User blog comment:El Alamein/Braxas vs. Smaug/@comment-143604-20120901195555

I can't really give any edges here, so...

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This is a very tough one to call, overall. Smaug is by far the more devious, cunning and intelligent of the two dragons, but he's somewhat lazy- he's grown decadent in his years sleeping on his riches in the Misty Mountains, and as a result he's not quite in the shape he used to be. And why would he need to be? After all, a Dragon hardly needs to take full advantage of his physical prowess to defeat mere dwarves and men, right? Braxas, on the other hand, is constantly fighting foes of varying power levels and tech. Braxas is a scraper, who simply keeps going and killing and fighting, which gives her something of an edge there. We also can't ignore the physical sizes of these dragons- Braxas is a slimmer, more serpent like creature, which bodes well for her speed and agility, but Smaug is comparitively built like a tank- he's thick, he's big and he's going to plow right through the skinnier dragon with sheer mass. In the air, the slender Braxas will have an edge due to her mobility, but on the ground, and in close quarters where most the fighting will happen, Smaug will have an inherit edge because of his greater mass.

As for their breath weapons, an important aspect of any dragon fight, I think that Braxas takes a slight edge here. Both weapons are horrifying for sure, but I think that the breath of Braxas will easily tear through the armor worn on Smaug's underside, as it can melt much more effective armor, and can be more dangerous in the long run. Fire doesn't always seem to work as effectively on dragons, and while the flames and heat will certainly do damage, the surprising poison that continues to do lasting damage to much greater degree will give Braxas a slight edge, especially is she can spray somewhere like Smaug's eyes, or somewhere else not protected by scales and armor. Both dragons also have dangerous abilities via their eyes, but Braxas is no lesser creature, and Smaug will not be getting her to bend to his will, nor is Smaug likely to bend to the terror created by Braxas' eyes. Smaug has another bonus in his set of abilities, allowing him to create blinding and distracting smokescreens to help protect himself and do more damage via ambushes, but Braxas has teeth laced with deadly, lasting poison that will slow down and damage Smaug over time.

This battle is so close, it's almost too much for me to decide. I see this most likely ending with Smaug killing Braxas because of his thicker mass and greater intelligence, but dying very shortly after because of the poison and damage recieved in the fight, but for a vote, I'm casting barely for Braxas. She's got a good mobility edge, but while she doesn't have the extra mass to defend against Smaug in melee, her attacks do lasting damage and will negate a lot of the Fire Drake's defenses. In the end, Smaug is arrogant- an overconfident dragon who hasn't had a good fight in a long time. Braxas is constantly fighting foes of great power and technological advantages, and is more prepared for this. This is still a damn close battle, though.