Disrespecting Cubit Foxtar with the Shield Boomerang

For Foxtar, this fight is of critical importance to further Dr. Weil’s plans. For frisbee-enthusiast Zero, it’s just another Tuesday. Alright, well, things are a tad bit more complicated than that. On the surface, achieving a single Shield Boomerang throw victory against Cubit Foxtar, of all bosses, may seem outright impossible. Possessing a wide array of area-denying projectiles, Foxtar certainly doesn’t make the dance easy, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll be demonstrating two fights here. First up is Shield Sweep paired with the Thunder Chip. The RNG manipulation begins immediately: Foxtar’s opening move is usually Will-o’-Wisp Barrage (if Zero isn’t equipped with any Cyber Elves), but here, the rocks that Shield Sweep scatters as it saws the ground appear early enough to alter Foxtar’s behavior. The result is that he jumps across the arena twice before using Flame Warp. Under normal circumstances, there are a few methods of avoiding a scorching burn whenever Foxtar splits apart. The obvious one is to take to the skies and stick to the top of the walls while the ghostly fires waltz across the arena. The intermediate tactic is to stay in the center, walk to the side, and short hop back over an incoming flame. Neither is sufficient while attempting to stop the ardent Boomerang from returning to Zero. To survive, I climb up the wall and fall through the narrow space present as the flames move. Then, after landing, a ridiculously precise Houdini routine keeps the Shield in play. Luring the center flame properly is crucial—it moves left or right depending on Zero’s position, which is why I don’t dash jump off the top of the wall. Ultimately, the goal is to survive Foxtar’s assault until he selects Flame Wheel, which locks him in place for millennia, granting the giant electrified pizza cutter free rein to dice Foxtar up. Unfortunately, Shield Sweep’s ungainly orbit turns the task of slithering between the triplets of violet embers into an exacting affair. The first set singes Zero’s boots, while the third set acts as an uncomfortably close barrier as Zero leaps around the Shield. However, victory is nearly assured if Zero escapes unscathed. I even had the liberty of orchestrating a fun ending. Not so much with the next fight. If you thought the above was complicated, don’t worry; it gets significantly worse. The two attacks absent from the first bout bare their fangs here. Sure, there are ways around this via Cyber Elf equips, but if I’m going out of my way to complete a more difficult version of the fire dancer routine, I may as well go all in. Foxtar’s nine-fireball pitching machine functions oddly. As you’d expect, the projectiles will follow Zero into the air, but whether the fireballs move straight or deviate diagonally downward depends on Zero’s distance to Foxtar while on the ground. Thus, Foxtar can be goaded into alternating fireballs in a V-shaped spread. Knowing this, my task was to find an adequate position from which to launch the Shield—one that would permit a deadly display of dodging while also dispensing decent damage. Enough trial and error unveiled a moderately consistent method, but the last fireball would still clip Zero frustratingly often. Fire Rain, which is Foxtar’s version of Soul Launcher, is surprisingly fun to plan around. If the fight consisted of nothing but this, I might actually recommend this to people as a good exercise. There exists ample space to maneuver between the falling firestorm, even while the Shield is active. I choose to rapidly scale the wall and leap valiantly over Foxtar as my evasive tactic. Other methods exist, but I found the bounding jump to be the most consistent for avoiding damage alongside its penchant for pattern manipulation. Each wall jump Zero performs cycles RNG, so Fire Rain provides a perfect chance to turn the tide of luck to your side. After two instances of Fire Rain and another lovely bit of frolicking among Flame Warp, arrives the single hardest jump in the challenge. Foxtar reforms in the right corner, which is exactly where I need to guide Zero for the rest of my choreography to work. Within the smallest berth conceivable, Zero needs to jump over and around the shield while preventing contact with the lavender conflagration to his immediate left. The battle’s pivotal moment is over in the blink of an eye, lasting roughly 25 frames. Not nearly as excruciating but of almost equal importance is that one wall jump is performed after Foxtar’s flames flicker away. Cycling RNG results in a sight for sore eyes: Flame Wheel. Even at this final junction, complacence can be punished, so staying sharp is imperative. Using the crystal in the background as a visual cue for guiding the Shield is tremendously helpful. Thankfully, sneaking between Flame Wheel here is easier than in the previous fight. Timestamps: 00:00 - Shield Sweep - Thunder Chip 00:34 - Standard Throw 01:17 - Outro Thanks for watching!