Not many are given the accolade of being one of the best swordsmen in the order, which is on an entirely different level to, for example "greatest instructor" or whatever. How many other PT era Jedi are given such a definitive accolade? Maybe a handfull.
It's more than a handful, but that's an irrelevant detail. You seem to have ignored Asajj's scaling over Fisto - one of the best in the Order/all of history according to two master swordsmen.
The problem I have with "one of" accolades, is that a character like Darth Bane is stated to have been one of the most powerful Sith in history, despite about 15 others having direct scaling above him (and they aren't ever given such a title). Anoon Bondara could be one of the best 100-200 or he could be among the top 10, but we'll never know for sure due to the vague nature of such a statement. But as I said, this isn't relevant because Ventress too has humbled someone with praise just as high/higher than Bondara himself.
Sure, pretty much every Jedi frequently spars, but only the best can contend on the council level, i.e. Jinn. Dooku saw Jinn fight once and took him on as an apprentice, and Jinn would have frequently sparred with Dooku over the decades.
I'm not quite sure where you're getting at with the sparring argument, tbh. Ventress is demonstrably Council level... she's superior to Fisto, who's one of the best in the Order. This is far more concrete evidence that Asajj is 'Council level' than Jinn merely sparring with Dooku (to which we don't know the outcome). Ventress is more acrobatic, wild and erratic than the Count is, so if you were implying he could win via knowledge of style, I'd disagree.
Jinn is said to be a clear cut above Anoon Bondara, a Jedi Weaponmaster/Temple instructor who:1. Presumably had a technical mastery of all seven forms;
2. Preferred Juyo for his personal style, the only form (IIRC) that can penetrate a perfect Soresu defence;
3. Was a master of Teräs Käsi;
4. Ambidextrous
You'll find that Ventress' inferior, Sora Bulq, fits most of this criteria as well (Ambidextrous, used Vaapad/Juyo, a Weaponmaster/Instructor, knowledge of all lightsaber forms) and Teräs Käsi is something that trash like Bultar Swan and even non-force wielders can perfect, so it's hardly a trump card. You were quick to dismiss all of Ventress' scaling, yet the things you listed as wank for Bondara are attributes shared by Bulq...
And yet was still a clear cut below Darth Maul. Jinn on the other hand was considered by Maul as his first real challenge. As much as people want to make out how Jinn was completely and utterly inferior to Maul, you can't hide around the fact that Maul considered Jinn a real challenge, and was thrown off balance by Jinn's ability to predict his highly randomised Juyo style.
Well I expect Qui-Gon to be more of a challenge than training droids and Black Sun gangsters, that's not really as impressive as you want it to be. Which incident specifically are you referring to? Maul was thrown off by the fact that Jinn was able to block his surprise attack on Tatooine, which points more to good force sense/procog than some insane level of skill.
A 60-year old Ataru user that can throw Maul off, even for a bit, is impressive. What's more impressive is that Jinn's skill was enough to predict and defend against Maul's offensive, with only his age and use of Ataru eventually slowing him down over time.
Embo's pet can throw Maul off for a bit, as can Sugi. Predicting your opponent's moves is common practice, it's basic precognition that's available to even low-level Jedi. Nearly everyone that Maul has ever faced has been able to predict and defend against him, albeit to varying degrees. Point is; this in and of itself isn't a feat.
This sentence feels weird, I don't know what you're trying to prove. Ataru and Niman isn't a difficulty for Jinn (unless it's Yoda Ataru), heck, even as an Ataru specialist with no dedicated defense he was capable of being (1) definitively better than Anoon Bondara and (2) contending with Maul's Juyo and throwing Maul off with his capability of doing so. I really fail to see how Asajj's Makashi/Niman/Ataru hybrid is going to penetrate Jinn's defenses unless the fight drags on.
My point was; Ventress' style isn't identical to Dooku's, and Jinn therefore wouldn't be able to exploit it entirely (which is what you argued here). Just because they're both Makashi users, it doesn't mean there aren't differences. I wasn't claiming that an Ataru/Niman hybrid was going to be a sure-fire counter to Qui-Gon.
I highly doubt that Ventress "mastered" Ataru. Even then, Jinn would have been definitively better at it than her. And Ventress fighting a few Ataru users and using it without formal training doesn't come close to Jinn's understanding of Makashi. You know, because he was apprenticed to the Makashi king, and he frequently sparred with technical masters of the form, and Dooku himself. Anyway, sparring against a Juyo user like Anoon Bondara was probably a lot more taxing on Jinn's defences than Makashi, because he clearly knew the ins and outs of fighting against the form, whereas Juyo can be a lot more unpredictable.
Therefore, Jinn's knowledge of Makashi trashes Ventress' knowledge of Ataru easily.
This may or may not be the case, but it doesn't matter either way. I've been going along with the logistical arguments for a while here - which is a trend among new users - but it's getting a little tedious. Knowledge of forms and the interplay between styles isn't nearly as important as force power or even physical ability. I've already listed the feats that I believe point to Asajj's superiority over Jinn, but you've essentially glossed over them in favour of scaling that doesn't even put Jinn above Ventress, and something as small as lightsaber form knowledge.
Not really familiar with most of these fights, but the ones I'm familiar with weren't straight up duels to the death. I mean, if we compare a lot of the TCW duels with Ventress against Jinn and Maul's duel on Tantooine, there's a major difference in the pace. Ventress may have been able to "contend" with Kenobi and Anakin to some degree, but she always ends up running or escaping. If forced to fight either of them to the death, she would lose, so the most we can gather is that TCW Kenobi / Anakin > Ventress, not equal to them.
Have you got evidence that they weren't legitimate duels? Sounds like baseless speculation to me. The new Fact Files state that
"Even an injured Asajj was still a match for both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker." A difference in pace how? The footage was sped up more in editing? That's not evidence of anything other than choreography/editing differences between the movies and the TV show.
You're gonna have to go into more detail with the examples, I feel like there's a lot of context being ignored there. And come on, Windu >>> Ventress. Windu was the only Jedi on the council or in the order who realisticaly had a chance against Yoda in sabers, and he'd definitively crush Ventress, either with the force, or with sabers.
I'm sorry to be blunt, but that's not really my problem. I'm not going to type out extra paragraphs explaining the full context of these fights... my job is to reply to your arguments, not teach you about each lightsaber duel. If you really want to find out, there are some great resources online for viewing and downloading Novels, Sourcebooks and Comics, or you could just check out a Respect Thread.
Of course RotS Mace would smoke Ventress, but this was him during the early-mid stages of the Clone Wars (Still behind only Dooku and Yoda at this stage of the war), so he's yet to really hit his straps. But it doesn't matter how pre-prime Windu was, because he was still more powerful than Jinn as of TPM and unable to really do anything to Asajj with the force. Mace is younger and more powerful, which means he's no doubt physically stronger than Qui-Gon and as I stated in my earlier response; Asajj nonchalantly stonewalled his strike with one-hand despite his superior leverage and momentum. Qui-Gon's strength is inferior to Windu's, and Ventress was completely unphased by the tougher, more powerful gentleman from Haruun Kal. It's also worth mentioning that this is Ventress' first ever appearance, and it was early on in the war so she's vastly pre-prime. All this means is Jinn's only real strength - his physical strength - isn't even going to be a factor in this fight.
Huh? Jinn also contended with Maul on Tantooine, and Maul was thrown off by his ability to predict Maul's movements. As for the "meditation" argument, didn't Maul also have time to gather his strength and prepare? Even then, Jinn almost killed Maul, and made him fear for his life, and that is clear cut in the book. It's not like Maul was just sitting there daydreaming, he was clearly also gathering strength and preparing. Jinn's gamble of restricting the saberstaff almost paid off, but it wasn't enough.
The only good argument you have, which I'll admit you do have, is that Ventress could *potentially* draw out the duel.
Maul had time, but he didn't need it... There was no specific mention of Maul benefitting from the break - that he wouldn't need because he isn't 60 years old - but Jinn however;
"He had found a fresh reserve of strength during his meditation." - TPM Novelisation. Maul only feared for his life because he wasn't expecting Qui-Gon's newfound strength and energy (thanks to the meditation), not that this mattered anyway, as Jinn started to tire after barely any time at all 😂
1.) Jinn meditates.
2.) Surprises Maul.
3.) Runs out of energy after a few blade clashes.
4.) Dies.