quote:

As it turns out, I won't be able to post from fork today, so I've got a fairly thorough write up here for everyone's perusal. I'm sending it in three parts to aid in readability and easier citation. I'll be able to debate, Q&A, post scans etc. after aroud 6 Central.

Alright, it's on!

The team spends a few minutes getting to know one another, and settle into a workable dynamic where Ra's al Ghul is essentially in charge, allthough to assuage their egos Ra's lets Baron Mordo think that he's sharing leadership and talks to the Super-Skrull in terms of his being an ally rather than a member of a tam led by humans. Temugin follows Ra's out of respect for an elder mastermind, and the others are all used to working for bigger fish.

The Fixer, having raided/stolen Avengers and SHIELD databases on more than one occasion, briefs the team on what they're up against with holograms from his tech-pack. They start to brainstorm strategy.

"You know," says the Fixer, "The Lunar surface is composed mostly of Anorthite, Armalcolite and Ilmenite feldspars. Which in layman's terms," he smirks, "means the rock we're standing on is chock full of Magnesium and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium#Precautions]Titanium{/url]." He looks at Temugin, "According to my files, isn't one of those rings a matter re-arranger?"

"I believe I see what you're getting at, Technician," says Ra's al Ghul looking up at the enclosing dome. "We would need only to arrange a suitable shelter and a supply of oxygen."

After a few more minutes, the plan was perfected.

Baron Mordo calls upon the Flames of the Faltine to crack open a shaft several miles down into the lunar surface (though not outside the battlefield radius, of course). Ecstasy teleports Temugin, Fixer, and Mordo to the bottom. Between Mordo's magic, Fixer's tech-pak, and especially Temugin's matter re-arranger; the three are able to construct an extremely robust underground bunker of layered titanium-steel and stone in mere minutes. Fixer directs Temugin to extract enough oxygen for several hours from the surrounding lunar Anorthite (46%oxygen) after which Super-Skrull colapses/melts the shaft closed completing their hidey-hole. Mordo begins work on a scrying pool while Fixer and Temugin return to the surface with Ecstasy.

Once there, Temugin demonstrates the range and power limits of the matter rearranger for the Fixer while geting used to maneuvering in the Lunar gravity. The Fixer then scans the terrain with his tech-pak and tells Temugin to look into his mind with his Mento-Intensifier ring to see exactly what he needs to do (Fixer helped Temugin this way while building the bunker as well). Fixer offers him a gas-mask too, but Temugin refuses as Rings and his Chi will protect him in the task ahead.

"Suit youself," says Fixer as he, Ra's, Kl'rt, and Dead Shot are then (unpleasantly as always) teleported down to the bunker by Ecstasy. They arrive to see Mordo completing a spell to control the weather on their team's side of the barrier.

Mordo calms and cools the air on the surface and then sends a mental message to Temugin: "Begin."

This will all have roughly consumed the first hour of the allotted prep time (during which Deadshot has been very bored).

For the remaining hour, Temugin runs and anime-moon-leaps throughout the area extracting (thanks to the mind-linked guidance from the Fixer) vast quantities of pure Magnesium and Titanium powder from the Moon's surface minerals. Before long, tons of the volatile elements are lying in heaps scattered throughout our side of the battlefield dome.

At the appropriate time, Ecstasy returns to the surface to bring Temugin back to the bunker miles below. "The heavens themselves shall shake" says the Mandarin's heir as they vanish into the darkness.

Below, Mordo and Ra's had been discussing strategy while fixer outfits his and Deadshot's costumes with re-breathers and adds energy beam weapons to Deadshot's wrist arsenal (since gunpowder won't work on the surface once the plan takes effect). They won't need them if all goes well, but they want to be prepared.

Once Ecstasy returns with Temugin, everyone waits for the signal while Ra's al Ghul carefully watches his finely crafted Swiss pocket-watch. At Battle-minus-30 seconds, Ra's looks at Mordo and says "Now, Baron"

Mordo smiles and concentrates on his weather spell, causing the air to rapidly warm and a wind (gentle at first then strengthening rapidly near the end) to scatter the Magnesium and Titanium powder into the air. (The powder drifts especially well in the low gravity) At Battle-5 seconds, he allows the static electricity in the hot dusty wind to finally have its wish and a stroke of lightning tears across the width of the dome. (Deep below the Super-Skull reinforces the bunker with his force-field, just in case.)

The thunder is nothing compared to what comes next. The lightning ignites the clouds of Magnesium and Titanium dust into a firestorm several miles wide. Yet, for a few precious seconds the gigantic explosive pressures are contained by the indestructible dome and barrier. Contained that is, until the barrier falls.

When the barrier drops Hulk-10's team is met by an unstoppable wave of destruction combining the nastiest attributes of both a Fuel-Air Explosion and a giant Shaped Charge.

As a miles-wide super-sonic blast furnace is unleashed upon Hulk-10's side of the battledome, everyone on his team except Colossus and Sasquatch will be crushed and incinerated simultaneously! Black Bolt might last a few seconds if he can react fast enough to use his deflection ability to counter the concussion, but he'll then succumb to the intense heat, flames, and having all the nothing to breathe but super-heated poisonous fumes. I doubt he'll react that quickly though, as he'll have been stunned by the blinding flash of light the instant the barrier came down. Surface shelter is useless as the burning air flows and crushes around cover and into craters (the FAE link above describes this affect)

(Above board, this doesn't violate rule 4, as none of my characters are using any sort of unavoidable instant kill power here, this is just good tactics. There're more than a few characters in this tourney who could survive this. Hulk-10 just doesn't have enough of them.)

Mordo sends his astral form to find and of the deafenned, blind, stunned,and battered Sasquatch and Colossus until the firestorm abates enough for Ecstasy (intangible) to deploy the Super-Skrull (fiery environment no problem) and Temugin (Cold & Matter Rings +Chi body control) to the surface.

Ecstasy grabs Sasquatch into her Cloak-like darkness, and Temugin uses his White Ring (electromagnetism) to hold Colossus up off the ground with no leverage for the immobilize-tko. K'rt is there for backup, just in case one of the bricks does something clever (in particular, he'll slow down Colossus's hands if he tries a shockwave-clap). Mordo can aslo mental attacks while present in his astral form, if necessary.

In the end, the only thing left of Hulk-10's team is Captain America's shield.

Thank you for you votes.

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Originally posted by TricksterPriest
Come on, credit where credit is due. This strategy is ingenius. I'll hold my vote for now, but I'm leaning towards laminator. Hulk's write up is somewhat illogical. I don't see Baron Mordo or Ra's going down that easily. I think you've greatly underestimated Laminator's team.

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Originally posted by Scoobless
I like it ... I'd like it more if Temugin was actually allowed his matter manipulator ring in the tourney (that, along with his disintegrator were banned ... i'm pretty sure about that) ... and even moreso if the whole thing wasn't an offensive move being made before the match actually starts.

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Originally posted by Scoobless
I agree... Lam is definitely in the lead.

You need a lot more than ... "my guy knocks your guy out, my other guy knocks your other guy out" ... to get through tourney rounds.