The top 4 is too easy and a given basically, marcus, dom, cole and baird.
In a hand to hand fight it would probably be Tai. If there no rules and anything goes, then probably Paduk, Minh, or even Dizzy possibly.
Gears lore buffs, who do you think is the strongest in combat?
Ill think of some reasons for my choices later on. Wanna hear some other peoples input.
Lahni. Fight me.
Minh until he gets stabbed by RAAM.
Otherwise? I get the impression that Lahni would be into close quarters combat despite her size.
Cog id vote Marcus
Overall. I vote Chaps
I just noticed she shares Tai’s last name for the first time, so that suits her.
Pound for pound, she’s unironically the toughest fighter.
Marcus by a long shot
I didnt want to include marcus and friends because that’s too obvious lol
Y’all sleepin on Barrick then
Uncle Clay. They call him grub killer for a reason. Marcus is slipping. He got owned by a Snatcher. I’ll give him toughest though. He did survive podding without a mask.
Barrick done tore a locust drone in half in the comics 
Big bad Clayton Carmine would batter anyone
Next question
Clayton Carmine obviously.
Cuz he’s the Grub Killer
I dont think marcus is slipping, they just have to take him down a peg so the new cardboard cast can stand out
Xavier woods
Tai would have to my man. Basically destroys a whole army of UIR in the forest ,in his undies, with nothing but a knife until he met Marcus & was CoG certified
Barrick is seriously tuff, I think he can destroy Marcus, Cole, & Dom 3v1 in hand to hand. Dude was like a Brock Lesnar character
Dizzy would have to be on my list of hands because he survived against Skorge when nobody survives against Skorge. Dizzy did so he has to have supreme combat ability to fight Skorge & survive.
Lastly Cole. Cole having insuperhuman strength doesn’t necessarily mean he can throw hands but if he connects it will be devastating.
The Matriarch! She can destroy everything!
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Oh… You mean only COG characters!?
Benjamin
I kinda forgot about clay when i made this thread and now it feels like a definite no brainer.
1st through 4th place goes to delta squad
5th is obviously clay.
Tai
Gotta give it to Barrick. That guy ripped a Drone in half with his bare hands while wounded.
And Clay isn’t? He’s a tank. Then again so are all the main male cast, but I always felt it was implied Clay is slightly more genetically gifted than anyone. Well, you could make the case for Cole as well, athletically speaking, but Clay was pure strength.
From https://gearsofwar.fandom.com/wiki/Clayton_Carmine
He quickly earned a reputation among Gears of being a “Grub Killer” - brutally killing any and all Locust with an undying hatred. Clayton was extremely intimidating compared to his youngers brothers Anthony and Benjamin Carmine with his numerous tattoos, muscular build and deeper bloodlust, and unlike Anthony and Benjamin, Clayton had risen to become a seasoned veteran. Clayton was grim at times and as such, was described as a “glass half-empty” man