I opted not to write out my usual detailed analysis for several reasons. First off, I am super tired, Second, I'm not sure who all takes the time to read them (now is a great time to comment if you do, or if you prefer the write-ups OVER the videos). And lastly and most importantly, Wallop's upgrades are just really, really straight forward.
I will offer my personal opinion though....Tantrum Thrower is in my opinion the better path. The damage numbers are better and the fact that they occur in such rapid succession makes it a no brainer. Toss in (ha, literally toss in) the Soul Gem and how it upgrades the Hammer Toss that is addressed by Hammer Handler and all the stars align to take Tantrum Thrower. It is simple, plays easy, and will be an asset to both veterans and rookie players.
The only real reason to take Hammer Handler is if you either A-love the Hammer Toss (or equally hate the base hammer attack), or B-prefer long range combat. Obviously, this path is geared to keeping a long range, at least if you play the path to it's full potential. However, what I have seen in Trap Team rarely lends you to a true "distance" battle. You almost always have multiple enemies at varying distances. The other weakness with this path is that Wallop is simply not quick enough to retreat from said enemies to re-establish the path's benefits. It seems to always evolve into a scenario where Tantrum Thrower would be your best option.
Fist Bump seems to fly under everyone’s radar, and after upgrading
him I have no clue why there hasn’t been more chatter about him! Great story, unique abilities, and an awesome
upgrade tree!
Box Stock
Fist Bump is one of those classic, “Eh, not that great”
characters box stock. While I appreciate
the proficiency of the primary attack and found a nice tie in with the primary
and secondary, most seem to see the numbers and be unimpressed. The Panda Pound does 50-75 and the Fault Line
Slam deals 32-48 when up close on impact, or 35-52 from a distance with a nice
44-66 uprising when a fault line is hit with Panda Pound. However, it is important to note Fist Bump
has a nice jump slam attack from the get-go with a 175-262 hit! There is also a 1-2-3 Combo that deals 50-75,
50-75, 140-210 you have to factor in…Since a lot of people overlook the jump
slams and combos, it is very important to make note of them.
Base Upgrades
Seismic Slide is the tertiary attack and it deals 72-108 on
impact and actually generates a fault line…The fault line remains the same as
the standard secondary attack and will deal 44-66. Panquake is up next and while it keeps the
Panda Pound at 50-75, it also makes mini fault cracks that come in handy
later. If you jump attack it, you now
create instant fault lines to go with the powerful 175-262. Hold the Line simply extends the reach of the
fault lines, which is always nice. Don’t
Bump Fist Bump is almost like armor, but falls more in the self-defense
field. When you are hit by an enemy and
have fault lines on the field you will see the faults are triggered and
generate the 44-66 uprising damage.
Rowdy Richter Upgrade Path
This is a pretty solid path, particularly because of A
Bolder Boulder (doesn’t that sound like a Rocky Roll Upgrade?). Fault Lines in Glass Houses adds small stones
that can shoot up from pounded fault lines…they are more visual than anything
as they only deal 10-15 damage. Quake’N’Bake
is a two-fold increase of the standard fault line. The usual 35-52 impact damage is now 49-73
and the 44-66 uprise damage is bumped to a very nice 62-93. A Bolder Boulder wraps up the path and it
interjects the possibility of having a spiked boulder. You still have the small stones that deal
10-15 damage, but every 4-6 small stones you will see one of the spiked
boulders…the spiked boulders do an incredible 100-150! It is also worth noting that this looks
really cool…The most functional way I saw to play this path was to fire off a
few fault lines and then start Panquake.
In addition to getting the 62-93 from the risers and additional damage
from the small stones and spiked boulders, if an enemies are left after the
fault lines expire you can keep spamming Panquake and take advantage of the
small fault cracks generating the stones and spiked boulders…You will miss out
on the uprising damage, but that is easy to offset with a moderate ground pound
coupled with the stone projectiles.
Bamboo Bonanza Upgrade Path
Man, what a path! I
had the pre-drawn conclusion that Rowdy Richter would be the hard hitting path
and was simply holding hope that the bamboo explosions did more than 16 damage
and the health regen was more than +5 at a time…Both fears were put to
rest! Healing Bamboo is up first and it
spawns within fault lines you create…The bamboo deals a very respectable +15
Health! The game stays you have to “slide
into it” which would imply the tertiary attack, Seismic Slide must be used but
that is no the case. You can simply walk
into it, or I found that often times the bamboo spawns so close to you, you
just auto absorb the health increase!
Sliding into it is advantageous though as it will generate even more
fault lines with bamboo! So what if you
are at full health, or need the damage output more than gaining a little
back? Well, Bamboo Harvest takes that
into consideration. If you have created
a few fault lines and have bamboo all across the screen, you can do your jump
slam attack and create bamboo explosions to the tune of 80-120 damage with each
go around! Lastly, “Jump For It!” makes
the jump slam attack much quicker and generates 2 fault lines, which yes…have
bamboo!! Overall this is an awesome
combination of offense and defense and a path I can’t help but prefer!
Soul Gem
Riding the Rails transforms Fist Bump into quite the
juggernaut. It is quite possible you
could take out hordes of garden variety enemies like Chompies and some mid-tier
enemies without actually doing anything aside from moving! You might think that this Soul Gem would suit
Rowdy Richter better, but I would gladly debate that. While Rowdy Richter will get more results
from the uprisings and stones and boulders launching, Bamboo Bonanza lets you
cash in on +15 Health, or great access to ready made bamboo to detonate with an
Air Panda Pound! The Soul Gem plays
beautifully into either path and truly does make Fist Bump a force to be
reckoned with!
Attack Damage
Conclusion
Fist Bump upgrades very well down either path. Personally, I would have to rate Bamboo
Bonanza as the better option. Rowdy
Richter is great for those who want to spam the primary attack, or simply
approach enemies with a base skill (Seismic Slide or firing off a few fault
lines) and the revert back to the tandem compatibility of using Panda
Pound. The spiked boulders are lethal
and you can make quite a dent on most enemies before they are up close for
melee combat. Bamboo Bonanza really isn’t
that far behind Rowdy Richter’s damage output and offers health
regeneration! The versatility of Bamboo
Harvest, which lets you blow up the bamboo if it will better function in that
manner than in regenerative fashion really seals the deal. Having the jump slam sped up and spawning
fault lines with bamboo encourages you to utilize Fist Bump’s most powerful
attack AND make use of his tertiary attack for quick recovery. It is one of the better paths I have seen in
Trap Team and I truly believe he is in the running for being the most versatile
of all the core Skylanders in this game!
What: Fist Bump, Earth Element, Newlander
Where Did You Get It: Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost: $10.99 plus tax (BOGO 40%)
What Was Stock Like: Very Limited, Technically a Wave 2 for 10/7/2014
What Is Included: Fist Bump, Stat Card, Sticker Sheet with Special Code
Unboxing Fist Bump
Trap Team Introduction #1: Fist Bump
Fist Bump Bio
Fist Bump had long been the sleeping protector of the Bubbling Bamboo Forest, but awoke from a long hibernation when a horde of nasty purple Greebles arrived with gigantic rock-smashing machines. Intent on building a new base, their machines wreaked havoc – chewing up the land and spitting out billowing clouds of smoke into the enchanted air.
Seeing this, Fist Bump was furious. Using his enormous stone fists, he hammered the ground with all his strength, creating a massive earthquake that sent huge shockwaves towards the Greeble camp. This reduced the machines to mere scrap and sent the Greebles running off in a panic. The act of bravery caught the attention of Terrafin, who brought Fist Bump to meet Master Eon. Now as a Skylander, Fist Bump makes evil quake wherever he goes!
As mentioned several times, Doom Stone was my most anticipated Skylander Swapper. Aesthetically he is awesome, at least in my opinion. He is quite unique in his upgrade abilities and follows along the Chop Chop route with a sword and shield.
If I just had one Doom Stone I would be heavily inclined to go with Jaded Fighter up top. Why? Simple, Column Club is quite impressive with just the base upgrades. Adding the abilities of Jaded Fighter to the shield (tertiary attack) it makes a for a nice combination.
Column Clubber is what I would suggest for most people...It takes a hard hitting attack and adds even more damage.
I would recommend Jaded Fighter to those who think like myself and view Column Club good enough as is...Jaded Fighter takes the shield and enhances it greatly with Cracking Up, which does 25-38 damage to surrounding enemies in a very nice radius. It also takes advantage of his unique ability with the shield.
On the bottom end I would have to say Serious Spinner is definitively the better path. I hate it when something is so clear, but Carved Belt was a severe disappointment. Part of this might have been from the pictures and descriptions conveying it was going to be a 360 degree projectile emanating from the belt. I honestly have to say, Spin the Tables (the Soul Gem) would have been better suited here with Carved Belt than Jaded Spin and Belt Pelters. Honestly, just making Stoney Spin/Revolutionary Belt do even more damage would have been a bigger asset than Carved Belt as a whole.
Serious Spinner upgrades the Spin Right Around attack and takes it up to the 65-98 range. It is hard to appreciate in the training grounds at Woodburrow, but works quite well against tougher enemies in arenas and story mode. Similarly, just The Harder They Fall does more damage than the Carved Belt Path...that is ridiculous and should not have been...
If Carved Belt shot off multiple projectiles from your belt, simultaneously, and in all directions, I would have no qualms with it. As is, one at a time with minimal damage and cast from the same serving point is supremely lackluster.
I had it pegged as the perfect compliment to Jaded Fighter as I had anticipated it to have good range and be multidirectional. It was neither. Up top you can honestly pick between Sword and Shield...On the bottom there is really no contest. Carved Belt offers little benefit in any phase of the game.
That said, Doom Stone is a great Swapper and can be a charged, heavy hitter with Column Clubber and Serious Spinner, or a defensive whiz with Jaded Fighter and Serious Spinner. My main advice is simply to avoid the Carved Belt Upgrade Path.
What? Doom Stone, Earth Element, SWAP Force Swapper, Spin Ability
Where Did You Get It? Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost? $16.99 plus tax
What Was Stock Like? Pretty Good
What is Included? Doom Stone, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet
Slobber Tooth is an Earth Element Newlander and therefore falls into my favorite Element. He is a pretty cool looking character who blends a bit of Bash and Warnado with the pre-historic Dinosaur vibe. His base upgrades and attacks are nothing flashy, but they hit hard and are unique.
Food Fighter's biggest gain comes from "Om Nom Nom." Enemies you swallow now give you +70 Health. That is a very significant number and in just over 20 seconds you can be back up +140. It is a nice path and Snot Rocket comes in handy for slowing things down...Feast works okay, but isn't a highlight imo.
Seismic Tail upgrades his tertiary attack and does a great job of it. This path makes Shockwave into a tried-and-true projectile attack with good range and high damage numbers (for a ranged attack anyway). Couple it with the unique abilities of Chomp & Chuck and the +35 when swallowing an enemy and it is my preferred path.
I would suggest Seismic Tail for the "offensive" minded players and Food Fighter for those looking for a health advantage.
What? Rubble Rouser, Earth Element, SWAP Force Skylander
Where Did You Get It? Target
What Did It Cost? $14.99 plus tax
What Was Stock Like? 2 in the back, in a locked case
What is Included? Rubble Rouser, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet
After entering Target and beelining to the Skylanders section, I wasn't shocked to see empty pegs and the lowest SWAP Force stock I've seen to date at the store. I went in Sunday (the day of the ad 12/29) and then twice during the week...Each time there were no Swappers, and decreasing stock. I asked employees each time I was in (as I always do when trying to find something new) and the response was and remained that there had been no new shipments since before Christmas and that they had nothing in the back...everything available was on the floor.
Well, the store was desolate (my favorite setting for shopping) and as I was leaving I saw an employee in electronics. She was super nice and upon scanning a tag offered to check the back even though it said there weren't any. She came out a few minutes later with an arm full of 4 Skylanders: Hoot Loop, Stink Bomb, and 2 Rubble Rousers. I was kind of surprised there were no Spy Rise figures, but it is hard to argue with getting 2 of the 3. I checked out with Stink Bomb and Rubble Rouser (although I now realize that the sale didn't ring up). What I learned, and what may help you, is that my store had these in the back in a locked case. This isn't like the case for games and high end electronics, this is literally in the back where you'd never have access to look. When I got up front I figured it was odd I had a bag with stuff in it and told the story to the checker. She said they had been having a lot of theft and it was a precaution. I don't know if this is just a local solution, or something nationwide etc, but it is a new revolution to me...
There were no notes to ask for any characters you don't see and if not for the overly diligent and helpful employee I would have once again walked out with nothing, while the figures apparently sat trapped in a locked case. The funny thing is a Target Exclusive Nitro Magna Charge and Free Ranger Double Pack were on the pegs...as well as a few Giants and some stray Sprockets and 1-2 Scorp figures.
I have to wonder if all of the W3 Swappers were in this case when I went in Sunday, and the other two days prior?! I know most stores had these well in advance of the 12/29 ad because folks were buying them last Thursday and Friday. It could just be a case of employees legitimately not knowing the characters were locked up, or just simply not caring to check as I assume this case also houses things like iPod, iPads, and extra stock on cameras etc.
That said, you now know the story behind how I got Stink Bomb and Rubble Rouser and for those of you still willing to deal with Target (I've had a ton of people tell me they were blowing them off due to not having stock etc), you might ask an employee to check the locked cases in the back. Will it work? It comes in at 50/50 odds, so I'd say go for it...
I have to say, if the figures were really there when I went in last Sunday it is pretty ridiculous and I likely could have landed Spy Rise as well. This could also be great timing and maybe they showed up earlier today and made their way to the case. Once more though, no signs to ask an associate, check with management, etc...just empty pegs. My advice is give it a shot and if you still get the runaround, check back when you can or just hold out for a broader release.
All of that aside, I am stoked to finally have one of the Earth Element Swappers! I'm kind of leaning towards Doom Stone based solely on character art, but I think Rubble Rouser is well done, has a good back story, and should be a nice asset to the game. Plus, his card stats are really high.
Good luck landing Rubble Rouser!
Grilla Drilla and Rubble Rouser...Can You Dig It?!
What? Hyper Beam Prism Break, Earth Element, Series 3 Skylander
Where Did You Get It? Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost? $10.99 plus tax, BOGO40%
What Was Stock Like? Extremely Limited Stock
What is Included? Hyper Beam Prism Break, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet
Unboxing Hyper Beam Prism Break
Hyper Beam Prism Break
Earth Element, Series 3 Skylander
What: LightCore Flashwing, Earth Element,
Where Did You Get It? Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost? $13.99 plus tax (BOGO40%)
What Was Stock Like? Well Stocked!
What is Included: LC Flashwing, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet
Unboxing LightCore Flashwing: Literally Blinded by the Light!
What: Scorp, Earth Element, SWAP Force Newlander
Where Did You Get It? Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost? $10.99 plus tax (BOGO40%)
What Was Stock Like? Surprisingly Well Stocked!
What is Included: Scorp, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet
What Did It Cost? $4.99 (BOGO 50% Sale), -Regular Retail: $9.99
What is Included? Bash, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet with Web Code
What Was Stock Like? Bash is a little harder to come by, but if you skim the racks or check multiple stores you should be able to find him locally...same applies online.
Conclusion
Bash is back and looks every bit the beast we all came to know and love in SSA. This repose fitting features the Triceratops Honorguard, Bash's Soul Gem from SSA. I think it is a nice repose and the Soul Gem being highlighted was a great choice for this Earth Element brute.
I have had some trouble locating Bash, but usually if you dig around the racks, or just check multiple stores you can find him.
What is Included? Terrafin, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet with Web Code
What Was Stock Like? I have rarely been in a store that didn't have S2 Terrafin.
Quick Character Info
Slogan: "It's Feeding Time!"
Stats:
Power/Strength: 80/150
Defense/Armor: 100/150
Agility/Speed: 30/150
Luck: 60/150
Totals: 270/600
Conclusion
Terrafin is my favorite Skylander and thus was well worth picking up early (ie before he was in a Triple Pack). They did an awesome job with his repose and it is very menacing.
Terrafin appealed to me because of his unique abilities. In SSA, no one else could burrow under the ground...this unique ability was further awesome-ized with the ability not only for his dorsal fin to do damage, but also to pick items up. This makes him a beast not only in story mode, but also in Battle Mode.
Terrafin's Pirate Seas is a fun level and worth picking up if you are new to Giants. I would advise you go that route if you are unsure if you will like him as you get more for your money. That said, if you do like Terrafin from Pirate Seas, spring for S2 Terrafin and you will get access to his new Wow Pow Power and have the ability to switch upgrade paths!
I have never had trouble finding S2 Terrafin. The few times I have been in a store and they didn't have him, I am confident they likely had stock in the back, or a delivery on the way. That said, when he did turn up missing pretty much every other store in town had him.
He is a great Skylander and was granted a killer repose...I highly recommend you pick him up for the battle vs Kaos!
What is Included? Crusher, Stat Card, Sticker, and Webcode
What Lights Up? Eyes and 3 Crystals at top of Armor Band
What Was the Stock Like? I was so burned out calling local Walmarts to check midnight release status, I surfed over to GameStop.com and found that Wave 1 was up for order! Not knowing what to expect in terms of stock or turnout I decided to take advantage of things and order in a few characters. That said, I have yet to walk into a store without the current slate of Giants (aside from Granite Crusher and Hot Head). I have noticed that online several retailers have lost stock of the Giants...And I did notice they were selling down quick. I imagine they are the items most people will target. That said, I don't think you'll really have trouble landing a run-of-the-mill Crusher if you act before Black Friday.
I also spent a little extra time in this unboxing as I had a lot of people asking about what lights up, how loose the hammer is, and if their figure is broken etc. I can say once again that both Crusher and Granite Crusher lit up great on my battery-powered, wirless Wii Portal from SSA.
The only thing that lights up is the eyes (blue on both) and the top three crystals over the shoulder (blue on Granite Crusher and Green on Crusher).
This one, just like LC Prism Break, was a bit long, but mainly due to the unknowns and so much info needing to be covered. I also recorded it right after LCPB and didn't know how the camera would pick up the lighting etc. It seems to do a good job so future unboxings will include the light show, but much quicker and without sticking 4+ Characters on the portal, lol...that was very bright in person btw.
And once more, the hammer on Crusher seems lower and tighter (ie better secured) than the hammer on Granite Crusher. I don't think either is a big deal unless your kids (or you, haha) use the toys "actively" in battle...I'd just try and pick them up by the base to prevent any issue...I'm sure a little glue can help out if things happen to break.
Where Did You Get It? Target-Exclusive to Target in the US
How Did You Get It? In store. Currently no online ordering options outside of ebay sellers.
What Did It Cost? $14.99 plus tax
Does It Cost Extra? No, despite being an exclusive and more rare, this costs the same as a regular Crusher from any other retailer.
What Is Included? Granite Crusher, Stat Card, Sticker, and Web Code.
What Was the Stock Like? I got the last one. It looked like there were several pegs for Granite Crusher though. That said, it seemed to be the hot seller on Day 1. My reports across the net either indicate that stores didn't have him, had a ton of them (ie I would have walked in and seen 20 still out), or had a small number, but not a lot of buyers.
For what it is worth, I had an appointment and ran by Target on Day 2 and there were no Granite Crushers and everything was very picked over.
Will This Be Rare? I wouldn't put this on line with a Gold or Silver from last time around, or even the new variants. That said, the Target exclusive Whirlwind ran out around Christmas and then she was everywhere. I don't really see Granite Crusher going to all retailers just as I don't see the Golden Dragonfire Cannon or GITD Starer Pack migrating. That said, will this stay in production, be cut of after a set date, or simply produced to a certain quantity is beyond me.
Out of all the Giants, I liked Crusher the most aesthetically (Eye Brawl is right up there). The Granite Crusher look is very cool and it was on my short list of things to try and pick-up.
Conclusion
Right now, I don't think you'll have too much trouble trying to get a Granite Crusher. If your store didn't have them, they likely will be getting them in soon. If not, try another Target. If you want it, I would advise picking him up BEFORE Black Friday just to be safe. For those not wanting everything, adding Granite Crusher over Crusher is a nice fit, gives you something a little extra, and is all done for the same price.
