{"id":117844,"date":"2024-04-07T07:19:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T12:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?p=117844"},"modified":"2024-04-06T22:22:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T03:22:47","slug":"middle-earth-march-madness-2024-its-grand-final-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/2024\/04\/07\/117844-middle-earth-march-madness-2024-its-grand-final-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle-earth March Madness 2024: it’s GRAND FINAL time!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We come to it at last – the great battle of our time… Well, at least of this year’s Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments<\/a><\/strong>. TORn staffers picked 64 happenings from The Hobbit<\/em> and The Lord of the Rings<\/em> trilogy, which could be considered magical events. (Though what exactly counts as ‘magic’ in Middle-earth is, of course, up for debate!) These moments were seeded based on staffer’s votes, divided into four bracket (one for each book), and so it began. Now, three weeks later and with thousands of votes cast, we are down to the final two. Let’s see how the Semi-finals played out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hobbit Division vs The Two Towers Division<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The first time Bilbo experiences the power of the Ring, becoming invisible when seeking to escape Gollum, deep under the Misty Mountains, was the winning moment of The Hobbit <\/em>bracket. It faced the victor from The Two Towers<\/em> region, no less a moment than the return from the dead of Mithrandir, coming back to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White. Two absolutely iconic moments – and you might have expected a tight battle. In fact, the power of the Ring was no match for the wizard; The Two Towers<\/em> contestant took 70% more votes than its opponent. So Gandalf the White strides into the final. Who or what will be his adversary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fellowship of the Ring Division vs The Return of the King Division<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This showdown was a much tighter contest then the other Semi-final. Just SIX votes made the difference between the contenders during much of this round – even as the numbers rose, that margin stayed more or less the same. It’s a duel between the defeat of the Witch-king by ‘No Man’ and Gandalf’s overthrowing of the Balrog. Will we have an all Gandalf championship battle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is … yes! At the last moment, coming in just under the wire, and having been trailing for most of this round, the wizard won by ONE VOTE. Eowyn overcame the Lord of the Nazgul, but could not defeat the Maiar. And so an event which started off seeded all the way down at #6 in its bracket confronts a #1 seeded event in the Final. It’s The Fellowship of the Ring<\/em> vs The Two Towers<\/em>, a kind of ‘before and after’ – the battle against the Balrog, and the return thereafter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n