Shouldn't Szeth murder Kaladin if he did not have mental issues in their fight?

[MONARCH]

I just simply don't consider Szeth as his best when fighting Kal in the sky (WOR),I mean he talked,and talked,and taked A LOT. Also he seemed to be more interested in killing Dalinar at first rather than fighting Kaladin.And after all,Szeth is superior to Kal in terms of experience/h2h combat/tactical fighting .

 

Edited September 1, 2017 by MONARCH

[Calderis he/him]

Shouldn't this go in Stormlight, because spoilers? 

[Sunbird she/her]

@Calderis Definitely. Summon the mods! @Kaymyth Can you relocate this topic? (Apologies for not using the Report button, but I can't find it on mobile.)

[Calderis he/him]

1 minute ago, Sunbird said:

@Calderis Definitely. Summon the mods! @Kaymyth Can you relocate this topic? (Apologies for not using the Report button, but I can't find it on mobile.)

Done

[Mestiv he/him]

35 minutes ago, Sunbird said:

@Calderis Definitely. Summon the mods! @Kaymyth Can you relocate this topic? (Apologies for not using the Report button, but I can't find it on mobile.)

It is moved. The report button is below user name, next to posting time, a little flag. 

 

As for the topic I agree that Szeth would probably win if he wasn't going insane. 

[shadowwisp]

I agree with Mestiv. 

Szeth was winning to tied with Kaladin which is pretty impressive considering that Kaladin uses far less stormlight and has a weapon that can change shape in a blink of an eye. Both are a huge advantage in a fight, especially the later. Kaladin can also summon his blade instantly while Szeth can not (or rather he doesn't realize that he could). 

[Seloun]

3 hours ago, shadowwisp said:

I agree with Mestiv. 

Szeth was winning to tied with Kaladin which is pretty impressive considering that Kaladin uses far less stormlight and has a weapon that can change shape in a blink of an eye. Both are a huge advantage in a fight, especially the later. Kaladin can also summon his blade instantly while Szeth can not (or rather he doesn't realize that he could). 

The battlefield is actually quite a bit in Szeth's favor in that there's effectively unlimited Stormlight nearby, rendering Kaladin's superior efficiency moot. Kaladin's real strength is that he can heal from Shardblade wounds. Being able to change the form of his Shardblade is certainly a big benefit for Kaladin, too, but the fight probably would have been over very quickly had Kaladin not been able to heal his arm.

Once Kaladin lets his instincts take over, Szeth can't really match him. Kaladin also has an enormous advantage in terms of endurance, despite the stormwall - he can potentially heal any non-lethal hits while any clean hits Kaladin inflicts on Szeth are essentially permanent. While the environment was chaotic enough that either could have gotten a lucky killing shot, and mostly mitigated Szeth's lack of stormlight efficiency, I think Kaladin still has a significant advantage in that matchup even with Szeth in peak condition.

[StormblessDave]

Kaladin's advantages: Szeth was having a mental breakdown(but tbh when did he not?), Syl's ability to shape shift into any weapon, efficient use of stormlight(not of much use in the conditions where they fought), his battlefield experiences, his abnormally good spear skills, and imo the most important of all - he had a purpose.

Szeth's advantages: Kaladin was new to his surges(big advantage), Szeths's experience with the surges, climate with lots of stormlight,  

However, Szeth had a disadvantage as everything he had been punished for turned out to be true, which was a shocker.

Under normal conditions, I believe Kaladin would have still won, in the highstorm conditions it could have gone either way(they both have amazing skill)

[WhiteLeeopard she/her]

I suspect if Szeth were engaged and not falling appart at that moment he would generally win vs Kaladin. Kaladin is stunning, but Szeth is...something else. Granted, the field they fight in will really affect the outcome, but even with all of Kaladin's advantages Szeth ended up letting him kill him. 

Kaladin was slightly high from just swearing the third oath, his weapon changed instantly, and Szeth was losing brain bits per minute. And still Szeth kept it fairly close till the end, when Kaladin started getting the edge, and Szeth's remaining mind imploded. Of course, could also say Szeth is so used to dominating a fight, that anyone that can hold against him throws him off his game. Whether this is a disadvantage, or just shows how powerful he could be in the future once he has accepted the KR are back, as it won't take him so much by surprise, we will see.

Edited September 2, 2017 by WhiteLeeopard

[Starla]

I think Kaladin has the advantage with Syl in spear form. He's as good a spear fighter as Szeth is a sword fighter. Kal can move out of Szeth's sword reach and throw the spear in a killing blow to the chest/spine. Even if Szeth deflects the spear, Syl can instantly appear in Kaladin's hands as a spear again, and he can throw again and again until he hits the right spot. I think distance would give anyone with a throwing weapon the advantage over someone with a sword, no matter how good the sword fighter is.

[StormblessDave]

@Starla I agree, Kaladin's extraordinary abilities with the spear are equally good as Szeth is with his blade. It's natural to him, so I wouldn't say Szeth is a better fighter in general.