Game of Madness Finals (Part 1) | Fight!

Warning: Our Game of Madness articles will include content from the five currently released A Song of Ice and Fire books and seasons 1-5 of HBO's adaptation Game of Thrones. Some material from A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons has not been covered in the show yet, but may be in season 6. If you aren't caught up with the books and/or show, read on with care.

The Finals

The finals are here and after today, we’ll be down to just two fighters remaining. Two from the original field of 48 who will face off tomorrow in our championship match. To keep things as mad as possible, we’ve reranked the finalists based on random draw. The first two names pulled face off and the winner takes on the third name pulled. The process was then repeated with the remaining three names, leaving us with the following setup for our finals:

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Brienne of Tarth

Champion of the Islands

First round victory over Dagmer Cleftjaw

Second round victory over Rhaegar Targaryen

Third round victory over Victarion Greyjoy

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Barristan Selmy

Champion of the Far East

First round victory over Daario Naharis

Second round victory over Syrio Forel

Third Round victory over Jon Connington

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Robert Baratheon

Champion of the East

First round victory over Howland Reed

Second round victory over Yohn Royce

Third round victory over Bronn

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Jaime Lannister

Champion of the West

First round victory over Lyle Crakehall

Second round victory over Thoros of Myr

Third round victory over Sandor Clegane

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Jon Umber

Champion of the North

First round victory over Tormund Giantsbane

Second round victory over Jon Snow

Third Round victory over Qhorin Halfhand

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Arthur Dayne

Champion of the South

First round victory over Gerold Dayne

Second round victory over Randyll Tarly

Third Round victory over Gerold Hightower

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With the matches set, let the finals begin...

Brienne of Tarth vs Barristan Selmy

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Barristan Selmy is in a class of his own. In previous matches, we’ve mentioned how he escaped King’s Landing after abandoning his sword, how he later snuck back in to update his White Book entry with every Gold Cloak looking to capture or kill him, and how, despite his old age, he performed admirably in an ambush by the Sons of the Harpy. That fight in HBO’s adaptation has robbed him of a few more badass moments from A Dance With Dragons which include an attempt at directing Drogon's growing rage in his direction instead of Daenerys Targaryen's and defeating a celebrated pit fighter Khrazz without breaking a sweat. Barristan is a winner through and through and he does it with confidence and ease.

Brienne may have the confidence of Barristan Selmy but her victories are a far cry from easy. Not only are Brienne's fights far more brutal and dirty, she also seems to always survive by the skin of her teeth. She’s strong, there’s no doubt, and her stamina may be unmatched but she has struggled with outlaws, a young Loras Tyrell who was at a weapon disadvantage, a greatly weakened Jaime bound at the wrists, and an already injured Hound who was far from 100% when they crossed swords. The only time Brienne wins decisively is after Renly is killed when she defeats two members of his Rainbow guard in an impassioned rage. These deaths are show only, however, as Loras defeats the two guards in the books.

Brienne would be a tough out for anyone but she’s not one of the best to ever live like Barristan Selmy, she doesn’t have the impressive experiences to claim that she is. She could overpower Barristan in pure strength if the fight came to that but it's hard to say she could disarm Selmy to get the fight to that point. This match may last a while due to Brienne’s defense and stamina but Barristan will win in the end, his skill is almost unmatched and he's survived far more threatening foes. If an incredibly weakened Jaime could push Brienne to her limits, imagine what a prime Barristan could do.

Winner: Barristan Selmy

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Barristan Selmy vs Robert Baratheon

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Robert Baratheon was unstoppable on the Trident. It’s possible that no man to ever live could have faced his warhammer that day and lived, at least it seems that way from the various reflections we get on the battle. But that was a single isolated day on top driven by extreme circumstances. Robert had an unquenchable thirst to find and kill Rhaegar Targaryen, to deliver the justice he deserved for the apparent kidnapping and imprisonment of the Usurper's love, Lyanna Stark. The anger and pain coursing through Robert's veins couldn't be healed until the Last Dragon had fallen. Outside of the Trident, no matter how much he loves to fight, he is not on that same level, it's possible that no one is.

Another point to keep in mind is that Robert does have a bit of a mythical reputation, known as the Demon on the Trident. While he can handle his warhammer with ease, and that has proved to be a huge advantage in this tournament, maybe he’s not quite as quick with it as we’re to believe. Maybe he’s not quite as strong as we’re told. Afterall, Rhaegar was able to wound him during the fight and Robert had nursed injuries at other points in the rebellion as well. Most notably when he hid in a whorehouse in Stoney Sept. It could be that Robert gained an impressive reputation that began to precede him, a reputation that was possibly embellished.

The Usurper has intimidation on his side against most men, but not Barristan Selmy. When reflecting on what happened after the rebellion, Selmy had this to say of Robert:

A quote made with passion, of course, but not one that would be made from someone who feared Robert. The Usurper's fighting style was best suited for the melee as well. In a one on one fight, he could still stand against many but Barristan is in the highest tier of fighters and has notable one on one experience. In his youth he slayed Maelys the Monstrous to end the final Blackfyre rebellion. In his old age, he handled Khrazz with ease near the end of A Dance With Dragons. He rescued the mad king Aerys from Duskendale by himself. Robert could win this with one solid hit but prime Barristan Selmy is too skilled and fast to let it happen.

Winner: Barristan Selmy

Jaime Lannister vs Jon Umber

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Jon Umber, yet again, must take on a fighter with the advantage in speed and technique. As we discussed in Jaime’s fight against the Hound Sandor Clegane, the Kingslayer may be quite a bit stronger than you think. In his prime, it's safe to say he’s more skilled than the Greatjon’s last opponent, Qhorin Halfhand. Jon Umber would be a more brutish opponent for Jaime compared to Sandor which means Jaime would have an easier time staying one step ahead and finding his openings. It wouldn’t be out of character for Jaime to taunt the Greatjon either, attempting to goad the giant into a more reckless fighting style more prone to slip ups and we know Jon Umber can get hot headed.

The Greatjon was worthy of the North’s spot in the finals but we’ve already seen Jaime overcome similar disadvantages in his fight against the Hound. In Jon Umber’s previous match, we called him a poor man’s Clegane, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it definitely is when his opponent has already defeated the real deal.

Winner: Jaime Lannister

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Jaime Lannister vs Arthur Dayne

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With each passing match, we get closer to someone who could defeat the Sword of the Morning but is Jaime finally the fighter to pull it off? While Jaime Lannister is as arrogant as he is skilled with a sword, we’ve seen him gush over others before. Our first fighter to secure a spot in the championship match is one of them, Barristan Selmy, and another is none other than Arthur Dayne. Jaime claims:

Jaime just about idolizes the man and with good reason, Arthur is seen as the most chivalrous and skilled knight of his time, possibly of all time. In the one moment from the series we have to compare these two directly, Jaime is bailed out by Arthur Dayne. It came during a fight with the Kingswood Brotherhood when Jaime crossed swords with the Smiling Knight, a cruel and deadly fighter who Jaime viewed as the Mountain of his youth. Jaime struggled mightily in the fight, though he was able to hang on long enough for someone to step in. And who stepped in to save the day? Arthur Dayne, Sword of the Morning.

Not only did Arthur Dayne take over the fight against the Smiling Knight, he ended up winning with ease. Twice. After disarming the mad man, Arthur allowed him to grab a second sword and then defeated him again. We’re talking about one of the most feared men, if not the most feared man, of his time getting embarrassed twice by a guy who seemed to make a game out of it rather than view the fight as any sort of threat to his life.

Jaime Lannister wasn’t at his prime when this occurred, far from it actually, but the difference in abilities was staggering. Could Jaime have closed that gap before getting his strong hand lopped off by another twisted group of outlaws, the Brave Companions? According to George RR Martin, it sure is possible. He has gone as far as to say Jaime Lannister is one of the greatest swordsman to ever live. We certainly wouldn’t argue against that but his opponent here is in the same category. Considering Martin also said Jaime could beat Aragorn from Lord of the Rings which, without getting into the rabbit hole that is TLotR vs ASoIaF, seems as though there’s a bit of bias there that might overrate the Kingslayer. George may have big plans for Jaime in the future of the series as well, perhaps he’ll follow Qhorin’s steps and become just as skilled with his offhand, but in a toss up between two of the best to ever live, we have to take the odds that Jaime didn’t quite reach Dayne’s level.

Winner: Arthur Dayne

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And here we are. A field of 48 entered our tournament and now, only two remain. Barristan "The Bold" Selmy and the legendary Sword of the Morning, Arthur Dayne. These two will face off in the final match of our contest, a match to determine who is the greatest warrior in the world of ice and fire. In the meantime, let us know in the comments below how you'd have these finals play out. Who would you put in the championship match? It's been a long and bloody journey but the end is in sight, join us tomorrow when we crown the champion of our Game of Madness.