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Tier 9-B Bone Crusher Tournament (2022): Fanged Deserter vs Lu Niang Lan

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Round 1 - Match 5:

Rules
:
  • Same Rules as stated in the Tournament.
  • Speed Equalized
  • Distance: Fighting distance for every matchup will be 10 meters.
  • Location: Sports Festival Stadium from My Hero Academia
First couple of matches has been a banger and now Fanged Deserter enters his second ever tournament against a deadly assassin as we approach match 5.

Peppersalt43 vs DontTalkDT

Results:
Lu Niang Lan: 6 (Random, DT, Sero, Dale, Adem, God)
Fanged Deserter: 8 (Averageuser, Popted2, Farer, Peppersalt, Timbeg, Jibz, Bambu, Psycho)
Inconclusive:
 
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I know @DontTalkDT is preparing a gigantic skill feat list about how this character has faced everything Fanged Deserter can do and will be able to counter perfectly because that's what always happens

To that I say, can she fight with a broken skull?
 
To that I say, can she fight with a broken skull?
You really think that horse shoe has any chance of hitting her without getting blocked? Does he even use it in character?


Anyways, how skilled is Deserter? IIRC he has lots of experience, but not many skill showings, right? Doesn't have great intelligence in any case.

And I take it we give him those six standard items, but not all of the rest, yes?

Any good counter to the invisibility if we're at it?
 
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You really think that horse shoe has any chance of hitting her without getting blocked?
I knew you'd say something like that. That always happens with characters like yours

In the scan for his fate manip, one of the things he can do with his Omens is neutralize a fumble meaning missing an attack on a bad roll. In other words, he can cancel his attack missing or getting blocked
Does he even use it in character?
Yes, it's a great way to end a fight early or just cripple an enemy at first
Any good counter to the invisibility if we're at it?
Getting a lucky shot? Is it something she needs to activate
 
I knew you'd say something like that. That always happens with characters like yours

In the scan for his fate manip, one of the things he can do with his Omens is neutralize a fumble meaning missing an attack on a bad roll. In other words, he can cancel his attack missing or getting blocked
Sceptical that "a fumble" translates to getting dodged or blocked. Sounds more like missing due to his own incompetence. In fact, looking things up, I believe a fumble translates in the game rules to rolling a 1. Since tasks can take rolling something higher than 1 to succeed, this isn't to be equated to a "you succeed in whatever you want once"-button. Even an easy task usually requires rolling a 6 to accomplish, from what I could find.

Additionally, there are two requirements to that.

1. He must have that idea to use it like that. I'm very sceptical about that, seeing his below average intelligence. I think we would need some showings that he actually does that in-character to assume. He, in particular, would need to do that on his very first use of the horse shoe, as she likely would not let him get it back once he has thrown it.

2. That his fate manip is even powerful enough to do it. Unless it is the kind that can make impossible fates possible, I am sceptical that it would work. Lu Niang Lan is vastly more skilled than the likes of Shiroyama Kyousuke who mid-battle doesn't just predict but outright calculates out the trajectory of projectiles and other things, like the sound waves of attacks. To quote from his profile:
Body Analysis/Calculations: Kyousuke is able to predict an enemy's next movement by reading their breathing, the movement of their eyes, the tension in their muscles, the adjustments to their balance and other information from their body. He used this technique to counter Hayato Yasuzumi's artificial gravity control strategy. Similarly, he can accurately calculate out where he can strike to knock someone out in a single blow by determining the location of his opponent’s center of gravity from their build, determined the range of motion of their arms and legs, etc...; all in an instant. Kyousuke is also able to use his superhuman calculation abilities in other ways, such as to calculate bullet ricochets in order to surround the enemy with bullets. One time, when confronted with armed guards in the closed space of a ship's hallway, Kyousuke adjusted things in the environment like the angle of doors or ceiling panels to focus the noise of the guards' gunshots, knocking them out non-lethally with the reflected sound waves.
I.e. Lu largely eliminates probability.

Yes, it's a great way to end a fight early or just cripple an enemy at first
Source?

Getting a lucky shot? Is it something she needs to activate
Yes. She has to activate it, but I am sceptical getting a lucky shot is so easy.

Lu in any case is incredibly skilled and specializes in ending fights quickly. That's because she regularly fights summoners, who are completely undefeatable for her once they start summoning anything and hence basically need to get instantly taken out.
I think her likely approach here would be to open by tossing throwing knives at him and then disappearing, to land a devastating attack unto a vital area from close up. (Perhaps using something like her armor bypassing shockwave techniques if necessary)
With his AP advantage Deserter might survive that initial encounter, but at that point he would already be in a fairly bad state making the rest of the confrontation easier for Lu.
 
1. He must have that idea to use it like that. I'm very sceptical about that, seeing his below average intelligence.
He's not so stupid that he doesn't know how his abilities and weapons work.
I think we would need some showings that he actually does that in-character to assume.
Hard to do that since he's a character class in a board game
He, in particular, would need to do that on his very first use of the horse shoe, as she likely would not let him get it back once he has thrown it.
When in single fights without any outside influence, he has no reason not to use an omen since there won't be anything else to get him on victory
With his AP advantage Deserter might survive that initial encounter, but at that point he would already be in a fairly bad state making the rest of the confrontation easier for Lu.
Another thing one can do with their omen is to neutralize critical hits, you know, attacks that deal much more damage then they're supposed to? So he should be able to take one of those lethal hits
 
He's not so stupid that he doesn't know how his abilities and weapons work.
Which doesn't indicate that he combines them in the best manner against this particular opponent.

Hard to do that since he's a character class in a board game
¯\(ツ)
Doesn't justify assuming optimal actions without showings.

When in single fights without any outside influence, he has no reason not to use an omen since there won't be anything else to get him on victory
He can use omens on his sword stuff instead. He, in fact, has no reason to go for the horse shoe the whole time, especially once Lu gets close. If I understand correctly he has limited uses of Omens, so it's not like every attack he makes in this fight has that effect.

Also, as said, I seriously doubt the omens equate to getting certain hits or anything.

Another thing one can do with their omen is to neutralize critical hits, you know, attacks that deal much more damage then they're supposed to? So he should be able to take one of those lethal hits
The attack is technically an average attack for Lu, though. Not a particularly critical one.

Even if he could mitigate the damage somewhat, that would once again use up one of his omens. How many does he get again? Two?
 
Neutral on this fight for now (though I want DontTalk to win so I can hopefully face him in the tourney, though that's probably not going to happen).
 
It's not that I need to try harder, I'm just not confident in you to go all the way to the finals so you can face me.
just watch

Anyway, to contribute something. I looked through the scans on the profile and they actually clarify how many omens fanged deserter gets.
It's 1d2 many, i.e. either 1 or 2.
So pretty good chance he runs out of those while mitigating Lu's initial attacks and doing sword fighting IMO.

The only way he stands a chance seems to be if he fights optimal and for a character without in-character showings and below-average intelligence I don't think we should assume that.
 
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Read through the first few comments and I realized the shady comments y'all were throwing at each other lol

Anyways, voting Niang for now.

Those omens from fanged deserter will definitely cause some issues for Niang, but her being more skilled than people who can predict someone's movement by reading their breathing, along with her specializing in ending fights quickly, might be too much for the deserter to handle.
 
Hey stop that! @Mr._Bambu just gave some clarification here

Yes, Omens completely remove a miss and cause any attack to instantly hit
Fanged Deserter can use any of his weapons in any manner possible due to all of his equipment being usable so yes, he knows that he can combine his omen with the horse-shoe and can start with it
Also he's not very skilled

Please stop voting, I just gave my reasoning. Please, I don't want to lose another tourney like this
 
You really think that horse shoe has any chance of hitting her without getting blocked? Does he even use it in character?


Anyways, how skilled is Deserter? IIRC he has lots of experience, but not many skill showings, right? Doesn't have great intelligence in any case.

And I take it we give him those six standard items, but not all of the rest, yes?

Any good counter to the invisibility if we're at it?
Yeah. It's specifically one of his tools lol.

I don't really like arguing skill feats, but he is more skilled than trained soldiers. Whether that matches assassins by your standards is irrelevant to me, as really you're arguing a fighting style by that point. Deserters kill what they're aimed at, better than most people.

Fate Manip in the context of MB is sufficient to counter good hits on him or to make his own attacks much more devastating.

He can fight invisible people, aye, it's really not too much of a deterrent in MB. IIRC it just makes the typical 12 roll to dodge into a 10.
 
Yeah. It's specifically one of his tools lol.
Being one of his tools ≠ he frequently uses it like it's his main weapon, though.

I don't really like arguing skill feats, but he is more skilled than trained soldiers. Whether that matches assassins by your standards is irrelevant to me, as really you're arguing a fighting style by that point. Deserters kill what they're aimed at, better than most people.
Lu's skill is vastly beyond that of people who skill stomp soldiers, so I think she has a pretty good advantage here.

Fate Manip in the context of MB is sufficient to counter good hits on him or to make his own attacks much more devastating.
Yeah, don't think that's enough to hit that horse shoe in a speed equal scenario against such a good fighter. As said, Lu should be able to predict the trajectory to dodge/block it. In in-game terms he needs to roll pretty damn high rather than just not a 1... assuming he uses one of his 2 omens like that at all. As said, kinda sceptical about assuming him to make very good decisions.

He can fight invisible people, aye, it's really not too much of a deterrent in MB. IIRC it just makes the typical 12 roll to dodge into a 10.
How? Is it the normally that it can be figured out via the sound? Because it might not apply to Lu.

Yes, Omens completely remove a miss and cause any attack to instantly hit
Source? Because from what I see omens can make things somewhat easier or remove a fumble (i.e. rolling a 1), not make one attack guaranteed to succeed.

Additionally, you argue that it hits the head in particular. So it not only needs to hit, it even needs to make him crit in addition to that. From what I see that's not what Omens do.

Fanged Deserter can use any of his weapons in any manner possible due to all of his equipment being usable so yes, he knows that he can combine his omen with the horse-shoe and can start with it
Just because that's the strategy you want him to use, doesn't mean it is what he does use. You are confusing capability with actual behaviour. Again, for a below-average intelligence character with no known in-character strategy assuming he goes for the one specific combinations of things that let him win the very first time he uses the weapon needed for that against an unknown foe is a completely illegitimate assumption.
 
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So, just to summarize, the scenario suggested for Fanged Deserter to win is basically as follows:
  1. Fight starts and Lu immediately begins pressuring Fanged Deserter. Fanged Deserter manages to hold himself despite the skill and weapon gap long enough to take offensive action, possibly by using some of his 2 Omen uses defensively.
  2. When it comes to offense, instead of going for the sword he is likely using to defend and fight, he decides to pull out his horseshoe as a throwing weapon.
  3. He manages to switch from sword to horseshoe (or dual wield) without Lu disarming him or landing lethal/incapacitating hits (she for example disarmed people by throwing knives into their tendons and/or joints).
  4. He still has one of his two Omen left at this point to use on his horseshoe throw.
  5. He decides to use that Omen at his very first throw of the horseshoe (otherwise Lu will just block it / shoot it down mid-air and he won't get it back).
  6. He goes for the head.
  7. Hope the 1 in 6 chance for the horseshoe to smash the skull triggers (which could be aided by more Omen usage, but then the combo would require all Omens he has to be used for it)
All of this must be done by a character with no prior knowledge, below-average intelligence and no showings of any of that being his in-character strategy.
I think the probability of all of that happening is way below 50%.

And that is assuming Omens let a character get a guaranteed hit in, which by all I see linked on the profile and found on the net is not what Omens actually do. Supposedly, the best Omen use on an attack roll is usually to reroll i.e. to essentially get a second try at what you were attempting. I don't think two tries to hit Lu would suffice to actually do so here.
 
Being one of his tools ≠ he frequently uses it like it's his main weapon, though.


Lu's skill is vastly beyond that of people who skill stomp soldiers, so I think she has a pretty good advantage here.


Yeah, don't think that's enough to hit that horse shoe in a speed equal scenario against such a good fighter. As said, Lu should be able to predict the trajectory to dodge/block it. In in-game terms he needs to roll pretty damn high rather than just not a 1... assuming he uses one of his 2 omens like that at all. As said, kinda sceptical about assuming him to make very good decisions.


How? Is it the normally that it can be figured out via the sound? Because it might not apply to Lu.


Source? Because from what I see omens can make things somewhat easier or remove a fumble (i.e. rolling a 1), not make one attack guaranteed to succeed.

Additionally, you argue that it hits the head in particular. So it not only needs to hit, it even needs to make him crit in addition to that. From what I see that's not what Omens do.


Just because that's the strategy you want him to use, doesn't mean it is what he does use. You are confusing capability with actual behaviour. Again, for a below-average intelligence character with no known in-character strategy assuming he goes for the one specific combinations of things that let him win the very first time he uses the weapon needed for that against an unknown foe is a completely illegitimate assumption.
I mean. I guess, but in context it's no more used than his other weapons. Since this is a PC, it's difficult to say concretely what he's most likely to use, but the horseshoe is objectively the best thing he has in more or less every single fight.

Yeah, I figured you would still be arguing skill. I don't particularly care about the argument, though, because there's no solid metric. Unless we're entering superhuman tiers of skill, "stomping soldiers" is about all you can say, and various levels above that. If Fanged Deserter beats the best soldiers in MB, then the only problem in regards to the whole skill argument is that MB's most skilled people are soldiers rather than assassins who beat up soldiers. So unless you're arguing superhuman tiers of skill, the argument is moot to me.

You're probably not familiar with MB, so I can't blame you much. It doesn't state how they figure out invisibility because the game intentionally avoids information vomit. Or much information at all, really. So it could be argued to be sound, but the game doesn't explicitly say. Just says it isn't too much of a deterrent one way or another.

I don't have much of a dog in Peppersalt's fight, but the horseshoe will hit the head, it is specifically stated to be inclined to strike there over other weapons. That much is explicit info, which ought to be taken into account when only the most important information is given in MB.
 
Also I really like how you're painting it as "HE HAS TO SWITCH FROM WEAPON TO WEAPON TO USE ONE HE WOULD RANDOMLY ASSUME IS BEST" when like

no, the horseshoe is objectively the best weapon he has for anything smaller than a wyvern and troll

Here's how I see the fight.

Fanged Deserter begins also pressuring Lu, because that is simply how fights work, DT. A smidgeon of stealth has never been too much of an issue before, there's plenty of stealth specialists in MB. He uses his best weapon that he knows will be his best weapon, with or without using Wizard Teeth because that's the only other thing that really makes sense. Dude chucks horseshoe and does what he can to ensure it hits. If it hits, there is an extremely considerable chance that he kills, between Wizard Teeth and the skull-cracking powers of the horseshoe.

Intelligence means nothing in regards to this fight, this isn't a spelling bee for christ's sake. It feels as though you're throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. "Ah, but does this character have an answer to Bumblesnarf's Mighty Tungler?" Probably not, he has a boomerang that's very good at instant killing and has very good odds to make it kill on the first attack, the exception being it doesn't do well against bigger guys. Your entire argument runs on the basis that Lu somehow just immediately disarms Fanged Deserter and mops the floor with him based on very little actual evidence. Just the skill argument, actually, I think.
 
frankly I'm cool if FD dies here, I'm not a fan of VS matches, but I don't like the dismissive manner in which this is being handled
 
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DID YOU NOT LOOK AT ANYTHING SAID DEFENDING FANGED DESERTER!? EVERYTHING @DontTalkDT SAID WAS UNDER THEIR ASSUMPTIONS THAT WEREN'T CORRECTED AND THE VOTES WERE BASED ON THAT. PLEASE DON'T VOTE YET, THIS IS NOT CONCLUDED!
i'm going to retract my vote for my respect for Pepper, and for what he just said
 
I mean. I guess, but in context it's no more used than his other weapons. Since this is a PC, it's difficult to say concretely what he's most likely to use, but the horseshoe is objectively the best thing he has in more or less every single fight.
In a close combat fight it doesn't seem like a good weapon, because it has no proper blocking capabilities. And I have somewhat my doubts that he in-character would usually fight with the horseshoe.

Yeah, I figured you would still be arguing skill. I don't particularly care about the argument, though, because there's no solid metric. Unless we're entering superhuman tiers of skill, "stomping soldiers" is about all you can say, and various levels above that. If Fanged Deserter beats the best soldiers in MB, then the only problem in regards to the whole skill argument is that MB's most skilled people are soldiers rather than assassins who beat up soldiers. So unless you're arguing superhuman tiers of skill, the argument is moot to me.
It is superhuman levels of skill by all means. She scales above the likes of Alberto S. Divinesmith in skill, who can predict the movements of 20 people 3 to 10 seconds in advance. Also above Kyousuke, whose skill I posted early, but, to mention some notable parts, can mid-battle calculate out how bullets ricochet and manipulate it to his advantage or also predict how the sound of guns spread through a room and focus its reflection from surfaces so that it takes out people. Lu herself is so skilled and precise that she can focus the shockwaves of her punch against an armoured vehicle to cause bubbles in the battery of it around the diode, to create resistance and diminish the flow of electricity. By a similar technique, she can create bubbles in lungs of opponents through their armour. Even her invisibility is in fact skill, not supernatural power.

Not to mention that she can kill top-ranked summoners, when any summoner summoning anything would be game over and many of them are pretty damn skilled in their own right.

You're probably not familiar with MB, so I can't blame you much. It doesn't state how they figure out invisibility because the game intentionally avoids information vomit. Or much information at all, really. So it could be argued to be sound, but the game doesn't explicitly say. Just says it isn't too much of a deterrent one way or another.
That would mean invisibility by someone like Lu, that can additionally be stealthy, could be effective, though.

I don't have much of a dog in Peppersalt's fight, but the horseshoe will hit the head, it is specifically stated to be inclined to strike there over other weapons. That much is explicit info, which ought to be taken into account when only the most important information is given in MB.
Isn't that with a 1 in 6 chance? Also: It being inclined to strike there doesn't mean it will manage. Lu will of course guard her vital areas, so other areas are easier to hit. It's not like it has a magical ability to ignore defensive technique. If it went just for the head, the actual difficulty of getting a hit in would be even higher.

Also I really like how you're painting it as "HE HAS TO SWITCH FROM WEAPON TO WEAPON TO USE ONE HE WOULD RANDOMLY ASSUME IS BEST" when like

no, the horseshoe is objectively the best weapon he has for anything smaller than a wyvern and troll
So he would block Lu's initial barrage of thrown knives with the horseshoe and also the subsequent onslaught of close-ranged attacks? I'm fairly certain the sword is better suited for that. In fact, if he goes for the horseshoe for defense, I see him dying before doing much. How would he block multiple knives simultaneously thrown at him with that small and impractical of a weapon? I don't see it.

Fanged Deserter begins also pressuring Lu, because that is simply how fights work, DT. A smidgeon of stealth has never been too much of an issue before, there's plenty of stealth specialists in MB. He uses his best weapon that he knows will be his best weapon, with or without using Wizard Teeth because that's the only other thing that really makes sense. Dude chucks horseshoe and does what he can to ensure it hits. If it hits, there is an extremely considerable chance that he kills, between Wizard Teeth and the skull-cracking powers of the horseshoe.

Intelligence means nothing in regards to this fight, this isn't a spelling bee for christ's sake. It feels as though you're throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. "Ah, but does this character have an answer to Bumblesnarf's Mighty Tungler?" Probably not, he has a boomerang that's very good at instant killing and has very good odds to make it kill on the first attack, the exception being it doesn't do well against bigger guys. Your entire argument runs on the basis that Lu somehow just immediately disarms Fanged Deserter and mops the floor with him based on very little actual evidence. Just the skill argument, actually, I think.
Intelligence has plenty to do with a fight, because you claim he is taking the optimal course of action without giving any actual evidence that's what he does. If he were a tactical genius you could say "he's smart, so he will take smart actions", but he has less than average intelligence. Making what you think is his best choice is beyond any showings and indication he has.

That's the difference between being able to win a fight and actually doing what is required to do so.

And, nah, I don't think Deserter would pressure her much. For a start, skill difference. Yeah, it matters.
Then weaponry. If Fanged Deserter were to actually fight with the Horseshoe he would be outmatched. Lu has the surprise factor constantly producing new varied weapons from seemingly nowhere. Each is different and Deserter has to constantly adjust to that.
To that comes reach. Lu's weapons are either thrown or things like claws attached to ropes or metal chains which get swung around. If he uses the Horeshoe she can outspace while keeping up pressure from multiple angles and go in for close combat whenever she likes.


And lastly, we still need to address the topic: Would it even hit if he used his Omen for that purpose? You haven't corrected me, so I assume that I am correct in my assessment that it only improves odds on the level of getting a second chance (i.e. rerolling the attack once). I don't think that suffices at all.
I already mentioned how she skill-wise is above people that would easily be able to predict the trajectory of any such throw.
However, I think to drive it home, I should talk about how summoning works. Specifically, the summoning ceremony that every basic mook summoner can do.
In short: It's 3D Billiard. A summoner has to be able to use a thin stick, to hit a small ball (called thorns) against smaller balls (called petals) so that they ricochet into specific locations on the battlefield (spots). The Thorns are moving through the air and the Petals are moving chaotically through the air, so the summoner needs to coordinate their movements. They need to do so with 3 Thorns simultaneously, very quickly and while the opponent possibly interferes. A summoner of regular skill would land one or several petals with each hit of a thorn and of course never fail to actually hit the thorn.
So for someone vastly above that skill level, blocking one relatively large projectile thrown at them would be extremely easy.
 
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ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DID YOU NOT LOOK AT ANYTHING SAID DEFENDING FANGED DESERTER!? EVERYTHING @DontTalkDT SAID WAS UNDER THEIR ASSUMPTIONS THAT WEREN'T CORRECTED AND THE VOTES WERE BASED ON THAT. PLEASE DON'T VOTE YET, THIS IS NOT CONCLUDED!
Actually, none of my assumptions were debunked by evidence. Just saying. Just another conclusion from the same facts was suggested. Not that I mind to continue debating as long as the public is undecided.
 
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DT is kinda kind and humble, I've talked to several mods/admin over the course of time they'll simply say they are busy or not interested in versus debates (understable cause of the site duties) but.... you are actually awesome can't believe I haven't meet ya before 😊
 
DT is kinda kind and humble, I've talked to several mods/admin over the course of time they'll simply say they are busy or not interested in versus debates (understable cause of the site duties) but.... you are actually awesome can't believe I haven't meet ya before 😊
Not to mention he also sent me these gems.

3hgDub2.png

v7lP6xg.png
 
DT is kinda kind and humble, I've talked to several mods/admin over the course of time they'll simply say they are busy or not interested in versus debates (understable cause of the site duties) but.... you are actually awesome can't believe I haven't meet ya before 😊
I don't know where that is suddenly coming from, but I am not happy about it or anything.
tumblr_oti1rfhDpc1tydz8to1_500.gif
 
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