The BattleZone! Round 1 Match 04: Shaak Ti vs. Luminara Unduli

Read the Force Unleashed novel; novel trumps gameplay. In the novel all Galen did was knock Sidious over to stop him from lightning-ing Kota. He didn't even fight him, just gave him a smack on the rump and then cue his raising of his lightsaber blade and Kota says, "He's beaten, let it go," like in the cutscene. They never fought, not even once. So basically yes, he did just kneel (well not really, but basically), but he would have blasted Galen if Galen tried to kill him. Palpatine was never at risk, period.

This.

Interesting to see how things progressed while I was busy doing FPs.

I guess I'll jump in here and say a few things.

1. If I ever want to do a 'tournament of THE best' it would end with Sidious winning. And if I removed Sidious, the winner would end up being Yoda or Jaina Solo. Such matches involving Yoda, Sidious, or any Solo Jedi are pretty easy to call.

2. Shaak Ti should be considered a master duelist. Despite her training in diplomacy and the path of the Consular, Shaak Ti did not shirk her training in lightsaber combat. We have seen this in several members of the Order. Jedi like Kit Fisto and Yoda trained to be consulars, but became incredibly skilled duelists. Jedi Masters like Plo Koon and Mace Windu took the path of the Jedi Guardian, but became incredible masters of the Force.

First, I just to clear that I think Palpatine is, at least, the most powerful dark side user of all times, not that I think Marek is stronger than him. But things are not short-sighted like this in the real world. Any duel would have different situations, it's not like, "Anakin defeated Dooku, Kenobi defeated Anakin, so Kenobi will defeat Dooku", just to make an example of a real thing.

That's why think Palpatine is defeatable and we could do a torunament with everyone, analyzing each duel, not measuring the power of the combatant alone. And I'm not criticizing this tournament, on the contrary, I think you are absolutely the right to not throw everyone at once.

And just a curiosity, why the Solo twins would always win?

Well he did defeat Vader... which is pretty impressive.

But either way, I still think Ti would win this. She has superior strength in the Force and is arguably a superior lightsaber duelist - given the fact that she was one of the finest duelists in the Order. Losing narrowly only to Galen Marek - a powerful Sith apprentice

On the other hand, Unduli preferred to refrain from using Force powers in battle, and was defeated by Asajj Ventress in pure lightsaber combat. Even though blinded, it would seem she recovered from this impairment quickly and should have done little to hinder her Force awareness, yet despite this Ventress broke through her guard and defeated her.

I think we can call this Aurbere, we do after all have 14 left to go!

P.S. I am also planning on releasing a new mini vs series today (not the Kaggath ) so more fun for everyone!

I don't really have the time to read through all the arguments that have been put forward, but judging from the first and last pages, I'll just weigh in.

Shaak Ti is an aggressive and talented duelist, but Unduli has demonstrated an ability to fight through and endure pain and disability. Shaak Ti was worn down by Galen Marek, and ended up attacking him suicidally. She has also demonstrated a distinct tendency towards a lone wolf mentality, and doesn't appear to know how to back down.

Unduli is a methodical, practical fighter. Her flexibility and Soresu give her an incredible defense, and she is certainly powerful enough in the Force to contend with Shaak Ti. Her impressive defense would lead Shaak Ti to quickly wear herself out with her fancy acrobatics, and drive Shaak Ti to increasingly reckless and desperate attacks, much as during her duel with Marek.

I would have to say that unless Shaak Ti gets lucky and manages an early victory (unlikely given Unduli's concentration on defensive forms) then she will be worn out and killed when she makes desperate attacks.

"…Shaak Ti's the most cunning Jedi I've met. She's even taught me a few tricks." ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi

I highly doubt Ti is going to resort to recklessness and desperation, if Ataru isn't working she'll adapt. Lets remember that Shaak Ti is skilled in several lightsaber forms, including Makashi - the form Ventress used to defeat Unduli - it would seem that a Makashi offensive its not entirely negated by Unduli's 'incredible defense'. Neither does it seem that incredible as Ventress broke through those defenses pretty easily.

Then we have to consider that Ti can break through those defenses with powerful Force based attacks. One things for sure, Ti won't keep up a constant Ataru offensive if its not working. She'll also smart enough to know that Ataru is best used in short bursts and in compliment with another form, like Makashi. A form that will not wear her out, and one she is very proficient in, more proficient than Ventress.

Why would you doubt that Shaak Ti would get desperate? When she couldn't overwhelm Marek through Ataru and Makashi assaults, she resorted the suicidal tactics that allowed him to kill her. Marek was a patient, methodical fighter who flowed easily between using Shien and Soresu for defense and Juyo for attack.

Unduli is a tenacious fighter, who managed to fight Ventress to a draw despite being blinded. That duel went back and forth, leading me to believe that Unduli will rise to the occasion and match Shaak Ti strike for strike. Remember, Unduli is no slouch at saber combat, and is highly regarded by her fellow Jedi. If the fight drags on, Shaak Ti will begin to tire and start getting sloppy. Unduli's superb flexibility and Soresu will be more than enough to counter Shaak Ti's offense long enough to frustrate Shaak Ti.

Ya....only winning, by throwing an energy field generator at him which exploded on contact. At any point during the duel, Galen would have been seriously ****ed if it weren't for that, its pretty much stated in the novel one slip up and he was done for.

Marek used his natural surroundings coupled with his impressive Force powers to his advantage, he didn't slip or falter, and he defeated Vader. Marek > Vader.

But either way, aren't the cutscenes supposedly canon? If so then the battle would be interpreted as follows:

However, the sheer weight of Vader's heavy armor and prostheses left him unable to physically compete with the agile Marek. Furthermore, the numerous cybernetic additions to his body considerably diminished his potential in the Force. Ultimately, the apprentice had surpassed the master—the irony being that this was the Sith way, yet Marek was never "officially" a Sith apprentice. With the Force on his side, Marek crushed Vader under a pile of heavy pipes and unleashed a furry of swift attacks that brought Vader to his knees. After pummeling away a few times at the last of Vader's defenses, Marek viciously sliced off the upper part of Vader's mask, then used the Force to brutally fling his former master through a glass pane and into the throne room. Darth Vader, damaged and no longer capable of defending himself, had finally been defeated. ~ Wookieepedia.

It would seem that Vader was simply overwhelmed. Which makes sense as Marek is more powerful in most, if not all, respects. Obviously it was a difficult fight, but he prevailed nonetheless.