User blog comment:Pygmy Hippo 2/Byzantine Cataphracts vs. Emishi Horse Archers/@comment-27358240-20200103070312

Kazanshin's "One of these days, I'll have the Samurai beat the Knights" edges:

Swords: Everything the Spathion can do, the Tsurugi can do better. An evolved version of the gladius is cool and all in concept, but in the end it's no different from any other one-handed sword of Europe. The tsurugi has speed, reach and thrusting power on its side, and that's what will allow it to win the edge. Edge: 蝦夷騎兵

Polearms: The two weapons both have their pros and cons. On one side, the kontarion is an extremely effectove charging weapon. It'll lance off any poor bozo who dares get close to the cataphracts and smite the blaze out of anything it touches, armored or not. The kuma-yari, on the other hand, is a weapon capable of many tricks and is more versatile than the kontarion. It can be thrown as a javelin for a ranged attack or be thrusted in close quarters combat, something the kontarion is incapable of because of its sheer size. So in the end, I'm actually rating these two even. The kontarion will be a fantastic weapon to charge with, but after that it's dead weight. The kumayari isn't as good of a charger, but it give the Emishi the advantage n melee combat. Edge: Even

Bows: Edge to Emishi. Easy, really. The Emishi is the only trained horse archer who fights like a horse archer ion this fight, not a pseudo horse archer who'd much rather trample his enemy to death than harass him like a gentleman. Edge: Emishi

Armor: Calling it even for the same reasons as Tybalt. The Emishi's keiko will be less protective but allow the Emishi to stay out of reach the whole time, harassing and pestering the Cataphract with his bow and eventually getting a killing blow. The Cataphract's armor is a straight up tank. It'll take much more damage than the keiko before giving in. Edge: Even

Final Verdict: I'm going with the wave and giving this to the Emishi. Their skirmishing tactics hard-counter the shock tactics of the Cataphracts. They'll be staying out of range of the Romans during the whole fight, pelting them with arrows, while the Cataphracts will be desperately trying to get the jump on them, only for the Emishi to run off like rabbits. They may not have the formal training of the Byzantines, but they sure have the experience and skill to deal with heavy cavalry, which gives my edge to the Emishi Horse Archer. DEADLIEST WARRIORS: 蝦夷騎兵