User blog comment:Aandrew07/Discussion of the Week: Monster Variants/@comment-70.128.20.68-20121202042712/@comment-4212769-20121204061232

It isn't an uneven fight. It's actually pretty even.

Both are pretty much nomads so they don't have to many adaptations to an area.

Deviljho is bigger and with that, of course, physically stronger but isn't particularly intelligent (at least it seems to me like that) as it runs up in every fight and attacks pretty much everything that could be prey or an annoyance. Because of its size it doesn't need to be very intelligent because it has almost nothing to fear. Deviljho has fast attacks but lacks of agility as it is rather bulky.

Rajang is as Pelagus pretty intelligent and can calculate different scenarios. Also as smaller predator it needs to be more intelligent because it maybe couldn't get enough food if larger predators try to steal its prey. To steal other monsters' prey themselves they have to find tactics and strategies. Only because Rajang's smaller doesn't mean it's not very strong. People who fought it know how hard it can hit (but that shouldn't be a consideration in this). It still depends on its physical strength. But it has two big advantages besides its intelligence over Deviljho. First is its great agility. Everyone that hunted it knows how it always jumps around and is hardly accessible to hit unless it stopped to start attacks. This agility will be paired with the intelligence a very strong defensive point as Deviljho has problems to hit it. With this the small size is also very valueable. And second is it thunder attacks as Deviljho is very weak to it. One hit could leave devastating damage.

It's still very even so my estimation is that Rajang would win in 53% of all cases in a life and death situation over Deviljho just because it has more opporunities to surprise and overcome Deviljho.