Fake Ultimate Mook: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:Onix.gif|link=Super Effective (webcomic)|frame|[[Pokémon Red and Blue|Charmander]] demonstrates that sometimes, [[Scissors Cuts Rock]].]]

 

A monster whose massive, terrifying appearance is offset by such a massive, terrifying ''handicap'' that it rarely presents any actual threat at all. Essentially, they're regular [[Mooks]], just [[Giant Mook|bigger]] (and slower, [[Square-Cube Law|much slower]]). Later, you may encounter fully-powered versions of the [[Fake Ultimate Mook]], or you may fight many of them at once, but a single one is of minimal threat.

* In the new Well of Eternity instance in [[World of Warcraft]] Cataclysm, your party encounters a giant, molten infernal (a more badass version of the standard flaming rock golem demons.) It's [[Ao E]] is enough to wipe the party, but thanks to a buff from Illidan, the mob in question is down in about a minute.

 

 

* A recurring theme in ''[[Discworld]]'' and ''The Carpet People'', another work by [[Terry Pratchett]], is "Always choose a bigger enemy - it makes him easier to hit". Usually this means in terms of numbers, but occasionally it's this trope.

 

* A rather bizarre, non-videogame example is arguably ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''. Volume 3 involved the company building having a breakout from Level 5 and were said to be all big and strong and "worse than Sylar." None of them survived the volume. Heck, in the last episode, Mr. Bennet releases all the surviving Level 5 Supervillains so they can help distract Sylar. They all last less than two minutes, tops.

* ''[[The Prisoner]]'': Number 2 in "Hammer Into Anvil". At the start of the episode, he seems to be the most dangerous, sadistic, tenacious, calm, hands-on Number 2 in the series so far. Number 6 easily and ''utterly'' destroys him.

 

* In an ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' strip, a Hydra is defeated quite easily by making it grow too many heads to get blood to all of them. Thus this is also a case of [[Screw the Rules I Have Plot]] as there is nothing in the rules to suggest that this could happen. But see [[Rule of Funny]].

* As the page picture shows, [[VG Cats|Super Effective]] plays the trope straight in [http://www.vgcats.com/super/?strip_id=34 this strip], complete with Gym Leader Brock who's completely shocked to see his "ULTIMATE rock type, Onix!" get completely [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Rock Blocked]].

* An example from [[Demon Eater]]: [http://www.drunkduck.com/Demon_Eater/index.php?p=418561 Tremble in fear!] Oh, wait... [http://www.drunkduck.com/Demon_Eater/index.php?p=432607 Never mind.]

 

* Generally, this applies to teams who struggle despite sky high payrolls; the biggest example of this at work is the New York Rangers. From the end of the 90's until the lockout of 2004, the Blueshirts loaded up on superstars such as Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure, Theoren Fleury, and Mark Messier (after a disastrous run in Vancouver). Adding onto that, they also added many solid second-tier players (Bobby Holik, Mathieu Schneider, John MacLean, Kevin Hatcher) and signed them to expensive contracts. They never made the playoffs during that span.

** Ironically, the Rangers made the postseason with the new CBA intact, which included a salary cap.

* With Dan Snyder as the owner, the Washington Redskins have signed Deion Sanders, Brad Johnson, Albert Haynesworth, Shawn Springs, Clinton Portis, DeAngelo Hall, Adam Archuleta, LaVar Arrington, Donovan McNabb, and Antwaan Randle El. They even brought in Super Bowl winning coaches Joe Gibbs and Mike Shanahan as well. However, the Skins only have two playoff appearances, one playoff win, and no NFC East titles to show for it.

 

* In ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', anything really big has [[Awesome but Impractical]] written all over it, though this just makes for players finding ways to cheat it into play. ([[Animate Dead]] is popular.)

 

* The MiG-25 Foxbat and its relationship with NATO mirrors this. Here was a high-speed interceptor which kept the West up at night until a [[Defector From Commie Land|Russian fighter pilot brought one to NATO by way of Japan]], revealing the Foxbat to be a [[Fragile Speedster]] with the turning circle of an ocean liner that [[Heroic RROD|needed its engines rebuilt after it reached its Mach 2.8 top speed]]. Anything with air-air missiles that could get behind it first could kill it. [[Gulf War|Just ask the Iraqis.]]

** Said defector also informed the West that a superior aircraft was being developed based on the MiG-25. The resulting MiG-31 Foxhound sacrificed some of the MiG-25's speed in favor of better (but still unspectacular) agility, and more importantly the ability to carry more and better long-range missiles, vastly better radar, and the ability to throttle up to full speed without being physically damaged.