User blog comment:Greenberet69/Ezio Auditore da Firenze vs. Captain Jack Sparrow/@comment-143604-20120512031628

Drayco90's Edgy Edges of Edginess


 * Close Range- Ezio. The Cutlass may be a bit faster, but that's the only advantage it really has, and Jack Sparrow's swordsmanship isn't nearly on par with Ezio's. The Blade of Altair has far more "kill per swing" so to speak, and while Jack Sparrow prefers to spend most of his fights dicking around and snarking instead of actually fighting, Ezio goes straight for the kill- fast. Auditore is a master of turning the attacks of even his most skilled foes against them with his mastery of counter-attacking, which is something Jack's less-skilled and distracted mind won't be able to fight back against. Ezio will easily lock down this fight in a close range setting simply thanks to his superior skill with a blade, higher mobility and nonhesitance to go for instant kill-shots, or some graphic crippling blows.


 * Mid-Range- Even. Jack Sparrow's Flintlock Pistol is a much more practacle weapon, and is much more accurate and easier to reload than the hidden gun (though considering the weapons in question, that's not much of a compliment), and will have a much better time at range. The big problem with the Flintlock is simply that it won't have the penetration-accuracy combo needed to get through a large portion of Ezio's body with the Armor of Altair on. The Hidden Gun, on the other hand, has a much more surprising angle- it may not be quite as useful in as many situations, but when Ezio does finally decide to bust this weapon out, it's going to have a HUGE unpredictability to it- Jack would never and could never prepare for something like it, and the Hidden Gun fires with much more force than a Flintlock Pistol, which could do some serious damage to Jack if it hits...which leads us to its biggest downfalls. The Hidden Gun takes FOREVER to aim well enough to actually do damage, and despite the massive damage it can do, is effectivly a one-shot weapon in a chaotic battle like this. If Ezio is cloaked or using his stealth, the loud bang will immediatly ruin his sneaking, not to mention ruin the surprise of the Hidden Gun's existance, and the reloading speed on this thing makes the Flintlock's seem easy and managable by comparison. The only way the Hidden Gun is really going to work in the battle is if Ezio doesn't use it once until the battle gets close up- he can use a melee weapon in combo with the Hidden Gun, so when Sparrow starts doing his ridiculous fletching combat stlye, Ezio can lock blades with the pirate and then "BANG!" a bullet to the chest or stomach leaves him in a puddle of his own blood. However, this tactic may be effective, but is VERY situational, and as a result, I'm calling this edge even. The Flintlock can be used more often in more ranges and with more effeciency, while the Hidden Gun is much more powerful and can combo in close range and has surprise. It's really going to come down to what range these warriors are fighting at when these respective weapons get drawn, and in a mid-range category only, the Flintlock would get this simply for it's usefulnes, but considering both men's tactics, Ezio will bring this fight up as close as he can, and when he does, the Hidden Blade gets the easy advantage once he no longer needs to aim the bloody thing.


 * Long Range- Ezio Auditore. The Musket suffers the same basic issue as the Hidden Gun did in the last category...it's a stronger and more advanced weapon that is crippled by it's own limitations. The Musket is only going to help Jack at the longest distances, and while it does beat out the Crossbow in sheer range, it takes a long time to reload and isn't very accurate. The Crossbow is useful at only slightly shorter ranges than the Musket, but can also be used in mid and close range combat, which can be seen when Ezio displays his ability to hip-shot a guard from a few steps away and his continued ability to counter melee attacks with his crossbow as well. The Crossbow is effectivly silent, which will benefit the stealthy Ezio much more, and it's far quicker to reload than a Musket is, not to mention MUCH more accurate. Overall, thanks to his added skill with the weapon in all other ranges, its silenced firing and its higher accuracy, I feel the crossbow edges out the Musket's stronger attack and slightly longer range.


 * Special- Captain Jack Sparrow. Last time someone used a cannon on Ezio it...did not end well for him. The Cannon has dominace in long and medium ranges, and if it scores a direct hit, it's a sudden one-hit kill. If it lands in Ezio's rough area it's going to do some serious damage, and the mental damage this thing can do should never be understated. A cannon shell exploding near you is going to leave you debilitated no matter how much training or skill you have, leaving Ezio's senses blurry and confused for a few vital seconds, and maybe even drudge up old memories that would leave him distraced- hey, if this very distinctive sounding weapon was used to turn the only home you have left into a pile of rubble and become insticivly tied into the memory of one of your only family member's brutal execution, you probably wouldn't much care for the sound of a cannon either. The Cannon isn't quite as effective at close range, obviously, but a wily mind could find a way to use it...and Captain Jack is without a doubt a wily mind who could use this, but in the closer ranges the edge is easily the Hidden Blades. The tools simply aren't all that effective- they have extremley short range and lack a lot of killing power outside the force of the wielder- there's a reason they're only supposed to be tools for assassinating people.


 * Armor- Ezio. Neigh unbreakable super-armor is without a doubt superior to no armor to speak of...espicially when that neigh unbreakable super-armor doesn't do a thing to impede your mobility.


 * X-Factor- Captain Jack Sparrow. Eagle Vision is an effective power to be sure, but Ezio must also blind himself to a lot of his enviroment to use it, it slows him down, and it doesn't help much in the fighting itself. Jack Sparrow's cunning is a persistant trait that doesn't need to be "used" like Eagle Vision and dominates his skills- it allows him to make use of any enviroment, any weapon whether his or improvised and any tactic used against him to his own piratey advantage. Jack is much more intellegent than he appears, and can easily out think circles around Ezio, even mid-combat, which all combine to give him an advantage here.


 * Deadliest Warrior- Ezio Auditore da Firenze. While Ezio may not have as much power in his weapons, he take a few very key advantages- his melee and close range abilities dominate Sparrow's in every way imaginable, and his higher speed and mobility will allow him to easily close the gap to make this helpful. His sneaking ability is tremendous, allowing himself to blend into the crowd the moment Sparrow breaks eye-contact with him, allowing him to make a surprise attack that could make the Hidden Gun or Blades make up for their more exotic and less effective natures. His men are better trained and have greater conviction, and let's be honost here- we all may love Captain Jack Sparrow, but he's not nearly the warrior Ezio is. Jack will run the moment the battle loses favor for him, which can easily be quick. His men lack loyalty, discipline and conviction. The only moments Jack really fights without heistation or attempting to escape is when he has no other choice and has to confront Davy Jones one-on-one, and he has no reason for an extended battle with Ezio. Jack simply doesn't have the will, and in the end of the day, the man holding the weapon is a thousand times more important than the weapon in question, and these edges are close enough that Ezio will take this, despite a close match up.