If Scourge could stalemate the Hero, he's very comparable to Maul, especially since he'd be in fact greater than he was against the Hero since he'd be able to feed off of Maul's rage.
First off, where is the evidence that it was a stalemate? I watched a video and the cutscene following the start of the fight has Scourge bending a knee to the standing Hero, and there was even a dialogue option for the Hero stating he wasn't trying to kill Scourge.
Secondly.. who really cares? We know little about the duel, due to it taking place in gameplay and ending prematurely. It was presumably a pretty short encounter.. at best you can argue that Scourge held on for a bit against the Hero but.. be his equal with a lightsaber? I’m not sold. I mean, Luminara and Ventress’ TCW duel was regarded as a “stalemate” or “standstill” by Ultimate Star Wars.. up until Luminara lost. It seems to me Scourge would receive similar treatment had the fight been allowed to continue.
Also, I’d need to see some compelling evidence for the Hero being Maul’s equal in combat at this stage in time.. more than that, actually, if you wanted to convince me Scourge is Maul’s better.
Scourge is getting sold short. He was already a saber prodigy in Revan in the academy who scared the shit out of his instructors and a high-end master of multiple forms since he was a Juyo master.
Were these instructors of any particularly impressive repute or ability? Does the training they provide compare to sparring with and being personally tutored by Darth Sidious himself?
Scourge’s technical skill with a lightsaber is nice, though Maul does have him beat out in terms of how many combat disciplines each can use. Ultimately, Maul’s stronger Force connection and natural aptitude for combat is why he’s better.
He also outran automated speederfire, which was programmed to target and fire at incredible speeds and undoubtedly at highly fast targets
I.. don’t see how outrunning blaster fire is meant to be a big deal. It being auto-targeting is nice, but then, when Maul was 15 he was capable of easily dodging the blaster fire of one of the most renowned Mandalorians in the galaxy, who built up a reputation for fighting Jedi, and his two students who he’d been teaching for two years.
”His pursuers were Meltch Krakko and the two Rodian cadets, Hubnutz and Fretch, and the goal of their exercise was to capture Maul. Krakko and the Rodians were wearing mimetic suits, energy-powered cloaks that allowed tor almost perfect camouflage in any environment. Since Krakko’s return to Orsis Academy two years ago, he had not only taken a special interest in training the Rodians in tracking and sharpshooting, but also in tormenting the fifteen-year-old Zabrak.
[...]
Maul approached the rim of the mountain's valley, where glacial water and wind had carved a maze of tall, rocky formations. He darted into the labyrinth, never pausing to catch his breath. More blaster bolts zinged past his body. If his pursuers' blasters had been set to kill, he would have been dead already, a fact that infuriated him. But because Sidious and Trezza had forbidden him from revealing his Force powers to Orsis faculty and cadets, he was obliged to let his pursuers shoot him occasionally. If he'd dodged every blaster bolt, they would have had ample reason to suspect he was a Force user.”
―The Wrath of Darth MaulScourge outruns blaster-fire? Nice.. Maul outruns it while running up a wall, and then casually weaves around it when he gets on the ground. Cannon fire being delivered by a group of some of the finest combat-training droids on the market.
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/11111/111114474/3758872-maul+vs+droids6.jpg
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/11111/111114474/3758873-maul+vs+droids7.jpg
Hell, Komari Vosa “easily” deflected blaster fire coming at her “from all sides” (quote below), and she got wrecked by Maul’s lightsaber assault (also quoted below) because he was hitting her “seemingly from everywhere, all at once”.
”The Gamorreans opened fire from either side, but Vosa moved faster than they could shoot, faster even than the naked eye could see. Adapting the Form One style of Soresu, she whirled her lightsabers in front of her, their blades absorbing and deflecting the blasts easily from all sides.”
…
”In his mind, the duel was all but over— his opponent was now dragging out the inevitable moment of defeat in a series of small humiliations. By turning to such diversionary tactics, Vosa had all but admitted that she was no match for the erratic staccato blows that he was delivering, seemingly from everywhere, all at once.”
―Maul: LockdownAnd this was:
1. Before Maul increased in power leading up to TPM, and then more dramatically heading into TCW.
2. While Maul was suffering from having been shot in the shoulder just moments before.
TCW Maul, with a fresh arm and more Force power at his disposal? I don’t think he’d take issue in demonstrating a speed advantage. I hope you found that comparison of feats both relevant and objective, as that was my only goal there.
and move faster than patrol droids could react.
Aw, that’s cute. Maul see’s top-of-the-line, superhumanly-fast combat droids moving in slow motion and can actually mentally plan out what limbs of theirs he wants to remove in advance.
”They had been programmed with the skills of a dozen martial arts masters, and their reflexes were calibrated just a hair faster than human optimum.”
[...]
“Rapier lunged at full extension, its metal knee joint bent almost to the floor. The needle point flickered toward Maul’s heart, almost too fast to see.
The dark side blossomed in Darth Maul, the power of it resonating in him like black lightning, augmenting his years of training, guiding his reactions. Time seemed to slow, to stretch.
It would have been easy to chop the blade itself in half, as few metals could resist the frictionless edge of a lightsaber. But there was no challenge to that. Maul spun toward the point, twisted around the outside, and snapped his hands horizontally at chest level. The left blade of the lightsaber sheared through Rapier’s sword arm. Both arm and weapon clattered to the floor.”
―Darth Maul: Shadow HunterAdd into that, that Nyriss and Revan both state that Scourge still possesses immense untapped potential and Scourge would be significantly greater as of Swtor. And his saber skills would be similarly immensely improved over the 300 year period he was the Emperor's assassin.
According to what did he improve as dramatically as you’re suggesting? I’m afraid a timeskip alone isn’t going to be sufficient evidence here.
If Scourge was already a master of 3 lightsaber forms in Revan in his, what, dozen years of training, then he'd be immeasurably improved by the game. He'd have plenty of time to polish his saber skills to perfection and obviously has the inclination. And the opportunity to test them with his over 1000 Sith kills and 100 Jedi kills.
Sure, Scourge gained some experience. That doesn’t translate into his skill improving “immeasurably”. For all we know, in the absence of any kind of clarity from accolades or character statements, Scourge could have hit his ceiling as a Force wielder and duelist. The onus is on you to really demonstrate this big improvement your argument hinges on with clear evidence, not just wishful thinking.
Scourge has the experience to analyse and pick apart Mauls technique.
That would be nice, if you could prove it. Unfortunately Maul’s technical skill is beyond Scourge’s, and he’s a more adaptable and unpredictable to boot.
Considering Maul's kind of a dumb ass who is constantly screwing up with his arrogance and personal issues, Scourge obviously has the tactical edge.
That’s unfortunately inaccurate, Neph. Maul’s folio of tactical accomplishments is a few inches thicker than Scourge’s. From taking the best Jedi of his era and maneuvering them into locations of his own choosing in duels, to throwing entire strategies away on a whim, to being outright stated as being a scheming mastermind and heavily tactical duelist by starwars.com and some reference books.. I can’t see how Scourge compares in this department.
