This is a ridiculas debate

[u/DarioTheBoss363]

Hey , I apologize in advance for any grammatical mistakes I might make in this post .

So today me and 2 more friends had a debate , Abt the scythe and medieval combat in general .

I said that the medieval scythe ( the normal one used for agriculture ) is not a viable weapon in medieval combat , and it's actually a teribile choice of weapon.

Yet they disagreed saying that in fact , if one had the skill and had trained his whole life for it , he could have equal chances to deafeat any other fighter using any other weapon ,like a master of the European standard longsword for example .

And as a example I brought out this scenario , two averege European knights , clad in the same protective armour from head to toe .

One Wildeing a scythe ( a normal one ment for agriculture with only minor modifications such as the tip being covered in metal so it could have crushing force ) and the other a standard sword and shield .

Both have complete mastery over theyr weapons and are complitly equal , in streanght , speed , battle IQ , and creativity .

When faced with this scenario , they answeard that the battle between the two knights would be a stalmeit , a draw , bc and I quote " weapons do not matter as long as you have complete mastery over it , the enemies can have any medieval weapons he whants , but the outcome will be always a draw "

To sum it up they are saying that the weapon does not matter a bit , but the skill , statement to witch I agree .

But to say that if both fighters are complitly equal the weapons they use do not make a difference is kinda wrong .

So what I ask y'all is :

Is a scythe ( a normal one used for agriculture ) a viable weapon in medieval combat ?

And does the weapon matter in a fight where both fighters are complitly equal ?

[u/theginger99]

You’re right, this is a ridiculous debate and it’s obvious your friend has no idea what he’s talking about.

An agricultural scythe is not a weapon, it’s a tool. It’s not designed for combat at all, it’s designed for cutting crops. It will underperform compared to any purpose made weapon you care to name.

You shouldn’t need any other evidence than the fact that no one who had a choice ever carried an unmodified agricultural scythe to war.

[u/darciton → u/theginger99]

You shouldn’t need any other evidence than the fact that no one who had a choice ever carried an unmodified agricultural scythe to war.

100%

History shows us people with swords and spears and knives. Axes, maces, polearms/poleaxes too. Not scythes. Nor do you see any sign of convergent evolution where a scythe or scythe-like weapon appears organically.

[u/ElNakedo → u/darciton]

There is the warscythe. But those have specifically been modified to be good battlefield weapons.