Had Gandalf failed in his mission,
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Originally Posted by Belegorn
Perhaps. Galadriel was the mightiest Elf after Fëanor and she was still there as were others who defected from the Undying Lands. I do not think the Elves of the 2nd Age were pushovers in the least bit. In a 2 on 1 duel between the 2 Kings of Elves and Men versus Sauron it ended in a draw, sort of since Sauron's Ring was not destroyed.
"In the beginning of this Age many of the High Elves still remained. Most of these dwelt in Lindon west of the Ered Luin; but before the building of the Barad-dûr many of the Sindar passed eastward, and some established realms in the forests far away, where their people were mostly Silvan Elves." [RotK, Appendix B]
Also the Elves in Middle-earth were skilled craftsmen. Celebrimbor was Fëanor's grandson and was a great craftsman. The Gwaith-i-Mírdain made the Rings of Power and the Three. They also had the instruction of Sauron who was a Maia of Aulë. In Of the Rings of Power it is said of these Noldor that only the workings of Fëanor surpassed their deeds.
"In Eregion the craftsmen of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, the People of the Jewel-smiths, surpassed in cunning all that have ever wrought, save only Fëanor himself; and indeed greatest in skill among them was Celebrimbor, son of Curufin, who was estranged from his father and remained in Nargothrond"
It is said in Peoples of Middle-earth that he also came to Middle-earth from Aman. There are indeed Elves still in Middle-earth in the 2nd Age who were from Aman.
If you want to say Elves from Aman in league with Maiar could topple Sauron even if he wore the one I would not disagree. My point is that the Elves alone in the 2nd Age could not match him. I do not think they were lesser Elves than any that would come from Aman. Remember Galadriel was among them and she was not the lone surviving Elf from Aman still in M-E in the 2nd Age.
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The fading of the Eldar and passage of Silvan and Eldar on the Straight Road in the Third Age was not likely to have been the tipping point in the balance of power to have caused Gandalf to fail in his mission (back reference to opening post). Though there were some Elves from Aman in Middle Earth at the time of the War of the Ring, it seems that Gandalf's mission was often with the herding or helping of Edain and Numereans in Exile. Although, the folk of Lothlorien, Lindon, Imladris and Morthond do appear in critical moments in the history.
I imagine that Gandalf might have been more likely to fail if, for example, he went to confront the Chief of the Nazgul--the Witch King--on the Battle of the Pelenor (where he turned at the critical moment to another mission, leaving the confrontation to Merry and Eowyn). It is not clear how Gandalf would have gone in that duel.