oh yeah. you make a good point with the wasps

and if toph makes an earth shield, bumi could always bend it to her disadvantage

but how did toph know the guy was coming from a rope and how did she catch rocks that people sent at her?

and why can't she find out what someone looks like by poking their face when she can find out that a boat is buried underground when she kicked it?

Toph's ability to sense may be similar to Daredevil's ability.?? She may be able to see how a person is standing by they way the earth is distributed under their feet.?? If someone has a weapon, she'd be able to sense what it was because of the subtle shift in weight and the motions being used.?? Toph can probably figure out how rocks are being thrown at her by using the stance of the opponent to know what direction they are facing, and knowing the motions of the technique tells her what attack is coming.?? Like I know that when I see an opponent's knee coming up, I can quickly figure out where the kick is going to be because of where the knee stops.?? A front kick uses different foot positions and shifts the weight differently than a side kick.?? A knife held in the hand is held by the arm differently than if it were sheathed on the forearm.?? It's not a perfect analogy.

tc2r:
I'll bow if I want to bow! (just kidding )
I don't think that Bumi would be that easy, the battle would probably be a long one, since the fighters are so evenly matched. And that's a heck of a coincidence with the chase, the timing on that counter was perfect (the projectiles were in the air when Toph moved). And what is the thread called?

JonathonWolf: Thank you, that is exactly what I was trying to say, but you but it much more eloquently.

I'm gonna clear up some things right quick...I'm thinkin that Toph knew the guy on the rope was coming for her proably cuz he was yelling at the top of his lungs...and Toph sees through Earthbending so I figure her senses work best against other Earthbenders...when someone launches a rock from the ground well she can sense that and can probably feel the angle or trajectory??and all the other physic stuff I dont' feel like getting into outside of college...but as far as Toph vs. Bumi? hard to call...Bumi told Aang that "he's the most powerful Earthbender you'll ever see" well...that sounds more like a prideful boast than anything true...but Bumi still has 100 years of experience??on Toph (assuming he was 12 in the flashback) so I'll give him the edge...besides the guy can bend with his face...

well if she can sense air vibrations from screaming, why couldn't she sense air vibrations by giant flying bugs?

she seemed to hear the scream perfectly to be able to see exactly which direction he was coming from, so she should be able to sense the general position of the bugs

actually, i think it was from the side of her

but now that I think of it, normal sized flies already make a hearable noise, so giant wasps 200 times bigger should make a much louder noise

aight aight...those were some big a$$ wasps...but I'm thinkin' if we can accept the fact that those things could even fly...we can accept that Toph couldn't hit them when they're in the air...that's all I have to say on it...

i guess they could be silent wasps. i don't remember if they made sound in "the desert"

She probably had an easier time hearing the guy because he was only one sound.?? The wasps were buzzing all over the place, and their drone would kind of meld together. ??

I know this discussion was dead, but I would like to point out that with Toph bending metal, she now has a significant advantage over every other Earthbender. True, Bumi could have the ability, but we haven't him demonstrate it so far.

Also, it is now fairly conclusive that Toph can sense and block projectiles.

??personally, i'd say its a 50/50 thing.?? Sure, Bumi has over a hundred years of experience, and yes, Bumi did say that he was the most powerful, but there is only so much one can learn before too much information can actually become a burden and being the most powerful does in no way mean that you are automatically the best.?? IMO, Bumi's biggest advantages are that he's obviously very powerful and crazy thus, unpredictable.?? Toph's advantage is that she can "read" your movements,?? has a unique fighting style, has great reflexes and unless hit by wind-based attacks, cannot be blind-sided cuz she can see attacks coming from almost any direction.

Similar to daredevil, toph has a major weakness

Toph's weakness is that he cant handle being in the sand.

Considering that bumi thinks out of the box, makes him a great match up against bumi and once he figures out what her weakness is, he'll take advantage of it.

Although its a 50-50 right now, bumi changing the whole battlefield to sand makes this match 60/40.

Besides if she doesnt have any weakness considering her metalbending prowess, then avatar or no avatar, she can handle ozai and azula if she wanted to.