What's really cool is that Justin doesn't take advantage of Griffin's screwup to overpower the team, it's only a joke. Taako doesn't give the sword to Magnus or use it, he just straps it on his back to make his teammates jealous. Everything is done to maximize humor, not combat power.

@dawrushesin

6 жыл бұрын

Until the finale, that is.

@kailandford7779

5 жыл бұрын

Ya, but it works so well for the finale, and has an amazing scene that makes everybody love it

@chuggajr

5 жыл бұрын

Doesn’t that define the entire series though? “We’ll sacrifice effectiveness for comedy.”

@kailandford7779

5 жыл бұрын

Yes and no. Sometimes they only use the things they get for comedy, but in the case of the Flaming Raging Poisoning Sword of Doom, it starts as a joke then becomes a main weapon.

@thespacebat

5 жыл бұрын

And then the live shows happened and Magnus uses it to annoy Griffin.

the best part of this is that Taako just wore the sword as a fashion accessory for a while

@beckgh7270

4 жыл бұрын

Through the entire time they almost died many many times in Wonderland, none of them thought once to use the ridiculously powerful sword Taako had strapped to his back. Like, I get in the beginning they didn’t want to because they knew it would be unbalanced, but they all *almost died* at least once in there!!

@AceAttorny

4 жыл бұрын

@@beckgh7270 Well, it was never intended to actually be used in the campaign. It was cool of the Tres Horny Boys to honour this, and then when the sword made a comeback in the climax? Hoo, boy, what a moment.

@DrFunkman

4 жыл бұрын

I’m pretty sure Justin realized it was a game-breaking weapon and didn’t want to use it until the very, very end out of respect for Griffin

@eco.3977

3 жыл бұрын

He literally said “this is basically just a spoiler like on a car”

@Greenwickpress

3 жыл бұрын

@@DrFunkman Plus it killed Travis for Magnus not to get to use it.

The moment when Griffin realizes what Justin is about to do is so good.

@Yarndragon89

7 жыл бұрын

Griffin's reaction is absolutely the best moment in the whole series.

@coramunroe

6 жыл бұрын

I literally watch this just for that moment

@natalieroberts2439

5 жыл бұрын

Just the meek "OH my God"

@obsidianthe7th

4 жыл бұрын

It literally never gets old

@sandrineouellet3794

3 жыл бұрын

@Tait Samansky if Jester and Taako met it would be sooooo much chaotic energy and I'm here for it

For anyone who's lost and needs some context, Taako the wizard bought the Slicer of Tapir-Weir Isles, which enables the user to convince anyone to trade it for their most valuable item if they pass a persuasion check. He also bought a guidebook that he can read to give him advantage on any given trait for awhile. Immediately upon purchasing the guidebook, he read the section on persuasion and proceeded to convince Garfield the Deals Warlock to trade the slicer, which Taako literally just bought from him, for the Flaming Raging Poisoning Sword of Doom, which I will add is a ridiculously OP weapon.

@minataku

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting that. I love this animation but OP really should have kept that first part in.

@Wrydryn

7 жыл бұрын

mastelsa what's the source for the audio?

@mastelsa

7 жыл бұрын

Wrydryn that would be The Adventure Zone, which is a podcast you can download via iTunes or from their Maximum Fun site (or via another podcast app like Pocket Casts). 10/10 would recommend. It frequently has me in tears of laughter on my public transit commute.

@chichirocket

7 жыл бұрын

One of the most glorious moments in podcasting.

@maggieisme5639

7 жыл бұрын

oh I just thought it was a rock they found outside that they covered in garlic powder or something

This whole scene was GOLD. The build up made it even funnier, too, with it just seeming like another normal shopping trip. And you can hear the exact moment Griffin realizes how badly he's fucked up. This was an incredible animatic of an incredible scene.

@milkychai

7 жыл бұрын

same! That brief silence just before Griffin realized what was going on just /made/ it for me and I COMPLETELY lost it at that point. Thank you so much, i'm happy you enjoyed it!

@octochan

7 жыл бұрын

I realized what he was up to the second they described the item and I was yelling "GRIFFIN, YOU FOOL! DON'T LET HIM BUY THAT" at my tablet. But it's funnier that Taako managed to pull that off.

@paurepiccheeseman

5 жыл бұрын

*OH MY GOD!*

@Manicies

5 жыл бұрын

The absolute horrified realisation in griffin's first "OH MY GOD" just made me /cackle/

@EditRealityGaming

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah! I really want to find the sound clip of him using the items he bought JUST BEFORE this scene to improve his bartering. 100% calculated

That is the most gorgeous Taako I have ever seen

@HonestyJZ

7 жыл бұрын

A lot of fan interpretations depict him as sort of goofy looking despite his vanity, but I love the idea that he's vain because he actually is stunning.

@molybdenumrose

7 жыл бұрын

And then The Suffering Game happens

@McGuinty2

7 жыл бұрын

I appreciate that this portrayal is giving me heavy Lee-Pace-as-Thranduil vibes.

@ChronoTriggerHappy

6 жыл бұрын

Elves man, it aint a trap if its that pretty.

@fayeroper3683

5 жыл бұрын

You should look up "taako is cute"

This is absolutely fantastic, and Taako's eyeliner might be the most fantastic part of all.

@milkychai

7 жыл бұрын

thank you!! also i'm glad y'all are so down with the eyeliner bc i could not stop myself from adding that

@10094926

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I never really thought of Takko as anything other than a standard fantasy wizard, but hot damn I cannot think of him any other way now.

man this is the SEXIEST Taako ever.

@ralthron1

5 жыл бұрын

imagine how lupe looks

@gellerthorvath4721

4 жыл бұрын

Instant pass on all charisma rolls

@MsScarletwings

2 жыл бұрын

@Clippy yes

@arandompersonwhoisrandom3985

2 жыл бұрын

Let’s just say I want to give him my money

You can almost hear Griffin going through the stages of grief after he realizes what Justin is doing. This is GOLD

your taako is an amazing, beautiful eyeliner boy

@waffielz3106

6 жыл бұрын

eyeliner boi

@dudumangs7140

4 жыл бұрын

He looks like alucard from hellsing lol

justins a fucking genius

@cheesewizard3965

6 жыл бұрын

Justin's mindset throughout the entire campaign was as its core, "How could I possibly break the narrative via magic bullshit?"

@thrownstair

6 жыл бұрын

I love that you can pinpoint the moment that Griffin realises he fucked up super big time.

I think this moment really illustrates the trust and respect that the McElroys have for each other. Justin trusts Griffin to let this be an amazing moment and not railroad it Griffin trusts Justin to not take advantage of the moment and break the game Just really exceptional relationships that make them all better storytellers.

My coworker (who turned me onto the McElroy network of podcasts) described this Taako moment as "breaking the DM"😲. Agreed! 😂

@liamwhite3522

6 жыл бұрын

I mean, the DM fucked up by giving the shopkeep an item that has infinite barter potential for 900 GPs.

@firebrain2991

3 жыл бұрын

idk about "breaking" the DM. If my players did this to me I would actually feel really good for a couple of reasons: 1) it means my players are invested enough to come up with plans like this in a somewhat creative manner and 2) if they have more power, I can be meaner and more creative with my enemy choices.

While listening to this I was nearly as panicked as Griffin, but for the complete opposite reason. I really, *really* wanted Justin to get it and I was like "oh god this isn't going to work is it it's not going to work it's not going to work" BUT LO AND BEHOLD. Holy shit Justin did it.

@abj6920

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, imagine the disappointment in Griffin's voice if Justin had rolled horribly on his persuasion check even with advantage, then what? He doesn't get the sword? Even if the joke is killer does Griffin have to take the punchline away from his big brother? So glad it happened!

Justin is the goddamn master of improv and thinking on his feet. (Granted, "Who?" is probably the pinnacle of that, but this moment was up there!)

@veshengri

Жыл бұрын

Agreed on all points.

The greatest part is how that sword was instantly forgotten and will never be swung ;)

@Swarbie8D

7 жыл бұрын

It's not meant to be swung, ITS FASHION

@MKMonsterr

7 жыл бұрын

He put it under the bed with dirty laundry and half eaten candy! XD

@ConSolo29

7 жыл бұрын

Forrest Prather I'm from the future and I'm here to tell you you're wrong

@forrestprather2678

7 жыл бұрын

ConSolo29 In the end, I think we can say it was worth it.

@Vesuya

5 жыл бұрын

ConSolo Magnus is currently using that sword to wreck Chris Perkins' show Dice, Camera, Action! Magnus hit a beholder with it 6 times in a round on an action surge, killing it at full health!! It was glorious... Look for episode 96, or so.

sometimes, things that are more expensive.... are worse.

@acidshane

6 жыл бұрын

Mook DeCappuccino yeeeessssss

The perfect storm of events that happened to make this moment possible, though. The nature of the two submitted items, probably from people who had never met, the fact that they showed up in the same trip to FC, that Griffin chose to include both of them, and then Justin freaking DROPPING on that opportunity. I listened to the descriptions of both those items (the slicer and the adventurer's guide) and this use absolutely never crossed my mind. This was not only hilarious, but absofuckinglutely brilliant. All hail Justin McElroy.

@pareidolist

3 жыл бұрын

I'm confident the person who wrote the slicer intended for this to happen

Justin EARNED that sword, what fantastic roleplaying... and also poor Griffin continuing to roleplay so brilliantly even after dying, knowing he has fucked up XD

This was such an amazing moment in TAZ. I couldn't stop laughing when I realized what was about to happen. This sword that was only included in the store because Griffin was so happy an 8 year-old had listened to their podcast and sent in a suggestion for a Costco item. This sword that was purposefully priced so that Taako, Merle, and Magnus could never buy it, even if they pooled their money together. And not only did they get it, but Taako, the wizard who does not used weapons, got it and chose to just wear it as a statement piece. Iconic.

This scene nearly made me bust a gut when I first heard it. Even better animated.

@vykarion

7 жыл бұрын

Sure you don't mean bust a nut?

@digdug1489

7 жыл бұрын

Joshua Fraser I busted multiple.

@kainuipenaloza9395

5 жыл бұрын

Joshua Fraser "Sounds fair to me!" "Nice." (In my head meme plays...) **clicks tounge** "Noice."

i love your taako but like, more importantly. your garfield the deals warlock is the best deals warlock there has been, holy shit.

Picture Griffin, in real life, at the moment of dawning comprehension Spinning away from the mic, his hands clasping his face in disbelief, blurting out a tortured "Oh My Gooood" It is pure perfection

Just the "YEAH OKAY" Immidietly made me cry

I adore this incredibly beautiful Takko.

just wanted to thank you all so much for all of the kind words! seeing this many people enjoy this was really inspiring for me and makes me want to do even more of these i'm currently working on an animatic for the other fantastic fantasy costco bit! the first 40 seconds are sketched out right now and i'll get it out as soon as i can

@smartyart3728

6 жыл бұрын

milkychai I love your design for taako

@narutofan14904

6 жыл бұрын

I would pay money for a fully animated version of this scene in your style.

@clearnoisesounds4390

6 жыл бұрын

Chey-Chey its ur big bro. I'm so damn proud of u with all ur art work. I had no idea it was this good. Your doing big things like I always knew you where special with your art work thanks to our big bro growing up. I love u sis keep it going. When u make it big and buy a house let me know and ill do a metal roof for u lol.

@TBProductions2011

6 жыл бұрын

it says ep 50 but are there really 49 more episodes in this style? i really love it!

@kevin-bf4ww

5 жыл бұрын

i like the extremely beautiful taako

This was the most incredible fantasy costco so far! I was in tears when Justin pulled this on Griffin.

@wolfydawolf1296

7 жыл бұрын

Kin M Costco? i don't think this has to do with warehouse stores, hahaha

@kidam8438

7 жыл бұрын

It's called fantasy costco in their podcast. It's where their group spends their loot on new gear. You can even see the costco sign at the start of the video.

@wolfydawolf1296

7 жыл бұрын

Kin M oh... thanks ^w^

"mm, those spices tho" i don't taz (yet) but that part had me crying

WHY WAS THIS RECCOMENDED FOR ME I ASSUME THIS IS DND BUT I DONT KNOW ANY OF THESE PEOPLE

@theleeryone

7 жыл бұрын

i'd recommend checking out the podcast then. it's the funniest shit

@alapazam

7 жыл бұрын

John Todd listen to the podcast "The Adventure Zone"

@jessicaseburn9382

7 жыл бұрын

It was recommended for you because KZread knows you're missing out on something incredible.

@cscotch13

6 жыл бұрын

John Todd Hopefully you've given it a listen by now: The Adventure Zone is a d&d based podcast and it's the perfect blend of weighty and ridiculous

Taako's eyeliner is always on point

I love how gorgeous Taako is :D

I love your version of Taako! I always imagined him as very fine and feminine!

@hannahvandehei4735

6 жыл бұрын

Heather Gray Justin himself described Taako as feminine.

This was an absolutely BRILLIANT idea on Justin's part, I was dying laughing the whole time. Fantastic animation!

Taako is drawn so beautifully. This is the image of Taako that comes to mind every time I listen to show.

Honestly this is by far my favorite TAZ animatic as well as just the biggest, most shocking, in-game con ever. This and the final Lunar Interlude are the best fiction-scams ever.

1. This is some of the best Taz art and the timing's phenomenal. 2. Just some context for anyone who might have stumbled on this clip a bit too early in the story like I did: The Slicer isn't worth anything, it's just a magic item that IF you succeed in a persuasion check, it can be traded to anyone for the most valuable item they own. Taako literally JUST bought it in that FC trip, along with a Players Guide that gave him advantage on a roll of one type for 24 Hours. Justin immediately used the book to get Persuasion Advantage with Griffin thinking nothing of it, then he launched into this, and that's why Griffin's response is so big.

You bring Taako to life fully and completely, a very good animation

What I love about this is that, even when Griffin realized how bad he just screwed up, he didn't try and walk it back or make up some reason why it wouldn't work. He accepted it, played the situation out, and trusted Justin - and Justin rewarded that trust by turning the sword into a gag and not using it until well past the point where it mattered. Plenty of DMs would just say "uhhh, crap, you can't do that" or "well actually I have this in the back that's valued slightly higher than the sword I don't want you to have." That or the player who received the sword would immediately use it to its full ability and ruin the game for the other players. Instead, both of them rolled with it, and they were rewarded with a hilarious scene and a running gag that lasted the rest of the show.

I just want you to know that this video convinced me to listen to The Adventure Zone. I also just got up to this episode yesterday and all I could picture was this video!

this part caught me so off guard and I was crying laughing for twenty minutes, because I expected taako to wait until some quest where he used it for one of the relics

omg your taako is so pretty

@epsereth

7 жыл бұрын

I'm so uncomfortable with how attractive this cartoon is to me, lmao

perfunctory "What a beautiful handsome boy!" yes. thank you for your hard work and feline warlock deals. boy howdy. worked up a sweat just thinking about those lashes. very good wizard boy

I CAN'T FCUKING BELIEVE YOU DREW GARFIELD THE DEALS WARLOC AS A CAT. LIKE I CAN' TELL WHETHER ITS UNORIGINAL A SHIT OR THE MOST AVANT GARD FCKUING MASTERPIECE IN TH WORLD BUT YOUR FINGUCK DID IT GOLD STAR.

@Raachiful

7 жыл бұрын

genobrosX it's a mbmbam thing

@genobrosX

7 жыл бұрын

I was aware, the comment was directed at the animator.

@lxjoe96

6 жыл бұрын

+genobrosX Ah, so you do know how to turn off caps lock.

@chiffon788

6 жыл бұрын

You know about the comic Garfield, right? It's from that. He's a famous cartoon cat

Truly one of the most memorable moments of the show.

I'm really glad I caught up to this point in the podcast because for a long time I found this animatic perplexing, but with the full context of the scene it's great. I wonder why Justin and Travis didn't put more points into charisma when they rolled their characters, given how often they try to talk their way out of things (and engage in other sundry fast-talk).

I really like the art style

Griffin's moment of horrified realization is the most delightful thing that ever happened in a podcast CHOCK FULL of AMAZING moments.

This is what first piqued my interest in TAZ. With the finale just past I have to say: thank you so much for introducing me to this grand adventure.

Oh my gosh yes, the way you drew Taako is absolutely beautiful

"ah okay that sounds fair to me" *not to distant laughter* "nice!"

This is the very first adventure zone animatic I ever saw and it convinced me to binge animatics, and then I started listening to the show. This very animatic pulled me out of a rut I had been in for months from being unemployed. I still love this animatic and I never miss an episode of TAZ. This animatic means so much to me. Thank you.

I am so so glad to finally see an animatic/storyboard for this fantastic scene, and such a GREAT animatic at that!

omg your taako is AMAZING i love this !!!!

Griffin’s agony makes this so, so sweet

THEY'RE PUTTING THIS IN THE SUFFERING GAME GRAPHIC NOVELLL

I think the best part about Taako is how he always had a way to cheese any situation.

I have made the "Oh my god" into my notification ringtone and I will not change it until I get tired of it. Which will be never.

George Taako is my favourite actor in Star Trek.

I really love how everyone I've seen draw Taako draws him as the most beautiful guy ever :D This was so good!

This is like my favorite moment and it makes me so happy to see it animated!

taako is so damn fab

This was the first TAZ animatic I ever watched and I'd like to say, thank you for changing my life

this is so beautiful, one of my favorite scenes in the show and you did such a good job animating it!!!!!

I absolutely love that Taako is like HYPER EXTRA DETAIL and Garfield is like, cat... but a dude. I feel like it really reflects how Taako sees the world: He. Is. Stunning.

God, I will never get over just how hard Griffin played himself here. Jesus.

I freakin fell out of my chair when I listened to this part, one of the funniest things ever.

This is my favorite moment of the entire arc because you can pinpoint the exact moment when Justin breaks Griffin

One of the best things is how Griffin totally didn't see this coming, and we hear the moment he gets what's about to happen. This is such a nightmare scenario for a GM. But he rolled with it and made it work.

Literally my favourite scene in Balance. No contest. Emotional moments ? Sure but.... Give me Taako tricking the fuck out of Griffin and I'm golden.

this Taako is. so beautiful

ok but this art is GLORIOUS

Clint/Merle's gleefully sadistic "holy shit I can't believe that just worked" laugh at 2:24 just makes this entire bit for me.

I love how Griffin gets what he's going for right before everyone else

oh my Pan, i LOVE your depiction of Taako. That's about what i had pictured in my head, incredible to see him drawn so lovingly. Also what a perfect scene. Thank you for making this 💜

Taako looks amazing!

There are other moments I like more through this show, but as comedy bits go, I genuinely think this one is my favorite. The fact that Griffin didn't see the threat as soon as it was even presented in an email is hilarious to me.

This audio clip, and this animatic, is my happy place. Never forget.

I love this moment so much and your Taako is too beautiful for words

This very animatic that i literally stumbled across completely blind made me start listening to TAZ, MBMBAM, and stanning the mcleroy brothers as a whole. You have RUINED my life with your fantastic art, thank you so much.

This was peak Taako. I like the stuff they've done since then, but nothing will ever top this era of TAZ.

griffin’s realization gets me every fucking time. the circumstances for this were perfectly goddamn crafted.

I don't want to say that this was fully the reason I started watching TAZ but man you convinced me

The way you draw Taako is freaking beautiful and amazing. I love it so much

ABSOLUTELY ICONIC, and I love your Taako design

I love magnus in the background thinking, " wait, what's going on?"

I love that you didn't draw anyone saying Griffin's "oh my gods" because I'm just imagining someone in line behind the boys freaking out over this spectacular scam they're witnessing.

God I would love an essay or a video or something from an economist discussing the economic implications of the Slicer of T'pier Weir Isles

you know garfield shouldn't even be upset. The slicer is literally the ultimate merchants tool. Like it's magical effect is having effectively infinite value when traded for other items.

This is so magnificent, the designs, the body language, expressions, so brilliant!

This is one of my favorite taz animatics, i really like Taako's expressions and the amount of patience put into this *three minute long* work of *art*

And in that moment, Griffin knew he fucked up. This is amazing! Your Taako is to die for!

I think this is the video that got me into TAZ, and I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you so much.

Such a great illustration of one of my favorite TAZ scenes! Thank you for making it!

The most iconic scene in balance

A wonderfully ingenuous moment! Although it's a bit surprising that Griffin didn't see this coming, given that I don't think they ever came across a shop besides Garfield's during their travels.

this animatic got me into TAZ years ago, so glad to see it on my recommended list again

this is amazing, I love your taako (and this scene, god)

This easily makes one of my top 10 fav moments in all of Balance and you've captured it just perfectly! Except work!

This was the video that made me listen to the adventure zone, so thank you for both that introduction and this beautiful illustration

WHAT an amazingly beautiful taako!!