First of all, best of luck to Reed, always a pleasure!
Let me just start off by saying that, if this fight were to go to a pure psychic duel I would lose. Despite the stacked healing giving me something very much akin to uber Cable, Nate Grey os just that extra bit more powerful in that department.
BUT.... and this is a big but....
....Deathverine isn't stupid. He was specially prepped for all the X-Men - a roster that included Nate - and he knows how powerful the lad can be. If he chooses it, Nate will never be able to touch him mentally.
Deathverine was basiclaly the anti-psi; not only was he completely immune to mind-reading, his weapons were able to deflect and redirect psychic energy, and his attacks seemed to specifically target and drain psi-users. He basically ignoed the telepathic and telekinetic assaults from 3 of the most powerful mutants around. And Nate was one of those, by the by (albeit not at Shaman levels).
Here he nearly KO'd Nate by attacking his TK shields:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi1.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi2.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi3.jpg
Cable notes that Death is completely immune to psychic scans:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi4.jpg
Just to back that up, the only way Jean Grey amped by Cerebro was able to detect Death was by his teleporting energy signature - she couldn't track him mentally:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi9.jpg
Death can track psi-signatures (no hiding from him!):
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi5.jpg
Death can somehow cause massive psychic feedback that causes all psi-users massive pain (Nate included). He can do it remotely, as shown here:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi6.jpg
Here Death completely no-sells an all-out Jean Grey's assault until she is drained and helpless:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi7.jpg
And finally, the sword can deflect psychic energy apparently:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vspsi8.jpg
So yeah, despite Reed's advantage in that department, between Deathverine's uber defenses and his own uber Cable-esque psi-power in this tournament, my amalgam is so heavily proofed against psychic assault I think it is the worst possible way to attack him.
Reed's other method of attack is the Enchantress' magic, of course. My amalgam isn't quite as well proofed to that, but he does have some defenses. Between some uber TK and the Nega Bands, my amalgam is packing some potent energy manip.
We know for a fact that the Nega Bands can manipulate magical energy to some degree:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vsmagic1.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vsmagic2.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vsmagic3.jpg
Add on the High's durability and the stacked healing and I think my amalgam is fairly well defended even against that avenue of attack. Not to mention the fact that to target a spell, you have to be able to track your foe, and the High is much, much, much, MUCH faster than Reed's amalgam.
In terms of the offense, Reed's amalgam is a tough nut to crack. TK shields are Deathverine's speacilty at cracking though, as seen with his encounter with Nate. So the problem becomes Sandman's pliable body.
Obviously Logan's claws aren't much good here, but that's where the High comes in.
Sandman can and has been dispersed by powerful enough punchers. Captain Britain did it:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vssand3-1.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vssand4.jpg
And Namor took him out with one punch:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vssand1.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vssand2-1.jpg
He can reform from it, but hit him hard enough and disperse him far enough and it gets harder. The High hits a lot harder than either a dry Namor or Captain Britain, so when he connects he will cause big problems.
Even if dispersal doesn't outright stop Reed's amalgam, it can set him up for the High's other trump card: heat vision.
Sandman doesn't mix well with heat:
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vssand2.jpg
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vssand3.jpg
The High packs heat vision hot enough to melt people into ash instantly.
There is also a possibility that Deathverine's sword could do something to disrupt Reed's amalgam's physical body. It worked on a phaser, and whilst clearly it's not the same, it's a possibility worth exploring.
http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af191/lgu88/vsphased.jpg
So to sum all that up more briefly:
1. thanks to Deathverine, even Nate Grey's prodigious psi talents are severely limited, and in fact may prove to be a liability.
2. Nega Bands can manipulate and defend against magical energy
3. my amalgam is much, much faster, psi-shielded and has cloaking tech making him invisible to the naked eye.
1 + 2 + 3 = my amalgam is very well defended against Reed's.
Via hitting really hard, heat vison and Celestial tech I believe I also have the capacity to put him down physically eventually. Even at his most powerful Nate's stamina was always an issue, so enough of a pummeling and Deathverine's anti-psi measures should leave him open to a psychic assault from a fresher opponent as a last resort.
Whew! If you read all that, much respect!
Good luck again Reed, may the best amalgam win! \:-\)
Cheers.
