It is said that the best 'survival' knife is the one you have with you, and what 'survival' means will depend on the circumstance. I think Mr. Emerson has put a lot of thought into his designs (which are, by and large, mostly based around a 'tactical' ethos--yeah, there's
that word again!
) and
either could readily be used as a martial tool. Perhaps the question becomes: what knife would you prefer to carry? If you like tantos, get the Roadhouse. If not, maybe the Horseman is a better choice. I have a Horseman and it's a very nice knife... I hope I never find out how effective it is for self-defence!
If a knife-fight was imminent and inevitable, I don't think many would choose a folder over a fixed blade anyway.
Especially if they knew they would be "going into battle" in advance as you suggest, OP. I'm not trying to be confrontational or rude with this comment...
I don't know a lot about knife-fighting, but I would suggest that most of the most renowned and effective fighting blades in history have had some kind of sweep or reverse angle to the blade: khukri, sabre, cutlass, scimitar, katana, etc.
Maybe the PracTac crowd could give you a better answer.