
Defensor is another one of The Grandmaster's unranked international recruits who debuted in the original Contest of Champions. Gabriel Sepulveda was a construction worker in Argentina who came upon an underground cavern containing a suit of armor & shield - each made of vibranium.
He was facing a paramilitary group when he was transported to the original Contest. He then went toe-to-toe with the more advanced armor of Iron Man, deflecting his repulsor rays. The rare metal of his suit can absorb incredible impacts, while internal mechanics also greatly increase his strength.
The last battle backfired when I tried playing a similarly powered opposite against The Grandmaster's champion. Now the scores are tied -- and he's still got a significant spending advantage for the fights ahead. I'm going to hold my nerve by matching another of his 0pt selections, but this time I'm going to try to grind it out with a challenger who is much closer in equivalence!
Guardian is another shield-wielding hero cut from the cloth of the finest creators of this kind: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby! His history has grown complicated over the years, but essentially Jim Harper has remained a powerful force for good, fighting out of Suicide Slum in Metropolis.
He was a natural athlete, honing his body to perfection to become the shield-wielding Guardian until retirement. His "perfect" genetics gained the notice of Project Cadmus, who successfully cloned him and launched the golden Guardian into a new modern era of heroics! A man of peak strength, speed, and agility keeping an eye on the dangerous and shadowy streets of Metropolis!
Both of these heroes have toiled in relative obscurity, but Guardian did recently make a comeback in the pages of Action Comics. That should bode well. His body armor isn't as impressive as Defensor's, but he has far greater experience and natural ability. I think that could be enough to get the win.
The Verdict (Updated June 11th)...
Voter turnout for the battle of shields was at an all-time low -- but I can't say I blame anyone. In case you didn't notice: there were some more important things going on in the world during the week of polling! I hope these fantasy fights can provide a fleeting moment of enjoyment and escapism, but the issues at the forefront of people's minds right now deserve our full attention.
I was also aware that obscurity might pose a problem. Guardian has a fairly limited cult following at the best of times, and Defensor only ever made a couple of appearances before disappearing from comics. We looked at one of those fights, from Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #2, and also managed to sneak in a Guardian appearance from Superman #695, but it was all very last minute.
With Facebook polls still non-functioning, there were only three votes to count from Twitter: a split result that determined Defensor the winner by a rounded majority of 66.7%.
In my estimation, Guardian is the more storied and skillful of the two combatants, but it may've been Defensor's superior hardware that got him over the line.
Vibranium's special properties have become quite famous thanks to the exploits of Black Panther. Its ability to withstand Iron Man's hi-tech assault, even in the form of Defensor's ancient armor, was likely a deciding factor for those voters who felt Defensor would win. Guardian is also essentially a super-cop, and I can see how that might not have been a popular choice at this moment in time.
That means Round 5, and the overall lead, goes to The Grandmaster!
We'll be back for Round 6 later this month! Keep your eyes on The Contest for the latest battles and past results. Hit up Twitter, Facebook, and Patreon for regular updates and new voting polls. You can also let me know what you think about the result in the comments or on social media!
Winner: Defensor
The Grandmaster: - 3
Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: - 2
No comments:
Post a Comment