Many people seem to think that combat is like comparing two trading cards' stats and the one with the higher number always wins automatically. So if we see someone beat someone else that means that these results can never change.

If that were the case, then sports betting would just be a matter of comparing previous results with no need for the teams to even enter the field anymore .

In reality, just because the New York Yankees beat the Denver Broncos at cricket once, that does not mean that the results of all future NBA games are set in stone just because of that one result*. Especially in matters like sword fighting, where a single mistake being can decisively end a fight, the expected results can change in a split second with one move. And there are plenty of factors that could cause somebody to mess up one block, be it a lapse in concentration, external factors like slipping, the other side employing tricks or specific tactics, etc. Of course skill levels do play a major part, but they do not provide guarantees of any kind.

I always cringe at all those "well, my guy has the Force, so he wins by default" or "nuh-uh, X beat Y in issue 375 of the comic, so the transitive property dictates that Z..." arguments.

*I may not be the most fervent sports buff