Gladiator 2018 - Round 1, Match 20 - Sofa King versus Iowanian
 

Vote for the person that you think would win this match in a battle to death or submission. As background, assume that prior to the tournament you received 10 minutes of training on every weapon. The time listed is the amount of time before the match where you learn what the weaponry and venue is. All participants are handed their weapons at t=0 unless stated otherwise.

Venue - Contestant 2 is at the top of an upward-moving escalator and Contestant 1 is at the bottom. The escalator is the only space in the venue.
Starting Distance - 54 feet

Sofa King

Main Weapon - Samurai sword
Backup Weapon - Taser (the touch kind, not the shooting kind) and steak knife

Prep Time - 22 seconds
Special Factors - None

Iowanian

Main Weapon - 2 boomerangs, one heavy and one bladed, and a handful of salt
Backup Weapon - BB gun with 50 BBs, each of which is coated with enough poison to slow a person down by 4 percentage points

Prep Time - 5 Minutes

Do the gladiators have to stay on the escalator itself, or are the stationary platforms top/bottom also part of the arena?

I'll wait to hear from the contestants.

I clicked the wrong guy but it's not gonna matter.

Iowanian is badly ****ed, IMO. Sofa King has the escalator moving up toward him and it's the only space to go so Iowanian can't back up and maintain distance. So with less than 20 yards of space between them, even uphill he's got maybe 5-6 seconds before Sofa is in sword range.

Knowing that, he can't even risk the BB gun. He's gotta whip both of those boomerangs in the first few seconds and hope for a kill shot. I suspect he is not a boomerang expert.

Iowanian is probably very dead, very quickly.

Methinks only 4 shots at the most from the BB gun prior to Sofa King reaching the top of the escalator (less if he walks/runs up) and I'll assume Sofa will close his eyes when the salt is thrown. I don't suspect 10 minutes is enough training time with a boomerang to be anywhere near adept at using it as a weapon.
Even though he has the disadvantage of having to swing upward the sword is the clear favorite. Sofa King with the victory.

Not that it will matter, but I believe you have them bassackward. The rules stipulate that as contestant #2 Iowanian is at the top.

Iowaian. He has a overwhelmingly powerful backup weapon.

I think Iowanian is the type that handles a BB gun very well. Sofa King HAS to move towards Iowanian if he hopes to have any shot at a kill. I think Iowanian can hit him at least 10 times before he gets with in range. By that time he is 40% disabled and Iowanian can finish him off with the bladed boomerang.

You are allowed the use of the small platform at the top, but not the bottom.

Iowanian gets skewered.

Iowanian's got the high ground and ranged advantage but the BB gun would just be a minor nuisance and the boomerangs aren't likely to be effective in a melee or even at range by someone who isn't trained.

+1

I had it right but I stated it poorly.

My point is that Iowanian is at the top and as an upward moving escalator, that means the escalator is coming in his direction.

So Sofa King's disadvantage of having to run uphill is mitigated by the fact that he'll have the escalator helping him do it.

Like I said - Iowanian gets 6 seconds tops before Sofa King is on his ass. If he has a brain in his head, he realizes this and scraps that BB gun altogether. There's just not enough time to get a couple shots off and then wind up that boomerange for a decent throw.

He needs to be standing there at the starting whistle with his feet set, arm cocked and boomerang in hand knowing full well that if the first throw misses, he's almost certainly ****ed.

It will. He is.

Unless he's firing from his hip, he ain't getting 10 shots off from a lever action BB gun in the time it takes to close fewer than 20 yards with the help of an escalator. And if he's firing from the hip, he connects maybe 3 times.

The BB gun is useless in this exchange. Aimed shots and he'll maybe get 4 off and if all 4 land, who cares? He's still gonna be dead before he gets a boomerang thrown.

C'mon - this one's easy.

If Iowanians Main weap was better I'd give it to him.

Iowanian gets off a couple of shots before Sofa King get near. Then he turns that bb gun around and just tees off on SK. Not sure SK can make much use of that sword being on the downhill side while also ducking the rifle butt.

Don't think the backup weapons come into play much unless SK can somehow get the taser onto Iowanian's leg in which case it is all over.