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Rules:
No prep
Standard Equipment
BFR with no possibility of returning in a reasonable time is a loss
Opening + 2 posts
Posters are in full control of the characters

Arena:
http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire4/9039f6bdbb35f6e617e5371d3e29fd5c1353597781_full.jpg

Opponents start at opposite corners of the ring on the ground.
You can leave the ring/fly/use environment.
Deadline for all the posts: next Friday.

Deathslash's opening post:


Alright, I guess time that I got serious and put in my tournament submission.

For this round, it's Psylocke vs Mr Sinister and I have to say, it could go either way. Sinister is an incredibly powerful psychic, but I don't think he has what it takes to put down Betsy. Here's what my plan is as well as why he can't beat me.

The first thing that I'm going to do is mount a serious telepathic assault against him. Power isn't necessarily what matters, just skill and speed and because of Sinister's durability, I think that tp is my best option.

First, I'll telepathically shut down his tk ensuring that he can't mount any real physical offense against me as I battle him using tp.
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3788812-x-men242_12b.jpg

His mental defenses may be strong, but dealing with strong resistance is something that Psylocke is used to.
https://m.imgur.com/gbzfQaS
https://m.imgur.com/CHdnrEH
https://m.imgur.com/DQzGZIT

Please note that that was the very same version of Archangel that easily owned AoA Jean Grey while she was in full possession of the Phoenix Force.
https://m.imgur.com/mDv4Ju4

I'm going to shut down his mind and make him lose consciousness.
https://m.imgur.com/LXCnjni

If this does get physical, I have a very serious edge in overall power. Sinister has what, like ten tp feats and a few nice energy feats? Psylocke has much better tk than him. Matter of fact, her tk is more powerful that a host of the Phoenix.
https://m.imgur.com/2PIV16F
https://m.imgur.com/OC9FA3v

Alright, so I finally have a full day off of work. Before we get started, I wanted to thank you guys for patiently waiting and going with my (limited) schedule. Let's get to the debate now.

Right off the bat, Supermutant plays with words while cherry picking the phrases that suit him. Psylocke is saying that Sinister has studied all of the X-men, but that doesn't mean he's a team wrecker on his own. If anything, mutant is showing a scan of Psylocke saying that Sinister has prepped for them.

This is true team wrecking.
https://m.imgur.com/30Fo3et
This is team wrecking.
https://m.imgur.com/jdzMj8A

This is a statement on the preparedness of your enemy.
https://i.imgur.com/vzJ3M9Rl.jpg

And so begins the no limits fallacy. I ask you, how far did Sinister teleport with his henchmen? Has he ever teleported someone beneath the Earth's crust in another country? Out of the two examples of him teleporting, why does the first one show him and the rest of his group glowing and emitting light while the second set of scans is clearly a different way of teleporting?

*Makes statement the Betsy has clearly grown in power.
*Several sentences later, uses scans from forty years ago to show how he wins.
*SMDH

Betsy has gotten a major upgrade since the days when every third telepath could chump her.
https://m.imgur.com/TTms59k

Again, here is a direct comparison of her vs a Phoenix Force amped Jean.
Jean:
https://m.imgur.com/mDv4Ju4

Betsy:
https://m.imgur.com/CHdnrEH
https://m.imgur.com/z3B7kSq

The scan of Betsy losing was back during Inferno. Wasn't Jean only telekinetic at that time?

Emma does not have the raw telepathic power of Betsy and it's debatable whether she's more skilled.

Hope certainly doesn't have even half of the skill in tp that Betsy has and even then sinister said that he couldn't beat her. Notice Sinister's words. "We can't outmuscle one another"
https://imgur.com/DaZKy60

Good thing I'm not trying to read supermutant's mind or I might be in trouble. I'm just shutting it down.

Wrong scans here so I'll just move on to debunking the next point.

An all out Jean grey vs a not even fighting psylocke. Much wow.

Good for sinister blocking attacks from four characters. Too bad he has no real statements regarding his prowess with tk, unlike Betsy.
https://m.imgur.com/PqoIoLf
https://m.imgur.com/jIOr6rf

Psylocke certainly has similar power as far as defense and offense go and has been explicitly stated to be above a host of the Phoenix Force as far as tk goes.
https://m.imgur.com/OC9FA3v
https://m.imgur.com/zUmtF8c
https://m.imgur.com/2PIV16F

Is tearing nameless fodder apart above Psylocke's pay grade now?

By the way, Betsy operates at the molecular level. How good was Candra again?
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3792480-exiles+093+03.jpg

So, essentially mutant thinks that he'll teleport me out of the fight with his non-existent feats of teleporting opponents (let alone over a distance that vast). Or that he'll take me out with tp with his feats from decades prior to Psylocke's upgrades. Let's continue shall we?

........Sinister didn't teleport, he just shot himself in the head and his body fell to the ground, hence why namor and Cyclops are both looking at the place where his corpse is. That was a truly sad attempt to make it look like he has speed feats.

On a side note, the look on Storm's face in the last scan is hilarious. The smug grin
https://m.imgur.com/v6Maj16

Just want to take a moment to debunk the following statement.

"Secondly, Sinister has complete control over his cellular structure, so there is much doubt how effective her psychic knife would even be."

Supermutant would have you believe that sinister doesn't operate as a normal human does, but just recently, Storm easily fried his brain.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUhn5ZdU_W0/VNxZW3IWG3I/AAAAAAAH_V4/mIntMH_ODko/s1600/p82_10.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zcAVqZXBRbY/VNxZZdxDjGI/AAAAAAAH_WY/YhC0OfieFl0/s1600/p82_16.jpg

I think it's safe to say that Psylocke can do similar whether it's with her tp or psychic knife, she can achieve a similar effect.
https://m.imgur.com/LXCnjni
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3788826-x-men243_13a.jpg
https://m.imgur.com/rvuS3bG

What he has neglected to tell you about this next set of scans is that it's from Secret Wars 2. That comic is every bit as canon to the characters that didn't survive it (Sinister) as an Elseworlds is to the characters from Earth one.

None of those were psychic knives, they were all telekinetic Katanas. There's a distinct difference between this:
https://m.imgur.com/dZALQgC

And this:
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3790779-x-men385_16a.jpg

One is physical and the other is mental.

Also, Betsy doesn't have to run up to hit him with a katana, she can throw tk knives.
https://m.imgur.com/1477hM3

Hell, it's not even like Sinister has the skill required to keep her from putting the psychic knife in his head.
https://m.imgur.com/LuOob2X
https://m.imgur.com/a/UO1kq

He doesn't have the speed or agility required to keep from getting owned.
https://m.imgur.com/1hizVuc


Oh boy, is it lowballing time already? I have a doozy!
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/8/8b/Nathaniel_Essex_%28Earth-616%29_Death.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080118025348
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/a/a4/Nathaniel_Essex_%28Earth-616%29_Death_2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080118024900

Such power, intellect, and cellular control! He's totally dominating that quickly congealing pool of blood.

So, guys, do you think that Sinister has a snowball's chance in hell of winning?
http://source.superherostuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cyclopssinister4-620x951.jpg

Deathslash final post:

Alright, looks like the time has come to submit my final tournament post.

Judges, I would like to appeal to your greater reasoning abilities. I present logic and I back it up with feats.

Sinister has no real statements of power or implied power (unlike the third most powerful psychic mutant)
http://www.geekedoutnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Uncanny-X-Force-17-Page-Where-Forge-Looks-Lobotomized.jpg
https://m.imgur.com/jIOr6rf
https://m.imgur.com/PqoIoLf

Supermutant mistakes preparedness for the capacity to wreck teams.
These are actual examples of wrecking teams.
https://m.imgur.com/30Fo3et
https://m.imgur.com/jdzMj8A

https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/psylocke-vs-the-nasty-boys-1.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/psylocke-vs-the-nasty-boys-2.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/psylocke-vs-the-nasty-boys-3.jpg

Even if those showings don't satisfy you, Psylocke has still beaten actual team wreckers.
From Shadow King:
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/30174/3303879-uxf33-01.png
https://m.imgur.com/O04HSvI

To Magneto:
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-1.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-2.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-3.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-4.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-5.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-6.jpg
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/psylocke-kills-magneto-7.jpg

And even Merlyn:
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3791707-x-men+die+by+the+sword+05+%28dizzy-megan%29+pg011.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3791708-x-men+die+by+the+sword+05+%28dizzy-megan%29+pg012.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3791709-x-men+die+by+the+sword+05+%28dizzy-megan%29+pg013.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3791710-x-men+die+by+the+sword+05+%28dizzy-megan%29+pg014.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3791711-x-men+die+by+the+sword+05+%28dizzy-megan%29+pg018.jpg

For those of you, that don't know, Merlyn is all but stated to be the same Merlin from Arthurian legend, is stated to have trained Morgan Le Fay (same woman that soloed the Dark Avengers), created the Captain Britain Corps, and his mentor fought and easily beat the host of the Phoenix Force. By the way, he is the Sorcerer Supreme of Other world.
https://static4.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/149927/5429808-rco016_w_1469690306.jpg
https://static5.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/149927/5429809-rco017_1469690306.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/149927/5429810-rco018_1469690306.jpg

Moving on, past Psylocke's much better higher end showings, my opponent believes that he can teleport Psylocke deep beneath the Earth's crust in a land far, far away from the battlefield without any presenting any prior showings of teleporting such distances.

While he tries and fails to teleport me away from him, I will be mounting a serious telepathic and telekinetic assault. I'm just going to shut down his brain with tp and failing that, I'll use tk to keep him off balance while I close the distance and hit him with my psychic knife.
https://m.imgur.com/LXCnjni
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11116/111160399/4213781-3788826-x-men243_13a.jpg

She has the power to do it too.
https://m.imgur.com/CHdnrEH
https://m.imgur.com/z3B7kSq
Especially when directly compared with a Phoenix host.
https://m.imgur.com/mDv4Ju4
She's also capable of affecting a more powerful foe in the form of Stryfe.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kqQ6Lc2TAYU/UumSS1RmIlI/AAAAAAAAEMY/2rs7rETMuvs/s1600/UncannyX-Force17-01.png
You guys know who Stryfe is right? The same guy that Sinister needed in order to one day kill Apocalypse? Yeah, she just affected someone out of Sinister's league.

That sort of power in conjunction with molecular level tk is bad for Sinister.
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3792480-exiles+093+03.jpg

She has the tk necessary to ragdoll a team.
https://m.imgur.com/2PIV16F
Destroy buildings:
https://m.imgur.com/OC9FA3v
Protect from building destroying explosions:
https://m.imgur.com/zUmtF8c
On separate occasions too:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yh3BjA-0tlI/WfnmqrKuFiI/AAAAAAACg7s/Xk0UvtO-v9o9Z-nWlAghebEdPwwcxpNIQCLcBGAs/s1600/035_0004.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Q4-2y_VG1E/WfnmqzzJm2I/AAAAAAACg7w/K9uMp1QuUtsrEpefWpfCt1_Z8M-RaDRRACLcBGAs/s1600/035_0005.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ssWC-yqQII/WfnmrCpQ1cI/AAAAAAACg70/_7meu1S9FIcX-unwB4Gwp52IqJRRXr9pACLcBGAs/s1600/035_0006.jpg
Deflect attacks from Rogue:
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11116/111160399/4213712-2859106-psylocke.jpg

If this does get into hand to hand fighting, Sinister has absolutely no speed feats of note to fall back on. His only real "speed" feat (according to Supermutant) literally consists of him shooting himself in the head and falling over.
https://m.imgur.com/bp0TFO3
https://m.imgur.com/v6Maj16

In truth though, a quick death will certainly be preferable over getting his teeth kicked in over and over again by someone much faster than he is.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oss3_Io0ubA/U2rdAEfb8XI/AAAAAAAAEig/5f2_k-BRLHg/s1600/X-MenNoMoreHumans.png
That's Lorelei that just got owned and Quicksilver that got chumped as well. On a side note, notice how it's so well known that she can flatten mountains that people that she's only just met know about it.

Then there's this:
https://m.imgur.com/Amq5PFl
This:
https://m.imgur.com/1hizVuc
And this:
https://m.imgur.com/J9lIDpP

In hand to hand combat, Betsy will dominate as seen here:
https://m.imgur.com/jf7e2x4
Here:
https://m.imgur.com/LuOob2X
And here:
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3792467-exiles+091+%282007%29+%28oracle-dcp%29+02.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3792469-exiles+091+%282007%29+%28oracle-dcp%29+04.jpg
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/125392/3792470-exiles+091+%282007%29+%28oracle-dcp%29+05.jpg

Supermutant thinks he could be resistant to the knife because of his molecular manipulation, but as demonstrated by Storm, his mind doesn't operate in a dissimilar way to that of a normal mind.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GUhn5ZdU_W0/VNxZW3IWG3I/AAAAAAAH_V4/mIntMH_ODko/s1600/p82_10.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zcAVqZXBRbY/VNxZZdxDjGI/AAAAAAAH_WY/YhC0OfieFl0/s1600/p82_16.jpg
If she could shut him down, Psylocke definitely can.
https://m.imgur.com/uoaGSgD
https://m.imgur.com/dZALQgC

Not that I have to close the distance though:
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11116/111160399/4213809-xmen2013018018-col-bdc5d.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8KVdAUZqY7o/U6INKssIAkI/AAAAAAAAEtg/3weiICSP7l4/s1600/X-Men15-03.png

If anybody were to ask me why I think Psylocke wins, I think the answer is pretty damn simple. She's the best.
https://comicnewbies.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/psylocke-vs-kwannon-3.png

Bentley:

Let's go!

This tourney is leaving me with some of the briefest OPs I've seen in my career as a judge. Thankfully in this case Supermutant and Deathslash really raised the bar with the rest of their debate, providing arguments, scans and weighting each other's arguments back and forth.

From the get to go the opening strategy seems to go like this: Psylocke tries the Tp route and Mr. Sinister tries to teleport her. The rest of the match establishes that Psylocke has great reflexes and that once she realizes what Sinister is trying to pull off she'll do her best to resist it. In my opinion Sinister is resilent enough to hang with Psylocke long enough to try teleporting her. The real question is whether he can actually teleport away people on a whim at a pace that is relevant for this combat. This in my opinion was not entirely proven (I mean, the museum scan was neat, but buildings don't move and Sinister knew what he was searching, he was probably prepped) and delves into the complex gauging of which feats are legitimate for a prepper such as Sinister under his own power.

Another of such feat would be how Sinister returned Nate's psychic strenght against him, something that's explicitly described as "he laid a trap" in there. That at least suggested that Sinister psychically prepared for the assault, so I don't see him just setting such a psyshock on the go while trying to do something else. Supermutant explicitly said that he'd try to shoot Betsy down, not setting up a trap to rechannel her energies. Deathslash properly showed that Psylocke has become more powerful over the years, but in my opinion not enough to conclusively defeat someone capable of shutting down Emma Frost consistently. The plan of closing the distance by distracting Sinister with tk and tp plays to Betsy's strenghts, with her speed and reflexes she definitively can catch Sinister with a psychic knife more often than not, but she'd be forced to use TK defensively to evade those eye beams.

Ultimately I think Betsy will wear herself down quicker than Sinister... a much needed dosis of inevitability that Supermutant really needed. He could (but might not) win the match immediately with teleportation and he could (but might not) win the match by attrition. Betsy can win everything through Tp (but I think it's very unlikely) or with psychic daggers (which is her better strategy but the setting doesn't help it).

This has been the closest match up for me to judge so far. My vote goes to Supermutant, much of his versatility was wasted in a match that was very focused on Tp and Tk, but teleporting and focusing in Psylocke's fragileness ultimately swayed me to his advantage.

Good work both of you.

Pr:

Supermutant Vs Deathslash

This one... Well, it sucks, tbh. Not the competitors. Both showed good reasoning behind their points, and I really liked how well they put together everything. The problem is, even though I did my best to ignore my own knowledge going in, what I feared would come to pass, came to pass: Sinister was shown as just being flat out superior to Betsy. Deathslash gave a good account, and actually made Betsy seem lika a challenger, but Supermutant had too much ammunition to support their case, and I have to go with Sinister.

A personal note, though? I'm amazed Sinister was allowed to be drafted. Not pointing fingers, just surprised.

----

Winner: Supermutant