Syrio Forel vs Victarion Greyjoy

Rules:

• Book versions.
• Standard gear.
• Random encounter.
• Begin ten feet apart at Weathertop.
• Win by death.

Syrio Forel:

vs

Victarion Greyjoy:

By standard gear do you mean Syrio gets that wooden practice sword or a standard bravo's blade? Anyways, Victorian is bigger, stronger and better equipped. I'd give it to Victorian 8/10.

Braavosi blade.

While I don't deny that Victarion is bigger, stronger, more durable on account of his gear and has a far superior reach, Syrio is far faster, far more agile, significantly more skilled and unlike those further East, the Braavosi and the Free Cities seem to have enough familiarity with the Westerosi to know how to deal with plate armour.

@cregan_stark@princearagorn1@cpt_nice@jedixman@buttersdaman000@wut@metaljimmor

Sorry if I forgot anybody.

Would a Braavosi blade even be effective against someone like Victarion? I think Syrio could win but it's going to be a long, drawn out fight. He has to tire down Victarion and poke at the weak spots in his armor before dealing a killing blow when he's out of gas.

Bump.

victarion because has "armor and a big fooking axe"

Bump.

Assuming @rogueshadow is accurate in his appraisal of each fighters strengths over the other, I think this is sort of like Mountain Vs. Viper, in that the lighter, more skilled, more agile foe might be able to dance around his foe and wear him down, but it's just as possible that the bigger, stronger, more armored foe could get his hands on him, in which case it's over.

Victarion curbstomps

Syrio largely only has his reputation to go off. I'd say Victarion wins more often than not. He's just physically far more imposing and a more brutal fighter.

@tvc-15: I can't see the post but I will automatically assume it's the Hound saying "Meryn f###ing Trant?" which is what I always do whenever I see Syrio in a battle.

What did Syrio even do?

The red cloaks came at him from three sides with steel in their hands. They had chainmail over their chest and arms, and steel codpieces sewn into their pants, but only leather on their legs. Their hands were bare, and the caps they wore had noseguards, but no visor over the eyes.

Syrio did not wait for them to reach him, but spun to his left. Arya had never seen a man move as fast. He checked one sword with his stick and whirled away from a second. Off balance, the second man lurched into the first. Syrio put a boot to his back and the red cloaks went down together. The third guard came leaping over them, slashing at the water dancer’s head. Syrio ducked under his blade and thrust upward. The guardsman fell screaming as blood welled from the wet red hole where his left eye had been.

The fallen men were getting up. Syrio kicked one in the face and snatched the steel cap off the other’s head. The dagger man stabbed at him. Syrio caught the thrust in the helmet and shattered the man’s kneecap with his stick. The last red cloak shouted a curse and charged, hacking down with both hands on his sword. Syrio rolled right, and the butcher’s cut caught the helmetless man between neck and shoulder as he struggled to his knees. The longsword crunched through mail and leather and flesh. The man on his knees shrieked. Before his killer could wrench free his blade, Syrio jabbed him in the apple of his throat. The guardsman gave a choked cry and staggered back, clutching at his neck, his face blackening.

Five men were down, dead, or dying by the time Arya reached the back door that opened on the kitchen. She heard Ser Meryn Trant curse. “Bloody oafs,” he swore, drawing his longsword from its scabbard.

This is well past his prime and with a wooden sword. You can see how he was having to use superior skill to make up for that fact.

Syrio has a very good chance here. He solo'd 5 Lannister household guardsmen with ease while using only a wooden stick. He would have killed Trant too if he had a real sword.

On the other hand, Victarion killed 6 (I think) men-at-arms on his own, before facing Ser Talbert. He beat Talbert too but with major difficulty, and evidently Talbert's speed was an issue. Then he proceeded on killing a few more men at arms. Now, while Vic did kill more men in his one feat than Syrio did in his one feat, Syrio was facing trained, professional soldiers while Vic was facing armed smallfolk (IIRC he even made a comment that one of them was heavily muscled so he mjst be a blacksmith or something).

Victarion has strength, size, reach and armor on his side while Syrio has speed, skill and the sufficient knowledge on how to counter an armored opponent. I'd vote Syrio in a hard one.

Hmmmm, this is a good fight. I think my vote will go to Victarion Greyjoy though, 6/10. He is more ruthless, bigger, stronger, with more durable armor and a far superior weapon. While Syrio no doubt trumps in speed and skill, those are the only real edges he has, and I think Victarion has slaughtered enough fast people in his day to say he could do the same here.

@cdiddyman911: I doubt Victarion ever faced anyone as fast as Syrio. Arya described Syrio as the fastest man she had ever seen, and we've seen Victarion struggle against quick opponents (Ser Talbert Serry). Syrio has the knowledge and the appropriate weapon to counter armor, I definitely see him winning this.

@the_red_viper: Oh, yeah I don't think he has faced anyone half as fast as Syrio, didn't mean to come across that way. What i am saying though is that he has faced people who rely on speed and skill much like Syrio does, albeit to a much smaller extent. I also think one hit pretty much anywhere from Victarion puts Syrio down, while that isn't necessarily the case the other way around.

Yeah, one hit and Syrio is down, but will he get hit? His slim bravo's blade is ideal to thrust at the gaps in Vic's armor, and Syrio has great precision as we know:

"Syrio ducked under his blade and thrust upward. The guardsman fell screaming as blood welled from the wet red hole where his left eye had been."

[...]

"Before his killer could wrench free his blade, Syrio jabbed him in the apple of his throat. The guardsman gave a choked cry and staggered back, clutching at his neck, his face blackening."

That's 2 examples of precise thrusts to vulnerable and pretty small spots on a man's body that Syrio made. It won't be easy if Vic has his shield, but not above Syrio. It will be a hard one but Syrio could take a majority.