#MakeThisBattle Feedback - August 28th 2022 (Patreon)

Ahoy there mateys, and welcome to another spine tingling edition of #MakeThisBattle. My name is Nice Peter! This week, I’m a relaxed man, the stray German Shepherd that has been bounding enthusiastically through my life for 5 months is safe in her new home, just outside Portland, OR. I got to drive up and drop her off, and travelled through a place called “Grant’s Pass”. I took it as a sign. ;)

On to the matchups, and at a quick glance I see there are already some true bangers on the list. Let's dive in shall we!

Frida Kahlo vs Coco Chanel [submitted by MaryTPWK]

Well first one out and this feels like a winner. I like this. It has style, contrast, depth. I would learn a lot and I think give viewers a chance to learn more about two names they have heard of but maybe don’t deeply understand. Two great female characters that on paper at least should combine really well. How many eyebrow jokes is too many? How many Nazi jokes is too few? These are the questions we must answer. 

Sitting Bull vs Ramesses II [submitted by PrinceKovu & TheFormerPrey]

Another surprisingly nice one. They just sit well together, don’t they? Like lime and coconut. Sitting Bull vs Ramesses II just works. Is that really how you spell that, btw?  Ramessesesssesss? Wait… how do I say that? I was saying Ram-sees in my head?  Are we talking about the same guy. Oh how embarrassing I have to google this because I don’t know the spelling? Okay, yeah, they’re the same. Always thought it was Ramses. Now that looks like a group of sheep. Great matchup, sounds like two giants going to battle. Another example of “I know that name and some basic stuff but not exactly sure whoooooo”. Super suggestion.

Hannibal Barca vs Attila the Hun [submitted by TheFormerPrey]

Yes! Another fun one. This is a great list, truly. Why are these matchups so natural seeming? It feels like the list of remaining no-brainers. As if no one would question whether or not they “deserve” to be in ERB. Hannibal is cool, Attila is cool. They miiiight be a little too much of the same archetype, brutal-smart-conqueror types. But it sounds like another banger. 

Marco Polo vs Sun Wukong [submitted by Shawn Ravenwire]

Does Marco Polo deserve to be in an ERB? Is it because of his adventures or his swimming pool game? Sun Wukong… he's the Chinese explorer with huge fleet right? Wait… no that's Zheng He. Wukong is the monkey king dude. I get the connection more, this is cool. One made a journey East, the other journeyed West. Neat. Polo has always felt a little too dry, swimming pool game pun intended but maybe Wukong helps bring a bit of excitement to the matchup.

Anubis vs Cruella de Vil [submitted by GlenOck, DragonsBlood23 & FoxDoc]

When I see “Anubis” I mostly think of Stargate. The movie, not that crap TV show.  This is a dog god, correct? Dog murderer vs Dog god. I don’t think I like it. I like both on their own, Cruella is a fun character, Anubis would be a fun costume. But I don’t know how much dog themed beef would really be there to build on.  

Benito Mussolini vs Fidel Castro [submitted by Cheske & Swan]

Interesting. I love the bombast, I can feel the low angled cameras and passionate oratory. I don’t know if I understand why these two would go at it, but it certainly would be fun to watch. It feels like Castro is a clear winner, just because Mussolini is such a clear loser in the end of his story. Strung upside down with your side piece.  That’s a pretty raw way to go. I think I like Mussolini more as a middle character. A nice Frederick the Great type entrance and exit. I can’t see any battle where Benito can end on his own two feet.

Maximilien Robespierre vs Pancho Villa [submitted by Jaime Martinez]

I have to be honest, before the ERB Patreon I didn’t have a very good idea at all who Maximilien Robespierre was. Now, of course, I am falling more in love with the idea of doing him in ERB. What a bizarro character. Is Pancho Villa enough of a zealot to stand up to Robespierre? If he can’t keep up with his passion, is he cool enough to counter it? I’m not certain about this specific matchup, but as with this whole list, I very much like both these names.  

It feels like we’re circling a good chunk of “must do” matchups, or at least must do individuals. I like where this is going. Solid ideas here. Thank you. -np

Here are a few extra thoughts from our manager HeadMonk...

I was really impressed with the suggestions in this latest round of MTB. I've always wanted us to do Sitting Bull in ERB but I've never really liked match-ups I've seen suggested for him but I do really think Ramesses II might be the best one I've seen. I think most people would prefer King Tut but I do think Ramesses is the much more interesting Pharaoh.

I think Frida Kahlo would be a great artist to feature in ERB. I'm kinda of the view that an artist royale would be the best way to go, with Van Gogh, Warhol, Dali, Kahlo plus one other. But, if we did a straight 1vs1 then I do like the idea of Coco Chanel being used. Art vs fashion could be a more interesting dynamic than an artist vs artist 1vs1.

Benito Mussolini and Fidel Castro sounds a good pairing. I like both characters. Big, powerful, rich in material. Great name recognition. I could see Peter and Lloyd having a lot of fun writing it and the portrayals could be really entertaining too. 

=======

A new round of MTB now begins! The theme this time is "Dead Or Alive".

Very simple historical based round. We are specifically looking for a few matchups that feature one person who is still alive versus one who is already six feet under. 

You can of course always ignore the theme completely if you prefer. But, when selecting the match-ups for feedback we will select 2 or more suggestions that particularly suit the theme.

Same rules apply. Seven match-ups in total will be selected. A maximum of three suggestions per person. You can post them in the comments below, email them to erbpatreon@gmail.com or post them on the ERB Discord server in the dedicated '#make-this-battle' channel.

Deadline for submissions is... 5pm PT on Sunday 11th September.

Look forward to seeing what you all come up with.