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Maul cometh
Maul is a deadly Sith Lord trained by Dooku's master Darth Sidious. Maul later broke free from Sidious' control and guidance after he survived seemingly certain death via hatred alone by being cut in half and falling hundreds of feet. Maul's resolve is second to none and his relentlessness will spell certain doom for someone of Dooku's caliber. This detailed and evidentiary based essay will explore how these two Sith will fare against each other. Set aside your preconceived notions of this matchup and decide based on the arguments here alone. Maul was Sidious' first choice for an apprentice not Dooku. Despite my reservations about Darth Sidious' courage he is a meticulous planner and doesn't haphazardly jump into any decision. This leads credence to the significance of Maul as his first apprentice over Dooku the "rebound" apprentice.
Now I am not going to mirror Kurk's argument here for a few reasons. One he gives his own definitions which doesn't really oppose my argument. Secondly, the more important reason is I will only discuss what is relevant in terms of the evidence that exposes Dooku for coming up short against Maul in battle. This isn't about who is more well rounded/versatile, experienced, etc. this is about who wins a duel between the two. I won't ignore similar opponents altogether because that does matter to a smaller degree. What also matters and to a greater degree is when their opponents share commonalities? I will primarily focus on Maul's strengths that will exploit Dooku's weaknesses. Most fail to realize this about how these two match up against each other not just how they fared against similar opponents. I will focus on the why. It's the why that matters. Context is really in the details.
Maul's physical advantages
1. Stamina--the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.[/u]
2. Endurance--the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially : the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity.
3. Physical strength-- is generated through the interaction of muscles, skeleton, tendons and ligaments and through energy conversion in the muscles. A person's physical strength will also vary according to their age, body size, weight and gender.
4. Mobility--the ability to move or be moved freely and easily.
The Phantom Menace Duel--covers all the advantages in this clip.
**55-58 seconds in we once again see Maul right on the precipice of possible death to be both aware of his situation as well as having the skill to clear the distance while fending off two Jedi.
**1:02-1:03 Maul uses his lightsaber to block both Jedi's weapons.
**1:09-1:14 Maul kicks Kenobi back and off the platform almost to his death despite these two Jedi attacking on two fronts.
**2:11 The barrier keeping them apart gives us a clear difference with these two approaches. Qui mediates and calms himself whereas Maul seethes with contempt for his enemy and doesn't take his eyes off his opponent. He doesn't look to be tiring at all at throughout the entire lengthy lightsaber duel from start to finish.
In a bitter sense of true irony I am representing the younger Sith Lord. I am not going to sit here and argue that force power won't amplify Dooku's physical prowess to an impressive degree. What I am going to argue is someone who is close in terms of force power/standing that there needs to be a greater disparity of force power to make up the difference. Dooku won't achieve that level of superiority since he's on Maul's level of force power. So naturally a younger man at his physical apex is going to be capable of greater stamina and endurance than a much older man. Since both are force peer equals according to Lucas this gives Maul an advantage in a prolonged fight.
To put the nail in the coffin with one quote from the creator himself, George Lucas
"But Obi-Wan screwed that up by cutting off his arms and legs and burning him up. From then on, he wasn't as strong as the Emperor – he was like Darth Maul or Count Dooku. He wasn't what he was supposed to become. But the son could become that." The irony of the quote is this proves Maul is also on the level of Darth Vader which I've always argued as well over the years.
This is from the script of Revenge of the Sith which proves my point. This isn't a long duel by any stretch of the meaning of the word "long." Dooku tires very quickly indeed.
----As the battle proceeds, OBI-WAN and COUNT DOOKU are tired. ANAKIN is stronger as he becomes angry. ANAKIN continues to drive the attack on DOOKU. COUNT DOOKU throws OBI-WAN back using the Force.
ANAKIN and COUNT DOOKU move up the stairs. As they reach the upper landing of the General's Quarters, ANAKIN leaps over COUNT DOOKU. OBI-WAN reaches the top of the stairs, destroying TWO SUPER BATTLE DROIDS. COUNT DOOKU holds OBI-WAN in the air using the Force as he turns and kicks ANAKIN out of frame. OBI-WAN is choking.
ANAKIN hits the archway.----
^^Compare this duel with Maul's previously shared TPM duel and it's quite clear Count Dooku doesn't have the stamina/physicality to weather a highly offensive opponent for long before he begins to fatigue.
1. Maul's relentless and reckless pursuit of his enemies will give Dooku fits due to how quickly he tires per Revenge of the Sith script. Maul is well polished, powerful, technically sound and completely unlike Kenobi as a duelist rendering those showings a moot point since they don't apply to Maul. Maul's martial arts prowess and agility are near the top tier below Sidious when it comes to lightsaber duelists. We see how quickly Maul moves and evades his opponents in battle. Whereas Dooku is more of a precise duelist with his minimal movements focusing on efficiency while conserving energy this is a stark contrast to Maul. Maul relies on his aggression, agility and athleticism. The younger more virile Sith Lord being Maul embodies a pace Count Dooku at his advanced cannot keep up with.
2. His double edged lightsaber also provides him the opportunity to use it sans it is cut in half. Granted that's unlikely it is a however a possibility and one that occurred against Kenobi in TPM. Cut it in half and he still has a lightsaber. This also gives him two bladed ends so he can keep the press on with either end of his dual edged lightsaber. Superior physicality, a superior weapon, as well as an undying rage make up the superior Sith and Sidious' first choice as an apprentice.
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In the gif we see him defend against a Jedi at his backside and one in front of him. This highlights his superhuman combat situational awareness against two legendary Jedi simultaneously.
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Here we witness his martial arts prowess in action and his force powers leading to opening the door so Maul can create space and not back himself up against a wall. Another example of situational awareness in the midst of battle.
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Dave Filoni on Maul's intro arc from Clone Wars.
"Yeah I mean I think the root of all that if he is a good apprentice to Sidious, Sidious to train him in his likeness really and teach him what he knows thus if you know by their nature can't be so overt. He is a deadly weapon because George needed him to be that in Phantom Menace but he didn't have the time to get more into who he is. If you listen the few times he speaks he is very subservient and he doesn't come across as someone that's very dim. He comes across rather sharp which I think makes your villain that much more effective."
"Wanted to have his revenge take him over in the first outing last season and once he was kind of satisfied with trying to have that attempt at quick revenge at Obi Wan he calmed down and kind of steps better into his body and says this is gonna I Need to settle myself down and think about this. I need to utilize this brother I have. I need to really do what my master had taught me which is work within the shadows and build power slowly and then opportunities will present itself that he can take advantage of especially without Sidious kind of cloaking him and protecting him at large. You know he would be pretty vulnerable to the Jedi knights at this point especially because they are aware of him but since they're distracted with the clone war he'd be able to capitalize on this and kind of work on areas that they have long neglected."
"All tell us a bit more dimension but to show his thought process to show that he was a good apprentice to Sidious. A cunning apprentice. We already know he can fight."
You can see all of these quotes in the clip below in even greater detail but I wanted to back up my claims he's an excellent and worthy apprentice to Sidious in every facet. Once Maul reins himself in he's quite calculating in a manner we had never seen before due to the limited time with the character in the Phantom Menace. Maul works in the shadows while meticulously planning the revenge of Kenobi as well as amassing power and resources he needs to execute his agenda.
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Shared Apprentice
1. Savage Opress
Savage Opress was once a common Nightbrother whose fighting prowess impressed Asajj Ventress. Transformed into a monstrous warrior by Mother Talzin, Opress became Count Dooku's new assassin and secret Sith apprentice. His loyalty, however, remained to Talzin. The Nightsisters leader gave Savage a new quest: to find his brother, Darth Maul, who had somehow survived his apparent death and was living in exile in the Outer Rim. Savage located Maul and became his brother’s enforcer in the Shadow Collective, but died when Darth Sidious confronted the two Sith warriors on Mandalore.
1a. Savage Opress with a mystically enhanced axe in action on sheer aggression and raw physicality decimates those who stand in his way.
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2a. Savage Opress breaks through Dooku's defenses and disarms him of his weapon.
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3a. Savage Opress force pushes both Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker at the same time showing immense power. Keep in mind this is relatively early on and he's inexperienced with his force powers.
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4a. This happens prior to my quote from Count Dooku right after the clip. We see Savage Opress overpower both Ventress and Dooku's defenses to overpower them and force choke them momentarily. This is prior to the quote right below which acknowledges Opress is growing in power each additional day after this feat.
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Count Dooku quote, "I can sense him, Grievous. That creature, Savage Opress, is growing stronger and stronger as each day passes." Grievous responds with, "You consider him a threat?" Dooku's response is very clear, "He is a threat to all of us, even the Jedi."
--(Brothers) S4:E21.
The point of that quote is simple if Dooku believes Maul's weaker brother is a danger to not only himself and his allies but the Jedi as well then it's evident Maul is a greater threat to Dooku.
5a. Maul shows off his dominance over his brother Savage Opress in a quick and decisive fashion. Couple this with the previous gif, Dooku's own high praise of Opress and this paints the picture Maul is without a doubt an even bigger threat to Dooku than he acknowledged his inferior brother was.
Darth Maul to Savage Opress, "So it is time for a lesson." Savage Opress then says after being defeated, "You have grown so powerful."
--(Revival) S5:E1.
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Both Sith Lords have time with Savage Opress and both have faced him in combat. Dooku feared his power and faced him before before Savage's powers began to increase. Maul faced him afterwards his powers had grown further and beat him more resoundingly than Dooku. Savage Opress is less technically sound and a lot more raw than Maul. Maul is a lot more powerful than Opress, far more refined and technically sound with training from Darth Sidious and fully resolute to destroy his enemy.
"Doubt will only lead to failure. This Sith pretender Dooku, and all our enemies will fall."
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Maul's other feats and notable displays of power
1. Maul stuns and quickly kills Qui Gon. In this gif you see how quickly Maul kills his foe in close quarters.
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2. At the end of the gif Maul disarms Kenobi with one carefully timed force push.
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3. Maul while wounded reacting under the duress of enemy fire moving this ship is extremely impressive. His focus doesn't miss a beat against multiple opponents firing at him from various positions in a cluttered battlefield.
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4. Maul force banishes Kenobi away from his wounded brother Savage. This is the second time Maul has earned an opportunistic force push on Kenobi when he's left himself vulnerable. So you can clearly see both Maul and Dooku use their force powers against Kenobi provided an opening.
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5a. Kenobi previously clashed with Pre Vizsla a highly skilled Mandalorian bounty hunter and failed to disarm/defeat him. Pre Vizsla is skilled enough to tangle with top tier Jedi/Sith.
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5b. Maul takes the fight to Pre Vizsla for a more up close and personal approach.
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5c. Maul disarms Pre Vizsla he challenged to a one on one duel for rule of their combined forces.
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5d. Maul executes his defeated and helpless opponent Pre Vizsla. Only the strong are meant to rule.
"I claim this sword and my rightful place as leader of Death Watch."
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The reason I showed Maul not sparing a defeated opponent is because we have the opposite from Count Dooku. Count Dooku gives his opponent Mace Windu the opportunity to surrender and attempts to convince Mace Windu later as well in the film. This is a weakness and not something a true Sith would ever fathom; mercy.
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[u]Quote from Count Dooku vs. Kenobi in AOTC
"As you see my Jedi powers are far beyond yours. Now back down."
Darth Sidious' own words, "I am most impressed to see you have survived your injuries." Maul, " I used your training, Master. And I have built all this in hopes of returning to your side." Sidious, "How unfortunate that you are attempting to deceive me. You have become a rival."
Rival--a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.
In this gif we see just how enraged and on point Maul is to penetrate Sidious' defenses to kick someone of a higher force tier than himself. As per Lucas the highest tier of his six films was the Darth Sidious, Yoda, Windu tier whereas Maul is on the level below it. This demonstrates how potent and focused Maul is despite the vast force advantages of Darth Sidious who surprises Maul and catches him completely off guard at the height of Maul's political power.
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Another gif showing his determination against his more powerful former master.
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What conclusions you should draw from all the data I've shown you is quite simple. It's that an aggressive, powerful force user is the scissors to Dooku's paper. Dooku's finesse and precision is countered and exploited by relentlessness coupled with power and skill. We have seen far less technically sound and inexperienced foes such as Savage Opress both disarm and overpower him. Count Dooku feared Savage Opress' growing power so it only makes sense he'd fear someone blatantly more powerful and more developed in Maul. You don't fear someone who isn't a threat to you.
Maul and Count Dooku both shared the same master and the same apprentice albeit briefly. This shows a very unique connection between these two and makes this matchup all the more interesting. Both combatants styles are completely different as are their age brackets. Maul is the younger, hatred filled Sith Lord whose determination is as seemingly never ending as the tattoos that adorn his body. Count Dooku (I refuse to call this fraud of a Sith by his Darth name) relies on his force power and precise attacks expending as little energy as possible due to his advanced age. These two are truly polar opposites across the board in almost every sense.
The answer is simple; Maul. Maul showed he was the true apprentice of Darth Sidious since he was molded by a very young age to adopt the likeness of Darth Sidious to a much greater degree than a man already shaped by his own life experiences in Count Dooku. Count Dooku was the rebound to Maul's mistaken demise as his placeholder until Darth Vader. Maul grew in power, wisdom, deeds, and agenda post Phantom Menace. Maul was truly a master paving his own way in the Star Wars universe who became an actual rival to Darth Sidious whereas Count Dooku was always just a patsy.
Maul's physical superiority is too great an advantage over someone who tires quickly against high end Jedi. Maul won't give him time or any quarter and once he tires it will be the beginning of the end. Kenobi has easily parried his force lightning before so there's no reason to see an issue with Maul. Especially given Maul's own brother has taken repeated helpings of it with no long term damage, scarring, or any lingering effects. Count Dooku is the rebound apprentice that is dealt with by Sidious' first love, Maul. At his best he clashed with Darth Sidious while any sane individual agrees is on the highest tier of Sith power from the prequel and Ot era. If Maul can match his former master's power for even a brief time he will definitely be on the level of Dooku's dueling skill level since he was never a peer to Sidious. Yoda outmatched Dooku's power easily. Without the threat of injury to Jedi I believe he wouldn't have had the chance to escape from Yoda's wrath in AOTC.
-Yoda shows he's on another level of force power than Dooku. This is undeniable.
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-Dooku had to rely on threatening his comrades in order to buy him the necessary time to escape which cements his cowardice and inferiority to Yoda in dueling skill.
Count Dooku--1. Conditional mercy
2. Calm and reasonable demeanor
3. Age
4. Greater dependence on force power for his physical deficiencies
5. Single bladed lightsaber
Maul who survived off hatred that never died even unto his death will not yield in this matchup. It's who Maul is. It's in his DNA at this point. Maul's rage is a burning star that will spell doom for someone who has made the fatal error of letting loose the "rage beast" before. Count Dooku tends to attempt to fall back and regroup if someone continues to press him with power strikes. If the assault is maintained then this will exploit Dooku's weakness resulting in his inevitable demise. Without Dooku using the grace of his form to keep ahead of the fight while keeping his opponent off balance his rhythm will be thrown off and he will succumb to a stronger, more physically powerful Maul who greatly exceeds him in stamina.
"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them."
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Maul's singular focus of the death of his enemies fueled by his hatred and lack of mercy will be Dooku's undoing. "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." --Mike Tyson
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1st Rebuttal
Versatility while admirable and being well rounded doesn't denote an advantage or a victory over someone in battle without sufficient evidence and critical reasoning to support this conclusion.
Suffice it to say I have a huge issue with your use of the word stalemate. To suggest fleeing from fair one on one combat is more an example of cowardice.
This is what allowed him the time necessary for him to escape. Running away doesn't inspire confidence or suggest a stalemate took place.
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Anakin being the chosen one has nothing to do with the outcome of their duel. Prior to their final duel Dooku bested an inexperienced and less powerful Anakin and survived more than once to prove this outcome was unavoidable.
This is something I've never contested. I do agree Dooku has more raw force power than Maul but not to the disparity of it being the game changer you'd probably lead someone to believe. Take for instance Anakin Skywalker at the point of Dooku's death for a moment. I would argue Dooku had greater force power at the time while Anakin had the greater potential. That didn't save Dooku because a lightsaber negates his force lightning/force power.
"It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the force. But by our skills with a lightsaber."
^^How apropos.
Already countered via the Revenge of the Sith script with Count Dooku's tiring early on against Kenobi and Skywalker. Dooku tires very quickly and can't sustain this level of intensity against younger, aggressive, powerful and highly skilled peer.
I also agree Dooku has more force knowledge due to his longer life, his experience as both a Jedi and his time as a faux Sith. I am going to illustrate my point with a sports analogy. Now bear with me I suspect you aren't interested in sports but my point will be clear. The Dallas Cowboys destroyed the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl 27. The bills head coach stole the Cowboys signals so they knew what plays they were running on offense. It didn't matter because despite the knowledge of what they were going to do they still couldn't physically stop them. Dooku while being more knowledgeable wasn't able to stop Anakin Skywalker's assault likewise he won't be able to stop Maul's as well.
You have not made any direct claims of Dooku over Maul here.
I believe we both have at this point enough quotes from in and out of universe sources to back our claims. That means whoever is the more persuasive debater will win this day.
I do agree experiences matter not just overall experience. By that I mean a single experience can radically alter someone's perception or direction so having more due to being older doesn't necessarily equate to greater. So I perceive this to come down whose experiences qualitatively have a far greater importance than quantitatively.
As is the case with anything affecting one particular joint in a specific area of the human body it also affects the entire human body. They go hand in hand but someone with greater physicality logically has to use less force power to augment their capabilities in order to be effective. The greater muscle exertion one use in your body to sprint the faster you fatigue yourself. The same can be said of a force user so what can we take away that pertains to this matchup. The fact these two are on the same playing field of force power/user. Maul, Dooku, and Vader due to his injuries sustained against Kenobi never achieved the upper echelon of power Yoda and Sidious achieved. Dooku doesn't have the stamina to survive a prolonged battle against Maul.
I have a huge point of contention with your erroneous perspective on this matter. Maul has displayed environmental awareness against Qui Gon and Kenobi in TPM, also against Kenobi when he force pushed him to protect his injured brother, and once again shows environmental awareness when fleeing from Hondo's men firing on him by force pushing the ship to escape.
Yoda also states, "Much to learn you still have."
He is powerful but not powerful enough to defeat Maul due to Maul's favorable advantages.
Important thing to me is he can't evade or defeat them despite his immense power. He will be shot and he will go down. He accepts his fate as their captive.
Once again I don't disagree that he is powerful.
Per Lucas Maul is on the same tier as Dooku.
Telekinetically throwing objects is nothing outside the norm for a force user of his power. What I deem noteworthy from this is despite all his attempts to hurt Yoda he was unable to break his defenses even once.
Ventress is his inferior apprentice so his superiority over her isn't surprising. That's what is standard issue for masters and apprentices especially from the dark side. Otherwise why would they follow someone weaker.
Lifting up the obelisks while impressive doesn't carry much weight in a battle with Maul due to the focus and time it took to achieve the feat. In that amount of time if he tries something of that nature he gets impaled and rather quickly.
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2nd Rebuttal
Dooku does have the power to ko unprepared opponents who blindly rush in without defending themselves. This doesn't apply to Maul who has a weapon to block the force lightning.
Dooku is in the same tier as Anakin so a back and forth is to be expected. Anakin wasn't defeated in this instance but this is another example of two opponents attacking and counter attacking each other with nothing detrimental taking place.
This remains to be seen. Conversely Savage Opress has shown the force power to break through Dooku's defenses and contend with him. Savage lacks Maul's technical skill and power so it's asinine to assume Maul can't compete on his level.
Almost doesn't cut it in Star Wars or in life. Almost won't get you to your destination. If you want to fail and come up just short of your goals almost is the word for you. Yoda wasn't disarmed nor did he have his defenses broke through in any way by Dooku.
Finishes is too strong a word here. Finishes implies this attacked defeated Kenobi which isn't the case. Dooku successfully countered his attack but this didn't impact or impact Kenobi in any significant manner.
Now this is an impressive display. Force chokes can be achieved by lesser force powered opponents as seen here. It's all about implementing said attack at the proper moment.
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Do not forget I have already shown you Savage Opress force choking Dooku and Ventress simultaneously.
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3rd Rebuttal
Savage Opress is very raw and inexperienced at this point. Dooku exploiting his weaknesses is to be expected.
Ventress was his former apprentice so his knowledge, experience, power, and technical skill is superior to her. Granted she's impressive she's never been able to really challenge Dooku on her own. That's why she needed the Nightsisters and Savage Opress to push him to his limits.
Now this shows provided the right environment Dooku can use what's around him to keep a capable opponent slightly off balance. My only issue is Dooku was unable to best Anakin and fled from him. In this battle against Maul there's no where to run or hide. Just as all these hurled objects didn't critically hurt Anakin they wouldn't be anything more than a minor nuisance for Maul on his path towards his prey.
Savage Opress left himself open all the time but what I gain from this gif in an all out battle with multiple force lightning attacks this was not enough to ko or defeat Savage. Maul has far greater technical skill to be caught as often or at all like an inexperienced Opress.
Versatility when used properly is effective I contend it won't be effective enough to someone of Maul's caliber. I also do not agree you can reach the conclusion because Savage Opress eats the force lighting somehow this pertains this pertains to Maul.
Dooku has also had his defenses not only exploited but it has resulted in his death from someone using a similar power strike assault without giving Dookunthe time to create the space he needs to out fence his opponent.
Maul was taken aback by the force push but it didn't hinder or defeat him. A temporary setback and nothing more. In this duel we see Kenobi later admit both he and Ventress needed to escape because they were outmatched.
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4th Rebuttal
I shared this earlier I believe but it's relevant here since a kick a peer isn't the game changer you seem to be suggesting. Maul didn't lose nor was he critically injured despite being kicked is a moot point. Anakin was kicked prior to this and while it knocked him back he was able to counterattack. The same can be said for Maul in these scenes.
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Kenobi doesn't use the same dueling style or techniques of Maul so it's not relevant. Think of it this way Dooku had his way with Kenobi but Anakin brought down Dooku with authority in Rots. Later on in the very same film Kenobi defeats Anakin in a far longer duel so we can safely assume this is a matchup issue. The same can be said for Maul. How Kenobi matches up with Maul is entirely different than Dooku who employs different force powers, lightsaber, tempo, and precision.
Maul might not being Dooku down with a force push but it will disrupt Dooku's rhythm surrendering distance for Maul to press his assault.
I say thee nay. I've shown Savage Opress disarming Dooku from the clone wars series from this gif I'll repeat to refute the claim.
**1:49 in Ventress force push disarms Dooku. We see her break down his defenses with just a few Nightsisters. Granted he's blind but to an experienced Jedi this shouldn't be anything other than a minor annoyance. Dooku even says he doesn't need eyes to see.
An very inexperienced Luke Skywalker shows he doesn't need eyes to deflect these blasts. This is nothing to an experienced Jedi let alone.
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-One final example of Anakin himself using a force attack to break through his defenses.
**10:43 Anakin force pushes thereby breaking Dooku's defenses knocking him onto his backside.
Dooku is an incredibly efficient and smooth operator in the midst of extreme duress. Dooku does exploit sloppier opponents without an extreme mastery over their skill of a lightsaber. Maul isn't sloppy nor is he without his own style of mastery of his weapon. Maul has the stamina to effectively pursue Dooku without giving him the space he needs to keep his opponent off balance.
Keep this in mind. Dooku was unable to best Anakin and he was only able to keep him off of him to later allow his escape. Dooku also was on the defensive against Opress and Ventress prior to Opress turning on Ventress. So while he looks cool and sleek evading attacks while expending minimal energy this won't help him against a relentless, much younger, and highly skilled Maul molded by Darth sidious for years.
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Fifth Rebuttal
First things first. Let's deal with the Asajj Ventress gifs. She isn't on his level. She has always been his apprentice and is a tier below the likes of Maul, Dooku, and Vader as the sub bosses beneath Sidious.
I am going to have to ask you to quit being so dramatic claiming this kick nearly ended Kenobi's life. If this didn't much more durable and mechanical opponent didn't seriously injure Kenobi with this punch and crash the kick looks like a flick to the head by comparison.
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This is impressive against these two but we have seen Savage Opress and Ventress both catch these two off guard with force attacks despite being more powerful and skilled. It happens but he wasn't close to defeating either of them here.
He does prove to be elusive and tries to keep them off balance while always creating space so he is able to dictate the tempo of the duel. He was successful in this attempt but Maul is even more aggressive than Anakin who ultimately kills Dooku later in the same duel once Dooku is no longer able to separate himself from Anakin's close quarter strikes.
As in all these gifs he's able to consistently continue his movement with grace. I've also given proof in the Rots duel he tired quickly into the duel. Once Anakin fueled his anger at the behest of Dooku it was quickly over. Dooku lost both hands and was completely at his opponents mercy. Maul doesn't need any aid in the rage department since that's as normal to him as breathing. Maul might be kicked or force pushed backwards but just like against Anakin it will only delay the inevitable. Once he closes in with his anger fueling his drive in tandem with his skill he will quickly end Dooku once his energy begins to wane.
I also believe Maul's force pushes would unravel his rhythm and throw him slightly off balance which favors the more aggressive and physically stronger Maul. Force pushes affect him like anyone when they hit him properly. He isn't immune to force attacks he typically anticipates them not always as evidenced by my previous examples of Ventress, Savage Opress, and Anakin Skywalker doing so.
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...Continued
I beg to differ. Dooku didn't deal with Anakin's rage and powerful strikes in quick succession. Anakin quickly ended up as soon as he let his anger flow and dominate his emotions. Maul is on his level just like Vader so he has the skill and the powerful strength to properly execute the perfect counter to his finesse and precision.
They are both superior at their own styles so simply put they excel at different areas. I've already discussed in detail the major areas in which they are polar opposites while having the same master and apprentice.
In the clone wars series we see him wield a regular light saber so multiple showings of skill but I choose to bring his double edged lightsaber into play since its two weapons in one.
-Maul is typically angry whereas Dooku is typically calm. I refuse to excuse his emotions since they are intense throughout the clone wars series not just that instance.
-Count Dooku has extensive knowledge of the power of anger through the dark side so I don't buy that excuse. Dooku fights better as a calmer individual so as Maul excels letting the hatred flow Dooku excels when he controls his emotions in combat. Dooku soundly defeated both the Jedi and he had time to recover before his battle had begun with Yoda. The duels with Kenobi and Anakin weren't lengthy in time.
-We don't see any confirmation from Filoni that Sidious held back in any fashion. It's safe to assume after disarming his opponent he didn't have to kill him since he is on another level altogether when it comes to pure force power.
-Yoda also had to stop fighting Dooku and save his friends who Dooku attacked. This served as an opportunity to board his ship to escape. We can tell earlier when it came to force powers Yoda casually dismissed his force lightning but this wasn't the case with Sidious. Dooku didn't break through Yoda's defenses at any point unlike Maul with the kick. Dooku's escape also leads me to believe he wasn't confident about beating Yoda otherwise why not stay and finish the duel.
1. Sidious didn't initially try to run only after Yoda defended himself and his arrogance dissipated with the revelation Yoda is powerful enough to contend with Sidious.
2. Yoda was also temp ko'd by Sidious whereas Dooku landed no attacks. Sidious also gains the high ground and disarms Yoda on screen something Dooku was unable to accomplish.
3. Yoda stalemated the force power and the force struck them both. Yoda was closer to the edge of the pod and weighed loss so he went careening off. Sidious maintained his grip and effectively kept the high ground thereby winning the duel.
Fleeing from battle while attacking two downed opponents is not a stalemate especially when Yoda casually dismissed his force attacks and never had his defenses broke through. Maul was able to land a kick and did not relent against his former master. I also agree Dooku is more powerful in the force than Maul but not to the extent it grants him the edge over Maul. They are on the same level and his lightsaber will negate the force lightning just like Kenobi in AOTC.
Dooku himself taunts during battle providing Maul even more motivation to let loose the fury.
Quotes from Count Dooku to opponents in battle
"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them."--ROTS
"Master Kenobi you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem. Surely you can do better."--AOTC
[COLOR=red]"Brave of you boy, but I would have thought you had learned your lesson."--Anakin Skywalker AOTC
[COLOR=green]"I have become more powerful than any Jedi even you."--Yoda AOTC
That is just four quotes but he routinely mocked Ventress and Opress as well. I believe I proved my point with sufficient evidence of him poking the bear.
Negative ghost rider. Ironic you bring up pirates betraying him when they were able to successfully capture Dooku without even a fight. Maul isn't all knowing but the same applies to Dooku and I suspect the pirates catching him completely off guard makes for a little irony. Dooku wasn't able to suspect Ventress' planting Savage Opress as a false apprentice right under Dooku's nose. He foolishly ordered Opress to kill her to realize he had been duped. That isn't indicative of a mental illness just another betrayal. It happens in Star Wars.
Maul had his mental illness purged by Mother Talzin and rose to become a rival to Sidious amassing enough authority/capital for the grand planner himself to intervene. Maul did successful capture Kenobi multiple times but spared him due to his sadism wanting to prolong his suffering. Again he was successful in capturing Kenobi multiple times, killing his ex girlfriend, taking over Death Watch by learning the rules of the Mandalorian ways. Bad guys usually betray bad guys but Maul came out on top against Pre Vizsla. It was his strategic mind that caused Mandalore to rally behind the Death Watch in the first place.
Maul is cunning, singularly focused in battle, relentless, and spent considerable time with Darth Sidious. Maul learned subtly, the dark side of the force, fine tuned his skills with a lightsaber and how to be utterly ruthless granting his foes no quarter.
Feb 14th, 2018 01:22 AM
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