Originally posted by Beniboybling
Technical skill =/= technical mastery and Dooku explictly states that mastering all seven styles is a waste of time.
Dooku also explicitly states acrobatics are a waste of time and that a saber should never leave your hand. Guess what he does in his first appearance? A giant leap-flip and a Saber Throw.
Quantity has a quality all of itself, especially when we're talking about lightsaber forms which have rock-paper-scissors like attributes of each having different strengths and weaknesses.
If we compare two duelists and one has mastered all forms to a decent degree and the other has mastered one to the max, the former has an undeniable edge in terms of versatility. The latter will have the advantage in his chosen forms strengths but the first guy can at any moment switch to the defense of Soresu, the precision of Makashi, the aggression of Juyo etc etc.
But would he win?
I dunno. I'd say they're about equal in terms of importance and effectiveness. Exceptional duelists like Dooku and Windu can use all forms yet they prefer to stick with their chosen specialities seemingly exclusively in actual duels. There must be a reason for that. In the end I guess it depends on what you value and more importantly, who the writer is.
Originally posted by SunRazerI'll have to look at the quote again but as I remember it he explicitly said that it is better to concentrate on the study of one form than multiple, which would contradict the idea that he mastered all seven.
I know. My point is that just because Dooku says something is pointless, a waste in time, or disdainful, doesn't mean he doesn't do it himself. He could well be saying those things from experience.
Regardless its a meaningless distinction if we agree that Dooku incorporates none of the other styles in his application of Makashi.
Originally posted by NephthysThe latter would lose every time, being versatile is useless if lack the sufficient skill to compete.
Quantity has a quality all of itself, especially when we're talking about lightsaber forms which have rock-paper-scissors like attributes of each having different strengths and weaknesses.If we compare two duelists and one has mastered all forms to a decent degree and the other has mastered one to the max, the former has an undeniable edge in terms of versatility. The latter will have the advantage in his chosen forms strengths but the first guy can at any moment switch to the defense of Soresu, the precision of Makashi, the aggression of Juyo etc etc.
But would he win?
I dunno. I'd say they're about equal in terms of importance and effectiveness. Exceptional duelists like Dooku and Windu can use all forms yet they prefer to stick with their chosen specialities seemingly exclusively in actual duels. There must be a reason for that. In the end I guess it depends on what you value and more importantly, who the writer is.
A doctor can specialize in 4 specialties but will never be as knowledgeable in one particular area as someone who put all their energy into one. So yes, mastering all the forms makes you versatile and adaptive, but you'll lose in a one-on-one saber fight with Dooku who mastered the style dedicated to sword-fighting.
Meanwhile Dooku will be more likely to lose against blaster-wielding opponents without Soresu, Djem So, Ataru, etc. (regardless he knew enough to fight blaster wielding opponents despite Makashi's weakness but that's besides the point).
Originally posted by Beniboybling
I'll have to look at the quote again but as I remember it he explicitly said that it is better to concentrate on the study of one form than multiple, which would contradict the idea that he mastered all seven.Regardless its a meaningless distinction if we agree that Dooku incorporates none of the other styles in his application of Makashi.
Which is true, hence why Padawans are told to master at least 1 of the lightsaber forms and are just taught the rest of them, aside from Form 1 since they master that as Younglings, but that's a good jump off since it's a good all around form which would help supplement the others.
Originally posted by Emperordmb
Is that why greater duelists than Dooku have mastered and make use of multiple forms in lightsaber combat?
Because they have mastered those forms to a degree similar to what Dooku did for Makashi or because they are simply more powerful not necessarily more skilled as in the case of Anakin.
Anyway, I think Beni’s point is mostly correct. Assuming the combatants are equally powerful, one who has mastered a form to a very high level will beat one who is a jack of all trades; unless the jack of all trades has mastered forms to a similar level as the single form user.
@Ares 👆
Originally posted by NephthysThat's not what I said lol. But the fact is that if we have a 9 in one style go up against a 6 in seven, the latter will lose every time, because their skill level is insufficient, that's just simple logic.
I think its fundamentally flawed to assume the master-of-all would have a lesser degree of skill than the master-of-one. Surely you'd need to put in as much or more time, effort and talent mastering all the forms as you would in mastering all aspects of just one.
On the other hand if that 6 were to become a 10, in all seven styles, then of course they would beat the specialist, but that is a lot harder to achieve, hence why specialising is the smarter move.
Its no different from how you'd approach a skill tree in an RPG, if you spread your skills out between multiple trees yes you'll be versatile, but won't excel in anything, and get trashed by someone who does.
Originally posted by Beniboybling
I'll have to look at the quote again but as I remember it he explicitly said that it is better to concentrate on the study of one form than multiple, which would contradict the idea that he mastered all seven.Regardless its a meaningless distinction if we agree that Dooku incorporates none of the other styles in his application of Makashi.
He says acrobatics are a waste of energy - he still does them.
And he might not use other forms, but he still knows/mastered them, which still counts as technical knowledge/skill. Does Mace incorporate other forms?