Archerous' R2M2 Delib

Quality

A test of endurance. A hardy challenge presented by the very mountain itself! Only a warrior of extreme bravery could ever hope to take this challenge head on. And who are our contenders? Muuru "Lil' Drè" Saviragowda, that kid from Evergreen? And… Stacatto? The penguin from I.M.P.A.C.T.? Well, they’re not conventionally tough, but don’t let that fool you. After all, it takes a lot more than brute force to worm your way through a cavern filled with… well, worms. So, how do our participants do?

Starting with Muuru, we have an aggressive approach to the problem of endurance. He wastes no time in running interference with Stacatto, firing his Runway Blaster towards buoys, making setup difficult at best, and making a proper mess of the cave as well. However, this mess benefits him, allowing him to move around using the combination of Wheelz, You May Die, and the aquatic air generated from the buoys. This makes Muuru a slippery foe, much like Stacatto. Muuru deals with his opponent head on all throughout the match, making sure the penguin stays on his toes, cutting off many potential traps his opponent might’ve had in store for the kid. A sound strategy for dealing with any potential interference is interfering first.

As for his approach for dealing with the worms, Muuru not only makes use of their nature, he downright exploits it. Using aquatic air to strike and eat the worms is a fascinating play, not only because of the visceral method of execution, but the regeneration properties it provides as well, creating a cycle of eating the worms and then firing more Wheelz. Combine this with the layer of paint he’s accumulated and he’s got a sustainable source of protection, which is a crazy thing to have in an endurance match.

Overall, Muuru employs an impressive display of endurance, using means that are equally aggressive, sustainable, and unpredictable. Thus, I’m giving this strategy an 8! Well done!

Onto Stacatto, we have quite the messy, though colorful approach to survival. At least, it appears that way. Throughout the match, Stacatto makes great use of his Aquatic Air to swiftly maneuver around the cave while collecting nests and detonating buoys. Against the worms, Stacatto utilizes some clever defenses, including his preen and yeet strategy, using his paint as an extra layer of skin to give him the opportunity to nab the little critters off of his body before they can do any real harm, then tossing them over to his opponent. His use of tap dance trickery is also commendable, given that care is taken not only to fool the worms with his rhythm, but to take advantage of their confusion too. Of course, once he sets up his Infinite Ping, the worms are as good as done, creating an effective loop of vibration, worms go to vibration, worms get taken out by detonation, repeat.

While he’s mastered the art of worm defense, he still has another obstacle to deal with, Muuru. Stacatto takes a distant approach, using his mobility throughout the strat as a means to avoid the wrath of the Wheelz. And while he has contingencies for the other parasites, a good bit of it is reliant on the paint scaling. While risky, this is a solid, scaling strategy from the seabird, all the same. Keeping both defenses in mind, I’m giving this strategy an 8! Well done!

Jojolity

As for Jojolities, I have a lot of thoughts, though I’ll keep it brief. From the start, its clear the Muuru’s strategy lives or dies from the environment he’s found himself in. Not only does he keep a solid theme, taking into account experiences his gentoo friend might recognize to embodying the very city he claims to be, Muuru also infuses that into the very fiber of his strat. For that, I’m giving his Jojolity a 9! Well done!

Moving onto Stacatto, it's undeniable that this flightless bird is capable of brightening up any room he’s in. It takes a true artist to not only brighten up the cave, but to recognize that you can’t do it alone. The Infinite Pings offer a great source of constant color, accented wonderfully by the lines painted by passing worms. Though art is subjective, I think it’s fair to assume Stacatto succeeded in his goal, giving his Jojolity an 8! Well done!