User blog:Wassboss/Deadliest Warrior Rematch: Comanche vs Mongol

The first two Deadliest Warrior Rematches have been for modern battles but now it's time to right the wrongs of a ancient battle. This is probably the episode annoyed me the most personally with the American warrior bias in full swing in order to unfairly handicap the Mongol. Moreover as with all Deadliest Warrior episodes from seasons 1 and 2 X factors were not taken into account in the simulation which would add new dimensions to the battle and lead to a more accurate analysis of who would be the victor.

With that little forward out of the way it's time to get on to the actual battle which today is between two of history's most famous, and effective, horseback archers. While they come from opposite sides of the world both made use of their nomand lifestyle to dominate their rivals in the region through their skill at riding and their mastery of the bow. But when the American plains meet the Asian steppe only one will be left victorious as the;

Comanche Warrior: The dominant force of the American plains, famed for their skilled archers and horsemanship.

takes on the

Mongol Warrior: Horseback warriors hailing from the Eurasian Steppe, who built the largest land empire in history.

Who is Deadliest

Comanche


"From the time we are born, we hit the earth -- we're warriors."

- Jay Redhawk, Comanche descendant and Master Horseback Archer.

The Comanche were a large Native American Tribe whom settled in the Great Plans around the 1500's. Well known for their love of and usage of horses, the Comanche quickly expanded their territory across the southern United States and often raided into Mexico with great success as well as defeating other powerful tribes such as the Apache in war. Unfortunately, as is the story with virtually every other Native tribe they were eventually conquered by the US military in the 1800's.

Scalping Knife
 * -|Close Range =

Despite it's name the Scalping Knife wasn't specifically created for scalping, rather it was just your standard purpose knife. Roughly about 10 inches long it comes with an iron blade attached to a bone handle. War Lance
 * -|Mid Range =

Originally designed for use in hunting Buffalo the bravest of Comanche warriors would also make use of Lance's in combat. 8 foot long shafts tipped with a foot long iron blade on the tip, they were thrust at an opponent from on horseback, where the extra momentum gave it great penetration power. Comanche Self Bow
 * -|Long Range =

The most prized possession of the Comanche after his horse was his Bow and despite access to firearms the Comanche much preferred using their bow because of it's greater rate of fire. Made in the self bow style, they would've had a draw strength of about 30-40 pounds, a range of about 400 feet and the arrows were iron tipped and loosely attached, meaning it would easily break away from the arrow should someone try to remove it.  War Hawk 
 * -|Special =

The main close range weapon of the Comanche was the War Hawk, a wooden shaft with a iron spike at the tip. 3 foot long and weighing only 1lb, it could be swung quickly and possibly even be used as a projectile. Buffalo Hide Shield
 * -|Armour =

While the Comanche did not wear any body armour in order to maintain their speed and agility they did use shields to defend themselves. With a base made from wood, buffalo skin would be smoked and hardened with glue to create a thick layer over top, often times multiple skins were used. The shield was very light weight and had a diameter of 20-24 inches and it's primary use was not to block arrows, rather they deflected them harmlessly away and had even been reported able to deflect rifle bullets. Native American Horse
 * -|Mount =

Despite the name, Native American Horses are actually descended from horses brought to America by the Spanish. They stand at between 13 to 16 hands (52 to 64 inches) in height and weigh between 750lbs to 1,000lbs. As a crossbreed of various horses including Mustangs and Arabian Horses they have many of the features these possess such as agility and endurance, able to survive in the hot summers of the southern US plains comfortably and travel long distances without fatigue.

Mongol


"The Mongols have a mission: to conquer everything; dominate everything in our path; destroy everything in our path"

- James Nguyen, Mongol Historian.

The Mongols were originally made up of several large warring tribes who occupied Mongolia until they were united under one banner by Genghis Khan in the early 1200's. They quickly became the dominant force in the Asia, taking over most of China and the Middle East and ended up with an empire that spread from Korea to Hungary. However it was not long before the empire split into several smaller factions, before dissolving completely during the mid 1300's.

Mongolian Knife
 * -|Close Range =

Like with the Comanche's scalping knife the Mongolian knife wasn't specifically designed for combat it just happened to serve that purpose from time to time. About 16 inches long it's a steel blade attached to a wooden handle. Turko-Mongol Sabre
 * -|Mid Range =

When needing to engage their opponents at close range the Mongols used the Turko-Mongol Sabre. It is a single edged, 4 foot long blade which weighed in at 2.5 lbs. Designed to be used on horseback it was primarily used as a slashing weapon, using the momentum gained by the horse to inflict deep wounds. Mongol Recurve Bow
 * -|Long Range =

Genghis Khan built his empire on the back of horseback archery and every Mongol would've learnt to shoot a bow at a young age. 3 foot in length it could fire at ranges up to 500 foot and with a draw strength of 100lbs it was able to punch through most armour of the time, or at the very least knock the opponent flat on their ass.  Iron Flanged Mace
 * -|Special =

A powerful close range option, the Mace was especially effective against heavily armoured opponents due to it's blunt force trauma damage. It weighed 4.5 lbs and was 2 foot in length.  Iron, Helmet, Lamellar and Silk Vest 
 * -|Armour =

Focused on quick cavalry strikes Mongol warriors would've worn lamellar made from rawhide leather and iron plates with a silk vest underneath which reduces the damage caused by arrows as well as a iron helmet. Mongolian Horse
 * -|Mount =

Bred in the Mongolia Steppe's, Mongolian Horses are stocky hardened survivors. Standing at between 12 to 14 hands (48 to 56 inches) and weighing around 600lbs their short stature makes them nimble mounts and their endurance was legendary, as they required little food and water to survive they could allegedly cover upwards of 100km in a day. Their main weakness was a lack of speed when compared to other horses although this was compensated for by the lighter load they were expected to carry.

X Factors
Training: Comanche=70/Mongol=80

Both the Comanche and Mongols would have been trained from an early age in archery and horse-riding and would have also been taught how to hunt and survive in the harsh conditions of their homelands. This would have likely been the extent of the Comanche training meanwhile the Mongols, as a more strict military unit, would've also been trained in battlefield tactics and discipline.

Experience: Comanche=75/Mongol=90

The Comanche have spent most of their history fighting against the other native tribes in their area, including the powerful Apache Tribe as well as many raids into Mexico and against European settler. However this pales in comparison to the Mongols who during the conquering of their massive empire would've fought a large variety of opponents, from lightly armoured Chinese soldiers to the heavily armoured Teutonic Knights in Hungary.

Situational Experience: Comanche=95/Mongol=85

No I haven't accidentally pasted the same edge in twice. I've decided to split the Experience X Factor into two; general combat experience and experience in the specific scenario of this battle. Virtually all the Comanche's combat experience would've been in this type of small scale engagement with a small to medium sized raiding party attacking other tribesmen. The Mongols were no stranger to this type of combat, in fact before Genghis this would have been exactly how they operated, but they are more used to a army on army military engagement.

Archery: Comanche=95/Mongol=95

Trained from childhood to shoot a bow as soon as they could walk it's no surprise that the Comanche and Mongols were expert archers, both on foot and on horseback. The Comanche favoured a rapid fire style where they would pelt their opponents with as many arrows as they could, allegedly loosing up to twenty shafts in the time it takes a musket to reload. The Mongols preferred a more accuracy based approach, aiming for weak spots in their opponents armour and picking out specific targets such as captains and commanders.

Physicality: Comanche=85/Mongol=80

Both the Comanche and Mongols lived in harsh environments and had to be physically strong and tough just to survive. With similar dietary habits the main difference between the two was the Comanche's considerable height advantage making them that bit stronger and having a longer reach.

Brutality: Comanche=80/Mongol=90

While perfectly willing to kill their opponents in battle the Comanche were also fond of taking slaves and prisoners meaning they wouldn't always kill all of their opponents. The Mongols on the other hand often slaughtered entire armies down to the last man just to send out a message.

Voting System/Notes
Battle will be a 5 on 5.

Battle takes place on an open plain, a environment both warriors would've been comfortable in. Both the Comanche and the Mongols start the battle of horseback.

In order to be counted in full, votes must be at least 5 lines long or have been done in an edge format.

Anything less than 5 lines but which is competently argued and thought out will be counted as a half vote. I will inform anybody if their vote is considered a half vote and allow them to amend it to bring it up to a full point.

Irrelevant votes will not be counted at all.

I reserve the right to award a vote as half or discount it entirely for reason not mentioned here if I feel it is applicable.