3. Gerold Hightower vs 6. Garlan Tyrell
Gerold Hightower, the White Bull, was the Lord Commander of the most legendary Kingsguard there ever was. He was a formidable fighter into his late years and, reflecting back on his prime, was stronger than Jaime Lannister. Our best chance to see Gerold fight will be when we get a Tower of Joy flashback but we do know he did not survive the battle. Though it’s easy to say he was well past his prime, and losing to a group of fighters where the best among them was Ned Stark is far from impressive, the fact of the matter is they were three against seven and no matter how skilled you are, those are losing odds. Some more facts, Gerold and his companions, Arthur Dayne and Oswell Whent, refused several offers to leave unharmed and, in the end, the fight was far closer than any seven vs three fight had the right to be.
Garlan Tyrell has been absorbed by his brother Loras in HBO’s adaptation but in the novels, he is considered the better swordsman of the two. He’s noted as being an exceptional fighter and he often trains against three or four people at a time. He is far more humble than his brother as well which leaves him far less famed. We get our first view of Garlan in action during the Battle of the Blackwater where he leads the vanguard as “Renly’s ghost”, he slays Guyard Morrigen in single combat. He’s also one of the very few people to speak down to Joffrey Baratheon which takes quite the set of Valyrian steel balls to do.
Garlan’s potential is sky high, and much like a few other competitors in our Game of Madness, his chances here could end up being much higher after we get another book to see more of what he’s capable of. There’s no doubt he can be one of the best but as it stands, he can’t beat one of the best.
Winner: Gerold Hightower
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2. Oberyn Martell vs 7. Loras Tyrell
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There’s nothing like a good ole longstanding, pure hate inspired family feud to finish off our first round. As if the Tyrells and Martells didn’t dislike each other enough due to their years and years of war, the current generations bring the rivalry to new levels when Oberyn cripples the heir to Highgarden, Willas Tyrell. This vitriol seems to be rather exclusive to the heads of house Tyrell, however, as Oberyn claims he and Willas eventually grow to like each other. Even after being crippled by the Red Viper, it’s still easy to see how someone could grow to like the man. He is that charismatic and that charisma is matched by his skill with a spear and his intelligent and agile fighting style.
As mentioned in the last match, Loras isn’t as good a swordsman as his brother Garlan though he is the better lance. The Knight of Flowers is arguably famed beyond his abilities because of his hot headed and arrogant attitude. Much to everyone’s disappointment, Loras has been relegated to a gay stereotype in HBO’s adaptation, we only get a few flashes of his more interesting book version. Hopefully, season 6 will right these wrongs when the drama surrounding his sister Margaery Tyrell comes to a head.
If there’s one thing Loras has in common with his brother Garlan undeniably, it’s that his ceiling is limitless. By the end of the series, Loras could be the type of fighter that enters this contest as a favorite to reach the finals. For now, he’s a young, brash, and inexperienced fighter with a lot of growing up to do. We do see him take out two of Renly’s Rainbow Guards in a furor, a scene we even get in the show, which gives you a taste of what he’s capable of. His sword should give him the advantage over Oberyn’s spear but the difference in experience, speed, and battle wits is too much. Another Tyrell falls in round one.
Winner: Oberyn Martell
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That wraps up first round action in our Game of Madness tournament. Let us know in the comments below how you think today’s matches would play out and be sure to check out day one and day two of our contest as well. For now, we need to take a break to handle all the chaos of the first three days. The field of 48 being cut in half is a lot to take in so let the dust settle, stew on it for a bit, and come back on Wednesday April 13th for the start of round two!
