User blog comment:ILoveBattles/ILoveBattles - Season 1 - Episode 6 - Ezio Auditore vs Saladin/@comment-4661256-20160318025315

El Alamein's Edges:

 Daggers: Stiletto vs. Khanjar:  The Khanjar is the more versatile dagger here. Its slashing attacks make it more fluid in combat than the Stiletto's stabbing/thrusting attacks, its ability to be thrown makes it potent as a medium-ranged weapon, and it's a more directly combat-oriented weapon as opposed to the Stiletto's stealth design. However, Ezio and his men are likely better trained and more experienced with their daggers since they're assassins--they'll be more used to up-close combat. Saladin and his men probably relied more heavily on their swords for close-quarters combat, so the Assassins get the edge.

Edge: Ezio Auditore

 Swords: Longsword vs. Scimitar:  I like the longsword because of its longer blade and its design, which allows it to stab and slash (as opposed to the scimitar's slashing/hacking specialization). I don't know where you got the idea that you can't parry or block with a longsword (unless this is an Assassin's Creed-specific in-game mechanic) but I'm pretty sure you could definitely hold off some swings from the scimitar. Either way, the longsword's longer reach and greater versatility in combat will give Ezio and his men an edge up-close.

Edge: Ezio Auditore

 Ranged: Crossbow vs. Recurve Bow:  While it's nifty and cool that the Assassin's crossbow is one-handed it still loses here. First of all a recurve bow can shoot way, way farther than "almost 100 yards," like, honestly I have no idea where you got that statistic and I'm telling you it's wrong. The recurve bow has more range, a faster rate of fire, (arguably) better accuracy as Saladin's soldiers were highly effective archers (that was one of their key tools in outmaneuvering the heavily-laden Crusaders). The Assassins focus on close-ranged combat anyway so not only is their ranged weapon outmatched but probably so is their level of training and experience with it.

Edge: Saladin

 Special: Hidden Blade vs. War Hammer:  I'm not really sold on either weapon's usefulness in this fight. The Hidden Blade is, as has been mentioned by other users before me, meant to be an assassination weapon rather than a combat tool and its incredibly short range and complex design requires extremely specific conditions to arise before it can be utilized to its full extent. On the other hand the war hammer is relatively heavy and slow, designed for use to transfer blunt trauma against a heavily-armored opponent like a Crusader but ultimately pointless against an opponent who is nimble enough to avoid its swings. If either warrior is hit by their opponent's special weapons they're going down but that's if--on both sides. Neither tool is going to be very useful here.

Edge: Even

 Skill: Parkour vs. Tactics:  Well the parkour will be highly useful considering that it's going to be in an urban zone. Also, it's not like the Assassins and Ezio can't just think of tactics themselves also, so while Saladin might be better at strategy in the context of planning a campaign for a multi-year war, it doesn't matter in a surprise 14-man skirmish. Ezio and his men have such a ridiculous advantage here that it's not even funny. They can disappear and seemingly materialize out of thin air at will while Saladin and his men simply turn their heads at where they last saw their opponent, only to be hit from above or behind.

Edge: Ezio Auditore

WINNER: EZIO AUDITORE

I don't like this because I wanted Saladin to win, but Ezio takes this for several reasons. Firstly the fight is taking place in urban Rome, which Ezio is familiar with and which is an environment far more friendly to the Assassin's fighting style than the Arab soldiers' fighting style. But also Ezio has tons of experience in low-intensity conflicts and he and his men will be able to press their close-ranged advantage, where they specialize in singling out opponents and defeating them in quick but intense duels. In a skirmish with 7 men on each side they can easily play this tactic with alarming effectiveness. Also, Saladin [|historically] was [|infiltrated] by the [|Hashashin] group, where they employed scare tactics to try to threaten him, so it's not like he was able to really prevent these types of warriors from endangering his life.

That being said Saladin is way cooler than Ezio and I would have voted for him if I at all could have come up with a good reason for it. But, as it were, I simply don't see how he can.