Originally posted by gogogadgetgo
Who'd have thought that Laxus' dad was such a whimp. Not to mention that the entire Raven Tail elite were all hot air.Either that or Laxus is just that strong. Maybe somehwere in between
Well, let's break down their abilities.
Obra has a very strong, game-winning power if he has a chance to use it, though he was vulnerable besides. If he wasn't taken out first there could've been trouble.
Nullpuding was fast and quite dangerous in melee, and seemed skilled at hit and run.
Flare had offense and defense with her hair, and was quick enough to grab Laxus, so in many team fights she'd be able to restrain a target for someone else to beat on. Probably specialized against summoners/ranged types who are weak when grabbed.
We didn't see much from Kurohebi, but his mimic should make him versatile, and the sand that he used most of the time seemed to be Max's (same spell names and all), and Max is pretty strong.
As for Ivan himself, I suspect his illusions are his main magic, that was a very impressive one, but defending against his shikigami seemed to take Laxus some effort, and was causing him to bleed in doing so. Those could likely take out a less resilient mage pretty easily.
All in all, I'd say it's a team of above-average mid level mages. It's just that Laxus is not the type to be taken down by even better than average mid-level mages.