Board Thread:Fanon Canon/@comment-2089817-20151211030148/@comment-2089817-20151212174025

Shonen, I think what Nanja said earlier was that, while each member of the Coven has tremendous Kidou skills, that doesn't mean it will always translate to battle prowess. For example, he said there'd be members with magic similar to Shigenaga. As we know, Shigenaga is regarded as being weaker than a Captain in any direct confrontation, and he wouldn't try to attack openly either. But what makes hims frightening, besides his resources and money, is the type of magic he employs and the effects he can bring about because of it. I doubt there'd be so many powerful battle mages in the Coven without their existence being already alerted to the Gotei 13. They would've declared open war against Soul Society long ago if that were the case. In truth, I bet there'd only be a couple, a mere handful at best, with the majority of members simply being those who appreciate the finer aspects of Kidou, but their abilities are not necessarily geared toward direct combat. It gives the Gotei a fight that they are not used to dealing with, and as such, their defeat is very likely as a result.