Depa was near Mace level, wasn't she? Neither of the darths are that level.
On the flip side, neither of the Jedi have shown any force power to speak of. They both seem to be purely duelists, or close enough to it (notably, Mace felt her bladework surpassed his, yet without being fed by external fear he had the advantage, indicating he's got noticeably more strength in the force).
So, saber, Jedi, sith, force, all-out, likely Jedi though the Sith have a chance with their force abilities.
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Mace says so, specifically pointing to her "bladework", not her ability to win their duel. If he had said something to the tune of "I can't defeat her" or "I can't win this fight", then you could make an argument for him referring to that specific moment in time, where he's tired and injured. But since he refers specifically to her "mastery of Vapaad" and her skills, the conditions in that very moment are irrelevant. "Skill" isn't effected by temporary injuries and situations. Michael Jordan in his prime wouldn't be considered less skilled of a basketball player than normal if he were to break his leg.
EDIT- Also, skimming the book again, when he refers to her bladework surpassing his own, he's referring to an incident that happened in the past. So his current state doesn't matter. Just pointing that out for emphasis.
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Last edited by Tzeentch on Apr 24th, 2014 at 06:21 AM
2. Yeah, it does. Which is why it's important to make the distinction between referring to skill level and the utilization of that skill. In Mace's case, he referred specifically to her skill compared to his, not her ability to use her skill compared to his ability to use his skill.
But this is immaterial since, as noted above, when he refers to her bladework surpassing his own he's referring to a past event, not the present. So whether he's injured or not in the moment doesn't matter.
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Last edited by Tzeentch on Apr 24th, 2014 at 06:37 AM
That Mace and Yoda are the only two who can defeat Sideous has no bearing on Depa's dueling ability compared to his. She could be the better swordsman but lack the force mastery he possesses that allows him and Yoda to contend with Palpatine.
You're reaching pretty hard here, man.
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Last edited by Tzeentch on Apr 24th, 2014 at 05:49 PM
My point stands in regard to force mastery. Assuming the context is sabers only, provide these sources.
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
Last edited by Tzeentch on Apr 24th, 2014 at 05:58 PM
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."
So, why do you think these sources indicate that Mace's admission of Depa's dueling skills having surpassed his own is invalid?
__________________
"The Daemon lied with every breath. It could not help itself but to deceive and dismay, to riddle and ruin. The more we conversed, the closer I drew to one singularly ineluctable fact: I would gain no wisdom here."