Who Wins The Battle Of The Bastards On Game Of Thrones?

Tonight's episode of Game of Thrones features the long awaited "Battle of the Bastards", in which Jon Snow and Ramsey Bolton lead their respective forces to decide the fate of the North. On a more personal level, the fate of Rickon Stark, Jon Snow's youngest half-brother also hangs in the balance, as Bolton has threatened to kill Rickon unless Jon returns Sansa Stark (Jon's sister and Bolton's abused bride) to him.

So who will win the Battle of the Bastards? Well, the Boltons certainly have the numbers advantage. In addition to their own forces, they are backed by the Umbers and the Karstarks, houses formerly loyal to the Starks but turned after the Red Wedding. They also have the support of the Lannisters and Freys, although the former alliance seems to exist on paper only. In total, the Bolton army numbers over 5,000 soldiers strong, many of whom are battle-tested after victories under Robb Stark (during the War of the Five Kings) and a recent victory over Stannis Baratheon's forces.

However, Jon Snow isn't showing up to the battle alone. In addition to his Wildling army (which previously led to Snow's death at the hands of traitorous members of the Night's Watch and the Umber's alliance with the Boltons), he also has the support of the Mormont family and hypothetically the remnants of the Night's Watch. Snow also has a number of capable lieutenants in the battle, including Tormund Giantsbane and Ser Davos Seaworth, and the giant Wun Wun, which is basically a one man batallion on his own. However, Brienne failed to secure the Tully army for Snow's coalition, leaving them greatly undermanned.

The "x-factor" of the battle might be the Knights of the Vale, who probably have the strongest army left in Westeros, as they avoided the War of the Five Kings and other conflicts. Robin Arryn is the ruler of the Vale, although he's tightly controlled by Littlefinger, who betrayed the Starks, directly leading to Ned Stark's death back in Season 1. Sansa rebuffed Littlefinger's offer of help earlier this season, as Littlefinger arranged her marriage to Ramsey Bolton, but she seemed to reconsider when their search for troops came up short.

Frankly, I don't see how Jon Snow and his allies don't win this battle. The Bolton forces have been a plague on the North for years, and Ramsey is probably the most sadistic character in all of Westeros. Ramsey's a mad dog and it's his time to be put down. Plus, Jon Snow has died once this season, so I don't think they'll kill him off twice in one year. On the other hand, Ramsey Bolton probably has the strongest plot armor in Westeros, as he's weaseled his way to victory against stronger and more experienced foes. So, we're guessing the Starks will win the day, but Bolton somehow makes the victory bittersweet.