Thursday, July 30, 2020

THE CONTEST: CHEETAH versus WOLVERINE
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: Cheetah 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Wolverine 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Cheetah 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Cheetah 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Wolverine 26 (Metahuman)

The Grandmaster has come out guns blazing after suffering the biggest defeat of The Contest in the last battle! He's conserved points thus far, but this time he's spending up big to unleash one of the toughest competitors we've seen -- #4 ranked Wolverine!

I want to keep the pressure on, but I have to be realistic: I've already spent 2538pts -- just over half my budget in half the contest. In contrast, The Grandmaster only spent 1200pts before this match, and I know he's still got major players to come. I can't afford to blow all my points against a foe I'll struggle to beat, but I think I've found a mid-range selection who could score an upset!

Cheetah is poised for big things as a major villain in the delayed Wonder Woman movie sequel, and has all the necessary attributes to match and defeat Wolverine!

Her keen feline senses and cat-like claws draw parallels to the X-Man, but it's her incredible super-human speed and agility that could really give Wolverine trouble.

Speed was the difference when The Gorgon claimed victory in Wolverine #20. We also saw Winter Soldier rely on evasion and cutthroat tactics with a blade to earn a win in Wolverine #39. Cheetah may've been beaten in Wonder Woman #29, but she ran rings around Wonder Woman -- and Wolverine will never see or smell her coming at that kind of speed!

Wolverine's famous healing factor obviously gives him the ability to endure considerable punishment, but it can also make him over confident and sloppy. A rogue Archangel took advantage of that, eviscerating him in X-Force #5. He risked similar defeat taking a sword in Blade #5.

Fantastic Four #374 showed us what happens when Wolverine loses control with his razor-sharp adamantium claws, but it's an increasingly rare occurrence. He sliced through Donald Pierce and Lady Deathstrike in X-Men #133 and Uncanny #205, but they show the exception of non-lethal strikes against cyborgs. The former also demonstrates how he might walk into a super-powered loss.

So far we've recorded a 1-1 record for Wolverine against DC crossovers. He got a controversial win over Lobo in Marvel versus DC #3, and only shared a loss to Deathstroke in Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans after being overrun by Parademons. We also can't ignore his strong record against a comparable arch-nemesis - Sabretooth. He's a clear favourite against the #423 ranked Cheetah, but I think there's a pretty good case to be made that in practice Cheetah could score the upset!

The Verdict (Updated August 21st)...
As much as there was a legitimate argument to be made -- there was really no denying the favourite in this match-up. Wolverine has long been known as "the best there is at what he does", and that may've led some would-be voters to see a foregone conclusion from the outset.

Response was disappointing, but those that offered their views saw some reason in picking the underdog (or undercat, as it were). Nazar Talk Comics submitted a balanced view with an eye for the difference makers: "... I give it to [Cheetah]. She is stronger and faster. Although Wolverine can react to her and tank her hits and even damage her a little, but at the end, I don't expect him to win..."

Talking Wonder Woman also saw an evenly matched bout, but felt that famous mutant healing factor would be the more likely ticket to surviving: "I think this would be a knock-down, drag-out fight that would go on for a long, long time. If Cheetah can keep her strength up she could win, but with Wolverine's healing if he can outlast her I think he's got it in the end."

I was seduced by the topical dark horse, but Twitter voters could not be convinced. With Facebook polls still out of commission, it was a devastating and overwhelming 72.7% majority in favour of the famous Marvel mutant!

That means Round 7 belongs to The Grandmaster!

We'll be back for Round 8 real soon! Keep your eyes trained to The Contest for the latest battles and past results. Be sure to visit Twitter, Facebook, and Patreon for regular updates and new polls. You can also let me know what you think about the result in the comments or social media!

Winner: Wolverine
The Grandmaster: - 4 (2859pts)
Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: - 3 (1923pts)

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