User blog comment:El Alamein/Varangian Guard vs. Praetorian Guard/@comment-17814994-20140630053345

Close: The Spatha has a longer blade than the gladius so it has distance over the Roman. Edge: Varangian

Mid 1: Both weapons have their advantages and disadvantages. The pilum is great for a range weapon, but it can only be used once, and that blade may bend over when used too hard as melee weapon. I also don't think that the pilum may eb that effective against the Varangian's Boss shield, because its tip may glance and bend over the Boss's iron center.There's also the chance that when the Praetorian throws the pilum he may miss, or the Varangian maneuvering himself to dodge such attack. The axe is heavy and has less distance, but its great as a blade and blunt weapon, and would be devastating against armor. So I give the edge to the axe because of its power and reliability. Edge: Varangian

Mid 2: Hasta is longer and lighter than the Byzantine spear, so it has the full edge.Edge: Praetorian

Special: There's no doubt the Scutum is impressive in the battlefield. The amount of training Romans do to perfect their defenses and formations is an advantage. But the Boss shield not only is slightly more maneuvarable due to its smaller size, it also has an iron center that boasts great defense and offense. For me, it kind of gets down not on the shield they have, but on the weapons that would be effective on said shields. The Romans have good training in terms of interlocking shield formations, but in a 5v5 battle it would be too small to matter, and enemies can easily attack to the side due to the light bulk. The Praetorians also don't have that much to combat the Boss shield, and its weapons like the spear and gladius wont cut. The pilum may do good if aimed properly, but against the Boss' iron center it would just glance. The Varangian's shield can be used offensively, and they also have the dane axe that could counter the scutum with its blunt power. So the Boss overall is the better weapon. Edge: Varangian

Deadliest Warrior: Varangian guard- The varangian doesn't just have the better weapons, their weapons is perfectly built to counter the praetorian's. The spatha counters the gladius, the dane axe counters the scutum shield, the boss counters the pilum and the hasta spear. The Praetorian is respecively better trained, but in a small squadrom butcher fest, the varangian offers the better arsenal and tactics. If ever the Varangian gets the drop on the Praetorians, the latter may have no time to use the tactics and training they had. Being both bodyguards and having a few men to make it look like a Total War battle, it will end up not in a formation battle but in a no quarters battle,  and the Varangians just have the better weapons in that kind of battle.