Poll: Game of Thrones trial by combat... who do you choose as your champion?

I'd agree that it is the greatest example of his demonstrated nobility.

He does step in to save the life of Ser Loras

Of course this does tie in with his relationship/rivalry with the Mountain (I suspect that is the primary reason for the interaction on the part of Martin), but it is not purely driven by revenge as evidenced by:

• after defensively stepping in to stop the Mountain's sword strike and saving Ser Loras, he steps away from the interaction. He is clearly willing not to engage any further and only does so when the Mountain pursues the engagement. His actions do not show aggression, but instead are defensive in nature.
• he stops immediately when King Robert interjects. It isn't like he is in a state of bloodlust/revenge, it feels more purposeful than that.

Whether or not you consider that a demonstration of some level of nobility or humanity on his part is up to you. I feel it is, not to the same level as saving Sansa, but it is still there.


Secondly, after his beating at the hands of Brienne he slowly integrates into a small community of people (I believe they are constructing a building of some sort). You can see a glimpse of humanity in him and it really feels like he cares for them (albeit in his own limited way), especially the leader of the community. He contributes to the community and is slowly becoming a part of them. When they are killed, it troubles the Hound and he seeks revenge. While revenge is not a noble action, he had very little to gain other than some sense of justice (at least in his mind).

On this we will have to disagree. I see no evidence supporting that claim. After carefully re-watching that scene, I maintain that he is fighting to the maximum level of his ability and loses fair and square. I think Brienne simply beats him... twice!

Don't get me wrong, he is a very capable and dangerous warrior. Throughout the show we see him going 1-1-1 against other "major" characters. He beats Dondarrion, he draws the Mountain (they both die) and loses to Brienne. However, over the same course of time we see Brienne going 3-0, beating the Hound, Ser Loras and (an admittedly handicapped) Jamie.

Brienne and the Hound share many characteristics in terms of size, strength, toughness and general fighting style. I think Brienne is probably more intelligent and demonstrates a greater level of emotional control.

 

Sure... I guess I'll just have to settle with Drogon (the season 8 version of course)

 

All right, I'll just have to make the ultimate power move and take George RR Martin who easily wins against anybody with a strike of his keyboard.

 

Well, if we're going to break the fourth wall, although mean... I'll pick heart disease. The man doesn't look like he's in great shape.

P.S. I wish him good health and long life, but it doesn't appear as though he takes very good care of himself.

 

An interesting idea. If we stick by the original rules of the thread (meaning they can't change weapons from their default equipment as seen in the show), there isn't all that much that anybody could realistically change in a one-on-one arena fight. That said, even a small advantage could prove useful, so it is a fun little thought experiment. I think those with the highest "fight IQs" would benefit the most:

Least benefit:

• Robert Baratheon (let's be honest, he's probably just going to use the opportunity to drink more)
• The Hound
• The Mountain
• Drogo (his raw fighting ability is already near perfect and I can't picture him trying to change it)

Medium amount of benefit:

• Loras
• Mormont
• Brienne
• Jamie

Most benefit:

• Bronn
• Syrio
• Oberyn
• Selmy

If we abandon the rules of the thread and fighters can change their equipment after studying their opposition, the greatest potential advantage gained would be by the two unarmored warriors: Syrio and Drogo. Simply giving them armour and letting them get accustomed to it, would be of greater benefit than could be attained by any of the other combatants. It's an instant boost, that isn't available to the others because they already have armour. Of course, each of these are dependent on if you could convince them to wear the armour in the first place. An armoured Khal Drogo would be in a league of his own. Nobody from the field would stand a chance, as that was his one area of weakness.

 

You're right, Drago with armor could be really scary.

Though I was more thinking about people staying with their normal arms and armour, just spending time focused on honing specific parts of their techniques to utilize in the upcoming fight. Kind of like how a boxer or MMA fighters will adjust their strategy for different opponents and work on what they plan to use more in the training camp leading up to the fight.

 

Like I said, I don't believe it would make a very big difference at all. A one-on-one arena fight is a pretty controlled environment, especially when the fighter is not allowed to swap out armour or weapons. Unlike modern day, the GoT world doesn't have access to the knowledge/technology that modern MMA fighters have (such as video footage of opponents, modern day training/nutrition expertise, etc.). That said, if we're considering even very small benefits, I stand by my previous list:

 

Best Wizards Duel Ever. . . . EVAR !