Good Examples of High Powerful/High End Magical Combat

[Majin Gojira]

No specific type, just looking for good examples of high end mages in combat with each other primarily.

Personally, I've found later Dresden Files books to be good in terms of dealing with powerful forces and the need to spice things up with mundane utility.

Nanoha treats its mages basically like Mecha, which is a unique way of handling things.

The Season 6 finale of Buffy provided some interesting ideas, but is more of a tantrum than a battle.

And sometimes, I consider Dragon Ball Z to operate under similar concepts (at least when the Chi-blasts and odd powers are flying).

But what are some other examples, or are those examples oddities that should be ignored/commented on in general?

[The Romulan Republic]

In terms of power/versatility, high-end Dresden Files combat is about as impressive (and horrifying) as it gets.

Wheel of Time is up their as well, though they call it channeling instead of magic. In fact, a top-tier channeller is beyond any Dresden Files wizard.

Harry Potter had at least one example (Dumbledore vs. Voldemort). There's real skill in some of the other duels, but not the same scope or power. Pity we never got to see how Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald played out.

Edit: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel has fairly little spell-caster vs. spell caster combat. There's more of a focus on melee combat. But enhanced Buffy in "Primeval" used some pretty good spells vs. Adam and Willow had her duels with Glory, Buffy, Giles, and (on Angel) a possessed Cordelia. Also, there's Dawn vs. the First Evil or at least one of its minions in "Conversations with Dead People".

[Imperial Overlord]

The masive sorcerer fight at the end of The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker. Three different sorcerours schools, demons, and chorae (anti-sorcery and anti-sorcerer talismans) in action. It's very good as well as being high powered, with the magic conforming to the in universe limits and being creatively pushed into new directions by one of the practitioners.

[fgalkin]

Malazan series generally has tons of high-end magic combat, as well as other over-the-top combat.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[The Romulan Republic]

One thing to keep in mind- high end does not necessarily mean flashy effects and lots of destruction. For example, while not necessarily examples of wizard vs. wizard combat, a lot of the high end magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer wasn't particularly destructive in a flashy way or even for combat- it was resurrection or large scale memory alteration/alteration of reality.

Another thing I'd like to clarify- are we talking "high end for their setting" or "high end relative to other works"? For example, Dumbledore vs. Voldemort is very high end for Harry Potter (perhaps only fiendfire surpasses that duel in destructive potential), but its little more than a cheap fireworks show compared to what gets thrown around in a duel between high-end channellers in Wheel of Time.

[biostem]

The Anime "Bastard the Exploder Wizard" has some pretty high-end magical combat.

There's an interesting magic battle in the My Little Pony episode "Magic Duel", (though it's more feat vs feat instead of direct battle). Twilight's battle with Tirek at the end of season 4 can be looked at as this, though.

There's also the battle of Merlin vs the witch (forgot her name - Morgana perhaps) in Sword in the Stone.

[SpottedKitty]

Anyone want to go for Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar stories? Some impressive scenes in there.

[Tiriol]

The Anime "Bastard the Exploder Wizard" has some pretty high-end magical combat.

There's an interesting magic battle in the My Little Pony episode "Magic Duel", (though it's more feat vs feat instead of direct battle). Twilight's battle with Tirek at the end of season 4 can be looked at as this, though.

There's also the battle of Merlin vs the witch (forgot her name - Morgana perhaps) in Sword in the Stone.

Madam Mim was the witch's name, I think. That shapechanging duel was fun.

In Terry Pratchett's Sourcery, the Sourcerer Coin and an evil Grand Vizier possessed by the Archchanchellor's Hat dueled over a very great distance. I think it was more like a mental battle than throwing nuke-level fireballs over the continent, but as I recall, it was mentioned to be very, very hard fight and it ended only because of outside factors (namely, the Luggage).

In David Eddings' Magician's Gambit, sorcerers Belgarath and Ctuchik fight a magical battle which involves enough mystical power to warp the very fabric of reality. Even Belgarath's daughter Polgara was clearly afraid about what would happen. The duel ended, once again, due to outside influence - Ctuchik tried to unmake a magical Orb (or the boy who carried it, I don't recall) and the universe recoiled in horror at such action (one of the cardinal rules of sorcery is that you cannot unmake anything), unmaking Ctuchik instead. The reulting backlash brought down Ctuchik's fortress.

In Lord of the Rings, outside the main narrative, Gandalf fights with the Balrog of Moria for three days straight. All the way from the bottom of the darkest underground ocean inhabited by nameless things unknown even to Sauron the Dark Lord, to the top of the Misty Mountains. Gandalf finally prevailed over the demon, but as he slayed his foe the mountaintop on which they had fought collapsed. It was seen by the Fellowship outside Moria as smoke and fog surrounding the mountain on which Gandalf and the Balrog had fought. Considering the devastation that could be brought to bear once the Maiar and the Valar unleashed their power, this is in line with their accomplishments: the last great battle fought between the Maiar devastated the great lands of Beleriand and finally caused them to collapse under the sea.

[The Romulan Republic]

I'm surprised I didn't remember to include the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog.

Also, there's the duel between Gandalf and the Nazgul on Weathertop in the books. As I recall, its visible to Strider and the Hobbits camping some ways away and sets a large portion of the area on fire. Gandalf finally runs, drawing some of the Nazgul off to pursue him, which is why their are only five to attack Frodo when he reaches Weathertop.

[Purple]

I'm surprised I didn't remember to include the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog.

Probably because outside of the mention we don't actually get much of a description of it. At least not as far as I remember. IIRC what he posted is literally all we get to know.

[Tiriol]

I'm surprised I didn't remember to include the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog.

Probably because outside of the mention we don't actually get much of a description of it. At least not as far as I remember. IIRC what he posted is literally all we get to know.

Yeah, what I described is, according to my memory, all what we got. Gandalf wasn't too inclined to speak more about one of the great magical battles of the Third Age, since his bodily death was apparently quite a shock and traumatic moment for him, even so much that even the word Balrog sent shivers down his spine and he asked the Three Companions not to name his foe.

Arguably Tolkien's legendarium also includes other contests of magic of immense power, but it's hard to say how high-end they were. One which springs to my mind is the duel of King Finrod Felagund and Sauron during the First Age of the Sun. It didn't involve fireballs, collapsing mountains, but it did involve some high-end telepathic clash of wills between the Elven King (according to some sources, the most highly adept "telepath" of all Elves) and Sauron (known as sorcerer of dreadful power) which ended in Sauron's victory and Finrod collapsing before the Dark Lord's throne. In the same narrative (the story of Beren and Lúthien) we also learn that Melian the Maia's protective magic over the Elven kingdom of Doriath clashed something fierce with Sauron's sorcery on the borders of their respective realms (Doriath and Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves), enough to induce insanity and some other unnatural occurences. While it isn't in itself a magical contest per se, it does seem to be on the high end of "normal" magic, since only Beren had survived the trip (with his mind intact) through those borderlands (where he also killed a giant spider, no mean feat in Tolkien's world) and he refused to speak about his travels there and was struck mute and apparently almost comatose afterwards until he saw Lúthien. Nature itself was warped and twisted in those lands and fear and madness stalked all around.

I also echo the question: do we judge "high end magical combat" according to the rules of their own narrative universes, or according to some standard criteria?

[Majin Gojira]

I'd go with "For its Universe" because even a fight where no one can, in universe, one shot a tank, can provide at least some creative thinking in how it's handled. Most magical combat scenarios in fantasy have two casters standing firm and lobbing things at each other (IE: the recent Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies short "Daffy Duck, The Wizard"), while others provide more variety/actual combat tactics being applied to magical abilities.

More about skill and tactics than nuking capability.

Though that's nice too.

[Terralthra]

Seconding the mage duels in the Heralds series. Kethry's duel arcane in Oathbreakers, for one, but also numerous magical showdowns involving Firesong, Elspeth, Darkwind, Falconsbane, Ancar, etc. Kerowyn was my personal favorite badass from that series, but there were several runners-up.

[Tribble]

I'm surprised I didn't remember to include the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog.

Also, there's the duel between Gandalf and the Nazgul on Weathertop in the books. As I recall, its visible to Strider and the Hobbits camping some ways away and sets a large portion of the area on fire. Gandalf finally runs, drawing some of the Nazgul off to pursue him, which is why their are only five to attack Frodo when he reaches Weathertop.

Just for clarification, Gandalf fought the Balorg for three days at the top of the mountain after pursuing it for several days underground and climbing the endless staircase. Though that's nothing compared to Melkor's original war against the Valar, where he pretty much stalemated them until Tulkas showed up:

And the Valar drew unto them many companions, some less, some well nigh as great as themselves, and they laboured together in the ordering of the Earth and the curbing of its tumults. Then Melkor saw what was done, and that the Valar walked on Earth as powers visible, clad in the raiment of the World, and were lovely and glorious to see, and blissful, and that the Earth was becoming as a garden for their delight, for its turmoils were subdued. His envy grew then the greater within him; and he also took visible form, but because of his mood and the malice that burned in him that form was dark and terrible. And he descended upon Arda in power and majesty greater than any other of the Valar, as a mountain that wades in the sea and has its head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold.

Thus began the first battle of the Valar with Melkor for the dominion of Arda; and of those tumults the Elves know but little. For what has here been declared is come from the Valar themselves, with whom the Eldalië spoke in the land of Valinor, and by whom they were instructed; but little would the Valar ever tell of the wars before the coming of the Elves. Yet it is told among the Eldar that the Valar endeavoured ever, in despite of Melkor, to rule the Earth and to prepare it for the coming of the Firstborn; and they built lands and Melkor destroyed them; valleys they delved and Melkor raised them up; mountains they carved and Melkor threw them down; seas they hollowed and Melkor spilled them; and naught might have peace or come to lasting growth, for as surely as the Valar began a labour so would Melkor undo it or corrupt it. And yet their labour was not all in vain; and though nowhere and in no work was their will and purpose wholly fulfilled, and all things were in hue and shape other than the Valar had at first intended, slowly nonetheless the Earth was fashioned and made firm. And thus was the habitation of the Children of Ilúvatar established at the last in the Deeps of Time and amidst the innumerable stars.

Melkor's first war would have been an impressive sight to see, though I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be a part of it.

[The Romulan Republic]

Frankly, the Valar vs. Melkor goes a bit beyond mere magic. Its essentially Middle Earth's version of Satan vs. Angels.

[orbitingpluto]

Frankly, the Valar vs. Melkor goes a bit beyond mere magic. Its essentially Middle Earth's version of Satan vs. Angels.

I think your underestimating it a bit- if an Angel could spill or unspill a sea, why would God itself have be the one loosing the Biblical flood? With the Valar vs. Melkor, it sounds more like a whole mess of Abrahamic gods than just angels.

[lance]

Negima

[Majin Gojira]

Negima

Which is the same as saying Dragon Ball Z, when you think of it.

[Elheru Aran]

If 40K counts, you have the Emperor versus Horus, but that one is always a bit nebulous... hopefully we'll have a clearer picture when the HH book portraying that comes out. There's also a lovely bit between Ahriman and Czevak in that book about the Black Library. And Magnus, of course, has something in 'Thousand Sons', I think, but most of those might be magic vs. mundane, like the bit where he goes up against a couple of Eldar Titans.

[General Zod]

Slayers, as far as anime goes. As far as more traditional fantasy pretty much any forgotten realms story featuring Elminster; I remember one of his feats involving demolishing a mountainside to prove a point in a wizards fireball throwing contest.

[Elheru Aran]

Oh, 40K again, lots and lots of warp-magic by Librarians, psykers, and various sorcerors... but rarely anything particularly quantifiable. Wolf Priests are capable of conjuring storms. Most of it is just stuff like 'and then a bolt of psychic energy blasted apart the enemy squad'-- well, does that mean it just knocks them about, does it vaporize them, does it explode in the middle of them, etc? And of course game mechanics are for shit when quantifying...

[Sinewmire]

How about Avatar the Last Airbender, specifically Ozai vs Aang during the finale?

[NeoGoomba]

I love the resolution of Melkor vs. the Valar. After basically turning the world into a PvP version of Populous Tulkas shows up and beats Melkor by putting him in the figure four leg lock.

[Tribble]

Frankly, the Valar vs. Melkor goes a bit beyond mere magic. Its essentially Middle Earth's version of Satan vs. Angels.

I don't think there's any meaningful difference in the "magic" being used, the scale is simply a lot bigger because the world and characters involved are a lot younger. In the Tolkien universe only Eru has the "secret fire" to create new things, everything else has a fixed amount of power/magic that is used up over time. By the End of the Third Age, there really wasn't that much "magic" left in Middle-Earth, and most of that was due to the Rings of Power holding things in check.

I love the resolution of Melkor vs. the Valar. After basically turning the world into a PvP version of Populous Tulkas shows up and beats Melkor by putting him in the figure four leg lock.

Keep in mind that Tulkas was only able to do that because Melkor was already beginning to disperse his power throughout the world and was weaker than normal. Manwe wasn't expecting a victory and the best he was hoping for was that the war would distract Melkor long enough for the Valar to bring the Elves to safety. The fact that they managed to win outright was a bonus.

[biostem]

You also have a pretty amusing battle between Egg Shen and Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China - what's funny is how they both kind of hold their hands together and wiggle their fingers, almost like they were using video game controllers to fight.