Robert Baratheon vs. Sandor Clegane

[TalalOfDorne]

snip

I have nothing to add, but I like your name and avatar :rofl: :thumbsup:

[Cersei of the Kingsguard]

I have nothing to add, but I like your name and avatar :rofl: :thumbsup:

thanks , im glad someone besides me likes it :)

[Pootie Tang]

yeah and Ned Stark killed him ....

Does that change that he was considered the finest warrior of his time?

[Inquisitor Glokta]

I've gotta give it to Robert, because he uses a War hammer, which makes better use of his strength than a sword does.

At least as far as I've seen, the swords in Westeros have sharp edges and are used mostly to cut the enemy, which doesn't work well with plate armor. Medieval longswords in Europe were mainly used to thrust through the plate armor.

To quote wikipedia on War hammers:

War hammers were developed as a consequence of the ever more prevalent surface-hardened steel surfacing of wrought iron armours of the late medieval battlefields during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The surface of the armour was now as hard as the edge of a blade, so a blade tended to ricochet. Swords, or the blade of a battleaxe, were likely only to give a glancing blow, losing much of the impact, especially on the high curvature of the helmet. The war hammer could deliver the full force to the target.

In particular, they transmitted the impact through even the thickest helmet and caused concussions. A blade or spike tended to be used against other parts of the body where the armour was thinner, and penetration was easier, than through the helmet.

We know one thing about Robert in his prime, he was freaking strong and a War hammer makes better use of pure strength than a sword does, especially when the fighters are armored in plate.

From The Mystery Knight, Egg says to Dunk:

"You're better with a sword than with a lance," Egg said. "With an axe or a mace, there's few to match your strength."

Although Dunk does have inferior fighting technique, he can make up for it by choosing a mace or an axe because of his physical size and strength.

[Valandui]

I may be misremembering, but it seems like it was said somewhere that basically, while he preferred using the hammer, Robert was pretty near unstoppable with a sword as well.

[Ramsay B.]

Although Sandor is great, Robert was a complete beast in his prime. I would put my money on the King.