memadness2013-thefinalWe’ve come to it at last. The final match-up of the 2013 Middle-earth March Madness is now set.

The finalists are Gandalf the Grey vs. Thorin Oakenshield.

Thorin’s story in this competition is one of significant achievement. He managed to handle some historic Middle-earth talent by off’ing Fingolfin, Beorn and Smaug. In the semi-finals, Thorin held off a Number 1 seed, Lady Galadriel, with 53% of the vote. He is now riding a wave of popularity into this final match-up with Gandalf.

Gandalf had a bit of a cake-walk in the early rounds of the Angmar Division, easily taking care of Arwen and Merry. He didn’t escape unscathed however. He had a bit more compeition when he faced Gollum and ultimately The One Ring, but he bested both foes. The semi-final match-up with Elrond seemed to be a simple road bump, easily beating the Lord of Rivendell with 80% of the vote.

Now we have a true ‘Hobbit’ final. Who will win? Will Thorin continue to defy the odds and best yet another great of Middle-earth? Will Gandalf finally put an end to Thorin’s streak? Will the Richard Armitage fans out-vote the Ian McKellen fans? So many questions – who will win?!

Voting for the Finals will end on Monday April 8th at 10pm ET.  Vote now!

[Download Final Four Bracket] [Final Four Results] [Elite Eight Results] [Round 3 Results] [Round 2 Results][Round 1 Results]