Description[]
Fate/Zero vs. Fate/Apocrypha. They both turned against their King, and where reborn as different Servants for different Holy Grail Wars.
Introduction[]
Wiz: The events of Fate/stay night introduced us all to the Holy Grail War and set the stage for other incarnations of it to come into existence.
Boomstick: And with those new installments came new Servants for each one, and some of them have more than a few passing similarities to each other.
Wiz: Especially since every war has at least one Knight of the Round Table in it. Like Lancelot, the Berserker Class Servant of Fate/Zero.
Boomstick: And Mordred, the Saber Class Servant of Fate/Apocrypha. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle.
Lancelot[]
Wiz: Out of all the members of the Knights of the Round, loyal to their country and king Artoria Pendragon, none were more skilled and more respected than Sir Lancelot.
- Background
- Height: 6'2
- AKA Knight of the Lake
- Knight of the Round Table
- Servant to Karyia Matou
- Other classes; Saber, Lancer, Rider
- Likes; Etiquette and tradition
Boomstick: Don't let his more negative portrayals in other media like King Arthur's Adventures fool you, Lancelot was every bit a heroic knight as you could imagine. Too bad he lost it all because of a woman.
Wiz: And out of all the many ladies he surely could have gotten, the one he laid with was Artoria's own Lady Guinevere.
Boomstick: But Artoria's a girl and she falls in love with not-Kirito. So how...
Wiz: Well, I think you may have answered your own question there. When you have to be the consort of someone you're not a compatible orientation with, then you'd probably get frustrated. And want a way to vent those frustrations. Hence her affair with Lancelot.
Boomstick: And it's actually implied that Lancelot was in love with Artoria the whole time. It was drama of the grandest order and it even led to the downfall of Britain itself when his killing of his fellow knights to rescue Guinevere from executioner resulted in civil war that rendered the United Kingdom not so united.
Wiz: The conflict even claimed the life of Artoria herself and Lancelot fell into madness at his sins going unpunished. Thus gave birth to his qualification to be a Berserker-class Servant, summoned by Karyia Matou for the 4th Holy Grail War.
Boomstick: Whilst being a Berserker brought Lancelot back to life as a rather rapid fellow, it was worth it for the boost in power he received.
Wiz: This is because the Berserker class is unique for the Mad Enhancement skill, which empowers the physical abilities of any afflicted with it. Because of the ranking he held for this ability, every one his Parameters was boosted save his Luck and Mana.
Boomstick: Meanwhile, his strength, agility and durability all got themselves a rank-up, making him quite formidable even amongst other Servants.
- Powers and Abilities
- Superhuman attributes
- Supernatural luck
- Mad Enhancement
- Magic Resistance
- Eternal Arms Mastership
- Protector of the Faeries
Wiz: Even though his supernatural luck doesn't get a boost, he still has the Protector of the Faeries skill, which increases the odds of himself getting out of dangerous situations.
Boomstick: And whilst being a madman may seem like he's going to get into those a lot, he's actually has enough clarity to avoid things like that.
Wiz: Here's the thing; whilst being a Berserker usually strips a Servant of their ability to think and strategize, Lancelot was such an expert fighter that those skills were ingrained into his very instincts. So not only does he get his physical stats increased but he retains all of his fighting prowess in spite of it. This is the power of Eternal Arms Mastership.
Boomstick: There's no real drawback to summoning Lancelot as a Berserker and it shows, especially through his Noble Phantasms, which goes hand-in-hand with his skills. Literally, because whatever he picks up becomes a weapon.
- Noble Phantasms
- Knight of Owner
- Coverts objects into Noble Phantasms
- For Someone's Glory
- Hides true identity
- Arondight
- Powerful sword
- Increases all abilities
- Effective against dragons
- Knight of Owner
Wiz: Knight of Owner coverts anything that can be considered a weapon into a low rank Noble Phantasm. With it, even something as bland as a lamppost can be used to fight other Servants.
Boomstick: It doesn't even have to be something weapon-like; as long as it can be used offensively, anything can be empowered by Knight of Owner. Even a goddamn fighter jet, which he rides with style! Speaking of style, Lancelot has it in spades with For Someone's Glory.
Wiz: Well, if you're into ominous black smog, then sure. Someone's Glory hides Lancelot's identity and level of strength from whoever is looking at him, even enemy masters, adding a level of surprise to whatever he can bust out. And the last thing he can bust out is his own legendary sword.
Boomstick: It was once the holy sword given to only the greatest of knights but after Lancelot used it against his fellow knights, it became stained black by his madness.
Wiz: Whenever he draws it, Lancelot loses access to his other Noble Phantasms but at a worthwhile tradeoff, as all of his already incredibly high Parameters are empowered by a whole other level.
Popup: Lancelot's Saber self can fire a blast of Mana from Arondight. Whilst the Berserker incarnation is no longer a holy weapon, it is still a weapon bequeathed to him, and so would likely have this ability.
Boomstick: Plus, it's good against dragons. And dragons are tough!
- Feats
- Shot down Gilgamesh's ship
- Caught weapons from the Gates of Babylon
- Shares the same strength ranking as Heracles
- Weaponized a fighter jet and iron pole
- Survived a hit from the Gordius Wheel
- Defeated Phelot, Gareth, Irisviel, Maiya
Wiz: So are other Servants and yet Lancelot hasn't stopped that from holding his own against them.
Boomstick: Most notably, against none other than the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh himself. This guy is the absolute apex of Servants and he has the ego to match.
Wiz: Ironically, Gilgamesh's signature weapon, the Gates of Babylon, is the worst kind of weapon you could throw at Lancelot.
Boomstick: Cause all it does is throw weapons that he can pick up and use for himself, and he can, thanks to Knight of Owner. You'd think Gilgamesh would have learned his lesson about shooting reusable ammo at this guy but Old Gil isn't exactly known for reflecting upon his strategy.
Wiz: Whilst Gilgamesh was able to shoot Lancelot out of the sky in their second duel, that was only after Lancelot was able to destroy his own flying craft first, which can travel at the speed of thought.
Boomstick: In other words, it obeys Gilgamesh's thoughts and Servants are very fast to think and act out an action. Oh, and by the way, the only reason Gilgamesh was able to shoot him down was because Lancelot had changed his focus towards Artoria, who had been summoned as a Saber Servant.
Wiz: There's one way in which being a Berserker doesn't benefit Lancelot and that's because it kind of gives him tunnel vision whenever he spots Artoria, putting everything he has into taking her down. Or so it seems.
Boomstick: Yeah, Lancelot doesn't actually want to kill Artoria, he wants her to kill him.
Wiz: To receive the punishment he felt he should have been dealt. And, eventually, he got it, in a final showdown with his beloved king, going out on his own terms and being one of the few participators of the Fourth Grail War to get exactly what he wanted.
Boomstick: And so died Sir Lancelot. Again.
Mordred[]
Wiz: Out of all the members of the Knights of the Round Table, none had a more unusual origin than Mordred.
Boomstick: Unusual is sugar-coating it. Her whole origin is pretty bizarre.
Wiz: Yeah, pretty much. In order to the female King Artoria to consummate her relationship for Guinevere, if only once, the wizard Merlin made Artoria a man. Seeing an opportunity, the witch Morgan Le Fay seduced the temporary genderbent king and obtained a sample of his...ahem...essence.
Boomstick: Yeeeuge...weird. Anyway, with this "sample", Morgan made a homunculus clone of King Artoria, Mordred.
- Background
- Height: 5'0
- AKA Knight of Treachery, Saber of Red
- Servant of Kairi Sisigou
- Clone of Artoria Pendragon
- Other class; Rider
- Hates being identified as male or female
Wiz: After maturing far faster than a normal human would, physically at least, Mordred was sent to Camelot by her mother to join the ranks of the Knights of the Round.
Boomstick: Whether or not as a plot to have her act as a saboteur, it seemed at first than Morgan's goals for her child wouldn't come true.
Wiz: Having grown up in admiration of her other parent, Artoria, and the legends of other heroes, Mordred legitimately wanted to dutifully serve her king, both as a knight and as her heir. So much so she revealed her origin to Artoria, imploring her to make her the next king.
Boomstick: But like any request made by a illegitimate child, this one didn't go through. And I should know. Artoria pulled a Yoda move, sensing much darkness within Mordred, and flat out told her she wouldn't make a good king.
Wiz: This being the very last thing that Mordred wanted to hear, the homunculus went over the edge in her hatred and bitterness. When Artoria was away on another mission, she launched a bloody rebellion against Camelot, which resulted in the deaths of both her and her progenitor.
Boomstick: Mordred literally cursed mom-dad to death before succumbing to her own injuries. But neither of their stories ended there. We already know what Artoria got up to during her time as Servant but now it's time to go through Mordred's.
Wiz: The Grail War that Mordred was summoned by the necromancer Kairi Sisigou was a little different to other instalments. Instead of seven Masters and their Servants fighting in a free-for-all, it was two different sides of Masters and Servants against each other. The Black and the Red sides, for simplicities sake. Although, Mordred and Kairi didn't really align themselves with any one side, in spite of the former being the Red Faction's Saber, instead doing their own thing for a short while.
Boomstick: And woe besides anyone to got in the way of their own thing, because Mordred is a beast of a fighter. Literally. Whilst she doesn't have the finesse of Artoria Pendragon, her savage fighting style carries her through most conflicts.
- Powers and Abilities
- Superhuman attributes
- Supernatural luck
- Riding
- Magic Resistance
- Battle Continuation
- Charisma
- Instinct
- Mana Burst
- Blessing of Rampage
Wiz: With the staple powers of Servants like superhuman speed, strength, agility and durability, Mordred was already a formidable foe, even more so with her own unique abilities.
Boomstick: Not only can she ride anything with supernatural skill or sweet-talk an entire army of people into rebellion but she even has the Instinct skill.
Wiz: Acting like a sixth sense, Instinct allows Mordred to essentially "feel" her way through any given situation in battle. This has allowed her to dodge projectiles even whilst surrounded by sight and sound cancelling fog, courtesy of Assassin of Black. And this isn't even the only ability she inherited from Artoria.
Boomstick: She's also got Mana Burst, which allows her to use magical energy to propel herself across the battlefield in the blink of an eye and perform a sudden and unexpected attack.
Wiz: And taken from the legend of how she cursed Artoria to death even whilst impaled by a spear, Battle Continuation enhances her already exceptional stamina and vitality, to the point she can continue to fight on in spite of the most grievous wounds. And, shockingly, Mordred's most exceptional power is one that was passed down to her by Artoria herself.
Boomstick: But apparently a different Artoria during a convergence of alternate worlds, apparently. An Artoria who was a lot more...grown-up.
Wiz: Blessing of Rampage granted Mordred the ability to use her Noble Phantasm over and over again, or at least until it burned her soul to nothing. Harsh, how those kind of drawbacks work.
Boomstick: But boy oh boy does she have a Noble Phantasm to use over and over again. A sword she herself stole from her progenitor's armory, Clarence.
Wiz: Clarent.
Boomstick: Oh, yeah. I forgot that's the name I actually gave to my bazooka.
- Noble Phantasms
- Clarent
- High-quality sword
- Clarent Blood Arthur
- Secret of Pedigree
- Hides her identity
- Clarent
Wiz: Whilst her illegitimate theft of Clarent resulted in it loosing the boons it would normally give her, not to mention its status as a holy weapon, Mordred soon found a way around that little problem.
Boomstick: By converting her hatred and anger into massive energy blasts! Thanks to Blessing of Rampage, she can use as long as she wants to, so long as she doesn't do it so much that she destroys her soul, or whatever.
Wiz: If she wants to use it at all, then she'll need to deactivate her other Noble Phantasm, the Secret of Pedigree, a passive ability which takes the form of armor capable of hiding her strength, abilities and weapons.
Popup: Not even Ruler's ability to instantly identify other Servants could break through Secret of Pedigree.
Boomstick: That's because Secret of Pedigree was given to Mordred by Morgan, whilst Blessing of Rampage comes from Artoria, two exes who really don't get along. It's like a child being caught between a divorce; they can only have one set of presents from the other in their attempts to gain custody of them.
- Feats
- Caused the downfall of Camelot
- Stated to be capable of destroying a mountain
- As strong as Achilles, who pushed a jet plane
- Survived Berserker of Black's self destruction
- Attacked a floating fortress with a plane
- Defeated Berserker of Black, Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, Assassin of Red
Wiz: Well, I'm sure that kind of thing gives her a lot of anger and a lot of anger is what she outputted during the Great Grail War.
Boomstick: I'll say. The massive blasts she produced against the Saber of Black were friggin wild! In fact, she's said to have enough power to destroy an entire mountain, which would take nearly 2 gigatons of TNT (DemonGodMitchAubin).
Wiz: She's not just capable of giving powerful blasts, but she's capable of taking them as well, surviving the epicenter of Berserker of Black's self-destruction.
Popup: Whilst Mordred was enhanced with a Command Seal at the time, so was Berserker of Black.
Boomstick: But what's more notable than the time she used an old fashioned attack plane to lay siege on a giant floating fortress that seems it shouldn't be part of the arsenal of an assassin and then taking down said assassin?
Wiz: Not much, although maybe the fact she brought down Camelot and her progenitor is perhaps her most infamous feat. Although, sadly, both victories did cost her life to fulfill.
Boomstick: There's also the fact that, whilst she's a direct clone of Artoria, she's not as, well, complete as her. Everything she's inherited from Artoria, save the Rampage thing, is kind of lacking, even her sword skills.
Wiz: Still, even with fifteen other servants in the same war, yes, fifteen, Mordred certainly stood out with her own merits and skills. She may have been the knight of treachery, but a knight is still a knight.
Interlude[]
Wiz: Alright the combatants are set and we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: It's time for a Death Battle!
The Battle[]
Setting: Parking complex in the middle of the night
Mordred stood at the edge of the roof, overlooking the city that would be the location of the Grail War. The sounds of a plane reach her ears just before an attack plane flew overhead, someone dropping down from it to land behind her. She looked in that direction from over her shoulder.
Mordred: Well, well, 'bout time someone came slinking after me.
She turned around fully and activated her Secret of Pedigree, summoning her helmet just as the smoke cloud around Lancelot faded, revealing him with For Someone's Glory in action. He let out a bellowing roar as he aimed the two rifles he had brought at him at Mordred, converting them into Noble Phantasms.
FIGHT!
Lancelot pulled the triggers, unleashing a hail of super-charged bullets towards Mordred, whose sword Clarent flashed to slice the bullets apart before they could hit her. After doing so to the first barrage of bullets, she dodged to the side of the next couple, leaving the wall to get blown away by them, before using a Mana Burst to dart towards Lancelot, swinging her sword up at his head. The Berserker instinctively leaned his head to the side to avoid the sword as it passed by before swinging around one of his guns, firing it in the process. This forced Mordred to duck down to avoid getting shot before Lancelot aimed his other gun directly at her. For this, Mordred brought her sword up to use the flat of the blade as a shield against the bullet stream. She even went as far to press it against the barrel's nozzle causing the bullets to get blocked up in the gun and blow it apart from the inside out. With a grunt, Mordred slashed out, Lancelot blocking the attack with his remaining gun, the impact sending them both skidding backwards. Upon stopping, Lancelot whirled around and hurled the empty gun at Mordred with the force of a missile. Mordred jumped into the air to avoid the attack before spinning downwards with a slash of Clarent. Lancelot's hands clapped down around the blade before it could strike his helmet, before retaliating with a kick into her ribs. Mordred was sent flying to the side, sliding across the ground before coming to a stop.
Lancelot turned around to face her, reaching out to grab a light pole and yanking it from its foundation, the Knight of Owner empowering it into a Noble Phantasm. With a bellow, he charged forwards and vaulted into the air, swinging the pole downwards with a club. Mordred steadied herself and brought her sword up to guard against the attack. The resulting collision fractured the ground Mordred stood on and it immediately collapsed downwards.
Mordred and Lancelot landed on one of the lower levels of the parking complex as rubble rained down around them, where they continued their dual with Lancelot wielding the pole like a staff, blocking and deflecting Mordred's sword slashes. Mordred jumped backwards from a swipe aimed at her legs, darting back forwards for another attack. As Lancelot raised his pole, Mordred's Instinct told her to not go for a slash but to instead drop down and slide beneath Lancelot's swipe. After doing so, Mordred leapt back up and towards Lancelot's exposed back, slashing the Berserker across it. The attack caused Lancelot to serve around and Mordred followed up with a series of slashes into his front. With a yell, Mordred swung Clarent at Lancelot's head, intending to take it off with a single stroke. But Lancelot acted quickly, twirling the pole in his hand so that it deflected the swing, before he finished the twirling of the item to slam its butt into Mordred's midriff, sending her backwards with a noticeable dent in the armor.
Mordred: Damn! No Berserker should have moves like that!
Lancelot twirled the pole downwards as he came forwards, Mordred jumping back to avoid it as it smashed into the ground.
Mordred: Or like that! And I'm getting pretty tired of it!
She charged forwards, unleashing a barrage of slashes at Lancelot, who parried to the attacks with his pole but was slowly forced back by the viciousness of Mordred's onslaught. Mordred was so focused on finally pushing her enemy Servant backwards that she didn't see Lancelot's tendrils snake out to latch themselves on a parked car. Just as Mordred was able to push Lancelot onto his knees with a downwards swing against his pole, the car suddenly zoomed backwards, ramming into Mordred and pinning her against the wall. Mordred snarled as she was pressed against the stone wall, utilizing a Mana Burst to send the car flying away as she thusly thrusted forwards. Lancelot used his tendrils on other cars, sending them charging towards Mordred, who sent them skidding away with slashes of her sword before darting forwards, her sword pointed at Lancelot's chest. In response, Lancelot dug his fingers into the ground and wrenched up a block of concrete, using it to deflect the stab upwards before smashing it into Mordred's helmeted face.
The sheer force of the attack made Mordred fly backwards but before going too far, she stabbed her sword into the ground so that she could swing back around and slam both her feet into Lancelot's chest. But as he went backwards from the attack and dropped the pole, Lancelot grabbed a hold of Mordred's ankles and started to swing her around, smashing her through numerous pillars before sending her flying into the rear end of a car.
Mordred pulled herself from the dented wreckage.
Mordred: Okay...you are really starting to piss me off.
Lancelot picked the dropped pole back up whilst Mordred began to cackle with red energy. As Blessing of Rampage came into affect, Mordred's helmet drew away, revealing her smirking face to the Berserker. Lancelot froze before he shook with rage and unleashed a bellow into the air, before suddenly charging towards Mordred with greater vigor. The Saber raised the glowing Clarent and shouted out;
Mordred: Clarent Blood Arthur!
She unleashed a powerful burst straight at the charging Berserker, sending him flying backwards with the overwhelming energy, to the point where he smashed through the stone wall and far away from the parking complex. The Berserker smashed down in the middle of a tree lined park, picking himself out of the crater. A crack spread down the middle of his helmet as Mordred touched from from her massive jump in front of him, still crackling with energy as she did.
Mordred: What's wrong? Getting nervous all of a sudden? Tell you what, take off that helmet, let me see that mug of yours, and maybe it'll inspire me to go easy.
Lancelot observed her for a moment, before chuckling darkly. He deactivated Knight of Owner and For Someone's Glory, revealing his true visage and Arondight appeared in his hand. Mordred's eyes widened and her smirk faded as she realized just who she was talking to before his helmet split in two, revealing the crazed knight.
Mordred: Oh shit...Lancelot.
Lancelot: AARRRRRRRRTTTTTTTOOOOOORRRRRRRIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Mordred's surprise was replaced with anger as she realized just what was driving Lancelot against her and she gritted her teeth.
Mordred: Damn you...come and die!
Mordred charged forward to meet Lancelot's own forwards dash and their respective blades clashed together, showering the area with sparks and magical energy. The blows were repeated over and over against, the shockwaves from them shaking the trees. After they both broke a temporary blade lock which sent them both skidding backwards, Mordred channeled Clarent Blood Arthur a second time, unleashing it straight at Lancelot. The energy washed over the Berserker, making him peddle backwards, but he was able to steel himself against the attack, emerging with only smoldering armor. He let out a roar and Mordred grimaced, before quickly unleashing another Clarent Blood, then another and then another. But each time, Lancelot persevered against it, emerging from each blast glaring at Mordred. Even as she felt her own life energy begin to waver, Mordred merely unleashed another blast, yelling as she did.
But this time around, Lancelot met the blast with a single of Arondight, its own power enabling him to carve straight through the energy blast and make a beeline straight for Mordred. Before the Saber could react, Lancelot slashed out with Arondight and in a single stroke severed her arm off. In spite of the pain and loss of limb, Mordred merely snarled and swung her fist into Lancelot's exposed face. The Berserker barely flinched however, and he dispelled Arondight to reactivate Knight of Owner so that, when Mordred's severed arm fell back down, he could snatch Clarent from its fingers and make it his own. Mordred could only stand and look on, smiling bitterly.
Mordred: Go ahead...it was never mine anyway.
Lancelot complied, swishing Clarent downwards and bisecting Mordred down through her shoulder. The Saber toppled backwards in two pieces, splattering the ground in blood as Lancelot watched one.
KO!
Mordred's master, Kairi, comes under attack from Lancelot's master, Karyia and his insects.
Outcome[]
Boomstick: I don't know what looks more painful; the fact two former allies fought again or that killing blow.
Wiz: It's often a hard task to determine who would win in a same-series Death Battle but after looking hard enough, we believe we have been able to figure out why Lancelot holds the odds of winning more often than not.
Boomstick: One thing that's of note is that, ironically, Lancelot was actually the better fighter between him and Mordred.
Wiz: That's true. Even in the Berserker Class, Lancelot's instincts as a fighter remained consistent thanks to his Eternal Arms Mastery. Mordred, meanwhile, fights with barely any technique at all. Sure, she can handle a sword with enough skill but her main style is always focused on basically attacking like a vicious animal.
Boomstick: And when it came down to Parameters, Lancelot also held the edge.
Wiz: Through analysis of the Grand Order character rankings, out of the six different Parameter types, both were equal in their Noble Phantasms and Endurance, Mordred had the advantages in Mana, and Lancelot held the edges in Agility, Strength and Luck.
Popup: Whilst Mordred is listed as a five-star Servant over Lancelot's four-stars in Grand Order, this does not change Lancelot's Parameter rankings.
Boomstick: So it was three-to-one in favor of Lancelot, giving him numerous advantages over Mordred. Looking at this logically, most events would be in his favor, he would hit a lot harder with his own physical strength and be fast enough to avoid Mordred's own attacks, especially with Eternal Arms Mastery helping him out in this regard.
Wiz: It also helps that as a clone of Artoria, who possessed a Dragon Attribute, meant that Mordred would be highly vulnerable to Lancelot's Arondight, which is a weapon with a strong damage capability against those with this attribute. Should Lancelot land a hit on Mordred, which he certainly could, it would leave a lot of damage. But what was perhaps the most important question was if by revealing her Artoria-reflection face, as strategy or otherwise, Mordred could make Lancelot lose his composure and attack with much less skill. Surprisingly, no.
Boomstick: Even when Lancelot knew it was Artoria he was fighting, he was still, well, "lucid" enough to wield dual machine guns and even catch her sword swing. If Lancelot really did go mindless when confronted with an exact replica of Artoria, I doubt he could pull of moves like that.
Popup: Whilst Lancelot's Mana consumption eventually resulted in his death, he had enough to see two different battles through.
Wiz: Both Lancelot and Mordred were worthy of being Knights of the Round, and later their enemies, but it was the latter who could use his skills, Parameters and arsenal to secure a win over the Knight of Treachery.
Boomstick: It was Fate that one of them wouldn't Stay the Night.
Wiz: The winner is Lancelot.
Next Time[]
Near unmatched power
Wielded by aloof warriors
Trivia[]
- Connections: Both are incarnations of legendary knights from the Fate series summoned to participate in different Holy Grail Wars, who in their past lives were loyal followers of Artoria Pendragon before eventually betraying her in some way or another. Both also wield similar arsenals; Holy Swords corrupted by their anger and the ability to hide their identities, and both attack with extreme rage and anger. Furthermore, both their Masters died at the same time they did, with both Masters possessing a dark family history. Ironically, Lancelot can also qualify for all of Mordred's classes, Saber and Rider.
- Animation Style: 3D.
- OST Idea: 'Fate of Knights', referring to their shared home series and status as knights.