User blog comment:Cosmo6252/Smaug vs Durin's bane/@comment-5232784-20141222033904

Here it is, the battle of our time...

1. Short range:

First things first: out of all the servants of Melkor/Morgoth (the big baddie before Sauron emegred as the main baddie), the only creatures more powerful than balrogs are dragons. That includes the wingless dragons that didn't breath fire, the flying dragons that didn't breath fire, as well as the fire breathing flying ones like Smaug the golden. Both in books and films the comparitive weapons of both show obviously that dragons can cause far more damage and mayhem.

Now then: While balrogs have flaws and horns (LOTR movies), Smaug has claws and teeth, backed up by a larger, stronger body. Though not made of shadow and flame and connected to nerves (which can suffer pain from injury), they are far more capable of damage. However, mere physical damage will not fell a Balrog. Then again, the claws of a balrog might not harm the mythril hard hide of a dragons (they could harm its eyes, though, or hit the opening of the rear end for serious pain and injury)

The dragon's weapons are more damaging, while the Balrog's are more likely to hurt the dragon. Since more injury can come onto the dragon, I give the balrog the edge

EDGE:  Durin's Bane

2. Mid range

Smaug's tail can shatter stone walls, perhaps even cause a cave in. The Balrog's sword is made of flame yet can hit like it is made of metal. I doubt it could harm the dragon's hide (Gandalf's Foe Hammer, a Noldor elf made weapon, could survive blows from it, and it's steel is not as strong as dragon hide), though it could pierce its eyes. Still, the dragon's tail is larger, far more powerful, and Smaug can use it to wrap around the balrog and hold him in place, so that a coup de grace can be done.

EDGE: Smaug

3. Long range

Smaug's firery breath can cause a heck of a lot more damage and has much greater range than a Balrog's whip, but a Balrog is partially made of flame, and the whips are no laughing matter: Ungoliant, the mountain-sized spider that nearly swallowd Morgoth/Melkor (the evil Valar), was defeated by a horde of Balrogs using such whips.

However, The balrog's whip is made of fire, and Dragons breath fire, so it seems like it wont do much good here. Indeed, Smaug survived being drenched in super hit liquid gold, without ill effect. And also, the dragon's breath, though not harming a balrog, could momentarily blind it, so that it wont see a killing blow when it comes.

EDGE: Smaug (Barely)

4. armor

The Balrog's body is made of shadow and flame, and is impervious to normal weapons. You need something akin to a Noldor blade to harm it, or vast magical power. Dragon's hide is as had a mythril, impervious to almost all weapons (save for, in the movies, a black arrow fired from  dwarvish wind lance, which will be destroyed in this scenario so Durin's Bane cannot use it!)

However, Smaug's armor has a hole in the chest, and his eyes can be harmed. Meanwhile the Balrog is not made of flesh...

EDGE: Durin's Bane

5. Special

I doubt any of the Balrog's other unnamed special powers could be useful against dragons: Being the pinnacle of Morgoth's monsters, it would seem odd that such a lower creature could bring it down with mere magic alone. Smaug, however, has magic of his own: the dragon spell. If you look into a dragon's eye, it can control you. This power might be brought to bare on Durin's bane, though whether it could work on a Balrog is debatable.

However, Smaug can also fly something that we do not see Durin's Bane do, even though he has wings (this is also conjecture: Durin's bane might not have flied because of Gandalf's "You shall not pass" spell, and I have heard mixed things in my native geekdom about whether Balrogs can fly. However, we do know that some dragons can, so this is what I will go with here).

Can the dragon spell affect a Balrog? Can the Balrog's powers affect a Dragon? The latter seems unlikely, the former...possible, but maybe unlikey. However, dragons can fly...

EDGE: Smaug

6. X Factors:

Strength and speed: Dragons are much faster and stronger than Balogs, as seen in the movies and (at least in strength) in the books (This would be especially so in flight, when it comes to speed. Durin's bane is not featured in either book or film as being very fast, while Smaug can fly at great speeds in both.)

Edge: Smaug

7. Experience

Durin's Bane fought in the wars of jewels (including the war of wrath) and existed since the beginning of time, so he will have more experience. Smaug did take Erebor, and his previous battles are unknown, but the war of wrath and the jewels featured numerous battles, and if Durin's Bane can survive them (especially the war of wrath, when the Valar cleaned house in Middle earth), he may very well survive Smaug

EDGE: Durin's Bane

8. Intelligence

Durin's Bane existed since the beginning of time, and as such would have and attain vast knowledge. Dragons are legendary for their intelligence, which is not said of Balrogs (though being so ancient, this would not be necessary). It seems to me that the Balrog wins hands down here.

EDGE: Durin's Bane

Conclusion:

Durin's Bane has the intelligence, experience, and a impervious-to-physical-weapons-body to win this fight, but Dragons are far more powerful, faster, larger, and smart enough to use these advantages to the fullest. Being more powerful may imply greater magic than the balrogs, and the dragon's spell could potentially control a balrog. Thiough more vulnerable to physical injury and death, I think this fight will go to Smaug, but it will be a hard won fight.

Indeed, the dragon's physical attacks might actually harm a Balrog, considering that they are the most powerful agents of Melkor, who would have endowed them with enormous power, perhaps of a magical kind. They indeed do have a magic, as can be seen in their dragon's spell. And if even the wingless dragons without fiery breath are more powerful than Balrogs, and are limited to claw, teeth and tail strikes, pure brute force, as well as the dragon spell, then perhaps they indeed do have the inner power necessary to destroy a balrog. I mean, after all, It would be odd to think that a grounded, fier-less dragon would be supreme in power above a giant demon.

SMAUG SMOKES DURIN'S BANE