🏀 Middle-earth March Madness Round 4 — The Four of Power
Just four remain: who has made it this far, and who will move on to the championship?
Characters from all across Middle-earth have faced off in the first two rounds of Middle-earth March Madness. And what was once a group of 32 contestants has narrowed to the Company of 16 and then again to the Fellowship of the 8. At long last our journey approaches its final chapter, and the first three ages of Middle-earth Madness have given way to The Four of Power.
Just four characters remain. The winners of today’s matchups go to the championship, the Champion of the Heroes facing off against the Champion of the Villains to become the Champion of Middle-earth March Madness!
Before the recap and matchups, here’s a reminder of our schedule for this tournament:
Round 1: Thursday 3/7
Round 2 (The Company of 16): Tuesday, 3/12
Round 3 (The Fellowship of 8): Monday, 3/18
Round 4 (The Four of Power): Thursday, 3/21
Middle-earth Madness Championship and Tolkien Reading Day: Monday March 25
Fellowship of the 8 Results
Three of the winners were their region’s one seeds, proving that they deserved the ranking they received and taking care of business. And the remaining entrant proved that he deserves this spot in the Four of Power by taking down one of the most popular characters in the entire contest. Let’s get to the results.
Heroes of The Hobbit
Gandalf faced his dear friend Bilbo, who tried to sneak by him one step closer to the championship round. But Gandalf’s wisdom and might proved too much for the humble burglar, whom he defeated 73 to 27. Bilbo’s on his way back home again, even though he didn’t make it all the way there to the finals. Maybe now that he’s out of the contest, Bilbo will go off to Rivendell and finish that book of his or compose some poetry.
Heroes of The Lord of the Rings
Having dispatched Frodo in the previous round, Aragorn likely thought he had this round in the bag. But Samwise the Brave, doubtless enraged by poor Mister Frodo’s treatment at the hands of Strider, surged to an upset victory (55 to 45) and King Elessar Telcontar had little choice but to bow to his hobbit friend.
Villains of The Hobbit
Smaug roasted the Three Trolls, easily dispatching them 92 to 8. Not much more to write about this one: it was never close and Smaug the Magnificent is crowned the deserving champion of this region.
Villains of The Lord of the Rings
The great flaming eye of Sauron sent the flame of Udûn back to the shadows, 71 to 29. AFter defeating the Balrog, the Dark Lord reigns supreme over the Villains of The Lord of the Rings region but now turns his gaze towards other lands to bring under his sway.
“Middle-earth March Madness” — Round 4: The Four of Power
Here is our updated bracket for the fourth round:
Each of the following characters has triumphed over their region. But now they go head-to-head against the other champions. Who will emerge as the One Champion to Rule them all?
Gandalf vs. Sam
Gandalf’s road to the Four of Power has led him past his fellow wizard Radagast (93 to 7), Thorin Oakenshield (90 to 10), and Bilbo Baggins (73 to 27). His great power and wisdom coupled with his possession of Narya — the elven Ring of Fire — make him a formidable opponent. But he can be absent-minded, vanish when you need him most, and smokes a bit more pipe-weed than is probably good for him.
Samwise Gamgee has overcome the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring that he has faced so far (taking down Legolas 80 to 20 and Aragorn 55 to 45), plus the fair shieldmaiden Éowyn (75 to 25). His loyalty, indomitable spirit, and courage are without question, but he lacks some of the experience that more seasoned competitors have and doesn’t have as much innate power or strength as many.
Who will be crowned the Champion of the Heroes of Middle-earth?
Smaug vs. Sauron
No competitor in Middle-earth March Madness has been more dominant than Smaug, whose victories over the Stone Giants (92 to 8), Giant Spiders (91 to 9), and Three Trolls (92 to 8) have been the largest average margins of any champion. His physical strength, shrewd intelligence, dragon fire, and armored hide all make him incredibly dangerous and competitive. But he is overconfident, like many villains tend to be, and unaware of a small weakness in his armor. Finally he faces a competitor worthy of his Terrible Might in Sauron.
Sauron the Great wiped the floor with Wormtongue in the first round (85 to 15) but then faced a bit more competition from the Witch-king (72 to 28) and the Balrog of Moria (71 to 29). Still, his wins have all been convincing and he reigns supreme over his region. Sauron is fearsome and mighty but also deceptive and inventive. He was the chief lieutenant and best student of the Dark Lord Morgoth and has brought down heroes and empires in his time. But he has invested so much of his strength in the One Ring that it has become a potential liability to him.
Will the Dragon or the Dark Lord reign over all other Villains?
The only thing left following today’s vote is the Middle-earth March Madness Championship!! Look for the results of today’s matchup to hit your inboxes Monday, March 25th.
And in addition to voting on the Champion of Middle-earth March Madness, I’m excited to announce that the email on Monday will also have the details for a GIVEAWAY for Tolkien Reading Day that will run next week! Both the winner of Middle-earth March Madness and giveaway winners will be announced on Thursday, March 28th.
Until then, friends, Namárië!
The Final Round: Middle-earth March Madness Championship!
Appendices
Big milestone for Jokien with Tolkien this week: in the midst of March Madness (and in part because of the enthusiasm for it!) Jokien with Tolkien passed 6,000 total subscribers! Amazing: thank you all for subscribing, reading, and sharing!
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Go Sam go!
I had to go with Gandalf over Sam because though the latter was the hero of LOTR, Gandalf had been the chief mover of the tale from long before the Hobbit. I can see the votes for Sam. And when it comes down to Sam versus Sauron there will be no contest, a living breathing hero against a CGI eyeball.